View source for XBAND

{{Short description|Online console gaming network}}
{{about|the Super NES and Sega Genesis network adapter|the microwave spectrum|X band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=December 2010}}
{{original research|date=December 2010}}
}}
{{Infobox video game online service
| title = XBAND
| logo = <!-- XBAND.svg -->
| logo caption = The XBAND logo
| developer = Catapult Entertainment
| type = Online service
| released = {{start date and age|1994|11|17}}
| discontinued = {{end date and age|1997|04|30}}
| platform = {{ubl|[[Sega Genesis]]|[[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]]|[[Sega Saturn]]|[[IBM PC]]}}
| status = Discontinued
| members = 15,000
| website = {{url|https://web.archive.org/web/19970414154531/http://www.xband.com|http://www.xband.com}}
}}

'''XBAND''' (stylized as '''XBⱯND''') was one of the first competitive [[online console gaming]] networks and was available for the [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]] and [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]]. It was produced by Catapult Entertainment in [[Cupertino, California]]. It is the only modem released in America to have been officially licensed by Nintendo.<ref name="xband at snescentral">{{cite web |last=G. |first=Evan |date=March 3, 2012 |title=Snes Central: X-Band |url=http://www.snescentral.com/article.php?id=0067 |access-date=March 7, 2015 |website=SNESCentral}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Cifaldi |first=Frank |title=Spotlight: Baton Teleplay Modem |url=http://www.lostlevels.org/200310/200310-baton.shtml |access-date=March 7, 2015 |website=LostLevels.org}}</ref> It debuted in various areas of the United States between November 1994 and June 1995 and was later released nationwide between October 2 and 8, 1995.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_076_November_1995/page/n191/mode/2up|title=XBAND|language=en|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=76 |page=190 }}</ref>

==History==
The Genesis version of the XBAND was released in November 1994,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Joy of X|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=76|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=January 1995|page=188}}</ref> with the Super NES version following in June 1995,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=XBAND Goes Nintendo|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=72|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=July 1995|page=27}}</ref> and the Super Famicom version in April 1996.<ref name="Niconico">{{cite web|url=https://dic.nicovideo.jp/a/xband|title=XBAND|website=[[Niconico]] Pedia|date=November 6, 2017 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> The Genesis version also works with the [[Genesis Nomad]].<ref name="GPro90">{{cite magazine|title=X-Perience XBAND |magazine=[[GamePro]] |issue=90 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=March 1996|pages=29–31}}</ref> In Brazil the Mega Drive service was released as the Mega Net 2, named after the [[Sega Meganet]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Malaman |first=Rafa |date=April 30, 2011 |title=O Mega Drive também se conecta com a internet! |url=http://comunidademegadrive.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/o-mega-drive-tambem-se-conecta-com-a-internet/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510010939/http://comunidademegadrive.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/o-mega-drive-tambem-se-conecta-com-a-internet/ |archive-date=May 10, 2011 |access-date=September 23, 2021 |website=Blast Processing Blog |language=pt-BR}}</ref>

In 1995, Catapult Entertainment signed a deal with General Instrument, producers of the [[Sega Channel]], which stipulated that the XBAND modem would henceforth be built into new Sega Channel adapters, and that the top 5 to 10 games offered by Sega Channel each month would be playable over XBAND.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Sega Channel, XBand Merge|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=83|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=August 1995|page=116}}</ref>

