Early online services
Early Online Services Typically used Dial-up or Cable television providers, some later services used other Internet access technologies.
This page lists and documents pre-2005 online services. It was Xbox LIVE (2002) that kick-started the modern era of online services but it wasn't until a new generation of hardware that the video game industry felt the impact and influence of Xbox LIVE.
Early Online Services, shouldn't be confused with LAN tunneling[2]/System Link[3] (inc. LAN tunneling programs) and Netplay.
Before Diving in |
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Due to lack of support of non USD (United States Dollar) inflation calculation on this wiki this page can not calculate the inflation of the Japanese Yen (¥), British pound (£), Dutch guilder (ƒ) or any other non United States currency. |
This page has heavy use of YouTube videos to preserve content (In this case advertisements for Early Online Services). if the YouTube links no longer work please check Ghost Archive to see if it was archive |
This page uses shortened names for selected consoles. NES for the Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom, SNES for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System/Super Famicom, N64 for the Nintendo 64, PS1 for the original PlayStation, PS2 for the PlayStation 2. |
The Sega console "Genesis" is known as the "Mega Drive" outside North America and parts of South America |
See each Wiki Category Consoles, Computers and Arcade for individual dedicated system pages to see support for these services for software emulators. Dedicated system pages provide in-depth information on specific aspects like hardware features, peripheral support, and compatibility etc. |
Contents
- 1 Services for Set-top box and DVRs
- 2 Services for Consoles
- 2.1 GameLine (Atari 2600)
- 2.2 PlayCable (Intellivision)
- 2.3 CD-Online (Philips CD-i)
- 2.4 Famicom Modem \ Network System (NES)
- 2.5 Satellaview (SNES)
- 2.6 Sega Meganet (Genesis)
- 2.7 Sega Channel (Genesis)
- 2.8 Randnet (N64)
- 2.9 SharkWire Online (N64)
- 2.10 NetLink (Sega Saturn)
- 2.11 Nintendo Power (SNES / Game Boy)
- 2.12 i-mode (PS1)
- 2.13 Lightspan Online Connection CD (PS1)
- 2.14 Arena (N-Gage)
- 2.15 Network Adaptor (PS2)
- 2.16 Central Station (PS2)
- 2.17 Broadband Adapter (Gamecube)
- 2.18 The GameCube Modem Adapter (Gamecube)
- 2.19 XBAND Modem
- 2.20 Dreamcast Online services
- 2.21 Game.com Online
- 2.22 VTech vPort
- 2.23 XLink Kai
- 3 Services for Computers
- 3.1 PlayNET (Commodore 64)
- 3.2 Quantum Link (Commodore 64 & 128)
- 3.3 Games Computers Play (Atari 8-bit & ST)
- 3.4 Prodigy
- 3.5 GEnie
- 3.6 Compunet
- 3.7 CompuServe
- 3.8 BarrysWorld
- 3.9 DWANGO
- 3.10 Kali
- 3.11 MPlayer
- 3.12 GameRanger
- 3.13 GameSpy
- 3.14 GameStorm
- 3.15 RealArcade
- 3.16 Total Entertainment Network
- 3.17 Wireplay
- 3.18 World Opponent Network
- 3.19 Xfire
- 3.20 Sega B-Club
- 3.21 MSN Messenger
- 3.22 ICQ
- 4 Services for Arcades
- 5 Websites
- 6 References
- 7 See also
Services for Set-top box and DVRs[edit]
- Main article: Smart TV emulators
- Main article: Set-top box emulators
MSN TV[edit]
MSN TV (formerly WebTV) was a web access product consisting of a thin client device that used a television for display (instead of using a computer monitor), and the online service that supported it. The original WebTV device design and service were developed by WebTV Networks, Inc., a company started in 1995. The WebTV product was announced in July 1996 and later released on September 18, 1996. In April 1997, the company was purchased by Microsoft Corporation and in July 2001, was rebranded to MSN TV and absorbed into MSN. The MSN TV service lasted for 18 years, shutting down on September 30, 2013, and allowing subscribers to migrate their data well before that date arrived.
Services for Consoles[edit]
These Services typically connected to the system through cartridges or for disc based systems a peripheral port. Many of these services allowed/allow you to:
- Download games
The older services only offered to download games or use message boards
- Use message boards
- Play multiplayer
Only the newer services (e.g XBAND, and other 1990's services) had multiplayer support.
- Web browsing
Some of the services from the 1990's had web browsers support.
GameLine (Atari 2600)[edit]
GameLine was an service exclusively for the USA, created by Control Video Corporation (now AOL). Gameline allowed users to download games using dial up. Needing a modem and storage cartridge from Control Video Corporation. Launched in 1983 the Gameline was soon discontinued at an unknown date.[N 1]
US$15 (equivalent to $45.88 in 2024) for the membership fee, with 1 year subscription to the monthly magazine GameLiner, "command module" cartridge (roughly US$39.95 (equivalent to $122.2 in 2024)). The service allowed you to download 1 of the 30 monthly games for a rough 40-minute play session for US$1 (equivalent to $3.06 in 2024)[1]
PlayCable (Intellivision)[edit]
PlayCable was an service exclusively for the USA, developed by Mattel and General Instrument, How you got games was an PlayCable adapter. You needed a cable company that supported PlayCable. Launched in 1980, Discontinued in 1984.[2]
A monthly subscription for PlayCable was US$4.95 (equivalent to $16.59 in 2024) a month.[3]
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CD-Online (Philips CD-i)[edit]
CD-Online.
