Since today is the 24th anniversary of the release of the Dreamcast in North America (9/9/99), I'll share my own odd Dreamcast story.
I'll preface it by saying I was 19 in 1999, and wasn't really playing video games, I was moving back up the coast after finishing high school. So I have very little experience with the console.
But three years ago in February, I was driving home and spotted a Dreamcast box on the top of my neighbor's trash. And I thought, oh cool, a Dreamcast box. No way anything is in there. So I grabbed it.
But there WAS a Dreamcast in there. Nearly complete, too - with controllers, manual, even a game (see photo). It looked brand new, really. Missing the cords, but after a friend on Twitter gifted me a cord, it started right up!
Can't imagine why someone would throw it out other than kids leaving home or maybe revenge against a boyfriend or husband or something? Or maybe they just didn't want to sell it or take it to a thrift store? Anyway, their loss, my win. At least I saved it from sitting in a landfill.
I have no games for it (I sold that basketball game), and I don't need em- eventually I plan on putting a GDEMU in it to emulate. I hear it's pretty easy.