DreamConn Wireless Dreamcast Controller

@chrisvcpp Awesome! Looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

 

I just noticed this, awesome! I would buy this in a heartbeat, good luck!

 

The DreamPort board is now for sale/preorder.
http://www.dreammods.net/dreamport.html

It's $220 plus $15 shipping and only supports the DreamConn+ controller, no other Bluetooth controllers supported.

I've emailed him and asked him if it's possible to buy DreamConn+ controllers at a cheaper price without the included dongle since you obviously don't need them with the DreamPort.

Hopefully this could be possible to bring costs down, because as it stands with the DreamPort you're looking at $390 for 1 controller, $560 for 2 controllers, $730 for 3 controllers, or a whopping $900 for a full set of 4 controllers.

EDIT: I just got an email back from him, it's $40 discount per controller for no dongle. If you choose to send off your controllers instead of getting premodded ones, you'd be looking at $310 for one controller, $400 for two, $490 for three, and $580 for four, not including shipping costs.

 

A little steep for taste. But I applaud the initiative.

@chriz2600 & @citrus3000psi, you guys need a new DC project?

 

Yeah, it'd be worth it to me 100% if it could sync other Bluetooth controllers, but only his... eh. I really, really like the idea though.

Ever since installing DCHDMI I've been thinking of a lot of new possibilities for DC mods.
It'd be amazing to use DCHDMI's built-in UI to expand functionality of the Dreamcast.

For example, DCHDMI could be a replacement PSU+HDMI board in one, with the QSB ribbon coming up to the PSU area instead of down below the motherboard. You might even be able to fit both barrel connector and mini-HDMI where the existing A/C plug is, so no case modding required? Might be tight though, but you could put the mini-HDMI nearby.

With all that extra space connected, you could have expansion connectors for a optical drive emulator, bluetooth adapter, etc. that would integrate into the DCHDMI UI, so you could sync bluetooth controllers through the interface, change GD-ROM images through the UI for easy disc swapping, etc.

All that should be possible, someone just would have to make it happen, and for that to happen, it'd have to be possible at a cheap enough price point to actually have demand...

Perhaps one could even integrate it some way with DreamPi functionality, though that'd be a bit more difficult.

I can dream though.

 

I think a more simple yet great implementation would be a PCB that intercepts the controller daughterboard ribbon and provides a Bluetooth interface to the maple bus, as well as a passthrough if a controller is connected. Maybe with a subtle button under the disc tray, or a button combo to enter with a wired controller to enter pairing mode. I think that could be both feasible and relatively cheap to manufacture.

 

I am glad you added up how much money I will save by not buying more of his overpriced yet cool gear. Yeah, I am going to be holding out hope for the inevitable Retro-Bit offerings, WITH dongle no less.

 

I was thinking of getting a DreamConn+, but it's so overpriced so decided to wait it out for Retro-Bit's wireless Dreamcast controllers? There are very slow and releasing any info on them. I'm hoping it's coming this year?

 

Well, I think we just have to be a bit more patient. I want them as soon as the next guy, but they still haven't released the Genesis or Saturn dual analog controllers yet. I believe once they are fully released to the wild over this summer, then they will fully delve into R&D of the Dreamcast ones. Logic would dictate they would do similarly to their Genesis/Mega Drive and Saturn ones with true triggers, and bumpers, as well as another analog stick, select and home keys.

Pretty sure the 1ST_READ.BIN of games could be hacked to change the inputs to work with the new controllers. Also, the soft reset hack could be coded to the Home key reseting you DC back to GDMENU, USB-GDROM and Dreamshell.

Obviously this is still just my personal speculation, becasue no official word from Retro-bit has come out saying we will get the same treatment as the previous 2 consoles, but I would bet my bottom dollar on it.