DC Browser for LAN Adapter

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

Everybody's tired of my eBay story... Back in April, a guy named Mikhail
Lubarsky from California sold me a Dreamcast LAN Adapter, falsely claiming
that it was the Broadband adapter that works with games. I've gone through
all the official methods of reporting this and trying to get my money
back, and after getting disappointing levels of support I've cancelled my
eBay and Paypal accounts. Life goes on.

In the spirit of making lemonade out of lemons, I'm trying to get some use
out of the LAN Adapter. I've read from a pretty reliable source that the
Dream Passport 2.0 software was released into the public domain by Sega of
Japan, and as a result some people have translated and re-relased the
software in other languages. There is a slightly different version of the
DPP 2.0 that works exclusively with the LAN Adapter, and in fact was
packaged with the thing.

On to the question: Does anybody know if the LAN Adapter version of this
software is also in the public domain? If so, does anybody have a source
for it, translated or not? The guys at Psilocybin Dreams have released a
version in their browser collection ( http://www.psilicybindreams.com )
but this appears to be the one that works with the modem and the Broadband
adapter only. Also, I know that Buyrite is selling the original software
for the surprisingly affordable price of $3.99. However, they got all
those discs by opening up LAN Adapter packages and selling the card as a
Broadband adapter, completely misrepresenting the product. So I don't want
to give them any money.

Sorry, long-winded. Any help is appreciated.

-KKC, who just wants to get minigames off his ISP and onto the VMU around
his neck. And Comcast doesn't support dial-up connections any more...
--
-- "I'm going to put a nickel in this jar every time I get - kendrick
a phone call from a mortgage company trying to make me - @io.com
refinance for no good reason. In three or four months,
there should be enough money to pay for some mob hits." - KKC

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

Kendrick Kerwin Chua wrote[:

[snip]
> There is a slightly different version of the
> DPP 2.0 that works exclusively with the LAN Adapter, and in fact was
> packaged with the thing.
>
> On to the question: Does anybody know if the LAN Adapter version of this
> software is also in the public domain? If so, does anybody have a source
> for it, translated or not? The guys at Psilocybin Dreams have released a
> version in their browser collection ( http://www.psilicybindreams.com )
> but this appears to be the one that works with the modem and the Broadband
> adapter only. Also, I know that Buyrite is selling the original software
> for the surprisingly affordable price of $3.99. However, they got all
> those discs by opening up LAN Adapter packages and selling the card as a
> Broadband adapter, completely misrepresenting the product. So I don't want
> to give them any money.
[/snip]
Am I misunderstanding this post, or was there a LAN adaptor and the BBA?
If so, what's the difference?
I'd love to get my dreamcast connected to my LAN (play with DC linux
perhaps?) but getting a BBA at a reasonable cost seems vey difficult.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

"Chris Bartram" <news@delete.me.piglet-net.net> wrote in message
news:VNBFc.2970$JD2.25968805@news-text.cableinet.net...
> Kendrick Kerwin Chua wrote[:
>
> [snip]
> > There is a slightly different version of the
> > DPP 2.0 that works exclusively with the LAN Adapter, and in fact was
> > packaged with the thing.
> >
> > On to the question: Does anybody know if the LAN Adapter version of this
> > software is also in the public domain? If so, does anybody have a source
> > for it, translated or not? The guys at Psilocybin Dreams have released a
> > version in their browser collection ( http://www.psilicybindreams.com )
> > but this appears to be the one that works with the modem and the
Broadband
> > adapter only. Also, I know that Buyrite is selling the original software
> > for the surprisingly affordable price of $3.99. However, they got all
> > those discs by opening up LAN Adapter packages and selling the card as a
> > Broadband adapter, completely misrepresenting the product. So I don't
want
> > to give them any money.
> [/snip]
> Am I misunderstanding this post, or was there a LAN adaptor and the BBA?
> If so, what's the difference?
> I'd love to get my dreamcast connected to my LAN (play with DC linux
> perhaps?) but getting a BBA at a reasonable cost seems vey difficult.

I would have though a LAN adaptor would allow you the attachment of a
broadband modem/router?

