It’s a slow night on eBay, so to make up for the lack of items in today’s posting, here’s a little bit about this very unique item – the XBAND modem, released for both the Genesis and the SNES by the startup Catapault Interactive in late 1994.
XBAND was the first true networked multiplayer infrastructure for video game consoles – using a service that sent and recieved data across individual long-distance phone calls, players were able to either challenge opponents directly or be “matchmade” to an opponent of similar skill (all for a monthly fee). Around a dozen games were supported by the service, both on SNES and on Genesis. In addition, users could check “XMail”, read digital newsletters, and view nationwide scores and rankings. XBAND was not without its quirks, however – a phone call to either user would interrupt the game, and an exploit was found late in the XBAND’s lifespan that allowed users to make free long-distance phone calls on Catapault’s dime. This exploit and a limited market quickly ended the service in 1997. Despite this, the technology behind XBAND was indeed revolutionary – so much so, that Sega implemented Catapault’s technology in its Saturn NetPlay modem.
The modem is useless today, but is a great historical artifact. Auction Here.
(A Few) Other Auctions:
1980s? VINTAGE SUPER MARIO 2 NINTENDO PEPSI STORE DISPLAY SIGN – Nothing more late 80’s than Mario and Pepsi
COMPLETE SET of CAPCOM ROCKMAN 8 PIN MEGAMAN ACTION BROOCH
PC ENGINE Summer Carnival 93 NEXZR Special – A special edition of the PC Engine shmup Nexzr, used for scoring competition at NEC’s Summer Carnival 93
NINTENDO SUPER MARIO WALL CLOCK – Store display clock used in the “World of Nintendo” campaign from the early 90’s
Metal Gear Solid 4 GA-KO Alarm Clock Konami
NEW Nintendo Power Subscription with Super Mario 64 Soundtrack – Nintendo Power promos have been soaring in price since the magazine’s discontinuation, and this one is no exception. This in-store purchase of a 12-month Nintendo Power subscription also includes a Super Mario 64 soundtrack CD
