| QuintonMcLeod said:
I didn't say the Dreamcast sold well. I simply said it wasn't a failed console. The Dreamcast sold well enough during its first year, but after that, Sega was unable to promote its system and its games. Because of that, many of the Dreamcast's releases flew under the radar. If Sega had money, those games would've been properly marketed, and their games would've sold. It's as simple as thast. |
Marketing budget =/= sales.
The Dreamcast was practically being given away for FREE (literally) at times and they still couldn't give them away. It's simply because no one cared for the Dreamcast. I know this because I was there during that time. The Dreamcast was by far my favorite console during its prime, but the fact is no one cared for it. The Dreamcast sold well until Sony announced the PS2... but even before the PS2 was announced the Dreamcast was feeling heat because of the rumors surrounding the PS2. I still remember a January 2000 issue of EGM I think it was talking about if we should get a Dreamcast with the rumors about the PS2. Sony didn't even need to have a marketing budget because the media was doing it for them.
The Dreamcast was doomed no matter what Sega did short of getting Halo and GTAIII as exclusive.
Here's a better more detailed video on the DC's demise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awg3UZs9J_E
"People were like 'I'd rather have NOTHING for Christmas than a Dreamcast!'"
"Even without the PS2 they couldn't sell a Dreamcast at Christmas."
Think of it this way: During Christmas 2000 and early 2001, the PS2 suffered its famous shortages (something the Wii would later suffer), so Sega responded by dropping the Dreamcast's price to $99.
And people STILL preferred just to wait to get a PS2.
Once the PS2 was launched, the Dreamcast was going to die even if Sega had a ton of marketing muscle. Nothing short of getting Halo or GTAIII could save it. The Xbox would have also just died if it weren't for Halo.
It pains me to discuss this too because the Dreamcast is one of my favorite systems ever, and I today I wish Sega was still in the console race. Sega was incredible, but they did burn too many bridges.
RIP Dreamcast, we hardly knew ye.
