Editing Dreamcast (section)

=== Storage ===
{{Main|VMU}}
In contrast to the Sega CD and Sega Saturn, which included internal backup memory,<ref name="Soothsayer" /> the Dreamcast uses a 128 kbyte [[memory card]], the [[VMU]], for data storage.<ref name="IGN VMU">{{cite web |date=August 13, 1999 |title=Dreamcast VMU |url=https://ign.com/articles/1999/08/14/dreamcast-vmu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105023644/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/08/14/dreamcast-vmu |archive-date=November 5, 2014 |access-date=November 5, 2014 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref><ref name="Unified" /> The VMU features a small [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] screen, audio output from a one-channel [[Pulse-width modulation|PWM]] sound source,<ref name="Vintage">{{cite book |last1=Loguidice |first1=Bill |title=Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time |last2=Barton |first2=Matt |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-0415856003 |location=Boca Raton, Florida |page=278}}</ref> [[non-volatile memory]], a D-pad and four buttons.<ref name="Unified" /><ref name="Vintage" /><ref name="BW Peripherals" /> The VMU can present game information, be used as a minimal handheld gaming device,<ref name="Avant-Garde" /> and connect to certain Sega arcade machines.<ref name="Unified" /><ref name="Soothsayer" /><ref name="IGN VMU" /> For example, players use the VMU to call plays in ''NFL 2K'' or raise virtual pets in ''Sonic Adventure''.<ref name="Soothsayer" /><ref name="GS 2K Retro">{{cite web |last=Ekberg |first=Brian |date=August 2, 2005 |title=GameSpot Sports Classic - ''NFL 2K'' |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespot-sports-classic-nfl-2k/1100-6130024/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129041115/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespot-sports-classic-nfl-2k/1100-6130024/ |archive-date=January 29, 2015 |access-date=November 5, 2014 |website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref>

Sega officials noted that the VMU could be used "as a private viewing area, the absence of which has prevented effective implementation of many types of games in the past".<ref name="Unified" /> After a VMU slot was incorporated into the controller's design, Sega's engineers found many additional uses for it, so a second slot was added.<ref name="Unified" /> It is generally for vibration packs providing [[Haptic technology|force feedback]],<ref name="Vintage" /> such as Sega's "Jump Pack"<ref name="BW Peripherals" /> and Performance's "Tremor Pack";<ref name="NextGen211" /> it can be used for peripherals including a microphone, enabling voice control and player communication.<ref name="Unified" /> Various third-party cards provide storage, and some contain the LCD screen addition.<ref name="NextGen211" /> [[LenovoEMC|Iomega]] announced a Dreamcast-compatible [[zip drive]] storing up to {{nowrap|100 MB}} on removable discs,<ref name="NextGen211" /> but it was never released.<ref name="RetroinspectionD" />