Sega Saturn NetLink, 1996
Today it is taken for granted that modern game systems can be used to access the internet and play games with people from all over the world. This was not always the case. It is true that various modems and networking peripherals have been available for game systems going back a long time but they were always an add-on device, typically expensive, and not that well supported.
The NetLink was essentially just a 28.8kbps modem with a web browser and a little bit of memory. It cost $199 when it was released in 1996 which was about double the price of an equivalent computer modem. You could basically use it for one of two things. 1) You could use it to dial up your internet provider and surf the web, check e-mail or chat or 2) you could use it to dial up a friend directly in order to play a game for games that supported the device.
The problem was there were only five games with NetLink Support:
- Daytona USA CCE Net Link Edition
- Duke Nukem 3D
- Saturn Bomberman
- Sega Rally
- Virtual On
I guess if you had a Saturn and REALLY wanted to play these games with a remote opponent and didn’t have a computer with which to access the internet then maybe it was worth it. But in 1996, a computer was far superior for these sorts of things.
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I want to say that Playstation didn't attempt to approach this angle with the PS1 or PS2. I'm not sure about that. Sega was trying to be ahead of their time and they improved on this with the Dreamcast, which nobody actually purchased. It worked a lot better on the DC and it was stock standard included with the console. I played a few racing games and Phatasy Star Online with the Dreamcast but of course it was plagued with disconnects as well.
I'm not sure about the PS1 but the PS2 at least had a network adapter. It plugged into an expansion port on the back and provided an ethernet port. I'm not sure what games supported it. I got the PlayStation over the Saturn because at the time there were tons more games for it and it was less expansive. Later, i had both the Dreamcast and the PS2 but I liked the Dreamcast more.