Amazon recommends Dreamcast

by Kevin Kelly { Oct 13th 2006 at 1:57PM }

Two new next-gen systems will make their debut next month, and gamer Ben Murray finds Amazon recommending that he purchase ... a Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit (VMU). Plus he can pick this baby up for about six bucks US. Obviously Ben has purchased some Dreamcast gear through the site at some point in the past, but it strikes us as a bit odd that they are recommending this (and a Dreamcast vibration pack as well). Maybe Amazon decided to share a little retro love in the gaming arena.

We pulled up our own Amazon page, half expecting that it would tell us we should be buying an Atari 2600 paddle controller instead of the Nintendo Wii. Our own Toys & Games recommendations page suggested we pick up a Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera and the Cars Mack Truck Bachelor Pad Playset (what the hell have we been buying?!) but, alas, no Colecovisions or Pong sets. The closest we got to any sort of throwback gaming was the Designer's World TV Game -- "Can you turn rags to riches? Find out when you enter the world of high fashion on your own TV (not included)!"

Ooh, fashion gaming on our own (not included) TV!? Somebody pinch us.

Tags: Amazon, Dreamcast, next gen, next-gen, retro

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ronnie @ Oct 13th 2006 2:02PM

I'm sure whatever algorithm amazon uses to determine what it recomends to past customers is concious of what it does and has a sense of humor...

This is a really lame story.

Richard Mitchell @ Oct 13th 2006 2:09PM

Ah, nothing like the good old days of Dreamcast side-talkin' :)

Travis @ Oct 13th 2006 2:14PM

Ha! Mine has been recommending some N64 Accessories lately. The Rumblepac and two different expansions for the system. I don't even own an N64 or any N64 games.

mandarin @ Oct 13th 2006 2:15PM

This is news? Who cares?

G @ Oct 13th 2006 2:21PM

Amazon's a worthless, uninformed website. They had Saints Row on there for $69 claiming it was on sale from their list price at $99. I emailed them a ton of times asking where they get this 'list price' of theirs, and they flat out refused to answer the question. Even going so far as to say that if I chose not to be their customer again because of their response, they would understand and respect that. WTF?

selfconshus @ Oct 13th 2006 2:33PM

NEWSFLASH!!!!!!

Wedge @ Oct 13th 2006 2:34PM

It's funny because these companies hire some of the smartest AI programmers in the world to develop these algorithms. There's a lot more going into them then just your own personal buying history. And yet despite it all, they still lack so much any person could obviously see themselves, so you get weird results a lot of the time.

Kestrel @ Oct 13th 2006 2:44PM

Maybe the DC is actually a better buy.

Liquid @ Oct 13th 2006 2:49PM

I guess Amazon isn't the only site with questionable recommendations, Netflix has gone as far as offering a million dollars to anyone that can improve their recommendation algorithm http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/02/1359221. I believe the contest lasted about a week before a team of consultants bettered the "15 years of really smart [Netflix] people banging away at the problem". Looks like Amazon needs to look into doing something similar.

Nij @ Oct 13th 2006 2:51PM

Joystiq, I think it's time to start a new site called "Amazon Recommendations Fanboy". Clearly these hot news items about gaming-related peripherals being recommended to Amazon shoppers deserve their own site, if not their own Internet.

Alex @ Oct 13th 2006 2:55PM

Instead of looking in the Toys and Games category, you should look in the Computer & Video Games section. Then you won't see "teh kiddie!1" stuff.

KilgoreTrout XL @ Oct 13th 2006 3:06PM

The only game-related recommendations I got were 360, DS, and GC games. I own two out of three of 'em (I did borrow my bro's GC for a month to play Resi 4, but I don't own it), so not bad.

If you're reading this, then you've probably read a bunch of childish bitching and moaning from the kids above me. Aren't they a hoot?