Opening the box of Dreams (13 September 1999) The Sega Dreamcast, the first of a whole wave of advanced games consoles, has had its launch party in the United Kingdom although it won't be on sale until October. The Dreamcast will probably be the first mass-market Internet appliance, apart from set-top boxes, available in this country. It runs Windows CE so is much more than a games machine - among other things it could, in principle, run the pocket versions of Word, Excel and other Microsoft products - and, most importantly, it contains a telephone modem although users will be tied to a single Internet Service Provider with an 0845 dialup number. We had heard rumours for months about whether a modem would be included in the European version of the Dreamcast - there was never any doubt about it being included in the US version - and Sega has evidently taken the plunge. For some reason the US modem is faster (56K rather than 33.6K), although the European modem can be upgraded through software to 56K. The Dreamcast will sell for less than £200. This will make Internet access available to many who would not have previously considered it and, as our Inbox suggests, many people are already worried about call costs. Three quotes from many: I will not be buying a DC for the simple reason that BT's continued use of the metered call structure is preventing both myself and my children from enjoying it to its full potential. But the DC is only the tip of the iceberg for both console manufacturers and games developers in respect of sales being affected adversely by BT. For instance, we have 3 monster games coming out anytime between now and Spring 2000. TF2, Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament are all eagerly awaited releases and they all have a common link ... they're designed to be played primarily online. I won't be buying a single one of them (even though I'm addicted to TFC at the moment) for the reason I stated previously - they cannot be enjoyed to the extent they were designed for. And I know I'm not alone with this attitude. As a father of 2 (6 and nearly 8), I am VERY worried about the way console gaming is heading towards the metered Internet. One of the main selling points of a console is its ease of use. At the ages of 4 & 5, both my kids could set up the Playstation, tune the TV in, load a game etc (and in most cases, play the darn things better than me), so plugging into the phoneline isn't gonna be a problem for them. I am lucky in that I know that 'free' always costs in the UK. Many parents do not realise the costs incurred from Internet usage. If the box says 'FREE INTERNET CONNECTION' that's what they will expect. 10,000 or so coronaries on the day the first phone bill arrives is what I expect. IF (!) I decide to get a Dreamcast, I will remove the modem! Bang goes Sega's biggest selling point. [...] made an excellent point in an IRC chat channel that children could easily get addicted to the Internet gaming experience. How many kids are going to run home, plug in their DC and connect to what they believe is a free service (also convincing their parents it's a free service!) and then have large, possibly unpayable (esp. those on lower incomes) phone bills? We will be keeping a close eye on the Dreamcast and on any other appliances that appear.