The Dreamcast Mini almost existed, but…


Merouan Goumiri

August 21, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.

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Dreamcast © CreativeCommons

© Creative Commons

If you had the Dreamcast in your possession during your young years, perhaps you dream today of seeing it return in a Mini version.

Unfortunately, it probably won’t get past the dream stage.

Classic Mini consoles: when Nintendo paves the way for a trend that continues…

In 2016, when the Nintendo Switch was not yet in this world, Big N embarked on a thrilling (and short) adventure: those of miniaturized retro consoles. The Japanese manufacturer first gave us the NES Classic Mini before offering the Super NES Classic Mini a year later. Despite the dazzling success met by these two machines (nostalgia, when you hold us…), and contrary to numerous rumours, the Nintendo 64 Mini will never see the light of day (at least not officially). In December 2018, Nintendo had also hinted that it wanted to direct its efforts towards its hybrid console by announcing the end of the “Classic Mini” consoles (or at least, of their production).

NES Classic Mini Super Nintendo © Nintendo

© Nintendo

Unknowingly, Nintendo has ushered in a new trend for retro mini consoles. If Sony for its part launched the PlayStation Classic, a miniaturized version of its first console (which moreover did not meet with great success), SEGA did not hesitate to do the same with the Mega Drive Mini . For a few years, noises from the hallway evoke the arrival of a possible Dreamcast Mini. And this project was obviously not so far from being completed, before certain problems interfered in the equation…

The Dreamcast Mini completely abandoned?

The Dreamcast rocked the childhood and adolescence of many of us. This console, so dear to the eyes of those who have owned it, has seen the birth of many monuments, including the saga of games Shen Mue, recently adapted into animation. According to information from youtubeur Adam Koralik, we can no longer hope for a return of the Dreamcast in Mini format, despite the arrival of the Mega Drive Mini 2 last year.


According to him, SEGA would have been faced with cost issues. For this idea to succeed, the Japanese company would have had to market its Dreamcast Mini at a price of around 300 USD due to the hardware incorporated into the machine. SEGA then judged that such a price would not have satisfied consumers and that it was better to abandon the project.

Remember that if nostalgia can sometimes have its small effect, the Dreamcast has unfortunately not met with great commercial success. Indeed, less than 10 million copies would have passed in the world. By comparison, the Mega Drive had attracted nearly 40 million buyers at the time, which could already more easily encourage SEGA to bring its console back to the Mini format.

Source : Wccftech



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