Sega Dreamcast Iomega Zip Drive On eBay

[Rob Williams]

From our front-page news:

Sega's Dreamcast was undoubtedly my favorite console ever, and it's really too bad that they decided to pull the plug so early. It could easily keep up to the PS2 in terms of graphics and audio, so I will still never understand why they gave up so as if it were no big deal. I am certainly not alone in thinking that it was a great console, as the huge fanbase can confirm. One cool factor about the DC is that it had a lot of great peripherals, but sadly, many never saw the light of day.

Such as this Iomega Zip drive, for example. This drive was similar to those offered for PCs (and still are today) that would allow you to use an external Zip disk capable of storing 100MB of data to save your games and other files you download off of the internet. Pretty impressive given this was the year 2000 and internet based consoles only really started taking off in 2005 with Microsoft's Xbox 360. If you are a DC fan and have $10,000 lying around, you know what to do.

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The drive was made to fit under the DC and would connect to the expansion port with the modem, then being plugged into the Zip drive. This was to help promote the DC from a console to a home entertainment/information system with the release of other accessories (which were also never released). This Zip drive was not going to be compatible with the PC Zip drives, but it was suggested that software for the PC would eventually be released to make it compatible with the DC Zip drive.

Source: DC Emu
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[Greg King]

Ahh, the Dreamcast, how I loved you so.

There still isn't anything like sitting down with that awkward controller and rounding out a few hours at Resident Evil. Fun times.

 

[MakubeX]

Ah yes, the Dreamcast. I also can't understand how it wasn't more popular. It was the best console of its time. It was faster than the playstation and it looked much better. I remember spending hours on it playing Marvel VS Capcom 1 and 2 with my Hori Arcade Stick.

 

[Greg King]

We cant forget the excellence that was Soul Caliber either!

We also can't forget that Sega could have screwed up a wet dream from the end of the Genesis until they closed up shop after the Dreamcast. Thanks for nothing Sega. Sonic is crying somewhere as we speak. Not because Sega is dead, but more likely because Any Sonic game not done in 2D or before 1997 was absolute shit.


Sonic and Knuckles was the bomb!

 

[GameMasterNick]

I already have one, mwahahaha!

 

[Greg King]

You have a ZIP drive for the Dreamcast? That's kinda cool, in an I have something that no one else has kind of way.

 

[GameMasterNick]

Yeah, I love my Dreamcast (and I have the Dreamcast emulators for all the older systems, like NES, Genesis, SNES, etc.). I thought it would catch on big, before the marketing might of the Sunny Company (SONY) playstationed it out of existence. It beat playstation hands down in everything from graphics to connectivity and gameplay (check the difference between the Soul Reavers), but when the sunny company does anything, they do it big and ruthlessly.

 

[Rob Williams]

Any Sonic game not done in 2D or before 1997 was absolute shit. Sonic and Knuckles was the bomb!

I'll disagree! I loved Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 for the DC... the worlds, the music, the sound, it was a great package overall. It's all of the side-games that were absolute crap, not to basically anything after SA 2.

It beat playstation hands down in everything from graphics to connectivity and gameplay (check the difference between the Soul Reavers), but when the sunny company does anything, they do it big and ruthlessly.

That's the thing... it was an incredible system in all regards. You could install an NES emulator and play it just fine... connect to the internet with it to download other peoples saved games (which I did often for fun) and the graphics were definitely on par with the PS2, especially when both consoles were still in their infancy. I remember comparing Shenmue to titles available on the PS2 at the time and there was no comparison.

 

[GameMasterNick]

I love that games like Skies of Arcadia have been re-released on the PS2-gen systems and many people think they're beautiful new releases. Shenmue was an excellent game, even if I didn't appreciate the lack of ending in the first one. I was stunned that a game -required- a sequel to finish the story. Nonetheless, it was worth waiting for.

NFL 2k2 and a few other sports games rivalled the console and Madden series until the last couple of years. I didn't know the Zip drive was an unreleased thing until I saw this article, I picked mine up at DragonCon (only one disk) from a dealer in 2001. I've been using it to save VMU games since I only have 4 VMUs, and 2 of them have dead internal batteries.

What I really want to find is the DVD or MP3 players that were unreleased.

 

[Rob Williams]

Oh, I misread earlier... you actually -own- one of the Zip drives? Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for it? One thing is for sure... it would be worth a lot more now. Nice find. Keep good care of it ;-)

 

[GameMasterNick]

Yep, I -think- it was around $100, though if they actually sell for $10k, I might not have it for long. The dealer had all sorts of strange stuff, but it was only the Dreamcast ones that I was interested in. He was the one that first told me that the DVD and MP3 players were coming out, if I remember correctly. Though a guy at Play Me Games at West Edmonton Mall also had one (he was talking about, not for sale) a couple of years back.

That was the year some friends and I loaded an RV with Canadian beer and drove from the University of Alberta to Atlanta, Georgia, picking up friends along the way. One of those once in a lifetime trips.

 

[Rob Williams]

Sounds fun man. What kind of Canuck beer were you drinking? I love in Canada and rarely ever have Canadian beer (except for Sleeman once in a while because it's delicious).

I am still impressed that you own one of those drives. I thought I was a DC fanboi but apparently not, since I didn't know about this device. Definitely a collectors item. I'd be skeptical to see it go for $10K... but it might be worth it to keep an eye on that auction.

 

[GameMasterNick]

He says it is the only one in the world (just looked at the auction). I'm gonna hafta check it when I get home, but I'm -certain- mine is the same... the color is different, though. I don't think there were any other extensions, and it does use a disk instead of being just an external VMU.

Sleeman is good, there's also an IPA (I forget the name) that is awesome. I don't remember what all we had, but it was 4 gigantic coolers as well as any warm storage space that we didn't think customs would check. I moved back to America after University (I'm from Georgia originally, studied up there, got married, moved back to the states), and don't get any good beer here.

My mother-in-law thought it was funny to bring me a vanity plate, bar towel, and beer mat all featuring the I Am Canadian (Molson Canadian) slogan. One is now used as a wall-hanging, the towel to un-dust my computer area, and the beer mat makes a nice mousepad.

Edit: Sent the auction link to my wife and she said it looks just the same (and also insinuated something about me being colorblind).

 

[Rob Williams]

I'd definitely take a good look at it when you get home... take pictures also if you can. I am very curious now.

I have never been one for Molson Canadian... or most Canadian beer for that matter. It's odd, because I keep getting told that Canada has the best beer, but I have yet to find one that blows me away. Moosehead might be the closest I've come though. I'm more of a Heineken/import drinker.

 

[madstork91]

I personally like the first sonic game that game out for the DC...

The second one though... ... ...