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Getting PSO save files off a real Dreamcast

Three ways to get a VMU save onto your PC, ranked by how little extra hardware they need. Pick based on what you already own, then come back to the editor and drop the file in.

Option 1: Brook Wingman SD (no Dreamcast software needed at all)

The simplest route if you don't already have a Dreamcast SD/serial setup — this adapter talks to the VMU directly through a genuine Dreamcast controller, without the console needing to run anything.

Needs: a Brook Wingman SD adapter (sold for using modern controllers on Dreamcast/Saturn/PC), a wired Dreamcast controller, a USB cable, the Brook Wingman VMU Tool (Windows).

Steps (from Saturn Forge's writeup):

  1. Plug the VMU into a wired Dreamcast controller, and the controller into the Wingman SD's controller port.
  2. Connect the Wingman SD to your PC via its micro-USB port.
  3. Run the Brook Wingman VMU Tool; when prompted, hold Up + Start on the controller together.
  4. Choose Save in the tool's Load/Save menu, and pick where to save the file.
  5. Don't disconnect until the transfer finishes.

This produces a raw VMU dump you can open in VMU Explorer (see below) or drop straight into the editor.

Source: How to Transfer Dreamcast VMU Saves to and from the Brook Wingman SD Adapter – Saturn Forge

Option 2: DreamShell + an SD adapter (VMU plugged into the Dreamcast itself)

DreamShell is a custom Dreamcast OS/loader. Run from an SD card via a Dreamcast SD adapter (fits the console's serial port), it has a two-pane file manager that copies files straight from a VMU to the SD card — including copy-protected saves.

Needs: a Dreamcast SD adapter (several vendors sell these; two current ones linked below), a microSD card, DreamShell itself.

Steps:

  1. Format the SD card FAT32, copy DreamShell's files onto it (get DreamShell from its GitHub or official site, below), insert it in the SD adapter, and boot the Dreamcast into DreamShell.
  2. Open File Manager, switch to dual-window mode, point one pane at the VMU and the other at the SD card.
  3. Select the save file, choose Copy selected file, confirm.

One caveat from the DreamShell community: it copies the raw file (e.g. PSO______SYS), not a paired header+data file — which the editor handles fine either way, whether you dump a single file or a whole VMU image.

Sources:

Option 3: Broadband Adapter (or DreamPi) + dcdrop

If your Dreamcast has a Broadband Adapter (or a modem, or a DreamPi standing in for one) and you don't want to buy any extra VMU-reading hardware, dcdrop runs a small web server on your PC that the Dreamcast's own browser uploads the VMU save to.

Needs: Broadband Adapter/modem/DreamPi, a PC on the same network, a Dreamcast web browser (the guide recommends the Custom Planetweb 2.6x browser from XPD Dreams), Python to run dcdrop.

Steps:

  1. On the PC, run dcdrop's server script.
  2. On the Dreamcast, open the browser and navigate to the PC's address (e.g. http://192.168.0.2:8000).
  3. Upload the VMU save through the page it serves.
  4. Run the included decoder to turn the upload into a standard save file.
  5. (Optional) the included uploader script sends a save back the other way, to a physical VMU.

Source: allycatty/dcdrop on GitHub

Opening/inspecting the dump afterward

Once you have a raw VMU dump or a header+data pair on your PC:

Further reading