Scoota

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

In article <cc6qlm$83o$1@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk>,
scoota <nospamo@whamo.com> wrote:
>"Chris Bartram" <news@delete.me.piglet-net.net> wrote in message
>news:VNBFc.2970$JD2.25968805@news-text.cableinet.net...
>> Kendrick Kerwin Chua wrote[:
>> [snip]
>> >
>> > On to the question: Does anybody know if the LAN Adapter version of this
>> > software is also in the public domain? If so, does anybody have a source
>> > for it, translated or not? The guys at Psilocybin Dreams have released a
>> > version in their browser collection ( http://www.psilicybindreams.com )
>> > but this appears to be the one that works with the modem and the Broadband
>> > adapter only. Also, I know that Buyrite is selling the original software
>> [/snip]
>> Am I misunderstanding this post, or was there a LAN adaptor and the BBA?
>> If so, what's the difference?
>> I'd love to get my dreamcast connected to my LAN (play with DC linux
>> perhaps?) but getting a BBA at a reasonable cost seems vey difficult.
>
>I would have though a LAN adaptor would allow you the attachment of a
>broadband modem/router?

This is one of the few things I can actually blame Sega for... There were
two network devices sold for the Dreamcast, not counting the pack-in
modems. The first was model number HIT-030X, a 10 mBit custom network card
that worked only with a specific version of the Dream Passport browser. No
games were written to support connectivity with this device, whch was
officially called the "Sega Dreamcast LAN Adapter" and sold only in Japan.
The second device is model number HIT-040X, a 10/100 card with a Realtek
ethernet chipset that ships with the Planetweb 3.0 browser and works with
Quake, Phantasy Star Online, and a couple of other games. This second card
is officially called the "Sega Dreamcast Broadband Adapter." Both devices
have RJ-45 female connectors and are indistinguishable from each other
once the stickers are removed.

A few unscrupulous retailers and resellers sold the first item claiming
that it was the second. Mikhail Lubarsky in San Jose, California is one
such seller. Buyrite Games and a couple of Asian websites also perpetrated
the same fraud. Since the LAN Adapter doesn't support any games, American
Dreamcast owners couldn't make use of the thing. However, developers and
hackers have found a use for the older LAN Adapter product in custom
applications like the Dreamcast port of Linux.

-KKC, who now wears a VMU around his neck at all times. Not that it's
anything to be proud of, you know.
--
-- "I'm going to put a nickel in this jar every time I get - kendrick
a phone call from a mortgage company trying to make me - @io.com
refinance for no good reason. In three or four months,
there should be enough money to pay for some mob hits." - KKC

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

> -KKC, who now wears a VMU around his neck at all times. Not that it's
> anything to be proud of, you know.
>

I used to carry mine around in my pocket...until I saw that, hey, when you turn
off the VMU...it *stops* its count on the clock. So, like, at 2:30pm, if you turn
off your VMU...and turn it back on at 3:45...it'll *still* say 2:30.

Bel

--

Whip Ass Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/
or http://users2.ev1.net/~belpowerslave/

"Here's a riddle: When is a croquette mallet like a billy club? I'll tell you;
whenever you want it to be."

- Cheshire Cat, American McGee's Alice

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

On Sat, 03 Jul 2004 12:51:46 -0500, Kendrick Kerwin Chua wrote:
> A few unscrupulous retailers and resellers sold the first item claiming
> that it was the second. Mikhail Lubarsky in San Jose, California is one
> such seller. Buyrite Games and a couple of Asian websites also perpetrated
> the same fraud.

Oh, man. You don't mean:
http://www.buyritegames.com/
do you?

They don't seem much better in person than the buyer reports on USENET
I've read. I used to live where their brick-and-mortar stores are, and
they were the only video game store I avoided. It is true that they have
things that other stores don't have...where they get it, I don't
know...but when you see how they act in person, it just feels dirty.

Of course, the selling of LAN adaptors as BBAs doesn't come as any great
surprise to those who've been reading Buyrite horror stories for years.

Regards,
matt

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

In article <40E70751.9BCD9B80@no-spamev1.net>,
BelPowerslave <belpowerslave@no-spamev1.net> wrote:
>> -KKC, who now wears a VMU around his neck at all times. Not that it's
>> anything to be proud of, you know.
>
>I used to carry mine around in my pocket...until I saw that, hey, when you turn
>off the VMU...it *stops* its count on the clock. So, like, at 2:30pm, if
>you turn
>off your VMU...and turn it back on at 3:45...it'll *still* say 2:30.

Uh, mine doesn't do that. In fact, I've had at least six different VMU's
in service from all three hardware revisions and none of them had any
problems keeping time in sleep mode. Was there another hardware version
that had a bug in the clock, or was there maybe a minigame that took over
the clock function in some way?