Initially, Catapult Entertainment had a limited staff and virtually no advertising.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} By January 1997, XBAND network playability had reached practically every metropolitan area and several rural areas in the U.S.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} The actual XBAND modems were carried by a few software and video rental chains across the United States.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} Internationally, the XBAND had some limited growth in the Japanese market,<ref name="xband at snescentral" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Catapult Entertainment KK |url=http://www.xband.com:80/XBAND/worldwide/JapanFamicom.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970209060015/http://www.xband.com:80/XBAND/worldwide/JapanFamicom.html |archive-date=February 9, 1997 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |website=XBAND}}</ref> and Catapult was working on PC<ref>{{cite magazine|title=At the Deadline|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=87 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=December 1995|page=206|quote=XBand PC will debut late this year to make head-to-head gameplay possible for Windows owners. The first games out of the chute will be Sport Accolade's ''HardBall 5'', Capcom's ''Super SF II'', and Zombie's ''Locus''.}}</ref> and [[Sega Saturn]]<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Saturn Dials Up XBAND Service |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue=85|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=August 1996 |page=18}}</ref> support, though it merged with [[Mpath Interactive]].<ref name="NGen22">{{cite magazine|title=Online Gaming: Two Giants Merge |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=22 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=October 1996|page=23}}</ref> The focus shifted to the online PC gaming service [[Mplayer.com]] which was taken offline and integrated into [[GameSpy Arcade]] in 2001, after being acquired by [[GameSpy]] in December 2000.<ref name="buy">{{cite news |author=Pham |first=Alex |date=2000-12-12 |title=GameSpy to Buy Mplayer Web Site for $20 Million |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-21-fi-2793-story.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |title=GameSpy Industries Completes Acquisition of Mplayer |publisher=GameZone |url=http://pc.gamezone.com/news/06_18_01_02_05PM.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060408082303/http://pc.gamezone.com/news/06_18_01_02_05PM.htm |archive-date=2006-04-08 |date=June 18, 2001 |access-date=March 12, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=GameSpy Arcade Version History |url=http://gamespyarcade.com/features/versions.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060319003432/http://www.gamespyarcade.com/features/versions.shtml |archive-date=2006-03-19 |accessdate=2006-03-11 |website=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=}}</ref>

==Service==
[[File:Xbands.gif|frame|XBAND for the [[Sega Genesis]] and the [[Super NES]]]]
The concept of playing online was fairly new at the time. Arcades were still quite popular, and online gaming was not yet a household idea.

The XBAND modem was widely available at [[Blockbuster Video]] for {{US$|19.99|1995|round=-1}}, with additional charges based on usage.<ref name=NGen11>{{cite magazine |title=75 Power Players: Connected|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=11|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=November 1995|page=75}}</ref> Two pricing plans were available. One had a monthly fee of $4.95 and allowed the user to connect to the service up to 50 times a month with each additional connection costing 15 cents. The other had a monthly fee of $9.95 with unlimited connections.<ref name=NGen13/> Activities that consumed a player's monthly allowance of connections included dialing into the XBAND service for matchmaking, downloading mail (called "XMAIL"), and downloading the daily edition of the two XBAND newsletters, one containing generic news and the other containing platform-specific information such as leaderboards and contest announcements. Players were assessed a fee of $3.95/hour for connecting to opponents outside their local calling area;<ref>{{cite magazine|title=SNES XBand Arrives|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=82|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=July 1995|page=131}}</ref> player-to-player connections inside their local calling area were free.<ref name=GPro90/>

The modem features built-in storage for up to four user codenames. It stores user friend lists, which can contain the codenames of up to ten of the user's friends; the users' XMAIL boxes, storing up to ten incoming and ten outgoing messages for each user; the users' rankings, win–loss records, and accumulated scores; a short profile section; and the user's avatar (chosen from 40 preset avatars). Text entry is done either through an [[on-screen keyboard]] or an optional XBAND keyboard add-on ($29.95 MSRP) released later in the network's lifespan.<ref name=NGen13/>

The client-side system worked by manipulating the game's memory in a way similar to [[Game Genie]] or third-party computer game modifications do.<ref name="xbandhack">{{cite web |last=Ashley |first=David |date=October 25, 2010 |title=Some XBAND Recollections |url=http://dashxdr.blogspot.com/2010/10/some-xband-recollections.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510105108/http://dashxdr.blogspot.com/2010/10/some-xband-recollections.html |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |access-date=August 25, 2011 |website=David Ashley Blog}}</ref>

The XBand operating system was designed to ensure that connections are not lost due to phone activity; in the case of [[call waiting]], the system would alert the user to the call and allow the game to be resumed.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=XBand Is Playing|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=77|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=February 1995|page=18}}</ref>

XBAND had an official website to check other players' statistics, along with other information and updates that were not viewable on consoles.

