The Dreamcast Dreamphone

I found out about a rather odd and little documented peripheral for the Dreamcast almost by accident. It's called the Dreamphone and apparently allowed you to make calls through the Dreamcast while you were online. Here's a look at what I could find out: http://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2016/04/the-dreamcast-dreamphone.html

 

Awesome article!

 

@Tomleecee: That's a great find, thanks for sharing the information!

The following blog entry by a Japanese guy who accidentally found the "Dreamphone" and wonders for how much he should sell it provides two additional photos... (source: http://ameblo.jp/yoshihisatakano/entry-12075390737.html)



The guy writes about other Dreamcast merchandize, too:
http://ameblo.jp/yoshihisatakano/entry-11226083920.html
http://ameblo.jp/yoshihisatakano/theme-10042571394.html (those shoes also exist with Saturn or Mega Drive design)

 

This is awesome - thanks! I've updated the article and given you a credit

 

@Tomleecee: You're welcome, glad to help out since I've found some cool stuff on your website throughout the past years. Not a big Dreamcast collector myself, but avid DC gamer.

The Japanese product title on the white package says "オリジナル超小型軽量電話機" by the way, and upon searching that phrase, the following (probably well-known) Japanese game store showed up, too: http://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/100000761001 (sold out)
According to their Rakuten page, they will buy it for resale for JPY (edit) 850 - DAF*Q

Here (wayback machine link) is additional information from a Sega Dreamcast Direct website regarding the "Dreamphone". It seems as if the production of that item was limited to a certain amount and shipments had already been discontinued by March of 1999.

 

And another bit of information found here: http://www2.jan.ne.jp/~face.m.a/sega3.HTM
According to that Sega fanpage, the size of the main unit is 4,6cm x 6,1cm.

 

I had one of these! Never used it mind you. I also had Dreamcast midi cable for connecting to a Keyboard and a Dreamcast branded Casio pocket TV. The Dream point bank had loads of cool stuff.

 

Wow - you had this AND the midi cable? That's awesome. There are so many random peripherals for the DC I wonder what else will come to light

 

yep. I've actually had 2 midi cables. One was for a customer and another I kept. Even back in the day they were hard to find.

The Dreamcast had loads of cool stuff from Dreamcast Direct. I wish back then I had the money to have bought most of them. And kept the stuff I did have. I'm pretty sure I have a Saturn midi cable somewhere too.

 

Very cool, had no idea these existed.

 

I had one of them - it's not really a "Dreamcast peripheral" - it's just a phone that happens to have Dreamcast branding. You unplugged the phone line from the modem, connected it to the phone and then used that black jumper cable to plug the modem back in - as a result, if you tried to use the phone while you were online, then the modem would be disconnected.

 

Darn, I was hoping Sega had magically devised a way to use the modem and phone simultaneously.

 

Speaking of modems and phones, there was that functional prototype of a PHS cable that sold on Yahoo recently for a little over 70,000 yen, did you guys see it? I was watching it the whole night and had to stop bidding around the 35,000 yen mark. It only started at 3000 yen or something and then skyrocketed in the next 20 minutes, forcing the auction to be extended for over an hour.

 

:O! Do you have a link / pictures of the auction?

 

Very cool. After all these years we're STILL finding out more about the Dreamcast.

 

I assume he meant this item: http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g168977176


How does that work btw? Connecting your old PHS phone and using its network connection to establish internet services for the Dreamcast? Could this still work in Japan... I thought PHS was long gone though. Interesting!

 

Thanks @pinepot, that looks so cool (and looks like the same casing of the NGPC link cable, but then with a SEGA logo embedded on it)

 

Hahaha that Dream Phone game was just on an episode of American Dad. I laughed so hard as I just saw this article here then that episode was on TV when I was catching up watching Vue

 

Sweet, what did you buy on Dreamcast Direct?