Using the internet on the CD-i was facilitated by the use of an modem and CD-Online disc (Web-i in the US) CD-Online had online shopping, email, and supported for online multiplayer (in select CD-i games).
CD-Online was initially released in Britain for roughly US$150 (equivalent to $299.89 in 2024).
CD-online was available in the UK in 1995, The Netherlands in 1996 (for ƒ399). Placeholder text for additional info
Famicom Modem \ Network System (NES)[edit]
The Family Computer Network System (a.k.a Famicom Modem) was a Japan-exclusive network peripheral that allowed users to connect to a Nintendo server that provided extra content such as jokes, news, game tips, weather forecasts, horse betting and downloadable content via dial-up modem. Launched September 1988[4], Discontinued 1991 (Everything but the Super Mario Club and the horse racing servers).
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Satellaview (SNES)[edit]
The Satellaview was a subscription-based add-on released only in Japan that streamed content to the Super Famicom. BS-X or Satellaview software was broadcast to the console add-on and stored as temporary data to be deleted shortly afterward. As such, a wealth of games went undumped and lost forever.
Many of these games had Soundlink features and would have assets like streamed music and voice acting, as well as some extra data, but these have been lost forever outside of video recordings and OST releases. These games will likely play without music on your emulator. The entirely fan-made MSU-1 feature on the higan emulator tries to replicate the BS-X Satellaview and unreleased SNES-CD concept for streamed music in SNES games far beyond the 12 MB cartridge capacity,, but it's not the same thing.
Some games like BS Treasure Conflix make use of the additional RAM provided by the BS-X add-on. While you can try playing them on regular SNES emulators, you may face issues for many of these games (no font appearing, hangs with a black screen, and so on). You'll need Satellaview emulation to properly emulate those games.
bsnes and snes9x are recommended. They use your PC clock with no option to modify it, though. SNESGT had the option to modify the clock, but it wasn't updated for a while and isn't really recommended for SNES emulation in general. No$SNS has good BS-X emulation (and the best debugger tools for ROM hackers and translators) but falls behind the others when it comes to general emulation.
You'll need the BS-X BIOS to properly emulate the Satellaview. It goes as "BS-X.bin" under the "BIOS" folder when using snes9x. There are many variants. You'll want the translated one (with English text) with removed DRM so that you can play a given broadcast without restrictions on how many times you can do so, like in the original hardware.
Whenever you open a BS-X compatible ROM (that wasn't modified to behave like a normal SNES game, like most BS Zelda translations were), you'll be greeted by the BIOS software. It will ask you to choose your name and avatar, which you can control in a city. Of course, the St-GIGA broadcast service went defunct in 2000, so the big radio tower will just give you a "Hello Satellaview" test broadcast. However, you may be interested in seeing how Nintendo used to do loading screens. To see them without them shutting down instantly, open BSX0001-47.bin
(bsxdat folder) in a hex editor and change offset 0x06
from 0x30
to 0x00
. Most houses will be closed, though.
You'll want to enter the little red house you start in front of and load the stored data. Sometimes, you might have to wait a while before actual gameplay starts or until a given time. On real hardware, people would wait for up to 6 minutes!
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- Satellaview+
- Satellaview+ is the revival service to St. Giga's sattelite service, Satellaview, which allows you to play special Satellaview games, read magazines, and more! The Satellaview+ service works on emulator and is planned to work on retail console in the future. See this page for the connection setup for your emulator.
Data Pack emulation[edit]
AKA DLC for the Super Famicom.
Data Packs are Satellaview 8M Memory Paks, which have data meant to be used as an expansion for a Data Pack-compatible game. Data Pack-compatible game cartridges look like the BS-X Cartridge. For most of these games, data was distributed via St.GIGA’s Satellaview streaming services. Same Game and SD Gundam G-Next had some Data Packs sold in physical form via retail stores. RPG Tsukuru 2, Sound Novel Tsukuru and Ongaku Tsukuru Kanaderu could save user-created data to 8M Memory Paks.
The following games were compatible with Data Packs:
- Derby Stallion 96
- Joushou Mahjong Tenpai
- Ongaku Tsukuru Kanaderu
- RPG Tsukuru 2
- Same Game
- SD Gundam G-NEXT
- Shigesato Itoi no Bass Tsuri No. 1
- Sound Novel Tsukuru
These Data Packs are available on ROM sites as regular SFC files, but their actual nature couldn't be more different. Unlike regular SNES games, they won't load in SNES emulators by themselves. These emulators support this feature:
- Snes9x: To play SFC games with Memory Pack support (also works with BS-X): Use File -> Load MultiCart... and put the main game in Slot A and the Memory Pack dump in Slot B. Memory Pack changes are not saved automatically, you need to use Save Other -> Save Memory Pack. (Optional) You can put Satellaview Broadcast Files in a folder named SatData (can be changed in the settings). Satellaview Time & Date are based on current time.
