Multiplayer gaming is all the rage these days and easy to get into, thanks to speedy internet connections and services like Steam or Xbox Live. These services (coupled with the ease of obtaining an internet connection) have all but obsoleted local LAN and couch co-op.
The days of lugging your heavy PC and monitor to a friends house for some multiplayer gaming are long gone. But I've always felt that local multiplayer (Arcades anyone?) can be just as fun & engaging as online play, especially if your friends like the same games you do. I can remember many a high school weekend wiled away playing the first Halo game over a giant 4 Xbox interconnected LAN. It was almost an unspoken agreement between me and my friends that we would always bug our parents for the latest Halo or Timesplitters so we had enough people to do a massive LAN/system link tournament somewhere down the line.
Recently, we have been doing a lot of multiplayer related gaming/testing here at AG and have come to the realization that many of the consoles of yesteryear aren't quite so straight forward when it comes to interactivity for LAN play. Further still, finding games that are compatible with this feature can be like a treasure hunt all on its own.
Many older consoles did have a few obvious stand out titles (such as Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast) but when these games first hit the market internet connections were slow and few people had broadband, which often made for a less than stellar gaming experience.
The great thing about older consoles is that many of them have built in link capabilities, a feature that has sadly been lost with the latest generation of consoles. In addition to some exclusive content, LAN cable console games have the benefit of zero latency and almost no real technical hurdles to overcome – something which can’t be said for many modern online gaming services.
As a result of or testing we uncovered a lot of interesting data and learned some new things related to certain consoles. Here is a list of our findings - all the classic consoles that have LAN capabilities. I have decided to omit the 8th generation consoles, as most of them do not have even support LAN games and getting online with them very is easy and straight forward.
Home Consoles
Sega Genesis
Believe it or not, the Mega Drive/Genesis actually has system link capability- albeit only with one title.
Zero tolerance is a technically impressive (for its time) FPS that allows you to play a LAN co-op game with a second player. This is accomplished via a special cable that you had to order through Technopop, the games now defunct developer. Every copy of Zero Tolerance came with a special card that you could use to mail order a system link cable. But wait, the Genesis doesn’t have a LAN port.. right? Well, as it turns out, this cable is just a male-male controller cable that plugs into the second controller port on 2 different Sega Genesis consoles. So if you happen to have 2 Genesis consoles, 2 copies of Zero Tolerance, and 2 TV sets, and a buddy, than you too can enjoy LAN gaming on the Sega Genesis.
*Note: the link cable for this special set up is pretty difficult to find, and a quick search on eBay reveals many options to purchase the game, but zero link cables. As such, building your own may be the only option. Controller extension cables can be had for cheap, and 2 of them can be cut/joined in order to create your Zero Tolerance link cable.
The Xband was a dial up attachment that worked via the cartridge slot on the Genesis. You would connect a compatible game to the slot and dial into the server, which allowed for multiplayer games over a dial up connection. The service allowed for simple things like email and downloading newsletters in addition to playing games head to head over the net.
However, the service was slow and often plagued by frequent disconnects as it was one of the first internet based multiplayer services launched in the US that was compatible with home consoles. As with most internet based multiplayer devices, the servers to run this modem no longer exist.
A similar product was also released for the SNES.
Playstation
The original PS1 (SCPH-1000 - SCPH-7503) can be linked via a proprietary serial cable. If you have a slim PS One, you’re out of luck, as Sony removed the port from these later model revisions. And as this is a serial connection, you’ll be limited to a maximum of 2 consoles directly connected only.
Sony’s PS1 was probably one of the first home video games systems that had a decent library of LAN capable games. This is partially due to the fact that a large majority of PS1 games were ports from earlier PC titles.
Sega Saturn
The Saturn is a bit of a convoluted case as far as LAN gaming goes. There are 3 different ways to link Sega Saturn’s together:
The Sega Net Link adapter is basically a 28.8k telephone modem that connects to the expansion port above the disk drive on your Saturn. The Net Link requires a dial up phone line to properly utilize, as connecting 2 Saturn’s and 2 Net Links head to head will not work.
