Virtually Magnificant Unit (Sega Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit)

Member Name: timtm

Product:	Sega Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit
Date:	24/07/01 (204 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Memory card is very reliable, Individual screens are great, You can play games on the move!

Disadvantages: Batteries run out quicker than Speedy Gonzalez

Only virtually? Well, yes.

Every console has its moments of brilliance in design. The Nintendo 64 had the analogue control. The Playstation had the memory card - before this, games were saved to a memory inside the cartridge, or to a battery memory inside the console itself, or not at all. So, what's the Dreamcast's new-fangled dongle then?

Well, it's a screen for each player. Not, I hasten to add, a big TV screen, just a little LCD screen that sits in the joypad and lets you see what others can't.

How it's used depends on the game, of course. In Quake 3, it can display your health and ammo situation. In Virtua Tennis, you can see the action represented by little matchstick men.

*In* the joypad? Well, yes, it's not *on* the joypad, it's inside it. And it's removable. Attached to this screen is Sega's version of the memory card - save your progress, high scores, character and level designs, and take them around to your friend's house.

OK, so it's a screen and a memory card in one. All very well, but *why*? Why not sell them seperately? Well, that's the clever bit. Slide the VMU out of the joypad, and you'll find it's got a tiny D-pad and two buttons on it (in addition to two tinier buttons for mode slection, and so on). You see, you can download games to it.

It's a small black and white (er, black and green) screen, it's a toy with very little processing power or general oomph - but it's great fun. As well as downloading games off the Internet, you can find them in any number of Dreamcast Games. Powerstone has three that are available once you complete the game. With Sonic Adventure an Sonic Adventure 2 you get Chao Adventure and ... you guessed it ... Chao Adventure 2, which use the little A-Life things you can raise in the main games.

You can even link up two VMUs and exchange scores, files, and so on, without a consol
e in sight.

Sounds good, yes? Well, it is. There are, as ever, some problems around. The screen is tiny and has a very poor resolution - what they can do with it is thus compromised a bit. And the worst thing is battery life. Grrgh.

The VMU uses two CR2032 batteries, which are flat watch-style ones. And are expensive. You don't need these batteries for the VMU to work as a memory card, but you do need them to use the screen when not connected to the Dreamcast. And they run out in a couple of months.

So, to combat this, leave the little plastic tab in the back to stop the batteries from being used. Every time you want to use the unit, take the tab out, but then put it back in when you've finished.

I don't know why none of the forthcoming consoles have the idea of individual screens built in - they're great. If it wasn't for the batterly life problem, this would have been a number one reason to own a Dreamcast. As it is, it's not. Shame.

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