- bsnes-plus: To play SFC games with Memory Pack support: Under "File/Load Slotted BS-X Cartridge". Memory Pack changes are not saved automatically, you need to use File -> Save Memory Pack... bsxdat folder contains Satellaview Broadcast Files. Satellaview expansion needs to be enabled to work. You can change the Satellaview Time & Date in the settings to either use the current time or start with a specific time setup (recommended).
- higan: Importing a memory pak is like importing a regular game, but the name of the memory pak file must end in .bs (if it’s in a .zip file, that’s OK, but the name inside the .zip file must end in .bs) in order for it to be successfully imported. Sometimes memory pak filenames end in .sfc, which will make higan try to import them as regular Super Famicom games and fail. Rename the file and it should work beautifully. Playing a game that has a slot for a memory pak is just like playing a regular game, but after you have selected which game you want to play higan will open another filesystem browser to let you pick which previously-imported memory pak you want to insert into the game. If you press “Cancel” at this point, the game will load without any cartridge in its memory pak slot. If you load the control cartridge into higan, make sure the emulated Satellaview is connected to the emulated Super Famicom’s expansion port by opening the “Super Famicom” menu, selecting the “Expansion Port” sub-menu, and choosing “Satellaview”. If the expansion port was previously configured with a different option, power-cycle the Super Famicom (also in the “Super Famicom” menu) to make sure the control cartridge will find the Satellaview when it starts up. Note that higan’s Satellaview emulation is not very accurate, so the control cartridge may not work as it should. Playing a memory pak on its own doesn’t make much sense, it’s not a standalone cartridge. Play a game with a memory pak slot, and choose which memory pak you want when higan asks for it.
Sega Meganet (Genesis)[edit]
The Sega Meganet was a commercial failure in Japan, When released in Brazil the focus was on the Meganet's main focus which was email, the service was also capable of online multiplayer and chat. Launched November 3rd 1990 in Japan[5] and 1995 in Brazil,
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Mega Modem[edit]
The Mega Modem is a modem for the Sega Mega Drive released in 1990 exclusively in Japan. It allowed Mega Drive owners to connect their consoles to various online services provided by Sega and third parties.
Sega Channel (Genesis)[edit]
The Sega Channel was an service exclusively for the USA and Canada, through cable television services. Launched 1994 in the USA, 1995 in Canada, discontinued 1998.
Fees varied by location. Released in the United States of America and Canada. Fees Varied by location,[N 2] Sega Channel had a US$25 (equivalent to $51.38 in 2024) activation fee (includes necessary hardware), and approximately US$15 (equivalent to $30.83 in 2024) for a monthly fee.[6]
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#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 (promo), #7 (promo), #7, #8
Randnet (N64)[edit]
Randnet was a Japan-exclusive service for the 64DD that allowed users to play multiplayer games and use a web-browser. The only way to use Randnet was to purchase the The Randnet starter kit, which included: Nintendo 64 Modem, Expansion Pak, 64DD, Randnet Browser Disk.[7] Launched December 13 1999, Discontinued February 28 2001[8]
- Price
The initial pricing was a monthly fee of ¥2,500 or ¥3,300. The revised pricing is a annual fee of ¥30,000 (For people who already own the N64) and ¥39,600 (Which came with a black translucent N64).[7]
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Modem cartridge[edit]
The Modem cartridge (NUS-029) connects at up to 28.8 kbit/s, for the defunct Randnet service, and compatible 64DD games and web browser.
SharkWire Online (N64)[edit]
SharkWire Online was an service exclusively for the USA, SharkWire was a GameShark device with a serial port and modem added, developed by Interact and Spyglass inc.
Interact partnered with Spyglass for the Mosaic web browser and D3 Networks for the development and operation of the SharkWire Online service.
SharkWire online is unlicensed hardware, and the United States' equivalent of Randnet. Launched January 2000[9], discontinued 2003.
The hardware MSRP was US$79.99 (equivalent to $146.3 in 2024), with a monthly subscription fee of US$9.95 (equivalent to $18.2 in 2024)[10]
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NetLink (Sega Saturn)[edit]
The NetLink is a dial-up modem at 28.8kbps. The NetLink connects to the internet through dial-up, and is connected to the Saturn through the cartridge slot. Unlike other Devices it doesn't connect to any service, the Netlink connects by direct dialing other NetLink devices. The NetLink had a official version of the "Planetweb" web browser.[11] Released 1996.
