Smile for the Dreamcast

On Tuesday Digital Intelligence Inc., a roughly one-year-old spin-off of Adobe Systems, announced that it has signed a deal with Sega Enterprise to license its picture imagine technology for the Dreamcast.

The licensed Digital IQ technology was designed for set-top boxes and other consumer devices and will let users view, alter, edit, organize, and save digital images from digital cameras and other peripherals. Digital IQ-enabled peripherals are currently scheduled to ship sometime this fall in Japan. More details about how the technology is to be used will be announced at a later date.

GameSpot News spoke to Digital Intelligence president and CEO, Bill McCoy, about the announcement and discovered what gamers can expect from the technology. The company currently works closely with Sega's Japanese divisions, so one can assume that peripherals using the Digital IQ technology will reach US shores sometime after the Dreamcast's US launch. While Adobe is a typical serious PC- and Mac-application company behind programs like Photoshop and PageMaker, Digital Intelligence's philosophy is beyond the PC. McCoy says that consumers see digital cameras as a PC peripheral and nothing more. Now that the digital-camera market has reached a point where one can have a decent digital camera for about US$100, the opportunity to branch out to the non-PC sector appears to be ripe for the picking.

The company will soon announce some licensing agreements regarding digital cameras and printers which could be a huge plus for those looking for photo editing power and quick printing or sticker printing. So then we asked McCoy about storing the images. While the Dreamcast is an amazing machine, it doesn't have a hard drive, and the only storage device - the VMU - wasn't built for storing photos. Considering that Digital Intelligence has arrangements with Iomega and Sega - and considering that Sega has an agreement with Iomega to mold its ZIP drive technology into Dreamcast storage device - gamers may get image editing software with the Dreamcast ZIP. McCoy couldn't comment on our speculation and only recommended we watch the Tokyo Game Show Fall '99.

The company will also use the Dreamcast's online capabilities to enhance its editing software and potential. Gamers can use the JPG format to edit pictures and post pictures on web sites. And sending pictures to friends should be simple. The company wasn't at liberty to discuss what it may be doing for games but says it is looking at several opportunities to help gamers bring their photos or other pictures into their games. Imagine seeing your best friend's worst picture floating above a competing rally cart in Rally 2 or have your smiling face become your VF3tb fighter's face…. In the future, we may all be in pictures.