X-Band brought network gaming to 16-bit & 32-bit consoles. Using a plug-in modem, gamers were able to play against each other through phone networks with supporting software. Originally designed for the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) and shortly after the Super Nintendo, it later had a PC and Saturn version. The original version functioned by dialing a local server which would organise games and provide information. The actual connection was issued by the server but made directly between 2 players' modems.
The uptake of the Internet saw the eventual demise and the downplaying of it's capabilities. Catapult Entertainment, the developer of the X-Band went out of business, however it's legacy will be remembered as the first mainstream implementation of wide-networked multiplayer console gaming in the western world.
