Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: Dreamcast Holy Grail? Iomega ZIP Drive Prototype for Sale in Germany!

  1. #1
    Administrator

    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    3,346
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    275
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    39
    Thanked in
    32 Posts

    Exclamation Dreamcast Holy Grail? Iomega ZIP Drive Prototype for Sale in Germany!

    Holy orange swirls, Dreamcast collectors!

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/113457426853

    VERY RARE - Sega Dreamcast ZIP drive prototype - 1 of less than 5 worldwide
    Once-in-a-lifetime chance to purchase videogame history
    Condition: Used
    “bitte Fotos bzgl. Mängel beachten - please check photos for damaged”

    Schauen Sie sich gerne hier meine anderen Angebote an!

    If you are an international bidder or your shipping location is outside Germany, please contact me before bidding.

    Item on sale:

    Sega Dreamcast ZIP drive add-on (NTSC US)
    - not a stand-alone console! -
    hasn't been released nor sold to the public
    comes with ZIP disk
    can be attached to any Dreamcast

    Collectors Item. Does not need any further explanation. Has interior but there is no software that runs on this item.
    Smallerstück. Braucht keine weitere Einleitung. Es besitzt Innenleben, aber es gibt keine Software die darauf läuft.

    Habe noch mehr Auktionen, gerne ansehen und weitere Fragen stellen!

    Privatverkauf: Keine Rückgabe, Garantie oder Umtausch. Irrtümer vorbehalten.
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	s-l1600-0.jpg 
Views:	20 
Size:	78.1 KB 
ID:	10596

    It is listed for approximately $4,773 USD plus $22 for international shipping.

    Here is a snapshot of the eBay listing on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine for future viewing.
    Last edited by Nz17; 12-17-2018 at 01:22 PM.

  2. #2
    Insert Coin (Level 0) SegaGT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    15
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    2
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    Very rare indeed! I have most everything DC but out of the Zip proto stuff only managed to get one of the Zip discs as pictured in the auction...

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to SegaGT For This Useful Post:

    Nz17 (12-18-2018)

  4. #3
    Great Puma (Level 12) YoshiM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    WI
    Posts
    4,612
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    3
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    40
    Thanked in
    39 Posts

    Default

    Dang...I remember that thing in Official Dreamcast Magazine! Though to be honest, the concept didn't set me on fire. After going through the TG-16 CD, Sega CD and seeing the lack of support for 32X, I had a feeling this ship wouldn't float.

    Still, it's a neat piece of gaming history.

  5. #4
    Alex (Level 15) Custom rank graphic
    Gameguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Richmond Hill, Ontario (Canada)
    Posts
    7,918
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    78
    Thanked in
    70 Posts

    Default

    Sega believed ZIP disks were the future of gaming? I wonder why they aren't making consoles anymore....

  6. #5
    Pac-Man (Level 10)
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    2,919
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    107
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    105
    Thanked in
    101 Posts

    Default

    When I think of all the great games Sega released in the mod 2000s it makes me wonder if the Dreamcast could have lasted at least another 4 years...

    ToeJam and Earl 3
    Virtual Fighter 4
    OutRun 2
    Pander Dragoon
    Shenmue II
    Pander Dragoon Orta
    Seaman 2
    Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg

    It seemed like the Dreamcast had decent enough 3rd party support, especially from Capcom. And the graphics and sound were comparable to the PS2. The only thing it lacked was the fact that the media wasn't on DVD and people wanted a DVD player built into their game system

  7. #6
    Ghostbuster
    Greg2600's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Soprano Land, NJ
    Posts
    3,967
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    9
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    62
    Thanked in
    57 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Greg2600

    Default

    Sold for over $4,000.

    I had an Iomega Zip-100 in my PC back then for a couple reasons. First, it was a far cheaper alternative to lack of HDD space, which was very common. Especially for files you didn't need to keep on there. I used them for PC racing sim mods, things like tracks, carsets, etc. to store the downloads. Eventually, when emulators became available as well as roms, I would store those there too. Originally I had one that was parallel port based, which was slow as balls, but I got a newer PC that had an internal which was much faster. Back in college, my PC lab had them in all the PC's for some reason, but I was probably the only person using them! I would download roms there, save them on the zip disks, and take them home, ha ha ha.
    The Paunch Stevenson Show free Internet podcast - www.paunchstevenson.com - DP FEEDBACK

  8. #7
    Insert Coin (Level 0) SegaGT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    15
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    2
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Greg2600 View Post
    Sold for over $4,000.

    I had an Iomega Zip-100 in my PC back then for a couple reasons...
    "Sega believed ZIP disks were the future of gaming? ...."