At its height, XBAND had 15,000 subscribers.<ref name=ConductMcF/>

==Gaming==
{{Original research|section|date=August 2008}}
A 1995 article in ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' stated that the XBAND modem's "ultra-low latency is the key to its successful handling of realtime videogaming".<ref name="NGen11"/> The modem's data transfer rate is 2,400 [[bits per second]], which, though low compared to PC modems of the time, was sufficient to handle the simple one-on-one games for XBAND.<ref name="NGen13">{{cite magazine|last=Yee |first=Bernard |title=Joyriding|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=13|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=January 1996|page=27}}</ref>

When connecting to play, unless specifying a particular user from the friend list, players were matched with a random player elsewhere in the country (or the player's local area code depending on preference) who was also connecting to play the same game. The server would attempt to match players of like skill levels, using the [[Elo rating system]]. When the network matched two players up, the newly-connected player's XBAND modem would disconnect from the server and dial the other player, whose own XBAND modem would answer.<ref name="GPro90"/> At that point, the players saw the XBAND logo slide together, followed by the matchup screen, which displayed each player's codenames, avatars, locations, and a pre-typed "taunt".

In December 1995, XBAND launched its first national tournament. This was the first modem to modem tournament ever to be held over a console. The grand prize winner received a special [[Genghis Khan]] icon for their XBAND profile and a $200 cash prize from Catapult. Peter Kappes aka "SphiNX" of [[Orlando, Florida]] became the first person in history to win a modem to modem national tournament over a console.

==Icon hacking==
During the last few months of service, several users discovered a way to use a [[Game Genie]] to hack the icons of XBAND players. This enabled players to use icons that were otherwise restricted, such as unreleased icons or icons reserved for matches between XBAND team members. Icon hacking resulted in complaints from other users. Rumors about XBAND icon hackers often claimed they were part of elite hacking organizations or members of Catapult Entertainment. Eventually, the method used by the hackers was leaked and inevitably spread throughout the community.{{Citation needed|reason=no sources but lots of claims|date=May 2018}}

==Demise==
By March 16, 1997, people could only play within their local area code.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} On April 30, 1997, the entire network was discontinued, with Mpath citing a lack of new games for the Genesis and Super NES.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Buyers Beware|magazine=[[GamePro]] |issue=106|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=July 1997|page=18}}</ref>

XBAND had announced in its previous monthly newsletter that it was shutting down.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} According to ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'', XBAND "never turned a significant profit".<ref name=NGen22/> During XBAND's existence, only a handful of advertisements were ever made, and only one game, ''[[Weaponlord]]'', has the XBAND logo on its box. XBAND stated in its newsletter that players were their best form of advertising, and offered the "XBAND 6 pack", where members could order six modems at a discounted rate and receive a month of free gaming in exchange for signing up a certain number of people to the service.

Heavy contributors to XBAND's demise were the lack of support from game developers and limited internal resources. With the exception of ''Weaponlord'' and ''Doom'', Catapult had to individually [[reverse engineer]] each game's code, then develop a hack to intercept two-player activity so the game could be shared over a low-latency (fast response time), 2,400-bit/s modem connection.<ref name="xbandhack" />

Catapult's second generation attempts were blocked by [[Conexant]] due to the increasing use of the Internet, an effect from the shift to the [[Information Age]]. The XBAND was launched in Japan on April 1, 1996 for the Sega Saturn.<ref name=NGen19>{{cite magazine |title=Game Console Options |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=19|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=July 1996|pages=34–35}}</ref> Unlike the SNES/Super Famicom and Genesis versions of XBAND, it did not require an XBAND-specific modem, instead utilizing Sega's own [[Sega NetLink]] device (which included a 14,400 bit/s modem in Japan and a 28,800 bit/s modem in North America).<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Buyers Beware |magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=101 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=February 1997 |page=22}}</ref> Neither the Saturn XBAND nor an expansion into the PC market succeeded, because developers frequently opted to include their own network linking rather than deal with Catapult's subscription-based service.

