SAN FRANCISCO -- As part of its $100 million marketing campaign on behalf of its new Dreamcast game system, Sega of America launched a new television commercial this month. Titled "Apocalypse," the "mini-movie" includes 56 seconds of special effects and live action, and four seconds of Dreamcast-produced animation. It will be shown on nine cable networks. The company also will deploy the 22-week "Sega Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour" Aug. 23 to give consumers hands-on experience of the new game system. The 46-foot "assault" trucks are planned to stop in 200 high-traffic locations in major U.S. cities. Meanwhile, Next Generation Magazine, citing sources at a national toy retail chain, is reporting on its Web site that the prices of Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation hardware units may drop to $99.99 by the end of this month, just before Sega's Sept. 9 launch of Dreamcast. Dreamcast will retail at $199.99.