The good news is that since the Net Link modems did not use an external server to connect payers together and are in fact direct dial; you can still play these Net Link games today. The caveat is that you will need 2 (analog) phone lines, 2 Saturn’s, and 2 Net Link modems in order for to get a game going.
Saturn Net Link games are usually noted as such on the games packaging and they have special code within them to enable this feature. Be sure you don’t get them mixed up with the normal versions of the same title.
If you don’t have any friends locally who are interested in retro gaming, check out the Sega Saturn Net Link League. The SSNL is basically a forum that is dedicated to matching Net Link users with other people looking to play the same game across the internet. This is one of the Net Links greatest strengths - it is essentially just a dial up modem that you can use to play with anyone in the world at any time.
Like the Genesis/SNES before it, the Saturn also had a modem made for it that supported online play via Sega server. There we special versions of these games that were sold specifically function (be sure not to get them mixed up with the NL versions) for this device. Unfortunately, the Xband modem needs a central server in order to connect players together, and as such these games are no longer playable since Sega has shut down the service.
The Saturn link cable works in a similar vein to its PS1 counterpart. This peripheral is quite rare, so be prepared to shell out some cash for it if you want to experiment with Saturn LAN play. The setup is fairly straightforward - Simply buy the cable and link your 2 Saturn’s together via the “communications" port on the back of each unit. The communications port is simply a serial connector, which also means you are limited to 2 Saturn’s only.
As far as I can tell, this cable was only released in Japan and often came bundled with certain games, the 3D fighter Steeldom being the most prolific. Since it was a Japan only peripheral, most of the link games for the Saturn are Japanese only releases. A great majority of these games unfortunately have the LAN functionality hidden and they often require Gameshark codes to unlock any sort of multiplayer features.
Certain US games such as Doom or Hexen that were ports of PC titles will often have LAN capability as they were built with this functionality to begin with. Good luck finding the codes to unlock them though.
Virtual Boy
Courtesy of planetvb.com
Nintendo’s epic fail of a console actually has a link port on it, But no official peripheral was ever made for this console. There are some rumors of people winding up with prototypes, however it is fairly easy to make your own cable, if you have 2 spare Nintendo A/V cables lying around. This may be a moot gesture though, as the console has a limited library and none of the games support system link.
If you’re one of the few people on the planet who happens to be a Virtual Boy owner than all is not lost. This console does have a small homebrew community that has produced 2 games that support system link play – 3D Battle Snake and Tic Tac Toe.
If you are a bit underwhelmed by system link on the VB that you’re not alone. All is not lost, however. As it turns out, Mario tennis was 1 official title that had multiplayer code in it, and a modder has managed to create a patch that enables it.
Also of note is the recent homebrew port of Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting, which has specific support for the VB link cable.
Jaguar
The Jag has a com lynx port on it, but the system has no games that seem to make use of its functionality. Perhaps in the future we might see some homebrew that will change this. Until then, all of us Jaguar owners will have to be content with playing tempest 2000 by ourselves.
Gamecube
The GameCube has a few unique options for local multiplayer due to its ability to connect the game boy player and link your GBA with the system itself. But As far as GameCube games go, there are only a small handful of titles that support LAN/internet play. There are a couple of peripherals that are basically just modems which are attached via the GameCube’s expansion port on the underside of the console.
The GameCube modem adapter was designed for online play via analog dial up connection. During the GameCube’s lifespan, there were very few online titles (only 2 actually, 1 if you don’t speak Japanese) and it’s quite clear that this peripheral was mostly designed for Sega's Phantasy star online series of games, which were massively popular at the time. The modem works in a similar vein to most modems for consoles: users would dial a server managed by the game company in order to connect with other plays. Sega has long since shut down the servers for this version of PSO, however there are many privately run servers that still operate to this day.
