8 Reasons Why Xbox 360 Was Basically The Dreamcast 2

4. Online Gaming

The Dreamcast was designed for online gaming from the get-go, and it was seen as a major selling point. Whether it was exploring the lands of Phantasy Star Online or chasing down mice in ChuChu Rocket!, the service was something special. ChuChu Rocket is widely credited as being the first online game for consoles, too. First person shooters like Quake III Arena stood proudly on the Dreamcast and this is another area where SEGA were ahead of the competition. In the UK, the Dreamcast came with a 33.6k modem (which was a more manageable 56k in the US) and Dreamarena was the portal through which users connected to the internet and the online gaming services. Without the boot disc - the Dreamkey as it was called - users could do nothing online. A broadband adapter was also released and still fetches bids north of £100 on online auction websites even in 2016, with websites still offering how-to guides on getting the system back online. With the original Xbox and Xbox 360, broadband was the word. Offering Silver and Gold tiers of membership, free and paying members could download demos and videos of games in addition to playing against other users. The service expanded over the years to become something of a behemoth, offering everything from video streaming services to Sky TV integration and the ability to hold live gameshow events.

Remember '1 vs. 100'? Without the Dreamcast laying the foundations, services like Live wouldn't be what they are today.