The Sega Dreamcast was the first console to come with a modem as standard, and online gaming was a large part of Sega’s plan for world domination back in the late 1990s. As we now know, these plans didn’t really come to fruition as intended, but the Dreamcast paved the way – arguably – for the online console gaming ecosystem we enjoy today. The vast majority of Dreamcast games also came with an option in the main menu to connect to a bespoke, Dreamcast-optimised website that would offer game hints or VMU downloads, and these were among the first things to be shut down when the Dreamcast was cancelled. As they could only be accessed by a Dreamcast browser, the vast majority of these are now lost to internet antiquity…but not Sonic Adventure.
News has surfaced on the Sonic Stadium forum that somebody has restored the original Dreamcast-accessed Sonic Adventure homepage and it is now browsable with any internet-enabled device. The site does indeed appear to be fully explorable and only certain aspects are unavailable (the Dreamcast chat functionality, for example). The reasons behind this effort are unclear, but it is certainly a commendable achievement; and anyone who didn’t get the chance to visit the Sonic Adventure homepage via a Dreamcast the first time around can now do so to their hearts content.
Link: Sonic Adventure Dreamcast Homepage
Source: Liam Ashcroft – Twitter