Since there is no Ethernet port on the GC, Nintendo saw fit to release this adapter for added functionality. This modem is used primarily for LAN gaming and it is what you will need to play the small handful of LAN enabled GameCube games. The great thing about the BBA is that it adds an Ethernet port to your GC, so if you have a router and enough GC's & BBA's, you can set up a decently sized LAN. The main reason to do this is for titles like Mario Kart Double Dash which supports up to 16 players.
Playstation 2
The PS2 is a versatile console when it comes to multiplayer gaming, and there are a few different ways you can link consoles together, depending on which model PS2 you have. The tricky part about the PS2 is that some games will support Firewire, while other will support LAN via Ethernet. To even further complicate things, some titles even support both. It’s best to do research on a game specific basis if you plan on doing any multiplayer LANs with your PS2.
All early PS2 models came with an IEEE 1394 Firewire port. Firewire is a spec created by Apple and is really just a fancy alternative to USB, with some added functionality. You can link 2 PS2s together via a 4pin - 4pin Firewire cable or up to 6 PS2s together if you have a Firewire hub.
Sony never manufactured any first party Firewire hubs for the system. Firewire is a widely adopted connection among the Apple PC crowd, so there are still many different hubs available for purchase at reasonable prices.
If you are looking to utilize Firewire for LAN gaming, you would be wise to avoid the slim ps2 model, as Sony decided to remove this port in lieu of an Ethernet jack for this particular model.
Ethernet Adapter
Early model PS2s did not have a built in Ethernet port but they did support this functionality via a separate network adapter peripheral. Earlier models of this adapter also sported a dial up port, but this was not widely adopted was dropped from later revisions.
This adapter also allows you to connect a (PATA) hard drive to it on the opposite side, which was required for a few online titles at the time. There are a few interesting things you can do with a HDD connected to this adapter today, but that is another subject entirely.
All slim PS2 models have a built in Ethernet port at the cost of being too small to utilize a HDD or house FW port.
Xbox
The original Xbox is little more than a chopped down dedicated Pentium 3 gaming PC, and that is a good thing as far as multiplayer gaming goes. All Xbox models are connectable via the consoles built in Ethernet jack, with some games even supporting up to 16 Xbox's linked together in a LAN.
Indeed, certain first party titles (I’m looking at you, Halo) basically sold the Xbox on its multiplayer features. This coupled with the consoles active homebrew scene easily makes the Xbox the king of the multiplayer gaming; at least as far as 6th gen consoles are concerned.
All revisions of the original Xbox carry the same connectivity options. There were very few revisions of the original Xbox, so there is no need to worry about which console variation to purchase.
Dreamcast
Sega’s last console was a spectacular failure, despite having a lot of potential and a very strong multiplayer presence. You might even go so far to say that the Dreamcast pretty much was the first major console that had a well supported online multiplayer component. There are over 100 multiplayer games for this console and many of them still have an active online community to this day.
There are a number of different ways to get your Dreamcast's online/linked together:
This peripheral came prepackaged with the Dreamcast and is quite common. With it you can connect to any online server that is still operational, provided you still have an analog dialup connection. There are also many workarounds if you want to use a broadband connection with device, which is probably an ideal solution as analog phone lines are mostly being phased out of existence.
To further complicate things, there are 2 different models of this device: 670-14140A which draws power from the Dreamcast and 670-14140b that draws power from a phone line. If you don’t want to bother with a voltage inducer, its best to look for a modal A modem.
Additionally, there are a ways to set up a LAN with this modem, but they are overly complicated and not worth the headache, as most titles require server software in order to function properly.
As far as actual servers go, The Dreamcast has quite an active scene, and many communities still host servers for the vast majority of titles that support online play. There are about 30 US/PAL titles that support net play on the Dreamcast, and over 100 Japanese ones.
