9.13 million Dreamcast units were sold worldwide.Īlthough the Dreamcast had a short lifespan and limited third-party support, reviewers have considered the console ahead of its time. After a change in leadership, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast on March 31, 2001, withdrawing from the console business and restructuring itself as a third-party publisher. Sales did not meet Sega’s expectations despite several price cuts, and the company continued to incur significant financial losses. launch backed by a large marketing campaign, but interest in the system steadily declined as Sony built hype for the upcoming PlayStation 2. Released in Japan to a subdued reception, the Dreamcast enjoyed a successful U.S. In contrast to the expensive hardware of the unsuccessful Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast was designed to reduce costs with “off-the-shelf” components, including a Hitachi SH-4 CPU and an NEC PowerVR2 GPU.
