VM2 Overview and Review (SEGA Dreamcast)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2024
- Download VM2 software and user manual:
www.dreammods.net
Purchase VM2 via Indiegogo page:
www.indiegogo....
Separate VMU Explorer utility (note that it's also built into VM2 GUI):
segaretro.org/...
Finally someone talking about the VM2. I don't understand why not any more well known TH-camrs are talking about it. It's one of a kind and gets rid of a giant load of problems. I just wish it would create a new VMU each time it detects an unknowjn rom header, and selects the right VMU each time you change a game. But even without this it is more than I wanted for many many years. I was one of the very first who bought it when the news came out and I'm glad you made a video! 😊
My guess is the price, it's a great all in one device but the price is pretty steep.
Maybe it's because the creator didn't send out review units to a bunch of TH-camrs. YTbers that want to review it probably have to actually purchase it.
Automatic game ID detection is not possible without the ODE menu software transmitting said ID down the MAPLE bus to the VM2.
This will eventually be coming to openMenu, and open source menu for GDEMU (as opposed to the more commonly used GDmenu).
@@derekpascarella I have GDEMU using openMenu........ hoping this comes soon. My VM2 is delivering shortly.
Thanks for explaining the VM2 and what it can do. I learned a bit from this video
This was very well put together! Would gladly listen to you talk about Dreamcast some more. 😄
Thanks for the kind words! Perhaps I'll do a few more videos.
Thanks for getting this out there to a wider audience! It's a shame I missed the boat on this one; hopefully I'll catch the next release.
If you contact the creator on his website, you may be able to put an order in.
www.dreammods.net/
@@derekpascarellaI reached out to him yesterday, and I'm clear to preorder a VM2 to be shipped in July. I'm super excited about that.
Thank you Derek for the best in depth video of this ..
I do what I can!
This looks fantastic. Thanks for the lowdown as well, I had heard of it but had no idea it had so many features. I might have to get this at some point but it’s a luxury price point I’m not sure my bills would be happy with at the moment 😅
Thanks. Been waiting for this. Got 2 on the way but havent seen a review or anything yet. So this is much appreciated and very informative. Great job
Thank you for the kind words.
Thank you for reviewing I think you have the most indept review on youtube,
I remember hearing about a planned japanese VMU sometime in 2001 or 2002 that also worked as an mp3 player and had a headphone jack
does the VM2 have that? also what is the battery life like on this card?
I just heard about this. I missed the indigogo campaign, so hopefully it gets into production at some point.
Thank you for doing an overview. I’m still waiting on mine to get here but I’m really excited. This will cut my 4 VMU down to 1 and I can’t get them mixed up. This’ll really help my set up and yeah I can understand the price but with 1 VMU being almost 30 dollars then it’s worth it if you have a somewhat extensive DC collection or use “other means”. I also think that this’ll be a situation where the people who don’t have it don’t think it’s worth it for the price but the people who do will 100% say it was worth the price. I also just noticed that you can’t support it on indegogo so I’m assuming you can’t purchase it? I only wanted 1 since in theory 1 will do everything I need.
What format does the micro sd have to be? What is the largest capacity of the sd card? What is the battery hours for the VMU2 & how long does it take to charge it?
FAT16/32 with a maximum (tested?) size of 32GB. Battery charges fast and lasts a long time.
Refer to user manual I linked in the description for more. You can also ask (or search existing) questions on the Indiegogo page.
Nice video, Derek. Does it work well with the Dreamconn? I imagine it does, but is there any sharing of battery between the two or any issues?
Thank you.
Yes, it does work. It will drain the DreamConn's battery a small amount more than a regular VMU.
Did they get the molds to remake the tiny d-pad and buttons or are they tearing down old VMU’s to make this one?
It's all newly manufactured.
@@derekpascarella Nice. Thanks!
Hi Derek, I was wondering if you knew of any curated pack of VMU files for the VM2, specifically for the mini games?
Unfortunately not yet. Hopefully someone puts this together. I just haven't had the time yet.
Would it be possible for the original creator to add a small rotating dial to bottom of the device (next to the USB port) in a possible revision? Would most likely make the multiple VMU file selection a bit easier to manage.
I agree a dial of some sort would've been easier. However, I'm not sure if he'd do a revision at this point. By the way, the newest FW update makes the navigation easier.
Can you invert the screen so the background is dark but the text/image is lighted? This would save massively on battery.
It's an LCD, it doesn't make a difference in terms of power usage if the LCD background is light or dark (technically very slightly higher usage when it is a different color from the off state. Not talking about LCD backlight, turning that off obviously saves a lot of power but compromises readability). What you are saying only applies to screens where pixels directly emit light, like OLED.
Once they’re done with the backers would it be on sale after that? I kinda missed on the backing which is a bummer.
Yes, they will be for general sale at some point, and using local distributors across the world (probably).
I got mine a while ago (I was within the first 200 backers), and mine had issues with buttons not actually working. I was kind of sad that I can't use it as the ultimate VMU for that reason, but it's still functional as far and away the best memory card with a display for Dreamcast, even if I can't actually play games on it. Hoping TO will update the firmware to allow for per-game saves, but my expectation is that I'll have to buy a GDEMU.
How responsive has the creator been to your issue?
You can absolutely get replacement. Zero reason to continue with a defective VM2. Please reach out to him.
@@derekpascarella @WhatsOnMyShelf with how overburdened he's been just shipping out the preorders, I felt too guilty to even reach out and create more headache. Silly, I know.
@@superjupi I would send a request out and state that you understand he may be busy due to being a lone creator. Responding is key and being honest is best. I sell a lot and encounter child-adults with low patience and no communication skills, but the percentage is way low. When the Retro Tink when was first launched I emailed the creator after my purchase. He responded quickly. Just for that, I would recommend his products over similar ones.
