E3 2000: Bleemcast in Action

Here is the press release you need to see:

bleem, inc. today unveiled bleem!™ for Dreamcast,. a new line of products which gives game-hungry Sega Dreamcast owners the ability to play hundreds of titles originally written for the Sony PlayStation as they’ve never been seen before, with Dreamcast-enhanced graphics resolution and effects. The announcement more than quadruples the choices available to Dreamcast gamers, with support for over 400 PlayStation titles planned for initial release. The software products will be offered in 100-game “paks,” offering full compatibility with a range of popular PlayStation titles including Sony’s own best-sellers, which were previously unavailable for any other console.

“bleem! for Dreamcast knocks down barriers between game consumers and the titles they want to play,” said David Herpolsheimer, president and CEO of bleem, inc. “Our new line expands the market for PlayStation games with millions more prospective users, plus allows Dreamcast owners to pick from hundreds more quality titles without giving up the improved graphics they expect from a next-gen console.”

bleem! for Dreamcast takes advantage of the “next generation” hardware in the Dreamcast console to improve the “look” of PlayStation games, rendering game graphics at 640×480 pixels twice the resolution of most PlayStation games. Further, bleem! uses the Dreamcast’s graphics processing power to make even older games look brand-new; enhancements like full-screen anti-aliasing and bi-linear filtering give PlayStation games improvements even the PlayStation 2 can’t touch.

“Enhanced graphics are what sets bleem! apart,” said Randy Linden, chief technical officer and creator of the bleem! technology. “If all we did was play PlayStation games at PlayStation resolutions, there wouldn’t be much point you could just get a PlayStation. That’s why we concentrated on using the Dreamcast hardware to unlock the true potential in these games we wanted to deliver the best of both worlds by adding the Dreamcast’s superior graphics to the proven gameplay in these titles, for a seamless better gaming experience.”
With a planned retail price of just $19.99, the bleem! for Dreamcast “bleempaks” are expected to appeal to a wide range of videogame consumers. “We’ve always been about offering the best product we can at a price gamers can afford. Our goal was to set the price low enough so that gamers could get bleem!, and a game to go with it, for about the price of a new title,” said Herpolsheimer.

In addition to sales to existing Dreamcast owners, Herpolsheimer expects the new line to push many “fence sitters” toward the Dreamcast console. “There’s really no excuse to not own a Dreamcast now. With top-selling PlayStation games selling for around $20 and Sega’s new “free Dreamcast” program, you can walk out of the store with a new Dreamcast, plus bleem!, and four best-selling PlayStation games for less than the cost of a new PlayStation.”

Each bleem! for Dreamcast pak will feature a mix of the top-performing games from multiple genres, including adventure, sports, RPGs, strategy and other categories. Specific game lists for the individual packs will be announced in early June, with the first bleem! for Dreamcast paks expected to hit retail shelves early this summer.