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XBand Modem and Network |
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XBand Modem and Network |
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The XBAND Network was a
great idea, which was a victim of really bad timing. The idea is simple: create a network,
accessed by a console system with a modem, and allow players anywhere to compete against
each other. The Network was first tested in San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, NY and LA
around May of 1995, and then went national later on.
The XBAND modem is, essencially, a blue/grey oversized SNES cartridge. It plugs into the cartridge slot on the SNES. On top of the modem is a slot where you insert the cartridge you want to use with the network. The phone line plugs into the side; the optional keyboard connects to the second controller port on the SNES. One of the most popular features of the XBAND Network was the ability to send and receive Internet email, or x-mail, as they called it. Only problem was that you had to type your x-mail on an on-screen keyboard, using a cursor moved with your game controller. Thankfully, there was a keyboard (or it could be used with a standard PC keyboard, I can't remember) released for the XBAND modem, which allowed you to to type x-mail messages. You could also receive two daily newsletters via x-mail; Bandwidth, which was a newsletter about gaming and related trends, and XBAND News, which told subscribers about all the lastest happenings with the XBAND Network. After a match, players can then "chat", using the same interface as the x-mail. Again, the keyboard, I am fairly sure, could be used to chat, also. Another feature of the XBAND is that it has a "call waiting" feature. You are notified when you are using the XBAND modem, and someone is trying to call you! I wish I had this feature when I use my computer modem; I probably have missed plenty of important calls over the year. One of the limitations of the XBAND Network was that you could only play certain games on it (a list of compatible games is below). One prominent flaw in the small game lineup is not having the earlier (and better selling) versions of Street Fighter II, instead of only Super Street Fighter. Also note, the games played had to have been for the same system; you could not be playing the Genesis version of Mortal Kombat II and challenge someone who had the SNES version of Mortal Kombat II, for example. The XBAND kept track of your win/loss record for you. The Network also offered tournaments, where players could go head-to-head for prizes. The XBAND also featured a special parental control feature, so that parents could set specific days and hours the XBAND could be played, and restrict the long distance calling. I believe an obscenity filter for x-mail was also available. On the XBAND website, they say there is a code to access the parental controls, so no "clever" kids can change them. I wouldn't wager on that :) The XBAND shut down on April 30, 1997. The company sited many causes for the discontinuation of the XBAND servive; the lack of new interest in the service, and the end of the 16 bit gaming era being the primary resons. One may ask, "Why would there be a lack of interest for a great service like this?" Five years previous to the XBAND's original release, this idea would have no doubtedly been a smash hit. However, when it was launched in late 1995, it had a slow start and didn't exactly take the gaming world by storm. Why? What else at that time bust onto the scene? You're using it right now; the Internet. The XBAND did fairly well in its lifetime, late 1995 to its end in April 1997, when the XBAND Network was closed. Whatever thunder this new gaming network would have gotten, was largely stolen by the Internet. On the horizon for the first time, in the Internet's 30+ year history, the Internet was to become much more than just a tool for official buisness. More and more people outside universities, the military and government were using it. That, with the advent of the World Wide Web brought something new to the 'net; fun. Gamers, and later game companies, launched web sites with information, previews, cheats, etc. But the XBAND offers online gaming, you may say. Well, around the same time, multiplayer gaming on the Internet was in its earliest stages. The ability to play hit PC games over the Internet, against other players in real time, took a lot of attention away from the XBAND. True, the XBAND was the only way to play console games, and it did reasonably well, but not well enough in the long run. One of the questions I have, is, now that the XBAND Network is dead, is there anything you can do with the XBAND modem? I got a vast majority of the info on this page, as well as all the pictures, from the official XBAND website, www.xband.com. The official site is now longer, however, a former designer of the XBAND has bought the domain, and has put up a new site all about the XBAND. You can find more information about the XBAND there, so be sure and check it out! SNES games compatible with the XBAND Network:
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