The unit cost ¥15,000 in Japan US$199 (equivalent to $386.52 in 2024)[12] in the USA. The NetLink bundle was released 1997 and cost US$99 (equivalent to $187.9 in 2024) (includes Sega Rally, Virtual On and the NetLink cartridge).[13]
Five games were released that supported the NetLink. All five were released in late 1997, nearly a year after the NetLink itself. Players could search for other players either on the Internet or using the XBAND matchmaking system, then connect peer-to-peer via modem, or alternatively, use two NetLinks to connect two Saturns and two televisions set up in the same room (thus eliminating the need for a phone line and essentially using the NetLink to emulate the Saturn Link Cable).
- Possibly can be emulated by YabaSanshiro.
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Nintendo Power (SNES / Game Boy)[edit]
Nintendo Power (ニンテンドウパワー) was a Japan-exclusive service online video game distribution service for the Super Famicom and Gameboy. Launched 1997 for the Super Famicom[14], November 1st 1999 for the Game Boy[15], Discontinued 2007.
i-mode (PS1)[edit]
The i-mode adaptor cable (SCPH-10180) is a japan-exclusive device[16] developed by Sony and NTT DoCoMo. The i-mode adaptor allows users to connect an compatible mobile phone[17] to the PlayStation's controller port; granting a mobile internet connection to Japanese games, web browsing and email on the PlayStation.[18] Released in 2001.
If you have an i-mode donating it no$psx may help it to be emulated. More info on the i-mode: [4], [5], Official Manual. See list of games compatible with the i-mode adaptor.
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Lightspan Online Connection CD (PS1)[edit]
The Lightspan Online Connection CD is a unreleased PlanetWeb-based web browser/email client developed by Lightspan, planned to have been targeted towards schools as an education tool.[19]
CD rip and FAQ by Jason "Dangerboy" Dvorak
Arena (N-Gage)[edit]
N-Gage Area supported online play with some games, N-Gage arena allowed players to play against other people wherever they were, even with no wi-fi connectivity at all. However N-Gage Arena had problems, such as having to register with your network provider, which was a problem as some networks did not allow N gage Arena despite working on the N-Gage console. Arena also suffered from lag problems and slow down and was sadly never used by many players, meaning that the people who did play on N-Gage Arena could rarely find another player to play with, however Nokia still even today supports N-Gage Arena in some countries (such as UK) and still works just as well as it originally did.
N-Gage Arena is an end-to-end solution for online multiplayer and community services for N-Gage games running on a range of S60 smart-phones. Chapter 8 discusses the N-Gage platform in more detail, but N-Gage Arena is described here because it forms a natural part of the multiplayer gameplay chapter.
N-Gage Arena was originally part of Sega.com's SEGA Network Application Package for mobile multiplayer gaming. Nokia acquired Sega.com Inc. (a subsidiary of SEGA) in early 2003 to enable them to offer networked multi-play and a virtual community to N-Gage gamers.
Launched 2003, Discontinued ????
Network Adaptor (PS2)[edit]
- See these resources for revived private game servers for PlayStation 2;
- Wikipedia:List of PlayStation 2 online games#Released Games
- PS2Online spreadsheet
- Preservation projects#Private Game Servers
- Online PS2 games
The Network Adapter is a peripheral that is used to play PS2 games online (Network Play) via Ethernet, broadband, or analog modem. Slim models don't have an external interface to connect a Network Adaptor. Instead, the Ethernet functionality of the Network Adaptor has been integrated onto the motherboard, while the ATA/IDE interface was dropped. Many games have been brought back due to servers run and operated by fans such as PS2Online and the SOCOM Community server;
- PCSX2 supports emulation of this peripheral.
- AetherSX2: AetherSX2 does support the networking adapter emulation (which is also needed for XLink Kai offline multiplayer gaming over a LAN multiplayer games as well) only for Windows/Linux.
- Official Sony emulators: PlayStation 3's ps2_emu firmware supports network play.
- There are services for PlayStation 2 such as PlayStation Broadband Navigator and PlayOnline Viewer and downloadable content services for some of the titles such as Pop'n Music Puzzle-dama Online. See PlayStation 2 emulators#Hard Disk Drive for more information about these.
- MAWK3: Most Active PlayStation 2 Online Games in 2024, How to Connect and Play Online on PlayStation 2 in 2023, Exploring DEAD PS2 Online Games in 2024
- For more information about other revive projects see Preservation projects page.
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- Tutorial
- 1. Prepare the "Network Adapter Start-Up Disc". (Some titles have their own profile creation implementation so you may not need steps that related with this disc)
- 2. Boot your PS2 console or PCSX2 using the "Network Adapter Start-Up Disc".
- 3. Launch "cmd.exe" on your host PC and run the command "ipconfig /all" (Windows) to obtain your network information.
- 4. Create network profiles (for memory card) on your PS2/PCSX2 using the "Network Adapter Start-Up Disc" for each revival server, referencing their respective DNS addresses and your network information.
- 5. Also use respective DNS adresses for your PCSX2 Qt Global settings or Game settings (Settings> Network & HDD)
- 6. Boot your game, select multiplayer option and then select your newly created network profile when it prompts you to do so. (Make sure selected profile's adresses matches with your DNS adresses in your PCSX2 Qt settings)
- Use DNAS-net Patcher for your game if game requires Sony's Dynamic Network Authentication System (DNAS).
