Dial-Up Days: How the Early Days of Online Shaped Console Gaming
Playing video games online is so common in our lives these days, that it's almost become a part of our DNA. Most people have at least one game that they play online, no matter how big or small its reputation is. For…
Playing video games online is so common in our lives these days, that it's almost become a part of our DNA. Most people have at least one game that they play online, no matter how big or small its reputation is. For every person putting in multiple hours at night into Fortnite or Call of Duty, there's just as many people playing some random online game that none of us have heard of.
It's so common, in fact, that it's sometimes easy to forget when it wasn't. At least, if you're primarily a console player, that is. On PC, playing games online with friends over the internet, or if you're of a certain vintage, at a LAN party, has been the standard nearly since the industry's inception.
When the frenzied world of online gaming came to home consoles, however, it was an entirely different story. Early home consoles had what we call couch co-op, but the prospect of playing a game online with a friend, or indeed a complete stranger, halfway around the world felt like the dark magic we'd only seen in movies.
Yet, as the sixth-generation of consoles came around, technology made it not only plausible, but a reality. A reality that would shape the entire foundation of console gaming for decades.
The Online Revolution
In the mid-to-late 1990s, online multiplayer gaming was fairly rote if you were a PC gamer. Hopping on to play something like Counter Strike or Quake was just something routine you did after school, becoming a part of our everyday lives fairly naturally. I don't exactly recall the first time I played a PC game online, but it was just fundamental to the platform.
In the home console market, while these platforms were producing some of the most impressive and iconic games of all time, online gaming was something of a mystery. Whether it was possible or not ultimately didn't matter, because someone, somewhere, would make it happen if enough money could be made from it.
As the fifth-generation of consoles came to an end, the machines that were poised to dominate the 2000s were all coming out in a post-Dreamcast world. Unfortunately for them, the Dreamcast had hit the market running with an Ethernet adapter that allowed for online play. Worse yet, the Dreamcast was absolutely flush with sports titles that all took full advantage.
After the Dreamcast was discontinued in 2001, the only one of the big three that sought to answer this was Microsoft, as the Xbox came equipped with a built-in Ethernet port. Microsoft was keen to let everyone know that online gaming was a big part of their strategy, and it most certainly did, as the Xbox had a huge advantage over the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in that regard. Xbox could offer updates, downloadable levels and more thanks to what was then known as the Xbox Network.
The Online Arms Race
The 2000s saw Sony respond to the imminent online arms race with the PS2 network adapter, which was released in August 2002. Alongside that release, Sony's lineup began to reflect that broader strategy. During the PS2's lifespan, multiple titles took advantage of the network adapter, including SOCOM US Navy SEALs and Star Wars: Battlefront. SOCOM was such a huge deal at the time, as well, even coming packaged with a headset to communicate with friends.
Over the course of the sixth-generation of consoles, Sony and Microsoft would battle on multiple fronts, colliding with each other offline and online. They battled for the hearts of consumers with their first-party entries, but each one also had a fairly robust online service that had some great titles to take advantage of. No matter which console you owned at the time, you were likely to have a great time.
Microsoft was keen to let everyone know that online gaming was a big part of their strategy, and it most certainly did, as the Xbox had a huge advantage over the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in that regard.
While Sony and Microsoft exchanged blows over control of the online battlefield, Nintendo continued to show how little they cared. They did release a broadband adapter, but it was nowhere near what Sony and Microsoft were offering. These days, its biggest claim to fame is as the add-on that enabled everyone to play Phantasy Star Online.
Even all these years later, things still feel familiar. Nintendo has made major strides in online functionality over the years, but it still feels like if they didn't have to, they just wouldn't. It's far too intertwined in the industry now for anyone to intelligently ignore, but if you had a GameCube back in the early 2000s, you likely didn't care that much as you had one of the best console libraries on the market. Not a bad consolation prize.
Home Entertainment Consolidation
With the sixth-generation of home consoles coming to an end, the big three looked to make an even bigger splash with the next generation of hardware. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii all came with the ability to connect to the internet and play games right out of the box. No network adapters or third-party dongles. Just connect and go for it.
It was a testament to how impactful the previous generation was, as no smart hardware developer was going to launch a home console in the late 2000s without the ability for it to connect online. This time is often fondly remembered, and for good reason. It may not have the same level of nostalgia as previous generations, but the way these consoles advanced networking technology and the ability to seamlessly go online should be celebrated. It was an amazing time.
They battled for the hearts of consumers with their first-party entries, but each one also had a fairly robust online service that had some great titles to take advantage of.
This era was also when home consoles started to become home entertainment centers as opposed to strictly video game consoles. Prior to this generation, the idea of having a digital storefront on a home console was somewhat outlandish. With this generation, you had access to a huge archive of digital games, online play, web browsers or anything else you wanted.
The game consoles we buy now are much the same, featuring an enormous amount of things for you to do besides play video games. So many people, including me, use their home console as one-part gaming machine, one-part streaming hub. The explosion of online gaming on consoles in the early 2000s kickstarted a major change in hardware design, and created three distinct ecosystems where everyone can connect with people around the world to experience this crazy world of video games that we all love.
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