The broadband modem is 10/100 speed peripheral that has an Ethernet jack and supports broadband connections. At first glance, you may think this the ideal way to play multiplayer Dreamcast games. However, this modem was released late in the dream casts lifespan, and in very limited quantities. Since games need to be coded to properly utilize broadband connections, there are only a handful of titles (Phantasy Star Online, Quake III Arena, and Toy Racer) that support net play over broadband.
Dreamcast Vs cable HKT-9500
Believe it or not, there was actually a serial link cable for the Dreamcast. However, as in the case of the Saturn, it was only released in japan. Finding one on eBay is rare, and when they do pop up they command very high prices.
There is also a 3rd party version of the link cable made by a company called Dragoncast. The quality was highly suspect and they did not work always work properly. But even this version has become quite rare and you would be hard pressed to find one at a reasonable price.
Note: Consoles in this generation and onward are generally easy and straight forward to get working online as they were better supported at their onset. Broadband and internet literacy was obviously higher worldwide, which also helped to make for an overall better online multiplayer experience.
Wii
The Wii launched with Nintendo Wi-Fi connect service. Despite heavy promotion at its onset, there aren’t a whole lot of titles with multiplayer capability. Most of the games worth paying online are first party titles like Mario Kart or Smash Bros Brawl. There is also a LAN adapter available for those who desire a more reliable connection.
Even though the Wii isn’t that old, Nintendo decided to shut down the all of the servers for the original Wii in early 2014. There are a few homebrew private servers however, and they work quite well.
Xbox 360
Microsofts follow-up to the original Xbox is easily one of the most versatile consoles ever made. In addition to its myriad of analog/digital video outputs, the console also has a large library of both online and LAN enabled titles. In addition to the consoles built in Ethernet jack, newer iterations of the consoles can also utilize Wi-Fi to connect to Microsofts Xbox Live service or a router.
Xbox live for the 360 is still operational as of this writing.
Playstation 3
The PS3 operates in a similar vein to the Xbox 360. All PS3s except the 20 GB launch model have built in Wi-Fi. Sony still has the PS3 PSN network operational at the time of this writing, so you can still play online.
Hand Helds
Game Boy
The original Game Boy was a smashing success in its time and went through many different redesigns. This handheld was so successful, Nintendo even released 2 cartridge adapters that could interface the SNES with regular Game Boy carts. The Super Game Boy 2 also has a smaller second generation link port, for those of you who prefer to play their muktiplayer Game Boy games on a big screen.
Most handheld Game Boy models have a link cable port which allows connection to other game boy systems, provided you have the requisite hardware. With each new iteration of the Game Boy, Nintendo updated the cable and made it smaller to match the redesign. As such, there are 4 generations of link cables for the Game Boy line: one for the original Game Boy, one for the Game Boy Color/Pocket, one for the original Game Boy Advance, and a redesigned cable for the Game Boy Micro.
Link games work as they do on normal consoles- you can connect 2 Game Boys and go head to head.
Despite the consoles age, some titles even supported 4 player link play. This peripheral looks like a USB hub but it’s actually and official Nintendo product. You can link up to 4 original Game Boys together if you have the requisite cables.
This adapter can be used on a DMG-04 cable to connect an Original/Game Boy Pocket together.
Game Boy Pocket/Light
MGB-008/ MGB-010/ CGB-003/ DMG-14
The Game Boy Pocket series had a redesigned link port, so Nintendo released the MGB-008 in order to link 2 Game Boy Pockets together. There was also a MGB-010 cable that had a smaller GBA connector on one end, and a second GBP/regular Game Boy connector on the other end.
The CGB-003 is for the Game Boy Light. Despite it having a different model number, it is functionally identical to the MGB-008.
Lastly, the DMG-14 is similar to the MGB-10 adapter except it has second generation socket and a first generation plug. This is more of an adapter than a separate link cable.
