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The end result may not replace T1 as the connection of choice, but SegaNet
seems nimble enough for specialized tasks and the first game offered on
the service is surprisingly glitch-free.
The first SegaNet-specific game for the Dreamcast game console is “NFL2K1,” the sequel to “Sega Sports NFL2K,” last year’s best football simulation. “NFL2K1” is an excellent game as a stand-alone single player title; but it is even more impressive when you play it over the Internet. “NFL2K1” appears to defy nature. Here is an online game with lots of action and sophisticated graphics, played over a 56K modem with no notable lag-time problems. Granted, loading the game takes about 30 seconds and the numbers of opponents will need to grow as SegaNet expands; but once the game is running, there are no big waits after plays or before snapping the ball. The worst problems seem to be some jerkiness in the animation if you have a poor connection and whiney opponents who disconnect if you score on the opening kick-off. |
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| NFL2K1, currently the corner stone of Sega's online offerings, defies the laws of technology and nature by playing nearly as well over a 56K modem as it does in single-player mode on the Dreamcast game console. | 
Setting up a game is easy enough, too. Boot up and you are offered several
options such as season, exhibition game, etc. The last option on that menu
is “network game.” Select it, and your Dreamcast dials up your local SegaNet
ISP. The next thing you know, you’re browsing “NFL2K1” lobbies looking
for an opponent.
You do not need to subscribe to SegaNet to play “NFL2K1” online. You can also enter the “NFL2K1” lobbies through your existing ISP, should you choose. You simply have to enter the telephone number for your ISP into the dialing routine. THE BASICS OF SEGANET |
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| Both SegaNet and NFL2K1 are set for high-impact. | 
Proximity seems to make a difference with SegaNet. Sega has set up eight
hubs, one in each corner of the United States. Playing opponents in your
basic area seems to provide a smoother connection. It costs $21.95/month
to subscribe to SegaNet. If you sign up for 18 months of service, Sega
will give you a $150 “sign-up bonus,” which covers the cost of purchasing
a Dreamcast. Future Dreamcast online games will include “Phantasy Star,”
“Quake III Arena,” “NBA2K1,” and “Black and White.”
VIEWS FROM THE TOP |
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Sega of America president and COO Peter Moore met with MSNBC to discuss
the new service. (He also demonstrated “NFL2K1,” but as he chose to play
the game as the New England Patriots, we will not embarrass him by discussing
the results of the game.)
“The decision to drop the price of Dreamcast to $149 was made after a number of meetings with Japan based upon where we needed to go with the install base,” Moore said. “Where we’re at right now is about 2,050,000, and we’re [now] going after that next cusp of users where price becomes a little more sensitive.” “By the way, we will send a free keyboard to SegaNet subscribers. This is a full-blown ISP; you really need a keyboard to browse the Internet.” |
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| Peter Moore | 
According to Moore, Sega’s nine independent game design houses are beginning
to concentrate on the U.S. market even more than they do on the Japanese
market. “They’ve got to fish where the fish are, and the fish are here.
They [the heads of the design groups] are learning the network business
from our Sega.com colleagues who are spending a lot of time in Japan working
on APIs and what have you.” |
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“You know, you get 50 free hours of SegaNet with your Dreamcast. When you play ‘NFL2K1,’ the entry screen says, ‘Would you like to take advantage of 50 free hours of SegaNet?’” “Our belief is that we will probably move 200,000 to 250,000 units of ‘NFL2K1’ in the first four or five days of launch, and I cannot see any reason why anybody wouldn’t want to plug it into the wall and test out online gaming. Okay, maybe 50 percent of the people won’t want to be bothered walking over [to a telephone jack]; but that would still give us 100,000 users to challenge our network.” |
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Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 $39.99 |
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