==Service issues==
A major issue for the XBAND service was free long-distance phone calls. It was discovered that a user could record the tones sent from an XBAND modem and then receive the long-distance service number, the authentication code, and phone number of the player you were connecting to. This information allowed anyone to access long-distance phone calls that were charged to Catapult.

[[Pager|Paging]] company SkyTel faced similar problems from both XBAND users and their own customers. XBAND users performed brute-force attacks against SkyTel's mobile paging system in order to discover [[voicemail]] boxes using the same number as the login and password, using these to extend their communication with each other. Most messages consisted simply of [[shout-out]]s with music playing in the background.

A common complaint was that if a player was losing a match, they could simply pull their phone cord out or reset their system. This tactic, known as "cord-pulling" among XBAND users, prevented the XBAND service from crediting either player with the win or loss. In response to complaints, the company developed a program which would detect such forced disconnections and assign a loss to the perpetrator and a win to the victim.<ref name="GPro90"/> However, this led to a flood of calls from users claiming that their reset button had been pushed by accident and demanding that the loss be erased from their record; facing unsustainable customer service costs, Catapult changed the program so that while victims of cord-pulling were awarded a win, perpetrators were no longer penalized in any way.<ref name="ConductMcF">{{cite web |last=McFadden |first=Andy |date=September 1, 1997 |title=Dealing With Evil Gamers |url=http://www.fadden.com/techmisc/online-game-conduct.htm |access-date=February 17, 2012 |website=fadden.com}}</ref>

==Publishing statistics==
Though lacking market success, the XBAND team did manage some publicity gains when they joined forces with a number of gaming magazines, starting on the web with Game Zero magazine and later in [[Tips & Tricks|Tips & Tricks Magazine]]. Daily stats were accessible via XBAND News on the modem, although they were not visible to the general public. Publishing stats added a "cool" factor to brag about in the early forefront of online gaming. The top-ranked gamers of the previous month were published starting in January 1996 in Game Zero and, starting in early 1996, in ''Tips & Tricks'' magazine.

==Supported games==
The following games have been analyzed, and online compatibility provided, by XBAND.<ref name="xband at snescentral" /><ref name="GPro90"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Now Available on XBAND |url=http://www.xband.com/XBAND/products/games/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970209060007/http://www.xband.com/XBAND/products/games/ |archive-date=9 February 1997 |access-date=12 January 2022 |website=XBAND.com}}</ref> <!-- GamePro lists supported games for Genesis and SNES. SNES Central lists supported games for SNES. Still need a source for the Saturn games. The September 1996 issue of Next Generation, page 19, gives a list of XBAND-supported Saturn games which mostly matches up with what we have here, but omits Decathlete, Puyo Puyo Sun, Puzzle Bobble 3, and Sega Worldwide Soccer '98, which were all released later. --> A hidden maze game can be unlocked in the SNES version by inserting a ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'' cartridge.

{{column|num=4
|1=
'''Genesis'''
*''[[Madden NFL '95]]''
*''[[Madden NFL '96]]''
*''[[Mortal Kombat (1992 video game)|Mortal Kombat]]''
*''[[Mortal Kombat II]]''
*''[[Mortal Kombat 3]]''
*''[[NBA Jam (1993 video game)|NBA Jam]]''
*''[[NBA Live 95]]''
*''[[NBA Live 96]]''
*''[[NHL '94]]''
*''[[NHL '95]]''
*''[[NHL '96]]''
*''[[Primal Rage]]''
*''[[Super Street Fighter II]]''
*''[[Weaponlord]]''

