The Dreamcast is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan, September 9, 1999, in North America, and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nintendo's GameCube, and Microsoft's Xbox. The Dreamcast was Sega's final home console, marking the end of the company's eighteen years in the console market.