Sega cancel online facility down under

Unfortunately for Dreamcast owners in New Zealand, Ozisoft have canceled the console's online facility SegaNet, one of the key selling points of the unit. Sega are compensating owners with a consilatory letter of apology and a free game of their choice, so it's not all bad. And lets face it, the facility is really only good for Chu Chu Rocket, and it's not that great in any case. The pitiful 33.6Kbps modem given to non-Americans hasn't helped the matter. At least in Japan it looks like fans should get something resembling broadband multiplayer action, but for New Zealanders it's a good one pace forward and two steps back. Meanwhile the Dreamcast price drop to $149 Stateside and £149 here has led to a resurgence in the console's popularity with new releases like Virtua Tennis and Dead or Alive 2 shifting units by the thousand.`