Sega Dreamcast/Boot ROM
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All variants of the Sega Dreamcast come pre-installed with a boot ROM - an interface which appears when the console is given power. GD-ROMs and CD-ROMs require time for verification and loading, which depending on the quality of the disc or drive, can take several seconds. The boot ROM manages this, while also informing the user that the console is working. It fulfils the same function as seen with the Sega Saturn's boot ROM.
Usually, if the console detects and verifies a disc, the Dreamcast boot ROM is limited to a introduction and jingle, after which the game loads. Should a compatible Dreamcast disc not be detected (detection also requires the console's lid to be closed, as the disc will not spin otherwise), the user does not see the logo animate and is taken to a menu.
Contents
Menu
The Dreamcast's menu is much the same as the Sega Saturn's, allowing users to play music CDs, adjust the contents of VMUs and configure a few global settings, such as the system's time and language. The Dreamcast will prompt the user to set the time on boot up if the clock battery is non-functional, and the user can set the individual times of inserted VMUs.
While the Saturn perhaps over-compensates in terms of menu features, the Dreamcast has a very simple CD player. Rather than any elaborate visualisations when playing, the user simply sees a 3D spinning disc, however, if a Dreamcast game has a CD soundtrack and an appropriately named image on the disc, the console will render a virtual disc label.
The menu is the same across the world, however in PAL regions, red Dreamcast logos (and the back button) are switched to blue.
Screenshots
Logo
US/JP
EU
Hidden content
- Main article: Sega Dreamcast/Boot ROM/Hidden content.
Technical information
ROM dump status
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References