Sega's Dreamcast is only two years old but was such a commercial disappointment that the company completely abandoned the hardware market early in 2001 to be strictly a game publisher. The price of the console has plummeted since as the company clears out its inventory, to its current bargain-basement value of $49.99.

Two-thirds less expensive than at this time last year, Dreamcast plays hundreds of games, all reasonably priced between $9.99 and $39.99. It also plays music CDs and has a telephone jack for online game play. No other console currently offers that, not even Microsoft's Xbox, which has a broadband port built-in but no online gaming until early next year. While it may be hard to get a Dreamcast at your local retailer, since there are so few left in inventory, used units are in abundance at online auction sites and can in some cases be had for under $35.