Editing VMU (section)

==Variants==
Multiple Dreamcast memory cards with no VMU features have been released.  The cards therefore omit a display screen, input buttons, speaker and built-in clock.  Some have the same 128 KB storage as the VMU, equivalent to 200 blocks, while others have multiple "pages" with each acting as a 128 KB memory card.  In the latter case, a button or switch allows the user to select the desired memory card.  This is due to the Dreamcast having a limit of 128 KB per individual memory card.

===4x Memory Card===
[[File:Dreamcast MemoryCard4X.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The official Dreamcast 4x memory card has several lights on its front indicating the currently used storage "page".]]
Sega released an official 4x Memory Card which offered four times the data storage of a standard VMU, with 800 blocks. It was released in Japan on December 14, 2000,<ref name="Dreamcast Memory Card 4X Details">{{cite web | title=Dreamcast Memory Card 4X Details | url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2642229.html | access-date=June 7, 2009}}</ref> as "Memory Card 4X", and in the US as "4x Memory Card".  A button is used to select one of four "pages", and a series of four orange LED on the card indicates which of these is currently in use.  Not all games are compatible, so Sega released a list of incompatible games.<ref>{{cite web | title=DC Memory Card 4X Compatibility List | url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2646823.html | access-date=June 7, 2009}}</ref>

A limited edition ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'' 4x Memory Card was also released in Japan to coincide with the game's release. It was coloured blue and featured the ''Phantasy Star Online'' logo printed onto the casing.<ref name="Dreamcast Memory Card 4X Details"/>

The 4x Memory Card did not make it to retail in Europe, despite a planned release (along with the [[Dreamcast Broadband Adapter]] which was also unreleased in Europe) due to the Dreamcast's unforeseeably short lifespan – although unofficial third party 4x Memory Cards were released in Europe.

===Third-party memory cards===
The Nexus Memory Card is a third party version of the Visual Memory Unit that features four times the memory of a stock VMU with 800 blocks (4 [[megabit]] / 512 [[kilobytes]]) but lacks an LCD screen. The card is divided into 4 pages each with 200 blocks, each page can be selected using a button on the top left of the card.<ref>{{cite web | title=Review: 4X Nexus Memory Card w/PC Link | url=http://www.segatech.com/technical/nexus/index.html | access-date=May 31, 2009}}</ref> The Nexus Memory Card is slightly larger than the normal VMU and can be connected to a [[personal computer]] by [[USB]], [[D-subminiature|Parallel]] or [[D-subminiature|Serial]] cable. A 3200 block (16 [[megabit]] / 2 [[megabytes]]) version of the Nexus is also available, but this model has been known to be unstable.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}

[[Nyko]] released two memory cards for the Dreamcast: the Jumbo Memory Pak X2 with twice the storage as a VMU, and the Hyperpak with four times the storage. The Hyperpak could also act as a Jump Pak by setting its switch to rumble mode.

The Performance Memory Card was a third-party basic memory card with the same 200 blocks of storage as a VMU.  The Performance Mega Memory Card acted like a 4X Memory Card.  It used a switch on its back to select the desired memory card "page".  Unlike other memory cards however, the Performance model had to be removed from the controller before the "page" could be switched.

In September 2023, following a successful [[Crowdfunding in video games|crowdfunding]] campaign, Dreamware Enterprises released an aftermarket VMU update called the VM2. The VM2 features a backlit screen, a rechargeable battery with [[USB-C]] support, and [[MicroSD]] storage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/21/23365268/sega-dreamcast-vmu-virtual-memory-unit-card-2022-fundraiser-indiegogo-console | title=Sega Dreamcast's iconic memory card is making a (Fundraised) comeback | date=September 21, 2022 }}</ref>