The Dreamcast's online service, SegaNet, used a modem built directly into the console, making it one of the first consoles to offer built-in online play without requiring a separate adapter.
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The Nintendo 64 controller's unusual design was partly influenced by the designers' desire to make it feel comfortable in the player's hands, even during extended play sessions.
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The GameCube's controller was designed to be small and comfortable for children, a significant departure from the larger, more adult-oriented controllers of its time.
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The Sega Game Gear's screen, while colorful, used significantly more power than other handhelds of its time, leading to notoriously poor battery life.
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Intellivision's original controller featured a numerical keypad, allowing for direct input of codes and commands, a feature unusual for consoles of its time.
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The Sega Saturn's controller had two distinct parts that could be detached and used independently, a design choice that proved confusing to many consumers.
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The Game Boy Color's backlit model wasn't released until years after its initial launch. Many early adopters played in the dark or bright light.
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The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive's sound chip, the Yamaha YM2612, was capable of producing more simultaneous voices than the Super Nintendo's sound chip.
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The SNES controller's distinctive gray color was chosen to match the console's design, but also to avoid looking too much like the Sega Genesis's controller.
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The PlayStation Vita's OLED screen on the original model was considered by many to be superior to the LCD screens found in later models and other handhelds of the time.
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The PlayStation 3's Cell processor, while powerful, was notoriously difficult for developers to program for, leading to longer development times and higher costs.
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