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Sega Dreamcast: Gaming's most magnificent failure (video)

Calling all Sega fans! Adventures in Tech tells the story of the Dreamcast -- an innovative console that failed so hard it destroyed Sega's gaming empire.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway
2 min read

Few gadgets are remembered as fondly as Sega's Dreamcast, and yet this quirky games machine flopped so hard that it forced Sega to quit the console market entirely. In the latest episode of Adventures in Tech, we take a fond look back at the Dreamcast, its ahead-of-its-time innovations, and the reasons why it died.

Take a look at Sega's beautiful, doomed Dreamcast (pictures)

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Back in the game

You'll learn how Sega's final console blew our minds with its built-in Internet powers, and a controller that introduced us to the principles of second-screen gaming, years before Nintendo's Wii U.

You'll also get a look back at the incredible lineup of games that brought so many hours of gaming pleasure to Dreamcast fans -- from the sprawling Shenmue to the puzzling ChuChu Rocket, the gorgeous Jet Grind Radio, and the forward-thinking Phantasy Star Online. Oh, and let's not forget the massively disturbing Seaman.

The Dream that died

With the Dreamcast, Sega did everything right. So where did it all go so wrong? Hit play to find out which monstrously-popular games console extinguished the Dreamcast's hopes almost overnight. You'll also learn which would-be rival to the Dreamcast can actually be viewed as the system's spiritual successor.

Why do you think the Dreamcast failed? And do you have any precious memories of Sega's last console? Funnel your sentiments into the comments below, have your say on our Facebook wall, or let me know on Twitter. Oh, and check back next time for another Adventure in Tech!

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