|2=
'''SNES'''
*''[[Official versions of Doom#Super NES|Doom]]''
*''[[Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball]]''
*''[[Killer Instinct (1994 video game)|Killer Instinct]]''
*''[[Kirby's Avalanche]]''
*''[[Madden NFL '95]]''
*''[[Madden NFL '96]]''
*''[[Mortal Kombat II]]''
*''[[Mortal Kombat 3]]''
*''[[NBA Jam Tournament Edition]]''
*''[[NHL '95]]''
*''[[NHL '96]]''
*''[[Tetris Attack|Panel de Pon]]'' <small>(Japan only)</small>
*''[[Puyo Puyo 2|Puyo Puyo 2 Remix]]'' <small>(Japan only)</small>
*''[[:ja:スーパーファミスタ5|Super Famista 5]]'' <small>(Japan only)</small>
*''[[Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium]]'' <small>(Japan only)</small>
*''[[Super Mario Kart]]''
*''[[Super Street Fighter II]]''
*''[[Weaponlord]]''

|3=
'''Saturn'''
<small>(Japan XBAND branded releases only)</small>
*''[[Daytona USA (arcade game)|Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition]]''
*''[[Decathlete]]''
*''[[Puyo Puyo Sun]]''
*''[[Puzzle Bobble 3]]''
*''[[Saturn Bomberman]]''
*''[[Sega Rally Championship Plus]]''
*''[[Worldwide Soccer|Sega Worldwide Soccer '98]]''
*''[[Shadows of the Tusk]]''
*''[[Virtua Fighter (series)|Virtua Fighter Remix]]''
*''[[Virtual On]]''
*''[[World Series Baseball (series)|World Series Baseball]]''

|4=
'''PC'''
*''[[Doom (1993 video game)|The Ultimate DOOM]]''
*''[[Doom II]]''
*''[[HardBall 5]]''
*''[[Hexen: Beyond Heretic]]''
*''[[Locus (video game)|Locus]]''
*''[[MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat]]''
*''[[Star Control 3]]''
*''[[Super Street Fighter II]]''
}}

==See also==
*[[GameLine]], a third party dialup service for the [[Atari 2600]]
*[[Family Computer Network System]], Nintendo's 1980s online service in Japan
*[[Intellivision]]'s [[PlayCable]]
*[[Teleplay Modem]], a third party modem made for the NES, Super NES, and Genesis
*[[Sega Genesis]]'s [[Sega Channel]]
*[[Sega Meganet]] - Sega's own online gaming service for the Mega Drive
*[[Satellaview]] - A satellite modem for the Super Famicom with non-interactive online gaming
*[[Sega NetLink]] - Sega's Online service for the [[Sega Saturn]]
*[[64DD]] Nintendo's 64DD and Randnet online service of 1999-2001 in Japan
*[[SharkWire Online]], a third party dialup service for the [[Nintendo 64]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19961219063301/http://www.xband.com/ XBAND - Official Website (ARCHIVED)]
* [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18698714136 Xband (fan) facebook page]
* Some archived pages of Catapult's "[http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/previews/catapult/ XBAND XClusive]" on GameZero.com
* [http://www.sega-16.com/2004/11/xband-online-gamings-first-big-try/ A write-up of the service] from [http://www.sega-16.com Sega-16]
* [https://archive.today/20070930195005/http://www.gamersgraveyard.com/repository/snes/peripherals/xband.html Gamer's Graveyard Article]
* Popular "[http://my.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=5981113&publicUserId=5552496 Blog of the Day] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060212163227/http://my.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=5981113&publicUserId=5552496 |date=February 12, 2006 }}" entry on 1up.com about one gamer's look back on his XBand obsession

{{Sega Genesis}}
{{Super Nintendo Entertainment System}}
{{Online video game networks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xband}}
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1994]]
[[Category:Multiplayer video game services]]
[[Category:Nintendo hardware]]
[[Category:Online video game networks]]
[[Category:Sega hardware]]
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