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For a brief year-and-a-half, the SEGA Dreamcast was the most powerful console that ever lived. It was also the coolest — check it, nerds. Now, about 23-and-a-half years later, it’s nowhere near as impressive. Thankfully, one YouTuber is keeping the dream alive by turning the console into a tiny modern PC through the Dreamcast One project.
The Dreamcast One project
Documented on the Computer Base forum, user Temujin 123 explained the journey of upgrading his SEGA console. As the user doesn't play any “demanding games", he decided to gut his old Dreamcast and turn it into the “Dreamcast One".
Temujin wanted the Dreamcast One to be an uncompromising vision. While it would not become a full-fledged gaming PC capable of AAA gaming at high settings, it would be the perfect blend of PC and Dreamcast.
For starters, the modder wanted to keep a working disc drive in the machine. While not the original disc drive, the inclusion of one was paramount. He said, “It would have been a lot easier without a drive, but I really wanted a full-fledged box without compromises, although I rarely need a drive.” To keep everything in the Dreamcast's small chassis, the new build uses a DVD burner ripped from a laptop.
Finally, the machine keeps the original console’s four front-mounted controller ports, but converts them into USB 3.1 ports. It’s keeping the dream alive.
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What are the specs?
The Dreamcast One does have a modest specs sheet, however, it’s still competent amid modern rigs. For example, the core of the device is a very competent AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650Zg CPU atop a ASROCK X300M-STX board. Furthermore, there's 2 x 8 GB Crucial Ballistix SO-DIMM DDR4-3200 and a Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 CPU cooler to keep everything cool.
For storage, the Dreamcast One is stacked with 2.8TB of SSD space. There are two M.2 drives: a 960 GB Corsair Force MP510 and a 1 TB Samsung 970 EVO. Additionally, the custom build has one 120GB Samsung 830 drive connected via SATA.
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Summary
Temujin's Dreamcast One project is a testament to just how beloved the original console is. It may not have been the longest-running console platform or even the most impressive, but it has certainly stayed in the hearts of gamers across the world.
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