8BitMods Release Backwards Compatible Dreamcast VMU That Also Runs Retro Games
Retro accessory company, 8BitMods, is releasing the VMU Pro on May 15, 2025. It’s a Visual Memory Unit that can slot into a Sega Dreamcast, but it can also be used to play games from other systems.
The Dreamcast’s original VMU is a memory card that slots into a console controller and displays information about the game being played. It can also be used as a standalone mini handheld to play simple mini games. The VMU Pro goes one better and lets players load up and play games from Nintendo, as well as other Sega systems.
“Introducing the VMU Pro. The last VMU you’ll ever need for your Dreamcast,” 8BitMods said in a post on its official X (Twitter) account. “But it’s not just for your Dreamcast. The VMU Pro can emulate your favourite 8-bit era handhelds and games consoles like the Game Boy Color, NES and Master System on a beautiful 16-bit color IPS TFT display.”
Teeny Weeny Handheld Gaming
There’s a burgeoning market for retro handheld devices that use emulation software, but the VMU Pro may just be one of the smallest, and quite possibly the only one with a second, distinct function as a console memory card.
The original VMU was launched a few months before the Dreamcast console, in 1999, and was sold separately. From the get-go it was marketed as a miniature handheld, likely to try and compete with ones already on, or coming to, the market like the NeoGeo Pocket Color and Game Boy Advance.
It was also possible to plug a VMU into Sega’s Naomi arcade cabinets to store and load game data. There’s no word on whether the VMU Pro does this, but there’s no real need these days: thanks to emulation, it can run a bunch of older titles without the need for any additional devices or steps.
Among the consoles the VMP Pro can emulate is the Sega Master System and Game Gear, and Nintendo’s Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Full chipset details are still under wraps, but will be released once the device is.
8BitMods has responded to user comments on X, though, in terms of some additional details. When asked about how many of the original Dreamcast VMU features the VMU Pro has, the company said: “It does everything that a normal VMU can do! Shows in-game graphics and you can save mini-games from the Dreamcast on it and play them there. You can even select the pixel colors, or scale them up to 5x!”
The company also confirmed that the VMU Pro will launch in at least three color schemes: the original Dreamcast off-white, green, and blue. Other designs are likely as many 8Bit Mods peripherals and accessories come in a variety of colors.
