Now July 1999 would be the regular retail model that means the May 1999 model is probably a test model given out possibly to video rental stores or video game magazines?
It probably is a rental unit. Hollywood video had a rental program similar to Japan's Tsutaya rental cases. Are the screws triangle, square or have a star pattern? If so, the use of some form of security bit further supports that theory.
Is it just a simple TORX screw head? http://www.bosch-do-it.com.au/mam/bosch-pt-centralpool/diy/diyknowledge/lexicon/bit1.jpeg (on the left) Or TORX security bit (note the hole in the bit, and corresponding pole in the middle of the screw head) http://www.explorerforum.com/photopost/data/2/medium/DSCN6385.JPG
I remember renting a Dreamcast console and ONLY Sonic Adventure, before both came out (retail), from Hollywood Video. Is this where it could have originated?
I believe Hollywood Video and Blockbuster would both have the system for rent but I can't tell if that's where this came from cause I don't know
Hollywood video had Dreamcasts and Dreamcast games available for rental a few months before the release date of 9/9/99. Blockbuster used to rent consoles out as I have distinctive memories of their rental boards showing the cost to rent an N64, Dreamcast, Playstation, etc. As far as I know Hollywood Video had exclusive rights to rent the console out ahead of launch. Blockbuster had to wait and buy retail Dreamcasts.
That explains why there were so many at clearance after the debacle Now a new question arises: why they had to wait so much to release it elsewhere, and why they choose the 9/9/99 date besides a marketing gimmick Ever heard of the pen trick?
9999 was probably for how many units they'd try to sell in the first hour of release and I guess it didn't work
Or if you have a small hardware store around, like ACE Harware, find the cheap bargain tool bin (all the off-brand shit) and find the big set of screwdriver bits that costs like 5.99 for 40 bits.] Hell, the big places might have these cheapies, too.
you know I might have the tools sitting around somewhere under all this crap this may take a couple days sorry guys Oh speaking of odd systems I also have a odd Sega CD 2 and I did manage to open it up just to find out it had smaller parts than any of the models I've seen on the net and I'm gonna put pics up of both systems soon
Hey, I had a Dreamcast with no modem on it. I bought it not working when I lived in Manchester UK about 6 years ago, I had to replace the power board in it. It was one of the DC units that had the cooling pipes in it. I'm not sure of the serial number on it tho. I do remember it would play games from any region and it had no mod chip in it. I just presumed it was one of the first JP releases cos it had a red swirl instead of the blue one on the pal machines
