How to Burn and Play Dreamcast Games

If you were worried about the possibility of having to "hack" or "modify" your console in any way, you will be happy to know that you can play all your favorite games from a CD-R without console alteration! To get started, there are a few things you need:

1. An image burning software of some kind. The best format for Dreamcast games is cdi since they self-boot. With that in mind, I recommend DiscJuggler, which you can get here!
2. You will need to pick up some CD-R's; I recommend Memorex.
3. You will need a Dreamcast game in cdi format. If you do not have one, go ahead and download this one, here. Alternatively, you can either rip your own Dreamcast games or download them from various sites. Go here to learn more about ripping your own Dreamcast games. Below are some reliable sites that host Dreamcast roms:

• DCISOZONE
• SnesOrama
• EMUPARADISE

Once you have DiscJuggler, some CD-R's, and a Dreamcast rom, you're ready to proceed!

Alright, if you have not done so already, go ahead and install DiscJuggler. You may have noticed that it is in ".zip" format. Zip format is a native format to Windows, so you shouldn't need any special software to extract the ".exe" out of it. Simply right-click it and click "Extract All..." or "Extract Here" if using WinRAR. By the way, most Dreamcast games you will find on the net for download will be in ".rar" format; if you don't have WinRAR, get it here. You will need either the 32-bit or the 64-bit version. If you don't know which to get, click the Windows icon in the bottom-left, right-click "Computer" and click "Properties". You will see a screen like the one on the right. The underlined area tells you which version (word size) of WinRAR you need.

Once you have DiscJuggler installed, you will need a Dreamcast game in ".cdi" format. If you download the one from the link I provided above, then you already have one. Simply extract it like you did with DiscJuggler and you will have a ".cdi" file.

Alright, now we're ready to go:

1. Start up DiscJuggler
2. Insert a blank CD-R. Depending on which flavor of Windows you are using, an alert window will pop up prompting you with action options for the disc. If so, disregard the window. In DiscJuggler, you should see the disc as available.
3. Click the source button and navigate to wherever your ".cdi" file is located and click "Open"
4. Your screen should closely match the one on the right. Make sure your game has 2 sessions; otherwise the game will not be self-boot. (Self-Boot means the game will start on its own without the need for a Utopia BootCD)
5. Click the "Advanced" tab.
6. Make your settings look like the settings depicted in the picure on the right.
7. Note that the "Overburn" setting should only be checked for games that exceed 700MB in size. (Yes, it works, despite the fact that CD-R's supposedly are limited to 700MB, just don't question it)
8. When the game pops out, insert it into your Dreamcast and power it on. If you did everything correctly, you should see the Sega logo. Have fun!