First online-capable videogame console

The first videogame console that natively supported online play was the Sega Dreamcast, which launched on 27 November 1998. While modem adaptors had been released as first- or third-party peripherals for some 1990s consoles (none of which sold in any significant numbers), the Dreamcast was the first to have this functionality built in as standard.

The Dreamcast's phone-line port was seemingly built into the console's body, but it was actually a removable module that included a 56 Kb modem. It could be swapped out for an broadband modem that was sold as an optional extra later in the console's life. Gamers could use the modem to connect to SegaNet, an online service that was the ancestor of services like Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.