Sega Dreamcast (1998-2001)

✅ Sega Dreamcast 

🥇First Home Video Game Console With a Built-In Modem for Online Play 

The Sega Dreamcast, launched in North America on the numerically satisfying date of September 9, 1999, was a cutting-edge machine that lived and died on the absolute bleeding edge of innovation. As the very first console of the sixth generation, it pioneered integrated online console gaming with its built-in modular modem, opening the door for groundbreaking multiplayer experiences. Its hardware was equally visionary, featuring native crisp video output and a unique "Visual Memory Unit"—a memory card that packed its own mini LCD screen to act as a secondary display for in-game playcalling or for raising virtual digital pets. Despite an explosive U.S. launch that broke entertainment sales records, the Dreamcast was ultimately crushed by the massive marketing juggernaut of the PlayStation 2, forcing Sega to discontinue the console in 2001 and exit the hardware business entirely.

Sourced from: Retro Games Plus, Norwalk, CT