The Dreamcast VGA Box is an accessory for the Dreamcast, a video game console produced by Sega, that allows it to output to a computer monitor or a high-definition television (HDTV) set through a VGA connector in 480p, otherwise known as progressive scan. [1] [2] The Dreamcast was one of the first consoles to support 480p and HDTV in general. [3] [4] Sega released the VGA Box as an official accessory in Japan on January 14, 1999, at an MSRP of ¥7000; [5] it was only available in the United States via Sega's online store, retailing between $30 and $50. [6] [a] Though the VGA Box did not receive a release in Europe, [10] [11] PAL consoles can use it since it has no regional lockout. [12]
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The official VGA Box includes a VGA connector for video output and a headphone jack for stereo audio output; it also includes an S-Video connector and RCA connectors [13] for composite video and stereo audio. [14] [15] Most third-party versions are functionally identical to Sega's model, [16] [17] but some designs like Performance's add features such as VGA passthrough. [15] [18]
Most Dreamcast games are compatible with the VGA Box so long as they display in 640×480; this applies to most 3D titles. [19] [20] Games marked as incompatible typically present an error message upon boot; [14] such a designation was determined via a simple toggle switch in the game's code. [19] As such, VGA output from most incompatible games can be forced via having the VGA Box unplugged while booting a game, [21] [22] temporarily switching the VGA Box into TV mode while booting a game, [16] or using a boot disc such as DC-X. [23] This loophole is not possible for games that only display in lower resolutions, with most sprite-based games rendered fully incompatible with VGA output as a result. [19] [24] Though a handful of sprite-based games supported VGA, most notably ones from Capcom, at least some, if not all of their sprites were originally designed for lower-resolution displays and may resultingly appear less detailed when displayed through VGA due to poor image scaling. [19] [25]
