SEATTLE -- With its recent decision to abandon the 128-bit Dreamcast video game console and to publish games for PlayStation2 and other gaming platforms, Sega appears to be leaving the game hardware business permanently. Sega Enterprises cofounder David Rosen says it's about time.
"I have been advocating this for more than seven years now," said Rosen, who helped create the company by merging his Rosen Enterprises with one of Japan's leading jukebox manufacturers, Service Games, in 1964. "I always felt it was a bit of folly for them to be limiting their potential to Sega hardware."
While Sega's decision has undoubtedly disappointed Dreamcast owners worldwide, the mathematics upon which the decision was based can't be denied. Since releasing the system in 1999, Sega has sold 6.5 million Dreamcast consoles worldwide. By comparison, more than 80 million people own Sony's original PlayStation.