I wonder if it's a button pad misalignment. Do the buttons use pads or do they use microswitches? If it uses pads, it might be an easy fix to open it, clean the pads and PCB, then re-align the pads.
Is the battery soldered to the board or does it plug into a connector on the board, similar to how a fan power cable plugs into a connector on a desktop motherboard? I ask because when the Li-ion dies after 5-10 years, lowering its capacity with each charge, soldering to tiny connections on a tiny PCB is difficult. It is very easy to brush against other sensitive components with a hot soldering iron.
The VM2 uses a LiPo battery.
@@TheVisualNovel It's not soldered. It's plugged via a common JST connector, so it's easily replaceable, if needed.
Will this be available for purchase outside of indiegogo now that it's no longer an option?
Yes, they'll be for general sale in the nearish future. You can also email Chris on the DreamMods.net website to inquire about buying a unit directly in the meantime.
not really sure why i keep seeing people bring up the memory card pro for why this is overpriced, playstation memory cards are much simpler dumb things, a vmu is more complex than that right from the start, not even gettng into the extra tweaks made here
i dont agree persay with the price but its a market that exists and there is no other alternative as of yet, and honestly i could see you making up for the extra cost on batteries alone, vmu's suck power like nobodies business
I can't buy one from the indie-gogo page.
Am I just stupid?
I want one so bad, especially in black omg.
I got mine a while back but only just started setting it up. I hope Retro Fighters updates their StrikerDC Wireless dock firmware soon--it's gonna be perfect for a cleaner setup. My only gripe so far is that we need to take out the micro SD card for file management because my SD card went flying across my room the first time I ejected it. 😂
Is there any issue between the StrikerDC and the VM2 ? 😮
@@benjMir Yes, but I've read that Retro Fighters is working on a firmware update to resolve the issue.
Thanks for the video Derek 👍
My pleasure, buddy!
Unfortunately my VM2 doesn't load games, even when making sure that a virtual vmu is created and selected in game. Games save fine though.
You should reach out to the creator for direct support.
for the price (which might still be too high with a properly sized screen) the screen size is a massive dealbreaker
They are greyed out on the site are they unavailable
do u think they'll make more or is that it ?
$127 for one upgraded VMU? Yeah, I'll pass. Looks really cool and probably handy, but I can't justify that price.
It pretty much replaces the need for multiple VMUs. All you need is one.
@@MacUser2-il2cx you know, I’ve not looked up prices of VMUs these days. So from that context it might be worth it.
$20-$30 @@popixel
And that's perfectly fine. It's not for everyone 🙂
Look at the mem card pro and you know this is grossly overpriced.
i have it
few issues i got:
micro sd card doesnt stay in place (it keeps poppin out)
if i put the VM2 while the dreamcast is running it crashes the system
the top cap doesnt stay in place anymore (even tho i open the cap once)
the light screen is nice doe and thank god it saves ok
Please contact Chris, the creator of the VM2.
www.dreammods.net/contact.html
i had this issue but I used another SD card to push it in and it stayed, the well in the VM2 seems a little too deep for the fingers, if you have the SD card adapter thy using the beveled corner to push it in, I'm having a lot of kinks mi trying to work out with the VM2 myself like for some reason I can't get the games to recognize it so I'm here trying to see if I need to do something either the firmware because I want to be able to have my chao and save Shenmue, jet set, evil dead, and ill bleed without switching between physical VMUS every time
thanks, chris.
Looks like the campaign as closed and I'm not able to buy one :/
If it had a couple of very basic games then maybe that price could be close to justifiable
Wish I could buy one. :(
If only the quantity production would increase to decrease unit cost. Maybe Chris could team up with/license to a retro game company for a price reduction. It reminds me of a mashup of a few VMU accessories I have mixed with modern components. I have a multi memory card unit 9in1 with a seven segment display and another I can connect to a computer via parallel port to transfer/backup saves. When dreamcast stuff was on clearance I also bought up a bunch of regular VMUs.
Side note for your videos, please the love of all that is holy stop the swallow/sucking/smacking sound throughout your speech. That noise is most annoying especially when using headphones. Usually I quit videos immediately for this. I only stuck it out due to this being dreamcast related content.
*eNhAnCe Ur CaLmMmMmM*
I hear it breaks when you take the cover off.
Backers are going to get a redesign cover in the future.
It’s too expensive,
I mite have been interested at around 60 at a push
Ali Express enters the chat
With this the only thing needed to finish the DC retrofit is a light gun for LCD screens.
Same guy makes that too 🙂
www.dreammods.net/lightconn.html
What I meant is one that works with something other than vga since I have a modded HDMI Dreamcast
@@G-zeus_Mthe LightConn works with DCDigital/DCHDMI. You just plug the VGA cable into now your unused video out port. The special VGA only used for image sensor purposes (sends data to the Bluetooth receiver).
@derekpascarella how well do these work? Quite interested.
Hi, I’ve always wondered how the Lightconn can work with hdmi, either via the internal mod or with a modern scaler like the retrotink 5x/4k. Where does the vga cable from the receiver plug into if your using say a sync combiner scart cable?
Still waiting on mine shipping. 😢
I'm waiting for mine to, should be in the next group shipment.
Me too! 😢
Mine three
ME FOUR
Me 5
Neat, but holy piss is that price outrageous.
300 USD ... WOOOOW
$300? They sold for $123 each.
HOW MUCH????? pass....nice, but ridiculously priced
I thought the price is high too, but I also have a bunch of official VMUs, including 4X official ones. Selling those could easily be turned around for cash for these. If you didn't have multiple VMUs already, I could understand being hesitant.
lol, if you can't get right screen just dump the idea lol, what a tool