In 1999, Sega unwittingly released its last video game console, the Dreamcast, arriving in the middle of a perfect storm that saw the company withdraw from the competition altogether and embrace a new role as a third-party developer. But even in death, one of the Dreamcast's more bizarre features was its Internet browser.
The console came with a pack-in browser called PlanetWeb, a feature expected on modern hardware like the Xbox and PlayStation but rare in the early 2000s. If you bought a Dreamcast within the last 20 years, you may have noticed that this browser is still running. You can browse the World Wide Web, albeit through the limited lens of older SSL/TLS technology.
But as Dreamcast Live reports, its last link to the modern world came to an abrupt halt earlier this week. That's because Google is ending browser compatibility with PlanetWeb after an impressive 25-year run. If you try to surf the internet with this retro kit now, you will see the following error: “Please update your browser. Your browser is no longer supported. Please upgrade to the latest version to continue browsing.”
Even without PlanetWeb, the Dreamcast isn't dead yet.
The version of PlanetWeb that the Dreamcast uses dates back to 2001, and as Tom's Hardware explains, it's quite outdated, utilizing an old JavaScript engine, old ciphers, and, as previously mentioned, outdated SSL technology.
The fact that it lasted this long is something of a miracle. Internet browsing was nearly impossible in today's world, but there was no doubt the community was trying to save PlanetWeb, as the Dreamcast had fostered a dedicated player base that still trusted the hardware all these years later.
In fact, many communities have been working tirelessly to keep servers for games like Quake 3 Arena vibrant, even without official support, long after Sega's presence in the console market has disappeared. In fact, the community has been hosting game nights on the Dreamcast-talk forums since 2012, with the most recent event taking place just last week. So even as web browsers are finally dead and buried, the Dreamcast clings to life.
- brand
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sega
- original release date
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September 9, 1999
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$199, £200
- weight
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3.3 pounds