Gameboy Advance
The Game Boy Advance was yet another refresh of Nintendo’s game boy line. The original and SP models both share the same link port. The ports used on the GBA and Gameboy player can also support connections from second generation cables, which allows for game boy color link compatibility if you want to play your GB/GBC games on newer hardware. The second generation cables will not work with newer GBA games, for that you will need an AGB-005.
This cable can be used to link up to 4 GBA systems in a daisy chain formation to its embedded central hub. You can also use this cable to link up with the Game Boy Player.
The Game Boy Micro has a smaller port so it needs its own cable (OXY-008). There is of course an adapter (OXY-009) that will allow you to link a regular GBA and micro together.
This is a wireless adapter that will work in place of the GBA link cable. This adapter is great if you don’t like to have to string wires everywhere when you want to get some multiplayer action going.
The downside is that not many games were compatible with this device.
This cable is used to line a GBA up with a GameCube through the controller port. While not really a link cable per say, this cable can still be used for multiplayer functions in certain games. Some games allow you to use the GBA as a controller/second screen, or trade items/saves between your GBA and GameCube.
Gamegear
Just as in the case of the Game Boy, Sega's handheld also sported a link port to allow for some multiplayer action. The Vs cable for the game gear was actually a relatively common accessory and can be found fairly cheaply even today.
In addition to the large library of Game Gear titles, there were a large number of Genesis Ports for the Game Gear and many of these ports have a system link option.
Turbo Express
This rather unique handheld is more like a portable TG16 in that it plays full HuCard titles. NEC released a link cable for the device that allows you to link up with another turbo express directly. But there are only 1 or 2 games that supported it, the game Falcon being the most prolific. The system is also notoriously unreliable, rare, & expensive.
Atari Lynx
Atari’s ill-fated handheld has solid system link capability, thanks to the units built in “Com Lynx” port. With the requisite Com Lynx cables, you can daisy chain an unlimited (theoretically, in actuality the number is closer to 20 due to data over head) number of Atari Lynx’s together. Besides the initial 2 Lynx units and cable, every Lynx you add to the chain will require another Com Lynx Cable.
Bandai Wonder Swan
Gunpei Yokoi's swan song has a few different options and accessories for system link. Finding information about this hand held is a bit difficult unless you speak Japanese, but there appears to be a generic link cable and also a wireless adapter which I could find very little information about.
NOKIA N-GAGE
Nokia's N-gage was their first and last foray into the gaming market, and for a console that wasn’t made by Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo it has a fairly decent line up of popular titles. Since this handheld is more of a cross between a phone and a gaming device, Nokia saw fit include built in Bluetooth, which enables you to connect to other N-Gage users for some multiplayer action.
Nokia used to have an online service (the aptly named N-Gage Arena) but of course it is no longer functional. Mobygames has a list of Bluetooth titles should you be so inclined.
Tapwave Zodiac
Although the Zodiac is yet another failed handheld, there are quite a few ports of older titles since it is a Palm OS based device. Like other handhelds of the early 2000s, the Zodiac has built in Bluetooth for multiplayer games.
GP32
This South Korean console is basically a GBA knock off and happens to have a few multiplayer titles. If you can still find a wireless dongle for it, that is.
Little Wizard, Dungeon & Guarder, Treasure Island, and Rally Pop are the only commercially released multiplayer games that were multiplayer capable though.
PSP
This console is rather unique in that it was one of the first to have built in Wi-Fi. The modest 802.11b protocol will allow you to connect to any other PSP for some ad hoc gaming. For a handheld that wasn’t made by Nintendo, the PSP was highly successful. There are many titles that support multiplayer between 2-4 linked PSP's. And some even support up to 32 players.
Since the PSP has Wi-Fi it is fairly easy to set up an ad hoc connection with a laptop + wireless router and connect to gaming services like Xlink kai. Xlink kai was very popular during the PSP’s heyday but the last few times I looked at it, it was mostly dead.