    You have to remember that back in the late 90's people were still running Win 95-98 Most computers were still using 1.44mb FD, tiny slow magnetic disk. What was Sony doing? Using the 1.44mb floppy disks in their fancy new Mavica digital camera at that time. SmartMedia cards and CompactFlash were crazy expensive for even 32mb. The Zip drive was used mostly by professionals (in digital media work etc.). High capacity and small physical size compared to Syquest 44/88 Cheap compared to the Jaz drive. I'm not saying it was a great idea to try in a console but you have to put things in perspective when talking about technology and Zip was the best option available at that time.
    Last edited by SegaGT; 12-18-2018 at 09:34 PM. Reason: typo

  9. #8
    Alex (Level 15) Custom rank graphic
    Gameguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Richmond Hill, Ontario (Canada)
    Posts
    7,918
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    78
    Thanked in
    70 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by SegaGT View Post
    I'm not saying it was a great idea to try in a console but you have to put things in perspective when talking about technology and Zip was the best option available at that time.
    I'm talking about it in context of being used in a console, keeping in mind that the Dreamcast came out just a year before the PS2 with DVD storage. The Zip format was already starting to fall out of favour by the time the Dreamcast came out.

    I've used Zip disks in the past during high school as one teacher wanted us to save our completed projects to one. It was mostly a pain to use from what I remember. It wasn't a widely adopted format overall.

    This whole thing for the Dreamcast just reminded me of the Famicom disk system a bit too much.

  10. #9
    Pac-Man (Level 10)
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    2,919
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    107
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    105
    Thanked in
    101 Posts

    Default

    I don't know if a physical copy exists but if it did, for me the Dreamcast holy grail would be Propeller Arena. It was set to release on September 19th, 2001, but was canceled after 9/11. That makes me believe there are a bunch of them out there somewhere in a warehouse. I'm sure many of them were destroyed. The game was developed by AM2 and it is easy to see why it was canceled.

  11. #10
    Insert Coin (Level 0) TheHammerGod's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Rhode Island
    Posts
    107
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Matesamo
    PSN
    Matesamo

    Default

    I do not believe Propeller Arena was 100% finished when they cancelled it so there would not have been any discs pressed. The Zip drives were huge for a couple of years when CDR drives were very expensive.

  12. #11
    Great Puma (Level 12)
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Posts
    4,278
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    3
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TheHammerGod View Post
    I do not believe Propeller Arena was 100% finished when they cancelled it so there would not have been any discs pressed. The Zip drives were huge for a couple of years when CDR drives were very expensive.
    It was finished. I know I have the final version on a development disc and the game was pretty widely distributed on Rom sites many years ago.

  13. #12
    Insert Coin (Level 0) SegaGT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    15
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    2
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    ..This whole thing for the Dreamcast just reminded me of the Famicom disk system a bit too much.
    I actually agree with you probably more than you think. My take on what they were trying to do ties into its initial concept. They were trying to release the DC at a price point of about $200. This after the Saturn and Playstation were $400 and $300 at launch, this put them in an impossible position to include DVD back in '97-'98 development and release period.

    The DC focus was on an internet enabled device out of the box. Sega had already done connectivity, service on demand and internet with Sega Channel on the Genesis, and Netlink on the Saturn but knew that using the DC this way would require storage capacity.

    The Zip would allow downloadable content and storage beyond the tiny 128kb of the memory card. Unlike the Saturn there was no built in storage or cart slot (more cost cutting). With the Dreameye camera, broadband adapter and other hardware coming out (even a MIDI controller) an expanded storage solution was going to be a must.

    I agree that the Zip with the PC crowd was not great (with parallel port bandwidth) and didn't catch on, but it was with the Apple/Mac graphics/media/content creation pros of the late 90's and early 2000s. The Mac Blue & White G3 was very popular with them and was built in. SCSI interface made the Zip fast if used externally, and Apple continued featuring the Zip drive in the next few generations of Mac hardware (Original G4, Sawtooth, Digital Audio, and even the Quicksilver which was the latest and greatest from Apple durring the life of the DC).

    As TheHammerGod mentioned after the price drops, the Zip and drives like it were killed by the CDR/W. Had Sega gone from proto to release, it would have been yet another failure and bad decision used to bash them...

    No doubt about it, Sega made a bunch of bad decisions that they never recovered from and as a tiny company without the resources (compared to Sony and Microsoft) its no wonder they are gone. I will give Sega credit for innovating, and looking at what console gaming is now (one line, subsription based services and content etc.) would say they were right on the future of gaming.

  14. #13
    Administrator

    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    3,346
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    275
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    39
    Thanked in
    32 Posts

    Default

    Yeah, the Dreamcast Iomega ZIP Drive prototype sold for EUR 4,225.00 (approximately USD $4,798.12).

Similar Threads

  1. Dreamcast prototype zip drive
    By Kid Ice in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 33
    Last Post: 09-17-2007, 01:41 PM
  2. What's Your Holy Grail?
    By jferio in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 07-03-2006, 10:41 AM
  3. My holy grail...
    By chadtower in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 22
    Last Post: 10-20-2003, 08:31 AM
  4. Iomega Tape Drive For Auction
    By shaggy in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 09-06-2003, 04:27 PM
  5. Holy Grail !
    By Buyatari in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 08-15-2002, 03:13 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •