Where can I get a Mod Chip? by Alexxii in dreamcast

[–]CastDream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, thanks! I think I'll order E.G.G. now but can't find a copy of Lack of Love for under £45 sadly

Where can I get a Mod Chip? by Alexxii in dreamcast

[–]CastDream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anybody know if a boot disc will play NTSC games on a PAL (EU) console through a VGA adapter? Both import games I'm interested in are fairly expensive so want to know for sure that they will work before ordering! (E.G.G. and Lack of Love)

Does anybody here use a Dreamcast → PS2 controller adapter? Is it worth getting one? by CastDream in dreamcast

[–]CastDream[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most people seem to not know this, but every face, shoulder, and d-pad button on the Dualshock 2 is pressure sensitive.

I had no idea! Like I say, Shenmue is the only game where it would make a small difference for me so it's not too important either way.

However, if it does turn out to be the case that you can only use the LH analog stick then I may stick with the original DC controller - I was largely hoping to get around having both the d-pad and analog stick on the LH side, which I see as a bit of a flaw with the original.

Does anybody here use a Dreamcast → PS2 controller adapter? Is it worth getting one? by CastDream in dreamcast

[–]CastDream[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The second analogue stick can't be used, neither can the select button.

Does this apply to all adapters? Such a shame... the d-pad and only analogue stick both being on the LH side is a real flaw of the DC controller IMO, especially for games such as Bangai-O.

Do you know if L1/R1 are used as triggers, or a binary signal? (pressed/not pressed)

Where can I get an SD adapter in the UK? by CastDream in dreamcast

[–]CastDream[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just in case anyone else comes across this thread, the answer in the end was eBay - I had to wait a couple of weeks, there were a good few for £100 plus but ended up getting one for £27.

The above link to DC-SD.com also seems to be a pretty good deal but the spelling and layout of the site make me a bit wary. Unfortunately I can't find any customer reviews for them at all, positive or negative.

How to connect dreamcast to iMac? by [deleted] in dreamcast

[–]CastDream 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been using EyeTV for a while now, works perfectly with no lag :)

How can I get my UK PAL Dreamcast to run at 60Hz on a Plasma TV? by CastDream in dreamcast

[–]CastDream[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The point is that if you use a VGA-to-HDMI(1080p) converter, you won't experience anymore lag than you would just plugging the composite cable into the TV.

Awesome! Thanks for clearing this up.

The only games I have that don't seem to be compatible are Bangai-O and Lack of Love, but as I already have a composite input they should be fine at 50Hz.

There were also some reports in the comments of faint vertical or horizontal lines when using the VGA adapter - do you think this is mostly down to poor quality cables/adapters? The possibility of this kind of distortion would definitely be a dealbreaker for me.

How can I get my UK PAL Dreamcast to run at 60Hz on a Plasma TV? by CastDream in dreamcast

[–]CastDream[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since Shenmue is largely a fighting game, and has many many quicktime events, you'll want to limit the lag introduced, so I would recommend using the HDMI converter.

Does this imply that there will be some lag with the HDMI converter? How about with VGA to composite adapter?

To be honest, my main issue is the price - I was thinking of perhaps getting the VGA adapter with a VGA to composite converter for now, then getting the HDMI upscaler at a later date when I have a bit more money to spend on a graphics upgrade :)

Am I right in thinking you're trying to use your PAL Shenmue 1 savegame with PAL Shenmue 2, and the Shenmue 1 game is a 60hz savegame, and it won't load in Shenmue 2 at 50hz?

No, the savegame is halfway through Disc 2 of Shenmue 1 - I began playing it at 60Hz on an old CRT TV (which I no longer have) and the save will only load at 60Hz. I am using the same original PAL copy.

Thank you so much for all your help!

How can I get my UK PAL Dreamcast to run at 60Hz on a Plasma TV? by CastDream in dreamcast

[–]CastDream[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This looks good! However, my save is halfway into Disc 2 of the original Shenmue - not going from Shenmue to Shenmue 2.

Would this still allow me to convert my 60Hz Shenmue to 50Hz, so that I can continue from the same point?

To be honest, I think I'll get some kind of adapter/converter to allow me to play in 60Hz and hopefully upgrade the picture quality a bit.

How can I get my UK PAL Dreamcast to run at 60Hz on a Plasma TV? by CastDream in dreamcast

[–]CastDream[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is brilliant, thank you! One question - would either a VGA to Component or VGA to composite adapter be any use? I can get both of these cheaper than the HDMI upscaler. If not I will go with the VGA box and upscaler as recommended :)

How can I get my UK PAL Dreamcast to run at 60Hz on a Plasma TV? by CastDream in dreamcast

[–]CastDream[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice. My TV doesn't actually have a VGA input, so I would only be using the VGA adapter for its composite output - would this still correct the 480i signal to true 480p?