# Sega Dreamcast Keyboard

> video game controller

**Wikidata**: [Q83873568](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q83873568)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/sega-dreamcast-keyboard

## Summary
The Sega Dreamcast Keyboard is a first-party computer keyboard accessory designed for the Sega Dreamcast console, allowing players to type instead of using a gamepad for text-heavy games and online features. Classified as a product model and subclass of computer keyboard, it transforms the console into a limited-function computer for chat, email, and keyboard-compatible games.

## Key Facts
- Instance of: product model (Wikidata Q-item)
- Subclass of: computer keyboard (Wikidata Q-item with 129 sitelinks)
- Parent platform: Sega Dreamcast
- Commons image file: Sega-Dreamcast-Keyboard.png
- Commons category: Sega Dreamcast Keyboard
- Sega Retro ID: Dreamcast_Keyboard (ID 10467)
- Former Giant Bomb ID: 3000-46
- Sitelink count: 1 (Wikidata)

## FAQs
### Q: What console does the Sega Dreamcast Keyboard connect to?
A: It connects exclusively to the Sega Dreamcast via one of the console’s controller ports, presenting itself as a standard Dreamcast controller with a full QWERTY layout.

### Q: Which games or features support the Dreamcast Keyboard?
A: Sega marketed it primarily for the Dreamcast’s online services—e-mail, chat rooms, and web browsing—and for keyboard-compatible games such as typing tutors, RPGs with text entry, and select online titles.

### Q: Is the Dreamcast Keyboard a standard PC keyboard?
A: No. Although it is a subclass of computer keyboard, its connector, button mapping, and firmware are proprietary to the Dreamcast; it cannot be plugged into a regular computer without custom adapters.

## Why It Matters
Released during the brief 1998-2001 lifespan of the Dreamcast, the keyboard symbolizes Sega’s early push into online console gaming. By giving players a familiar typing interface, the accessory reduced the friction of on-screen keyboards and encouraged use of the bundled PlanetWeb browser, SegaNet, and Dream Passport services. In an era when most consoles were still offline, the keyboard helped the Dreamcast function as a rudimentary internet appliance, foreshadowing the multimedia hubs that modern consoles would become. Collectors now value the unit as an essential part of the Dreamcast online ecosystem and as one of the few first-party console keyboards of its generation.

## Notable For
- One of the only first-party keyboards ever produced for a sixth-generation home console
- Integral to Sega’s early online strategy, predating Microsoft’s Xbox Live kit by three years
- Recognized in both Wikimedia Commons and Sega Retro databases with dedicated media categories and IDs
- Retains cult status among Dreamcast enthusiasts for enabling keyboard-heavy homebrew and indie development

## Body
### Hardware Overview
The Sega Dreamcast Keyboard is a full-size, 101/102-key QWERTY unit housed in off-white plastic to match the Dreamcast console. It uses the same proprietary “Access Bus” connector found on standard Dreamcast controllers, so it occupies one of the four controller ports. No external power supply is required; the keyboard draws 5 V from the console.

### Identification & Cataloguing
- Wikimedia Commons hosts the official publicity photo under the file name Sega-Dreamcast-Keyboard.png
- Sega Retro catalogs the device under the page title “Dreamcast_Keyboard” with internal ID 10467
- Former Giant Bomb database entry carried the numeric ID 3000-46

### Functional Scope
Sega positioned the keyboard as an accessory for the Dreamcast’s online suite: web browsing, e-mail, and chat. Several software titles—particularly the PlanetWeb browser, Dream Passport discs, and games such as “Typing of the Dead”—explicitly check for keyboard input and disable the on-screen keyboard when the device is detected.