-KKC, who's now inspired to stop everything he's doing and code up a VMU
RPG that supports equipment trading through the link.
--
-- "I'm going to put a nickel in this jar every time I get - kendrick
a phone call from a mortgage company trying to make me - @io.com
refinance for no good reason. In three or four months,
there should be enough money to pay for some mob hits." - KKC

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

> >I used to carry mine around in my pocket...until I saw that, hey, when you turn
> >off the VMU...it *stops* its count on the clock. So, like, at 2:30pm, if
> >you turn
> >off your VMU...and turn it back on at 3:45...it'll *still* say 2:30.
>
> Uh, mine doesn't do that. In fact, I've had at least six different VMU's
> in service from all three hardware revisions and none of them had any
> problems keeping time in sleep mode. Was there another hardware version
> that had a bug in the clock, or was there maybe a minigame that took over
> the clock function in some way?
>

Hmmmmm, interesting. The only minigame I've ever seriously played was Tiny Tetris
and that one from Skies of Arcadia...but on both, everytime I put it to sleep and
turn it back on, it refuses to keep track of time.

>
> -KKC, who's now inspired to stop everything he's doing and code up a VMU
> RPG that supports equipment trading through the link.
>

I'm still trying to find the damn page where I can download some of the user-made
DreamStudio adventures...

Bel

--

Whip Ass Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/
or http://users2.ev1.net/~belpowerslave/

"Here's a riddle: When is a croquette mallet like a billy club? I'll tell you;
whenever you want it to be."

- Cheshire Cat, American McGee's Alice

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

> > A few unscrupulous retailers and resellers sold the first item claiming
> > that it was the second. Mikhail Lubarsky in San Jose, California is one
> > such seller. Buyrite Games and a couple of Asian websites also perpetrated
> > the same fraud.
>
> Oh, man. You don't mean:
> http://www.buyritegames.com/
> do you?
>

I don't know that he was specifically thinking of them, but they'd fit just
about any desc. of "terrible online sellers".

>
> They don't seem much better in person than the buyer reports on USENET
> I've read. I used to live where their brick-and-mortar stores are, and
> they were the only video game store I avoided. It is true that they have
> things that other stores don't have...where they get it, I don't
> know...but when you see how they act in person, it just feels dirty.
>

God, I can't imagine it being any worse than talking to those jackasses on the
phone....but man, seeing them in real life...you're right, it's probably
horrid. I hate Buyrite...

>
> Of course, the selling of LAN adaptors as BBAs doesn't come as any great
> surprise to those who've been reading Buyrite horror stories for years.
>
> Regards,
> matt

It amazes me that people still shop there....even moreso that people who have
shopped there haven't *all* been jacked in one way or another...

Bel

--

Whip Ass Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/
or http://users2.ev1.net/~belpowerslave/

"The time has now come...to prove your the best,
to crush your enemies...to win the tournament."
- Announcer, Unreal Tournament

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

In article <40E74AED.FCCA8A21@ev1.net>,
BelPowerslave <belpowerslave@ev1.net> wrote:
>> > A few unscrupulous retailers and resellers sold the first item claiming
>> > that it was the second. Mikhail Lubarsky in San Jose, California is one
>> > such seller. Buyrite Games and a couple of Asian websites also perpetrated
>> > the same fraud.
>>
>> Oh, man. You don't mean:
>> http://www.buyritegames.com/
>> do you?
>
>I don't know that he was specifically thinking of them, but they'd fit just
>about any desc. of "terrible online sellers".

That would be the one. Their specific fraud is well documented, thanks to
the Google archive and the Wayback logs. Essentially, they told you what
they were selling, that it was a different product, and then claimed that
it would do everything the Broadband adapter would to. On top of that,
they sold them loose and without the packed-in software, which is
presently available for separate purchase for $3.99

>> Of course, the selling of LAN adaptors as BBAs doesn't come as any great
>> surprise to those who've been reading Buyrite horror stories for years.
>
>It amazes me that people still shop there....even moreso that people who have
>shopped there haven't *all* been jacked in one way or another...

I gotta admit, I have bought from them in the past. Purchased some Saturn
stuff that was hard to get wrong, although one item that I thought was
going to be new ended up being used.

Ignoring the business practices for a moment, I found it interesting to
compare Buyrite and NCS, the very well-respected game importer based in
New York. Buyrite will bring over anything from Japan and try to sell it
to U.S.-based otaku for as long as they can. NCS, on the other hand, will
get their hands on stuff only if they think people want it. The example
that springs to mind is the Saturn fighting game Elan Doree, which got
some luke-warm reviews and was generally not well received. Buyrite had
hundreds of copies to pawn off, wheras NCS didn't keep it in stock.

