Page 21 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #41 FREE Edition

Guinness World Records, with an estimated 17 million units shipped. While the C64 was deemed a “low- end” machine for its time due to
its lesser specs when compared to IBM and Apple computer models, it managed to continually surpass these limitations by way of quality software options, reliable hardware, broad application potential, and extremely competitive price points.
As previously mentioned, the minds behind Atari’s GameLine service would eventually parlay their expertise into
the QuantumLink (or Q-Link) service under the Quantum Computer Services brand in 1985. With lessons learned from the GameLine project, the Q-Link sought to further expand upon the concept of data downloading as well as live service by featuring live chat options, electronic mail, news feeds, and access to various public domain libraries - while,
of course, providing access to
a multitude of video games. Being as the Q-Link was still
a dial-up service, these online games were oftentimes relatively slower paced and simplistic, but gamers could play traditional games like Hangman, Chess, and
Backgammon with one another. The Q-Link utilized a dial-up modem interface with speeds typically clocking in around the 1,200 baud mark. The service subscription itself cost just under $10 per month in addition to a few pennies per minute in certain areas.
Unlike the PlayCable and the GameLine, the Q-Link enjoyed more widespread consumer adoption and functional longevity. This is largely attributed to
the world slowly becoming increasingly comfortable with
the concept of online computing, but also due to the fact that the technology was tethered to a full- blown computer as opposed to a traditional video game console. After a decade of success, the Q-Link discontinued service in 1995, mostly due to the emergence of a multitude of bigger and better consumer computer options.
The legacy and fan appreciation for the Q-Link still lives on today in the form of the QuantumLink Reloaded project. In 2005, the proprietary Q-Link server software was re-engineered into java format and made accessible by TCP/IP. In fact, the story behind the development of the original
Q-Link technology served as the inspiration of the plots of the second and third seasons of the TV series Halt and Catch Fire.
XBAND (1994-1997)
With a small team, zero advertising, and a scant budget, Catapult Entertainment set out
to do the impossible during the height of the 16-bit console era: Create and sustain an online competitive gaming network
for Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo gamers. At the time, the notion of online gaming was still relatively foreign, especially to gamers who veered toward console gaming as opposed to PC gaming. Nonetheless, Catapult Entertainment launched its XBAND service in November of 1994 for the Genesis. The SNES version would follow in June of 1995, making it the only modem device officially licensed by Nintendo for use in the U.S.
The XBAND worked as a cartridge- like “go-between” peripheral that was inserted into the video game console with the game cartridge then inserted into the XBAND unit. The Sega Genesis model supported 14 titles including Madden NFL ‘95, Mortal Kombat 3, Primal Rage,
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