The Sega Dreamcast lasted less than a year and a half on store shelves (or two, if you count the Japanese launch), but it was a console ahead of its time, with a generally solid lineup and a few indispensable gems. Its sudden departure still stings a little... but emulation offers a second chance. If you have a Raspberry Pi 4 or plan to get one soon, you'll want to try the development build of Redream, a Sega Dreamcast emulator that already supports more than 500 games and keeps improving in terms of speed.
The Dreamcast's Legacy
If any console deserved success, it was the Sega Dreamcast. Its fighting games were excellent (with a healthy emphasis on crossovers), it served as the starting point for new franchises like Shenmue, and it provided the foundation for better-known titles such as Resident Evil 2 and 3, which were especially good. However, Sega gave it the thumb's down after realizing it couldn't compete with the PlayStation 2. Being the first sixth-generation console, including a modem, and having superior hardware wasn't enough. The Dreamcast left us in March 2001, and Sega exited the console market.
Getting a Dreamcast today isn't particularly hard. A trip to eBay, around $100 on average, plus shipping costs, and you're on your way. But you also need to hunt down physical games and fix any existing issues (after all, these units are now twenty years old). The direct alternative is emulation, and considering the firepower available these days, emulating a Dreamcast isn't difficult. But the Raspberry Pi was still a bit in debt... until the fourth version arrived. All we need from here is a solid emulator, and Redream wants to fill that role.
Redream on the Raspberry Pi 4
The first efforts to bring Redream to the Raspberry Pi 4 happened in July of last year, with an original two-week delay. Unfortunately, those two weeks turned into five months, and it was necessary to wait until December for more stable builds.
Today, the update frequency of the builds is remarkable (in the last 24 hours we already registered three), and apart from an occasional pause during the most demanding moments of a game, it works marvelously, averaging 60 frames per second. If you decide to overclock the Raspberry Pi 4, the results will be even better.
Installing and Using Redream
The installation process doesn't use repositories; instead, you download the emulator, unzip the contents into a temporary folder, and run "redream".
The free version is more than enough to get started, but if you have in mind rendering games at a higher resolution (not recommended on the Raspberry Pi 4) or accessing more save slots per game, you'll need to purchase the premium license, at a one-time price of five dollars.
https://old.neoteo.com/como-jugar-king-of-fighters-online/Beyond the Raspberry Pi
Of course, the Raspberry Pi 4 is just one option. Redream is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and various flavors of Linux, as long as we're talking about 64-bit systems.
Official site and download: Click here