-KKC, wondering how to fit five and ten-item combat menus on a VMU screen.
--
-- "I'm going to put a nickel in this jar every time I get - kendrick
a phone call from a mortgage company trying to make me - @io.com
refinance for no good reason. In three or four months,
there should be enough money to pay for some mob hits." - KKC

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

"Chris Bartram" <news@delete.me.piglet-net.net> wrote in message
news:VNBFc.2970$JD2.25968805@news-text.cableinet.net...
snip

> Am I misunderstanding this post, or was there a LAN adaptor and the BBA?
> If so, what's the difference?
> I'd love to get my dreamcast connected to my LAN (play with DC linux
> perhaps?) but getting a BBA at a reasonable cost seems vey difficult.

Yes there is both a LAN adapter and a BBA. The LAN adapter does not support
any games. That is the major difference that I know of, I'm sure some knows
more about them.

Here is a old quote from Lik-Sang:

"We have received confirmation from customers who bought cheap adapters from
other sources that those versions are the old DC LAN Adapters from 1999 and
do not support the games or development tools. Those adapters do have a
model number of HIT-0300 instead of HIT-0401 and are marked as "DC LAN
Adapters" instead of "Broadband Adapters" on their box."

I have both of them and the quote is correct.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

In article <40EABB32.D9A8B6A5@ev1.net>,
BelPowerslave <belpowerslave@ev1.net> wrote:
>>
>> -KKC, wondering how to fit five and ten-item combat menus on a VMU screen.
>
>Whew...more power to you...if you figure it out, let me know....

Actually, Sega's gaming philsophy has come to the rescue here... You know
how Phantasy Star Online is supposed to operate independently of language
and national borders? I remembered that the point of the shout-out icons
and the online phrasebook was so that players from any country could play
with each other. Of course, the Xbox and Gamecube country lockouts got in
the way of that, but on the Dreamcast the developers were reaching high.

Then I remembered that one of the reasons I want to code an RPG on the VMU
is because the Nanwako Densetsu minigame didn't get translated when Climax
Landers was localized as Time Stalkers. Wouldn't it have been nice if the
menus in that game were icon-based instead of word-based, so that there
was less to translate?

So... Ten items on your menu? Line them up four wide and three high as a
menu of icons, saving two slots for 'Back' or 'Cancel' like you might find
on a browser window. Five items? Line them up across the bottom while you
make the game image a white-on-black negative to indicate that you're in a
menu. Easy stuff.

Now all I have to figure out is why they called the processor in this
thing the 'Potato' and my life will be complete.

-KKC, who's posted that eBay scammer's name in about four or five Usenet
posts and a bunch of web forums and is vaguely toying with the idea of
collecting all the URL's and sending them to him.
--
-- "I'm going to put a nickel in this jar every time I get - kendrick
a phone call from a mortgage company trying to make me - @io.com
refinance for no good reason. In three or four months,
there should be enough money to pay for some mob hits." - KKC

 

[tyrant]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

> > Uh, mine doesn't do that. In fact, I've had at least six different VMU's
> > in service from all three hardware revisions and none of them had any
> > problems keeping time in sleep mode. Was there another hardware version
> > that had a bug in the clock, or was there maybe a minigame that took
over
> > the clock function in some way?
> >
>
> Hmmmmm, interesting. The only minigame I've ever seriously played was Tiny
Tetris
> and that one from Skies of Arcadia...but on both, everytime I put it to
sleep and
> turn it back on, it refuses to keep track of time.

Only problem I have with VMU's is that quite often when you turn off the DC,
the VMU stays on, and since my DC is in a kiosk *evil grin* and the VMU's
are held in with a big metal plate, the batteries run down very quickly as I
cant be bothered to unscrew them to hit sleep. Why didnt sega put an
auto-sleep timer on them?

--

Nick Turner
The Tyrant

In a world without walls or fences, who needs Windows or Gates?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

> > Hmmmmm, interesting. The only minigame I've ever seriously played was Tiny
> Tetris
> > and that one from Skies of Arcadia...but on both, everytime I put it to
> sleep and
> > turn it back on, it refuses to keep track of time.
>
> Only problem I have with VMU's is that quite often when you turn off the DC,
> the VMU stays on, and since my DC is in a kiosk *evil grin* and the VMU's
> are held in with a big metal plate, the batteries run down very quickly as I
> cant be bothered to unscrew them to hit sleep. Why didnt sega put an
> auto-sleep timer on them?
>

No clue, or, more importantly, why didn't they opt for the more affordable AAA
batteries.