- If connection issues persist, they may be related to port forwarding. Try enabling uPnP or DMZ in your router settings (exercise caution, as these methods can expose your network to security risks so use these temporarily). If issues continue, install npcap (Windows) or pcap (Linux) on your host PC, set ethernet device type to PCAP Bridged (Wifi) or PCAP Switched (Ethernet) from PCSX2 Qt Global settings or Game settings (Settings> Network & HDD). If none of these works, it's possible your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is the source of the problem.
- See PlayStation 2 Online - Official Community on Discord: How-to-Play channel or PCSX2 Discord: Netplay channel for more information.
- Here is a list of ports for some games
53 DNS = TCP E UDP 80 HTTPS = TCP 443 DNAS = TCP 518 METAL GEAR SOLID 3 = UDP 1024 METAL GEAR SOLID 3 = UDP 3074 DEMONWARE CALL OF DUTY 3 = UDP 3075 DEMONWARE CALL OF DUTY 3 = UDP 3076 DEMONWARE CALL OF DUTY 3 = UDP 3100 DEMONWARE CALL OF DUTY 3 = UDP 3658 GAMESPY = UDP 3999 DEMONWARE CALL OF DUTY 3 = TCP 5150 TONY HAWKS PRO SKATER 3 E 4 = TCP E UDP 10070 FREQUENCIA ONLINE GAMEPLAY = UDP 10075 TWISTED METAL = UDP 10070-10080 FREQUENCIA ONLINE = TCP 20040-20199 PLAYSTATION 2 = TCP E UDP 23756 FLATOUT 2 = TCP E UDP 23757 FLATOUT 2 = TCP E UDP 23758 FLATOUT 2 = TCP E UDP 26900-27900 TOCA 3 TCP E UDP 28000 NBA2K3 TCP E UDP 28000-28008 TRIBES AERIAL ASSAULT TCP E UDP 28960 CALL OF DUTY 2 30000 XLINK KAI = TCP E UDP 65535 OU 65534 PORTA FINAL = TCP E UDP
Central Station (PS2)[edit]
Placeholder Text
Broadband Adapter (Gamecube)[edit]
This shouldn't be confused with netplay, which synchronizes emulation over an internet connection.
This add-on allowed the console to use online gaming services and LAN technology over ethernet. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! used it to play on a local network with up to eight other GameCubes, while Phantasy Star Online took it a step further to allow an internet connection for Sega's now-offline official game servers[20]. Kirby Air Ride and 1080° Avalanche also support this adapter. This feature was unavailable on the Wii despite having 802.11 b/g connectivity built-in and an official USB LAN adapter.
It's possible to hook up zero or more of each of these configurations on one networked game:
- Option 1: A real GameCube with a real BBA (naturally)
- Option 2: A soft modded Wii or Wii U with Nintendont, which can emulate the BBA for games that support it[6]
- Option 3: A recent version of Dolphin (beta or dev builds) which can emulate the BBA for connection to private game servers as well as using LAN tunneling. See Dolphin: Gamecube XLink BBA Tutorial and LAN tunneling. Also Dolphin wiki contains up-to-date instructions on setting up for Online Play via DNS revive server (e.g. Schthack PSO), see this page for games that use broadband adapter either for Online Play or LAN tunneling.
- See Preservation projects page for more information about other revive projects and LAN Tunneling Programs page for playing LAN games over internet.
- Also see GC-Forever: Broadband Adapter, nintendo.com[7][8] for more information about Broadband Adapter.
The GameCube Modem Adapter (Gamecube)[edit]
while the BBA is reasonably well known amoungst GameCube enthusiasts, there was another accessory that could go into that port - The GameCube Modem Adapter. This was a 56kbps dial-up modem alternative to the BBA. While it lacked the LAN mode, the Modem Adapter granted more or less the same online features as the BroadBand Adapter, just... worse. All online-mode games that supported the BroadBand Adapter also supported the Modem Adapter, so users were expected to just pick the internet adapter that matched their connection and access the same online content. Though, with some mild variation in user experience.[9]
- A recent version of Dolphin (beta or dev builds) which can emulate the Modem Adapter for connection to private game servers.
- See Preservation projects page for more information about other revive projects.
XBAND Modem[edit]
The XBAND was the very first console modem to allow online multiplayer using a dial-up connection. It was released on the SNES for a range of games in the mid-nineties - as well as the Genesis and Saturn.[21] Launched in November 1994-June 1995, December 2nd-8th 1995 nationwide (USA) for the Genesis/Mega Drive, 1995 for the Super Nintendo and 1996 for the Super Famicom (Japan), Discontinued in April 30th 1997[22].
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- SNES XBAND modem compatible games
- Mega Drive XBAND modem compatible games
- Saturn XBAND compatible games
- Tutorials
Dreamcast Online services[edit]
The Dreamcast had multiple online services, SegaNet for the United States, Dricas for Japan, Comma for Australia and Dreamarena for Europe.
