10 'Revolutionary' Gaming Features That Already Happened 20 Years Ago

2. Online Console Gaming

Online gaming on consoles has become so all-encompassing that it's rare to find a title that doesn't kowtow to the online gaming God these days. Multiplayer, DLC or something else designed to get players online must be included, and the whole concept is crucial to today's gaming experience. While the idea was properly brought to life by SEGA's Dreamcast, it tends to be Microsoft and their Xbox Live service that gets the most credit for bringing online gaming to consoles. But, hang on a minute... The Dreamcast wasn't even SEGA's first foray into the online realm, as the company actually released a modem for their SEGA Megadrive way back in 1990. Called the Mega Modem, the device never saw the light of day outside Japan but was surprisingly functional. Players could use the modem to connect to the SEGA Meganet, which was a subscription service that allowed gamers to play compatible titles online with other players. Unfortunately, like with many of the innovations on this list, it was way ahead of its time and very few compatible games were ever released.