Sony also released an app for the PS3 – the aptly named Ad Hoc Party- that allows you to link up your PSP with a PS3 and play multiplayer PSP titles over Sony’s Playstation Network.
VITA
Despite cutting edge technology and a commercially successful predecessor, Sony’s PSP Vita failed to live up to its expectations, and died a slow but quiet death.
The Vita has Wi-Fi out of the box and supports ad hoc gaming. It is also backwards compatible with original PSP games.
This handheld happens to support 3G, and early on in the Vitas lifespan Sonly released a model that had the 3G cellular capability via an internal dongle. This is more of a convenience thing, and unless you like to take your PSP on extended road trips it’s probably better just to stick with the Wi-Fi.
Nintendo DS
Nintendo’s follow up to the Gameboy is easy to set up for multiplayer gaming, thanks to its built in 802.11b Wi-Fi. The DS has 3 different options for multiplayer.
Nintendo Wi-Fi connection
Like the Wii that preceded it, the DS was also capable of connecting to Nintendo’s servers for multiplayer gaming. Unfortunately just as was the case with the Wii, Nintendo has since shut down their online servers for the DS. This is a shame, since there were about 50 games or so DS titles that supported online play.
There are a few homebrew servers operating today but the process of setting up your DS to work with them is a little complicated. You will need a flash cart, action replay, and a older router that supports a WEP internet connection.
Multi Card Play
Most games that that are multiplayer based work via multi card play. That is, if you have 2 copies of the same title and 2 Nintendo’s DS’s, you can play head to head or coop with a friend via direct wireless connection. 802.11b is an early wireless protocol with a very short range. Realistically you will want to stay within 20 – 30 ft. of your paired DS.
Single Card Download Play
This is a unique feature of some DS games that allows you to play multiplayer with only 1 copy of a game. Titles that support this feature will let you copy its multiplayer game data to one DS and host via the original cart on another DS. Some games let you do this multiple times, allowing foradditional players. Most of the time you will need a host with the full copy of the game, and many games have restricted features when played in this manner. Such as in Mario Kart for instance, where the host can customize his cart and choose a character, the rest of the players can only play as shy guy with no customization.
Still, it’s a great way to play multiplayer if you don’t want to purchase multiple copies of a game.
Neo Geo Pocket
There were 2 versions of the Neo Geo Pocket: black & white or color. The B&W console was initially only released in Japan and has few games in its library. It is basically regarded as a flop. The color version is much better and has a decent library of games. It also happens to also have the capability of linking 2 consoles together via its link port.
Like all Neo Geo consoles, games, and accessories, this cable is rare and expensive. The connection is straightforward and you can only link up 2 Neo Geo pockets together, there is no daisy chaining as far as I can tell.
This is a wireless unit that plugs into your neo geo pocket color and is quite bulky. It does however make the console wireless and allow for wireless link cable play. It is quite rare and expensive however.
Watara Supervision
As is the trend with most handhelds, the Watara is quipped for multiplayer capability. The system happens to be equipped with a DB-9 (serial) port, which is a common cable in PC configurations. This makes for an easy and straightforward setup.
PC
The basic IBM/Mac PC is where multiplayer gaming was made popular, and has always been a haven for video games. However, there have been many different computers throughout the years with their own unique hardware configurations. Here are a few of the more popular ones:
Commodore Amiga
Amiga is a line of PCs released by Commodore. Throughout its life span Commodore released many different variants of the Amiga, including a consolized version dubbed the “Amiga32”.
Since it is a PC, there are a few different variants of the Amiga that support LAN/network play. Many Amiga’s offer Ethernet functionality and are fairly easy to setup.
Commodore 64
Believe it or not, this classic home computer is now capable of multiplayer gaming. Netracer is homebrew game that is played in a top down perspective and supports to 8 networked Commodore 64’s.
Hardware solutions exist that allow you to add an Ethernet port to your C64 via an add on card. Here are a few products that are currently in various stages of development: