I wanted to check out some of the new, third-party hardware made for the Dreamcast recently. I bought a Retro Fighters D6 controller and an 8BitMods VMUPro. (Note: these may be in stock at other retailers, like https://stoneagegamer.com/ or https://videogamesnewyork.com/. 8BitMods ships from the UK, the others are from the US.)
The D6 is a wireless controller that works with the Dreamcast via controller port dongle. Also works with the Nintendo Switch, and PC with a USB dongle. I love this type of controller; most of the games I play these days can be played with just a d-pad and face buttons. The similar 8BitDo M30 has been my go-to controller for a few years now.
The VMUPro is like a nicer version of the original VMU. Works as a VMU, but has a higher resolution + backlit screen, better battery life, more storage (takes a microSD card), and can also run apps specifically made for it. It even comes with emulators for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, Master System and NES.
I haven't actually tried them out yet. I'll post some reviews later. I'm excited about these -- I haven't dusted off the Dreamcast in a while!
So what do you personally use the VMU for?
Well, nothing yet. I'm hunting for a spare microSD card so that the thing will turn on.
It has an MP3 player app. There's no headphone jack, but I'm guessing a usb-c-to-3.5-mm converter will work. I like using a standalone MP3 player at the gym -- I'll see if this works well for that.
Aside from that, I'll just use it as an actual VMU, and check out all the games that have VMU features that I never played back in the day. Do you have any recommendations?
Sonic Adventures 100% all day every day
Omg you beat me to it, I loved the chao gardens in SA and SA2.