Bel

--
Whip Ass Gaming: http://www.whipassgaming.com/
or http://users2.ev1.net/~belpowerslave/

"We'll meet again...in Hell."
- Cobra, The Space Adventure

 

[Pete]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

Hi,

> -KKC, who feels funny describing a one-inch by two-inch
>piece of circuitry as a "motherboard,"....

Hmm, that's because what you're referring to ISN'T a motherboard....it's
merely a printed circuit board (PCB)!

A "motherboard", by definition, is a PCB into which you can plug one or more
"daughter" boards - as in a PC for example.


Very informative thread BTW, particularly since I'm on the lookout for a BBA
for my DC!


TTFN - Pete.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

In article <cchrqf$5fp$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk>,
Pete <kill@spammers.on.sight> wrote:
> > -KKC, who feels funny describing a one-inch by two-inch
> >piece of circuitry as a "motherboard,"....
>
>Hmm, that's because what you're referring to ISN'T a motherboard....it's
>merely a printed circuit board (PCB)!
>
>A "motherboard", by definition, is a PCB into which you can plug one or more
>"daughter" boards - as in a PC for example.

I'm tempted to argue that since VMU's can be connected to each other, that
the motherboard definition fits. But since those connections are external
rather than internal, it's stretching it a bit.

>Very informative thread BTW, particularly since I'm on the lookout for a BBA
>for my DC!

The line starts with me and goes down Fifth Avenue as far as the cabbies
will take you. Incidentally, I've written an e-mail to Sega of America
informing them that they need to educate the general public on the
difference between the LAN Adapter and the Broadband adapter. Their web
site directs people looking for the BBA to just go look on eBay, which is
a bit of blind advertising I'm hoping they take down. Their official
stance, by the way, is that the LAN Adapter doesn't work at all with the
US-region Dreamcast. Sega of America doesn't publically acknowledge
homebrew development or boot disks either, so it's not a surprise that
they're using the head-in-the-sand routine on this one.

-KKC, who picked up an broken ASCII Fighter Pad and successfully repaired
it. Finally, a proper controller for my Playstation 2.
--
-- "I'm going to put a nickel in this jar every time I get - kendrick
a phone call from a mortgage company trying to make me - @io.com
refinance for no good reason. In three or four months,
there should be enough money to pay for some mob hits." - KKC

 

[Pete]

Archived from groups: rec.games.video.sega,alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast,uk.games.video.dreamcast (More info?)

Hi,

> I'm tempted to argue that since VMU's can be connected to
>each other, that the motherboard definition fits....

LOL, let's split the difference and call it a "mainboard" then. ;-)


> The line starts with me and goes down Fifth Avenue as far as
>the cabbies will take you....

Are the genuine BBA's really that difficult to get then?

I don't think they were ever officially released here in the UK and the only
ones I've found for sale thus far were from US sellers on eBay - and from
what you've said it's probably a good job I passed on those!

>....Incidentally, I've written an e-mail to Sega of America
>informing them that they need to educate the general public
>on the difference between the LAN Adapter and the Broadband
>adapter....

Hmmm, sadly I suspect that under the circumstances that email will fall on
deaf ears. I do agree that they certainly ought to at least point out the
difference on their website.

I had absolutely no idea that there even was a LAN adapter until I happened
across this thread - and I'm certainly not a newbie when it comes to console
matters!

>....Their web site directs people looking for the BBA to just
>go look on eBay, which is a bit of blind advertising I'm hoping
>they take down....

Talk about taking the easy route out!

At the very least, as you said, they should mention that there are two
different adapters and what the differences are.


Where would you suggest looking for a broadband adapter?


TTFN - Pete.

 

[KD]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast (More info?)

So does the Lan adapter as is have any practical use? Can you use it
to store games saves or retrieve vmu games on a networked computer?
Does it network Dreamcasts together or what?
Just Curious. Is there any other way to do these activitities?
I recently picked up a 2nd hand DC and am just trying to figure it all
out.

Thanks
kd

 

[ted]

Archived from groups: alt.games.video.sega-dreamcast (More info?)

kd wrote:
>
> So does the Lan adapter as is have any practical use? Can you use it
> to store games saves or retrieve vmu games on a networked computer?
> Does it network Dreamcasts together or what?
> Just Curious. Is there any other way to do these activitities?

There are memory cards you can hook up to a PC.