The Sega Dreamcast wasn’t the primary dwelling console to retailer recreation saves on a transportable reminiscence card, however its digital reminiscence unit (VMU) stood out with a built-in display, controls, and playable mini video games. 8BitMod’s upcoming VMU Professional presents the identical performance as Sega’s authentic, nevertheless it’s rebuilt from the bottom up with upgrades that embrace a full-color display and sufficient processing energy to make use of it as a handheld emulator for retro video games.
For years modders have been turning the Sega VMU into a more functional handheld gaming device by utterly swapping out its electronics with extra succesful {hardware}, however at the price of it nonetheless functioning as a reminiscence card for the Dreamcast. That’s what makes the VMU Professional distinctive. Though it’s been upgraded with a 16-bit IPS TFT shade display and sufficient energy to emulate NES, Sega Grasp System, and even Recreation Boy Colour titles, it may nonetheless be inserted into an authentic Dreamcast controller and used to retailer save recreation knowledge.
Different upgrades embrace a chargeable battery (the unique Dreamcast VMU was infamous for going by CR2032 coin cell batteries when used by itself), MP3 playback for these residing with no smartphone, the flexibility to repeat and backup save recreation knowledge immediately from an authentic VMU, Wi-Fi, and limitless storage by microSD reminiscence playing cards.
The retro emulation on a full-color display is a enjoyable function, but when that’s the one purpose you’re contemplating the VMU Professional, the Anbernic RG Nano presents far superior emulation (together with 3D consoles just like the N64 and PS1) on a similarly-sized handheld. The VMU Professional will attraction extra to those that nonetheless have a Sega Dreamcast in common play rotation however are in search of a extra dependable and simpler method to retailer and swap recreation saves.
That’s assuming the VMU Professional isn’t going to be prohibitively costly. In 2022, Dreamware Enterprises launched its personal upgraded VMU referred to as the VM2 with a backlit however monochromatic and pixelated display for $114. It was a dear improve for a console that Sega not helps, so hopefully three years of electronics evolution will lead to a less expensive price ticket for the VMU Professional.