Sega NetLink

Sega Net Link (also called Sega Saturn Net Link) was an attachment for the Sega Saturn game console to provide Saturn users with internet access and access to email through their console. The unit was released on October 31, 1996. The Sega Net Link consisted of a 28.8 kbit/s modem that fit into the Sega Saturn cartridge port and came packed with a browser developed by Planetweb, Inc. The unit sold for US$199, or US$400 bundled with a Sega Saturn.

The Net Link connected to the internet through standard dial-up services. Unlike other online gaming services in the US, one does not connect to a central service, but instead tells the dial-up modem connected to the Saturn's cartridge slot to call to the person with whom one wishes to play. Since it requires no servers to operate, the service, in theory, can operate as long as at least two users have the necessary hardware and software, as well as a phone line.

In Japan, however, gamers did connect through a centralized service known as SegaNet, which would later be taken offline and converted for Dreamcast usage.

While the Net Link was not the first accessory which allowed console gamers in North America to play video games online (see online console gaming), it was the first to allow players to use their own Internet Service Provider (ISP) to connect. While Sega recommended that players use Concentric, the Sega Net Link enabled players to choose any ISP that was within its technical specifications. The device was capable of connecting at a 28.8 kilobit/s connection in America and 14.4 kbit/s in Japan. However, it suffered from memory limitations; the modem's static RAM could store only account information and bookmarks, leaving only the Saturn's limited internal RAM for any downloaded data. This makes it impossible to download audio or video clips, save e-mail messages, or put previously loaded web pages into cache.

Online Net Link games used XBAND technology, which had previously been used in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis modem games.

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