dreamcast.jpgEver since the death of the original , there have been rumblings of a 2. These would have seemed to been officially put to rest with going exclusively third party as a developer, but gamers have kept the fire flamed. Why? Despite the implosion that was the , many still regard it fondly as one of the best systems made to date.

The 2 rumblings were started up again last August when filed papers with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to extend their trademark over the name. One argument is that was simply doing this to extend their control over a brand name they had invested heavily in. Still, why should care at all? It isn’t like they’re still marketing anything under the banner. Of course, there’s always a chance they might re-release some classic titles under some Greats Hits name, but why wait this long to do so?

This has sparked interest among fans who believe could be readying a 2. Still, could a company abandon hardware for this long and make a return? Atari certainly tried. Their Lynx handheld and Jaguar home console were at best valiant attempts to recapture their lost glory, though neither ever rose above being a niche product. Pile on top of all this that ’s original partner for the , Microsoft, has now entered the market themselves with the Xbox. It doesn’t seem likely that the could resurface.

Still, what if they did? The first thing would have to fix is their software development. What was once the rival of Nintendo’s first party offerings has now, for the most part, become a joke. The Sonic franchise went from the highs of the 16-bit era, to the promise of Sonic Adventure, to the downright gutter feeding of Sonic the Hedgehog. also sold of their Sports lineup, which had once been a refreshing breath of fresh air for a system that had no Electronic Arts involvement.

So before could attempt at bringing back their hardware business they would have to solidify their software business. The easiest way to attempt this might be to partner with third parties. Imagine a 2 that featured exclusive support from Ubisoft and Take 2 Games. It may sound implausible, but then so did Square leaving Nintendo and developing for Nintendo.

The other option would be to team up with another hardware manufacturer. At this point ’s brand name is so tarnished and their software development arm so emaciated one has to question who would seriously care to partner with them? It once seemed a perfect fit for Nintendo and to partner, but after ’s merger with Sammy that no longer seems likely.

So what would a developed 2 need to succeed? Besides the aforementioned software refocus and perhaps partnering, it would need a powerful, easy to develop for hardware. That was, after all, one of the strengths of the original . Who could best offer such a development environment with little effort? Why, of course, . Apple’s rumored iGame might just be the 2 in waiting, and it would certainly give both companies a strong American and Japanese partner. Would it happen? is unlikely to go it alone, and is unable to go it alone. In the end, such a partnership for the 2 might be the thing that dreams are made of.


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