- See this article for a List of Dreamcast Online games
- See dreamcastlive.net or Preservation_projects#Revivial_Projects for revived private game servers.
- MVG: Online with the Sega Dreamcast and a DreamPi in 2018, Online with the Sega Dreamcast in 2022
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#1 (SegaNet) , #2 (SegaNet), #3 (Dreamarena), #4 (Dreamarena),
SegaNet[edit]
SegaNet was a United States exclusive service created by Sega in collaboration with GTE Internetworking[23], Sega also partnered with AT&T as the service's preferred ISP.[24]
Launched 7 September 2000, discontinued 20 July 2001 (online service) 30 September 2003 (online game servers). The initial monthly subscription fee was US$21.95 (equivalent to $38.83 in 2024), The subscription fee was removed for a short period then reinstated with a lower price of US$9.95 (equivalent to $17.12 in 2024) 1 November 2001, The monthly fee was permanently eliminated August 2002.[25]
Dricas[edit]
Dricas was a Japan exclusive service created by Sega and the ISAO Corporation. Dricas had support for web browsing with the "Dream Passport" browser, which could receive and send e-mail. using the Dreameye accessory one could send videos through e-mail or use it for video chat. In 2000 Americas was consolidated into the multi-platform ISAO service "isao.net"[26], later the same year Dricas added Broadband support[27]
Dricas also offered Official emulation of select Genesis and PC engine games[28].
Launched November 27th 1998[29], Discontinued September 28th 2007[30]
Comma[edit]
Comma was a Australia exclusive service, created by Sega with partnership with Telstra (Australian ISP), Comma also had a web browser with LookSmart's search engine.[31] Launched 2000, discontinued ????
Dreamarena[edit]
Dreamarena was a Europe exclusive dial-up based online gaming service, provided for free for all Dreamcasts in Europe[32] created by sega in partnership with ICL, BT and other ISPs (one for each country). ICL developed the websites and software, BT providing the dial-up and network infracturure.[33]. Dreamarena could send e-mail, talk in a chat room or search the web[32] In the United Kingdom the service was free, in other countries the service was paid. Launched October 14, 1999[32], officialy begain to be phased out in March 2002, Chats, forums, email discontinued 2003. Final game (Phantasy Star Online) went ofline March 2007.[34]
Broadband Adapter[edit]
The Dreamcast came out of the box equipped with a 56k dial-up modem that was supported by every DC game with online functionality. However, some of those games had additional support for the Broadband Adapter (BBA) accessory, which replaced the 56k modem and used Ethernet networking to deliver much higher internet speeds.[35] Many games have been brought back due to private servers run and operated by fans such as:
- For more information about other revive projects see Preservation projects page.
Game.com Online[edit]
Internet Cartridge with Modem[edit]
Placeholder Text
Web Link cartridge[edit]
Placeholder Text
VTech vPort[edit]
The vPort was optional modem for VTech's XL Series of devices. It (basically) gave users the ability to download new software for their device via the vPort website. It used a USB connection to plug into a computer, and used IR to send and install programs to the ClassMaster Notebook or any other XL Series device. The website and programs were free, but the required vPort modem, which was US$29.99 (equivalent to $50.79 in 2024).
XLink Kai[edit]
- teamxlink.co.uk Official site
- Main article: Preservation projects#LAN Tunneling Programs
Xlink Kai is a program that you install on your Windows, macOS or Linux machine. To play on older consoles
XLink Kai allows consoles to connect with LAN their ("Local Network Play") support. XLink Kai acts as tunneling software, installed to a compatible Windows, macOS, or Linux computer (including Raspberry Pi and NAS devices) on the same network as the console.
When using a game's LAN feature the console's requests are routed to the computer, with XLink Kai listening for these requests, allows other consoles to be found over the internet during this search, making it appear to the player's console that these other consoles are simply connected to the local network.
For modified ("modded") Xbox consoles, much of the functionality can be provided in Xbox Media Center (XBMC for Xbox) GUI. The XLink Kai client is still required to be running on a computer on the user's network, but players can control connections directly through the Xbox.
Services for Computers[edit]
PlayNET (Commodore 64)[edit]
The PlayNET service featured Email, online chat, bulletin boards. Launched 1984, discontinued 1988.[36]
The service had two membership tiers: US$8 (equivalent to $22.66 in 2024) a month service charge + US$2.75 (equivalent to $7.79 in 2024) an hour charge for connection. or no service charge and US$3.75 (equivalent to $10.62 in 2024) an hour connection charge. File Downloads were US$0.50 (equivalent to $1.42 in 2024) each.[37]
Quantum Link (Commodore 64 & 128)[edit]
The Quantum Link (Q-Link) Q-link featured Email, Online chat (People Connection department), online news, instant messaging, multiplayer games. In late 1986 Q-link added casino games. Q-link was a modified version of PlayNET.[38] Launched in late 1985, Discontinued ????.
Q-Link had a monthly fee of US$9.95 (equivalent to $28.18 in 2024) (including "basic services" and a free hour of "plus services") and additional fees of ¢6 per minute for "plus services".[39]
- Advertisement
Games Computers Play (Atari 8-bit & ST)[edit]
The Games Computers Play (GCP) service was developed by Gardner Pomper and Greg Hogg. Launched 1985, Discontinued ????
