4 ms·
It's interesting that Windows CE of the time was offered as an SDK option. I actually wonder if the Katana SDK option had any multi-tasking capabilities? Presum
by ece 6y ago
It's interesting that Windows CE of the time was offered as an SDK option. I actually wonder if the Katana SDK option had any multi-tasking capabilities? Presumably for communicating with the memory card maybe? I never had a Dreamcast but the memory card always seemed cool.
It's interesting to see how consoles have evolved, this era has no builtin storage, very little I/O to speak of (consoles in this generation did start getting internet connectivity), and I wonder just how much multitasking consoles in this generation (or before it) could do in terms of running anything other than the game in the background. The Xbox was a big leap towards current consoles in that it had a x86 CPU and built-in hard drive storage, the PS2 had a USB port and HDD. After this generation everyone had hard drive storage, functional USB ports/expandable storage, and things like background downloads.
- jonny_eh 6y agoThe PS2 did not come with a hard drive, it was an accessory that few people had. The Xbox famously had one though. Another big innovation of the Xbox was the included ethernet port.
- laumars 6y agoThe Xbox is in many ways the sequel to the Dreamcast because after Sega cancelled the DC some of the same management and engineers behind the DC were snapped up by Microsoft to work on the Xbox. This is why many of the innovations originally seen on the DC were also seen on the Xbox and Microsoft’s subsequent consoles too.
- whylo 6y agoThe Xbox controller also seems to have been heavily influenced by the DC controller - these early designs even include a VMU: https://www.shacknews.com/article/95534/original-xbox-controller-designs-show-how-the-dreamcast-influenced-microsofts-first-console https://www.shacknews.com/article/95534/original-xbox-contro...