8 Video Game Revolutions We Don't Need Anymore

The Sega Dreamcast was a cursed crusader of gaming evolution that died so that the industry could learn from it. Unfortunately, being a forbearer of console internet connectivity, it wasn't exactly easy to get online.

Still, in Europe the number of users that did connect to play the likes of Phantasy Star in the opening weekend was great enough to overwhelm BT’s Dreamcast servers: a fact forgotten by the console’s overall failure.

Whilst the original Xbox introduced the world to the likes of Xbox Live, it was the Xbox 360 that people really think of when they think of the early days of online gaming. And whilst this console could wire into routers, it was the first home system that didn’t necessarily need to.

Video game peripherals often come with the stink of gimmick. Plastic instruments and dance mats are fondly remembered but were identifiably limited life products. The Wireless Network Adapter stands tall as the must-have add-on of the era and the back of most Xbox 360s were adorned with these small plastic boxes.

Xbox Live had very quickly become generation-defining, and the Silver model was available to all. And so the adapter was a way to get the most out of your console: buying content off the store, watching Netflix and, of course, playing Halo 3 with buddies.

Now, such a thing is totally irrelevant. The internet and online gaming is everywhere we go and, as such, every device is just expected to be able to connect right out of the box.