New Dreamcast Network This Month

GameSpot News has received an official announcement that Nortel Networks is teaming up with Isao Corp. of Japan, a Sega of Japan spin-off company, to enable more than 5,000 online Dreamcast players in Japan to compete in the same game simultaneously.

The huge amount of simultaneous game-player support is made possible through Nortel Networks' high-performance Internet technology that is being provided to Isao, which is building what it calls "the world's largest and fastest game server network." That network, which ensures faster access and no delays, is expected to be fully operational in Japan in early December. The first title available for the network service is the recently released Dreamcast title, Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram. The network service will also be supporting more Dreamcast titles in the future, as well.

Gamers all over Japan will be able to play the game over the network with a low price (by Japanese standards) of nine yen per minute (roughly equivalent to nine cents per minute). Previously, rates for network games varied throughout the regions in Japan. Hopefully, this will draw more players to the network game experience in the future.