The Signup fee was US$30 (equivalent to $84.97 in 2024) which included 5 hours for free. US$6 (equivalent to $16.99 in 2024) an hour between 6 PM and 7 AM Weekdays and US$6 (equivalent to $16.99 in 2024) an hour throughout the weekend, US$15 (equivalent to $42.48 in 2024) an hour Weekdays during "prime time" (between 7 AM and 6 PM ).[40]
Prodigy[edit]
Prodigy. Placeholder Text
GEnie[edit]
- Official site (archived)
GEnie (General Electric network information exchange) was created by General Electric Information Services (GEIS, now GXS Inc.). GEnie launched with support for Apple II[41], also had Apple Macintosh, Tandy, DOS, OS/2[42], Windows, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64/128[43]Atari ST, Atari 8-Bit support.[44][45]
GEnie had a monthly fee in 1996 Genie reported to have a monthly fee of US$23.95 (equivalent to $46.52 in 2024) (included 9 hours of "standard connect time") (if subscribed before 2/1/96 fee was US$18.95 (equivalent to $36.81 in 2024)), a hourly connection charge of US$2.75 (equivalent to $5.34 in 2024), "Prime time surcharge" of US$1 (equivalent to $1.94 in 2024) an hour. "Prime-time" was 8 AM to 6 PM local time on weekdays[46]. Launched 1985, discontinued 1999.
Compunet[edit]
The Compunet (a.k.a CNet) was a service originally for the Commodore 64, later the Amiga and Atari ST, with an unreleased PC version. Launched 1984, discontinued 1993.
CompuServe[edit]
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BarrysWorld[edit]
BarrysWorld was a British multiplayer service. BarrysWorld was a Pay per play service[47] Launched ????[N 3] discontinued 2001.
DWANGO[edit]
DWANGO (Dial-up Wide-Area Network Game Operation) was a online gaming service developed by Interactive Visual Systems. DWANGO was dial-up, while being a United States company people as far as Europe and the Pacific were allegedly connecting[48], DWANGO also expanded to Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
Best known for support for id Software's: DOOM, DOOM 2 and Heretic and 3D Realms: Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, and Shadow Warrior.
Initial prices were US$1.95 (equivalent to $4.01 in 2024) an hour, in 1995 the prices were changed to US$8.95 (equivalent to $17.89 in 2024) a month. Launched 1994[49], discontinued 1998
Kali[edit]
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MPlayer[edit]
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GameRanger[edit]
GameRanger is an online Server-matching service created by Scott kevill, that also provides chat rooms and voice chat. Launched 1999 for classic Macintosh[50], 2001 for mac OS X[51] and 2008 for Windows.[52]
- See the official list of supported games
It's possible to use supported games with this application for multiplayer.
GameSpy[edit]
GameSpy (formally QSpy, QuakeSpy, and GameSpy3D) was a online multiplayer and matchmaking service. Originally developed for Quake. Following the QuakeWorld release then QuakeSpy changed its name to GameSpy3D and started offering its multiplayer services to game developers.
When GameSpy shut down its servers in 2013 many games on PC and console lost multiplayer support. Some games that used the service developed their own servers, had community created alternative multiplayer services or LAN multiplayer support.
Launched 1999, defunct 2013.
Revived thanks to OpenSpy project.
GameStorm[edit]
GameStorm was an online gaming service created by kesmai, featuring games developed by kesmai.
Launched 1997, discontinued 2001. GameStorm had a monthly fee of US$10 (equivalent to $18.69 in 2024)[53]
RealArcade[edit]
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Total Entertainment Network[edit]
Total Entertainment Network (TEN) was an online gaming service created by T E Network, Inc. launched 1995, discontinued 1999[54].
- List of supported games.
Wireplay[edit]
Wireplay was an online multiplayer gaming service, Wireplay's service was in Europe, Australia and the United States[55] Launched 1996, discontinued 2014.
