Problem Free Dreamcast Visual Memory Card - InterAct Scores Again!
Written: Dec 04 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Seamless game storage, on screen graphics, impossible to lose!
Cons: Hard to find new.
The Bottom Line: Don't trust you game saves to some run of the mill card, get the InterAct VMU!
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| Freak369's Full Review: InterAct Visual Memory Card |
We have a ton of different video game consoles in our house and over the past few days I started packing up the ones that are only used a few times a month; the Dreamcast system was one of them. I am a Crazy Taxi junkie and admit to wasting hours trying to beat the high scores of other players. Once a month we have video game parties where we take the older games from the NES and Sega Genesis and relive the "good old days" of video gaming. This is a great way for us to get together, have some fun, share cheats for the older games and essentially act like children. There aren't many Dreamcast games that I play on a regular basis but I did want a way to track my progress of my Crazy Taxi games. I started looking for a good memory card and one of the guys that games with us suggested checking for a virtual memory card; I'm a little paranoid when it comes to video game memory cards after losing 80% of my Sypro The Dragon game to a defective card. I started looking for the cards and only found them used so I decided to order a new one online. Since then I've purchased another InterAct card as well as a Dreamcast Virtual Memory Card. After using both the InterAct cards I can say that they both perform the same, give the same storage and recall options and have performed without fail. The only differences are the price and the colors - that's it.
InterAct Dreamcast Virtual Memory Card
If you aren't familiar with the Dreamcast system or have never used a memory card with it; here's the scoop. Instead of the memory card sliding into the front of the unit like on the PlayStation system, this one is inserted into the game controller. Since this has a small screen on it there's no way to slide it in the wrong way or upside down since it won't fit into the slot unless it's positioned the correct way. This card gives you 200 blocks of memory, that might sound like a lot but when most games require four to eight blocks of memory, you can go through it quickly. But if it was just for memory storage the added visual screen wouldn't really be necessary right? Now, you can take your games on the road and play them on the memory card via the small but surprisingly easy to use basic controls. I've only had the chance to play the on board saved games a few times and that was when someone else loaded them for me to try it out. Crazy Taxi it seems isn't one of the games that you can play on a VMU [virtual memory unit / visual memory card] however that isn't to say that it can't be done - I just haven't been able to figure out how to do it. When I started asking around to the Dreamcast junkies in our little video game group it was a split decision on this type of memory unit - some loved it, some hated it but everyone that had used it said that they never had a problem saving or recalling games.
One of the biggest perks to this type of a memory card is that you can see what's going on when you are saving or loading a game, as I mentioned I am pretty paranoid about game saves after losing my memory on a PS2 card [a Sony one too!] so since then I save often and have two cards that I save it in case one of them get corrupted, lost, destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable. Since I've used this most with Crazy Taxi most of the examples that I'll use will revolve around that game. When you start up the unit you see the Crazy Taxi graphics on the VMU screen and when you load or save you get messages letting you know what it's doing. There's absolutely no noise from the VMU nor is there any heat thrown from it while you are using it - that might sound like something strange to add but someone asked me that as one of their main concerns so I figured I'd add it in case someone was interested. I have a rumble unit in the other slot on the controller and the VMU sits in the deck / slot above it; you don't have to worry about either element getting in the way of the other since the internal components and connecters are separated and in different positions inside the controller.
The game saves take about fifteen seconds and loading when you first start can take up to twenty seconds depending on what type of game you are loading [arcade, one person etc]. I've never had any type of problem with saving or recalling games and the screen has never acted funny, shown strange graphics or malfunctioned in any way. The only real problem with this VMU is that it does get dusty; since this slides into the game controller and doesn't need to be removed unless you are trying to play the uploaded games or swap it with someone, there's a good chance that when you do go to remove it there'll be a ton of dust and dirt in the corners. I suggest cleaning out the corners with a Q-Tip but I'm sure that there's some kind of over priced cleaning unit for this card. You will need to replace the batteries on a regular basis to keep the card functioning; you'll need to get two watch sized batteries - CR2032. The batteries are held in place by slide off cover that's protected by a screw so make sure you use the correct sized screwdriver so you don't strip the screw when you are changing the batteries. I've only had to do this once and to be completely honest, I had someone else do it for me after I saved my game progress to another card.
You have five buttons on the face of the controller, all of which are covered while the VMU is inside the game controller so there is no chance of them getting bumped while you are playing the game. There's a sleep mode to save on battery life, mode to select options and an "A" and "B" button to navigate through the options as well as to play the mini games on the screen. The size of the card is larger than most other game cards - about two inches by one inch by about a half inch high. It doesn't weight a lot so taking this with you won't be an issue. Most of the time the card is left in the controller so when we go to play at someone else's house the controller is taken, not just the memory card. I haven't been able to find a case for this so if you are planning on taking it out of the unit make sure you put it inside something to protect the two ports on the end of the VMU. I can't remember if this unit came with some type of protective case or not but it did come with a one year warranty against defects - something that is voided or not applicable if you purchase a used one.
The Bottom Line
I haven't seen any of these cards new in a long time but that doesn't mean that you can't find them at online video game stores or at auctions. The first one I ordered was $14.99 and the other ones were under $9.99. I did purchase a used one as a back up card to save my really good game scores on and that one works perfectly but it's rarely used. If you have a Dreamcast and are looking for a good memory card that allows you to see the loading and unloading of games, the possibility of playing games on the unit itself - then this is one to definitely look into purchasing. Since the Dreamcast system is older finding items that are new and still in the box is getting harder and harder so even if you don't think you'll need a memory card it wouldn't be a bad idea to pick on up if you come across one that's new and still in the packaging in case you might need it in the future.
As always, thanks for the visit ...
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2004 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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