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Did You Know?
Nintendo is actually no stranger to offering online gaming services...
Having been highly-critisized for their stance on online gaming this generation, Nintendo is actually no stranger to offering online gaming... at least, not in the land of the rising sun.
The N64's disk drive add-on, the 64DD, not only played games using content-alterable disks, but a seperate cartridge-based modem was actually able to connect to the N64, which in turn was connected to the 64DD unit. Nintendo and a company named Recruit worked together in bringing an online service to 64DD gamers called Randnet, which originally launched on December 1st, 1999.
 Randnet featured all sorts of online options. However, as the 64DD sported merely nine games in its library and was discontinued shortly after release, these options were never really put to use. Among these barely-exposed features, Randnet allowed players to...
- challenge anyone else in Japan to a multiplayer game
- act as an audience by observing an ongoing match between other players
- surf the net on their television sets (instant messaging, music downloading, etc.)
- create and compose their own characters and music with creative tools
- even beta-test early versions of games prior to their official release
One console generation before that, Nintendo released a modem with an online service called Satellaview, intended for the Super Famicom (SNES). The service was a lot more limited than that of Randnet, as Japanese gamers could only go online from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. Players could download games or receive information and news relating to gaming. Among these downloadable games was BS Zelda (BS for Broadcasting Satellite), a remake of the original Legend of Zelda title.
Again one generation prior, the Famicom (NES) was also planned to offer similar online services back in the 80's. However, despite a fair amount of planning, the project never did come to fruition.
Media
N64 Modem Cartridge
Satellaview (seperate)
Satellaview (connected to Super Famicom)
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// A mysterious character within the Banjo-Kazooie series was meant to star in his own N64 spin-off...
Click for more . . .
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// Delve into the philosophical world of gaming in this Pikmin 2 special, Buried Treasures
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