750K Sold in U.S
Sega Enterprises said it will sell 1.5 million units of its new Dreamcast video game console in the United States by year-end, 50 percent more than previously forecast.

Sega updated its projection after seeing stronger-than-expected demand and improving production capacity, said Peter Moore, a vice president with the company's U.S. unit.

Consumers have purchased 750,862 units as of October 31, Moore said. The Dreamcast, which connects to a TV set, was introduced on September 9.

Sega expects to sell 2 million units by March 31 and 6 million by March 31, 2001. The company's revised forecasts come as rivals Sony and Nintendo are heavily promoting their existing consoles. Both also are working on updated systems, due out next year, that will challenge the Dreamcast.

"We feel there will be a great window of opportunity for the next eight to 10 months," Moore said at an investment conference sponsored by Gerard Klauer Mattison.

Sega also is working on developing online games for the Dreamcast, which can be used to log on to the Internet. Moore said the first games, which will allow multiple users to compete against each other online, will be introduced in about a year.

Eight to twelve software titles that allow many players to compete online will be available by the end of 2000, he said.

Tokyo-based Sega, with its U.S. headquarters in San Francisco, also hinted that it may slash prices to compete with the new systems expected from Sony and Nintendo.

"We'll have highly competitive price points for hardware and software," Moore said.



News by: Ryoni Schouten
Source: Bloomberg/CNET

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