Since about 2006, and after that unpleasant period of Dreamcast failure, Sega's success has been a mixed bag. Profits go up, profits go down; its 2008 fiscal year say $501 million in losses, $56.3 million for its games division. Some titles do well, other times the company seems to completely lack anything resembling a killer app. Don Reisinger of CNet says drastic times call for drastic measures:

"..in an environment where we're seeing a significant push towards consolidation, the company really only has two options: sell the company to the highest bidder or develop a console."

Well, there you have it.

Of course, there are questions and concerns that arrive with this hypothesis.

One: could the current industry even support four consoles? It seems maybe already too crowded with three. Four? That'd be some kind of record, wouldn't it? I'm no economics expert, but I'm guessing this would make software and hardware cheaper though, due to increased competition, wouldn't it? Would it? Or would Sega fizzle, having the least capital, and being least able to lower prices?

Two: could they make a successful console? Despite the huge misstep with the Saturn (despite some solid and innovative games, the timing and pricing were just all off), the Dreamcast in its own right should've been a successful platform. Personally, I blame that mean old nasty PlayStation 2 for coming along and ruining everything. Just kidding, we all know the PS2 was a great console, right? But it was at least partly responsible for the woeful "death of the Dreamcast." The ol' DC had a solid library of games from the get-go (especially that lovely Soul Calibur), it was the first system to offer online play (I was drooling at the thought of playing Phantasy Star Online at the time), and offered voice chat support as well. What's not to love?

Naturally, if they gave it another go-round, they'd have to really do it right. Reisinger points out three major things to follow (listen up, Sega):

1) Develop forward-thinking hardware very much tied to the online world. Make it the most powerful system and give 'er a Blu-Ray drive.

2) Make friends. Become liked. Repair and develop relationships with retailers and developers. Make lots of third-party deals to make up for selling the console at a loss.

3) Hype the crap out of it, milk the 'return of Sega' thing, but don't rush things, make sure it's done right.

He says a new Sega console would be welcomed by the gaming community with open arms. So, community, what do you say? Can ya, can ya give it another shot?