Stolar Keeps Message in Box

We've all seen the screens of Sonic Adventure. Virtua Fighter 3 tb and Sega Rally 2 have been officially confirmed as Dreamcast releases before the end of the year. It's just a few weeks until the Tokyo Game Show when the world will finally get its hands on real working Dreamcast hardware and games. Which takes us to Sega of America and its preparations for the Dreamcast in the US.

EGM spoke to Bernie Stolar earlier this week to see what's changed since we last spoke with him during E3. Right now, many of Sega of America's plans on specific aspects of the system are still being kept secret. More of the interview can be seen in EGM's 1999 Video Game Buyer's Guide, which goes on sale in November.

Many of the details we asked about - force feedback, more buttons on the controller, localizing Japanese games, etc. were ones that Bernie did not answer (reasoning that these are marketing decisions that he cannot reveal). "We've got two strong competitors with a lot of money, and I'm trying to keep this whole marketing build and the whisper and shout program together and build this crescendo as close to the vest as I can."

The price of the system is reported to be very low - with yen-to-dollar conversion rates, even if Sega announces a 20,000 yen price point, the system approaches $150. Stolar remained silent on the price issue, saying, "It's a very, very, very aggressive price point. It's the right price point for the right product." At launch there are 8-12 first- and third-party titles planned for release.

Although he wouldn't comment on specific peripherals or putting force feedback in the controller, he did say that Sega has "a whole lineup of peripherals that will be released day and date with the launch. All your traditional peripherals will probably be there. We'll have the necessary products for the marketplace. My belief in product today is the more authentic the better. Authenticity is the key."

A big issue that is surrounded by speculation and rumors is the system's modem. Stolar clarified this issue for us by telling us, "The modem at this point is a 33.6. A lot of what we're going to do with the modem, whether it's inside or outside, is a marketing situation, and I would feel uncomfortable going through that right now." When asked to clarify what he meant by inside and outside, Stolar said, "I can either bundle the modem with software and a keyboard, or I could ship the modem in the box. That's a matter of price point. It will be shipped with a modem in Japan." While Heat.net will be setting up the network, it will not be called Heat.net or Heat.net Dreamcast - it'll have its own separate name.

The third-party situation in the US is moving along with a number of companies having already received development kits. However, Stolar told us that actual licensing agreements have not yet been signed. "What we wanted to do first was make sure they had the tools and the technology in front of them so they could see the viability and the strength of what we're delivering. Once that turned on the guys inside that are writing code and doing the art, then we wanted to go to the presidents of the companies and say, 'Hey, now we're ready to do this because you guys are convinced.'"

The Dreamcast wasn't the only thing we talked to Stolar about; we brought up the Saturn, too. The answer we got about its future didn't surprise us, as we expected there'd be no more product for that system released. "Unless it's something that's really a killer application, I tend to doubt it," he said. He also said that there are no plans to finish the Shining Force III trilogy in the US.

Asked if he's ready to take on competition from Sony, Stolar said that if PlayStation Next "comes out in the year 2000, we'll be ready to take them on."

Let's hope so.