After seeing the price drop on a DC to $228 (with game purchase) at Buyrite, I almost imported one. Not anymore. Even if you are just a bit curious about what the poop is on the US Dreamcast launch, Dreamcast.IGN has the scoop. Nice rhyme eh? The modem will be included in the box! Here's the skinny...

Dreamcast will launch in the US on Sept. 9, 1999 at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $199. Although Sega's press release erroneously states that it's the first time that a videogame console will ship for less than $200 at launch (the Nintendo 64 launched at $199, after Nintendo reacted to a PlayStation price drop), the low price point puts the powerful Dreamcast into an excellent launch position.

Bernard Stolar, president and chief operating officer of Sega of America, made the announcements as the kick-off to a two-day Sega sales conference attended by more than 100 retailers, including Toys 'R' Us, Target, Electronics Boutique, Sears, Kay Bee, Best Buy and Babbage's.

At the conference, Stolar revealed the Sega Dreamcast pricing strategy, launch date and marketing plans, and reaffirmed Sega's dedication to regaining its dominant position in the video gaming market. "The fact that Sega Dreamcast will launch for less than $200 is a monumental industry 'first,'" said Stolar. "There's never been a next generation console to debut at such a competitive price. At $199 with our system's hardware and game library we feel confident that we will take back market share from Sony and Nintendo."

Stolar also confirmed that there will be 10-12 titles available at launch and announced that there are more than 20 first party titles on track for the year 2000. Sega promised that the total Dreamcast game library will count to more than 100 next year. Launch titles include Sonic Adventure, Virtua Fighter 3tb, SuperSpeed Racing, NFL Football, NBA Basketball, Geist Force, House of the Dead 2 and Sega Rally 2 -- as well as the third-party-developed PowerStone from Capcom, Ready 2 Rumble from Midway, Castlevania from Konami and Soul Caliber from Namco.

As previously announced, the Dreamcast will ship with a built-in 56K modem that will give the system full networked functionality, allowing consumers to play games over the Internet and giving them access to Internet capabilities, including e-mail, chat and browsing of the World Wide Web.

"The Internet strategy is very important to Sega and we are dedicated to doing something never before possible on a console or the arcade -- to connect thousands of players together at one time under the same platform and create a sense of 'community' online for gamers," said Stolar.