No shit the VMU as it was isn’t capable of MP3 capabilities. Not sure how crazy tech advanced you think mp3 players were in the beginning, the simplest mp3 players didn’t even have a screen, they were plug n play with direct drop file library- no software required and ran on a single AA battery. Also not sure why you think the disc reader wasn’t fast enough. Most people were happy to spend 2-3 hours ripping and burning a music disc. I think you’re comparing it to modern day expectations.

The Dreamcast came out in time where people were happy with any tech that was dual purpose and any that was cable of multiple functions received huge attention.

Here’s Sega’s VMU Mp3 player prototype: not saying this specific one would have been the one, just saying it’s capable.

https://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2016/10/a-closer-look-at-dreamcast-mp3-player.html?m=1

If Dreamcast should have had a niche it should have been using the VMU as a portable MP3 player and giving the Dreamcast the ability to rip music.

Mine was wilderness survival, which I think would still be a thing if cell phones weren’t as advanced as they are with GPS navigation, emergency dialing and location.

I know it still happens and is still a very needed skill specially for those who live out in low populated areas, but I genuinely thought that being lost or stranded in the woods was a super common thing. Like needing to start a fire, finding water and hunting to catch food was definitely an experience I would one day have to go through even though I grew up in a large city and didn’t have a reason to go off the grid often aside from occasional shore fishing.