rizons PC Authority seeks out the latest news in the world of technology from local trends to global breakthroughs. Sega closes door on Dreamcast After weeks of speculation, Sega announces its exit from the hardware business. Ending many weeks of Sega is UK-based PACE that will bring Sega's older discussions underway which rumours, Sega Corporation Micro Technology. The device videogames to Palm's will determine if Sega will finally announced that it that PACE expects to produce handheld devices. According also produce games for would no longer produce its will not come with a CD-ROM to Sega Corporation, games Nintendo's GameCube and Internet-enabled console drive of any sort but will instead for the Palm V and Palm VII Microsoft's Xbox. game system, Dreamcast. include a very large hard drive. are expected later this year Sega of America spokesman Many news analysts site poor PACE says that users will be as well. Charles Bellfield indicated in a international sales and an able to play Sega Dreamcast Sega plans to move most of recent msnbc.com report that inability to compete with the games by downloading the its existing base of game he was hopeful that Sega could marketing hype of Sony's games to their hard drives software to other platforms become a 'dominant force' in PlayStation2, Microsoft's using digital television including the PlayStation2 and the market if it managed to Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube bandwidth. The device will also Nintendo's 32-bit Game Boy handle its resources correctly. as major factors in Sega's act as a personal video Advance, according to a report Nevertheless, the restructuring decision to halt its hardware recorder for capturing on msnbc.com. Among the required for Sega to change its manufacturing operation. television broadcasts and is games being ported over to the focus will cost hundreds of jobs Sega had only managed to expected for release in the UK PS2 are Yu Suzuki's Virtua as the hardware side of its sell some three million by next year. No plans Fighter 4 and Tetsuya business is shut down. Prices Dreamcasts in the US and only have been made for a US Mizaguchi's Space Channel 5, for the Dreamcast have been about 6.5 million worldwide. release and considering the while Sonic The Hedgehog slashed down to $US100 in the Despite the setback with delay in the finalisation of Advance will make its way to US but there has been no official hardware sales, Sega still datacasting regulations in the Game Boy Advance. word as to what the discounted maintains relatively strong Australia until 2003, it seems Apparently, there are price will be in Australia. sales figures for its software. unlikely such a device will It is expected that the 30 makes its way to the local games or so that are currently market any time soon. in development for the Sega has also chosen to Dreamcast will be completed license out technology as Sega has a strong history of from the older maintaining support for its Genesis and install base. Master However, all is not lost for System Sega as it has decided to game refocus its efforts into consoles becoming a 'platform agnostic' for use developer of games. As part of with this strategy Sega has also cellular decided to license its phones and Dreamcast technology to JavaScript. Motorola developers of digital television phones will sport Java- set-top boxes. based games some time One of the first major later this year. Also, Sega set-top box developers to recently announced a license the technology from strategic partnership with Palm 18 PC AUTHORITY APRIL 2001 www.pcauthority.com.au .