- Advertisement
World Opponent Network[edit]
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Xfire[edit]
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Sega B-Club[edit]
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CyberDisc[edit]
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MSN Messenger[edit]
Besides voice calls and instant messaging, MSN Messenger also offered a variety of games you could play with your friends back in the day, this shouldn't be confused with MSN Games & MSN Gaming Zone. Placeholder Text
ICQ[edit]
On May 24, 2024, the main page of the website icq.com announced that the service will be shut down on June 26, 2024. Placeholder Text
Services for Arcades[edit]
ALL.Net[edit]
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AW-Net[edit]
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e-Amusement[edit]
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Websites[edit]
MSN Games & MSN Gaming Zone[edit]
Use Voobly. This service shouldn't be confused with #MSN Messenger games. Placeholder Text
Yahoo! Games[edit]
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Safe-Site.net[edit]
Safe-Site was a subscription service provide by Oregon Scientific that launched in 1999 (Circa) The service was promoted as a safe introduction to the internet, providing e-mail, a newsgroup, greeting card trading, and a way for kids to post game scores on a leaderboard. the service would also send subscribers educational facts and trivia. Safe-Site was exclusively for those who bought their educational computers, to the point that everything anyone knows about it comes from press releases and some promotional text in store catalogues. The service costed US$15 (equivalent to $27.43 in 2024) a month and required the "Safe-Site" modem (US$50 (equivalent to $91.45 in 2024)) [57]
References[edit]
- ↑ Page 10 March 1983 issue (issue 13) of Electronic Games (1983 prices)
- ↑ Page 16 "Communication News", "PlayCable strikes out" section March 1984 issue of C-ED
- ↑ Look ma, no cartridge! by Stewart Schley (cedmagazine.com article)
- ↑ How the Famicom Was Born - Part 10 - Developing the Famicom Modem by Masaharu Takano translated by GlitterBerri
- ↑ [1] SEGA A Soothsayer of the Games Industry by Adam Redsell (IGN article)
- ↑ The SEGA Channel by By Levi Buchanan (1994 prices for the USA)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 IGN64's Ultimate 64DD FAQ
- ↑ 64DD: Broken Promises
- ↑ Surf Like A Shark By Ernie Smith (Tedium. Article)
- ↑ Press release from InterAct Accessories, Inc.
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 84
- ↑ NEXT Generation issue 20 (1996 price)
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 98 (1997 price)
- ↑ Nintendo of Japan press release
- ↑ "平成11年11月1日、ゲームボーイ書き換えサービススタート!!" (Nintendo Online Magazine)
- ↑ PlayStation i-mode Connection in May (IGN article)
- ↑ Why did the Japanese connect a cell phone to the first PlayStation and what did it allow them to do? (archyde.com article)
- ↑ Sony outlines its 2001 business plans (GameSpot article)
- ↑ Lightspan Online Connection CD | Game-Rave TV Ep. 100
- ↑ Spawn Wave's Playing The Nintendo GameCube Online In 2022 video about this
- ↑ XBAND: Wonders of the Retro Gaming World
- ↑ GamePro Issue 106 (USA)
- ↑ Sega.com Press release
- ↑ Sega, AT&T Unveil Dreamcast Pact (Associated Press article)
- ↑ Sega to Charge for SegaNet Access By Alex Pham (Los Angeles Times article) (Prices)
- ↑ dricas.com homepage
- ↑ Sega to launch broadband service in Japan by Martyn Williams (CNN article)
- ↑ Sega Reveals Next Set of Dream Library Games (IGN article)
- ↑ Sega's Dricas Site Opens Up (Gamespot article)
- ↑ isao.net dreamcast support official termination notice
- ↑ Sega Dreamcast by MARK STAFFORD (PC World Australia article)
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Sega's console dream (BBC article)
- ↑ British Telecom to bring Net access to Sega’s Dreamcast by Yoshiko Hara (EE Times article)
- ↑ Dreamarena (Sega Retro article)
- ↑ ConsoleMods: Broadband (BBA) Mode for Dreamcast
- ↑ "Halt and Catch Fire" section A 1980s Quantum Link to a modern-day Mutiny (Paleotronic Magazine article)
- ↑ Info Magazine Issue 09 Page 35 (1985 prices)
- ↑ A 1980s Quantum Link to a modern-day Mutiny (Paleotronic Magazine article)
- ↑ Commodore Microcomputers issue 38 (1985 prices)
- ↑ Antic Magazine Volume 4 Number 06 (Mind Tools) (1985 prices)
- ↑ Telecommunications - Apple II history
- ↑ OS e-zine! GEnie review
- ↑ GEnie Commodore files
- ↑ Microsoft Corp. Chooses GEnie - The General Electric Network for Information Exchange - On Which to Provide a Microsoft Windows Developers Roundtable (PRNewswire article)
- ↑ GEnie RoundTable index
- ↑ About GEnie
- ↑ Game over for BarrysWorld (BBC article)
- ↑ DWANGO History wikipedia article
- ↑ DWANGO about us page
- ↑ Scott Kevill Launches Macintosh Internet Gaming Service
- ↑ Scott Kevill Announces GameRanger Online Gaming For Mac OS X
- ↑ New GameRanger online gaming service available for PC
- ↑ Next Generation (issue 40) (1998 prices)
- ↑ History of the Total Entertainment Network
- ↑ Do you remember Wireplay? How BT helped to pioneer online gaming around the world
- ↑ Gamepro - Nights On Your PC
- ↑ Safer Web Playgrounds Are Aimed at Kids and Paying Parents
(Prices are at the end of the page)
Notes
- ↑ Discontinued in 1983 or 1984, due to the Video Game crash of 1983. Unable to find reliable answer
- ↑ Fees Varied by location. The Sega Channel section uses IGN's approximations
- ↑ Late 90's, freddyshouse wiki. BarrysWorld Timeline
See also[edit]
- Preservation projects
- Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
- Nintendo Switch Online
- PlayStation Network
- Xbox network
- Broadcast and Cable Communication Systems