Bringing SEGA Saturn Online

*(skip to the guide…)

Back in 1996…

SEGA brought Saturn’s multi-player action online with NetLink in the US and SegaSaturn Networks in Japan! This amazing feature was made possible thanks to Catapult Entertainment‘s XBAND technology, previously implemented on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo.

US & JP Print Advertisments

Catapult & XBand Documentary

US NetLink Promotional Campaign

US NetLink TV Commercial

How it worked back in 1996…

Saturn gamers would just plug their NetLink into a standard telephone jack on the wall and use the XBand software (included on the game disc) to dial the phone number of an opponent in another location. Through this “direct-dial match-up”, the NetLink Modem would convert all player input & game sync data into an uncompressed analog signal that would travel over traditional analog phone lines to the receiving NetLink on the other end, which would convert that signal back into digital bits of data to be read by the console.

This old analog phone system is referred to as a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service), and while it’s increasingly rare, it can still be found in certain areas across the globe. If you’re currently able to subscribe to a POTS, you could actually use and enjoy NetLink today exactly as gamers did back in 1996!

However, most modern telephone infrastructure has since been converted over to VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), a technology resulting in significant compression and data loss, to the point of rendering acceptable NetLink play virtually impractical… While the advent of VoIP has been a vital advancement to our modern age of communication, it is designed with a high tolerance for latency, which is the exact opposite of what NetLink needs in order to perform well…

Fast forward to today…

Saturn fans have managed to get XBAND working again by tunneling the data over the internet, and this currently allows them to go head-to-head in 2, 4 (and now even 12) player match-ups!

Here’s how Joe (SEGA RPG Fan) got the NetBand Tunnel working:

Here’s some demonstrations of NetBand Tunnel performance:

Here’s a list of games currently compatible with the NetBand Tunnel:

  • Commercially Released Japanese Games
    • Daytona USA: Circuit Edition (NTSC-J)
    • Decathlete For SegaNet(NTSC-J)
    • Puyo Puyo Sun For SegaNet(NTSC-J)
    • Puzzle Bobble For SegaNet (NTSC-J)
    • Saturn Bomberman For SegaNet (NTSC-J)
    • Sega Rally Championship Plus(NTSC-J)
    • Sega Worldwide Soccer ’98(NTSC-J)
    • Shadows of the Tusk (NTSC-J)
    • Virtua Fighter Remix For SegaNet (NTSC-J)
    • Virtual On: Cyber Troopers For SegaNet (NTSC-J)
  • Commercially Released US Games
    • Daytona USA C.C.E NetLink Edition(NTSC-U)
    • Duke Nukem 3D(NTSC-U)
    • Saturn Bomberman(NTSC-U)
    • Sega Rally Championship Plus NetLink Edition(NTSC-U)
    • Virtual On: Cyber Troopers NetLink Edition(NTSC-U)
  • Fan-Made Homebrew Games
    • Disasteroids (Region Free)
    • Coup (Region Free)

NetBand Tunnel Setup Guide:

It’s actually pretty simple to play your Saturn online, as long as you have a few necessary things. Here’s a pictorial diagram to give you an idea of what the entire setup looks like:

Before getting everything set up, make sure you have the following things:

1. SEGA Saturn Console

The whole NetBand Tunnel is currently designed for use with REAL HARDWARE and this guide assumes you have a working SEGA Saturn (emulators / MiSTer FPGA core are not supported at present).

2. A Method for Booting CD-R Backups or Game Images (ISOs)

The NetBand Tunnel requires the use of game images that have been patched to work with it, therefore original retail game discs are NOT directly supported. You can download the necessary game patch files and patching program here.

You’ll need a way to boot the patched games on your SEGA Saturn. (NOTE: Since your Saturn’s cart slot will be occupied with the Modem Cartridge, it’s not possible to use Pseudo Saturn or Saroo carts)

A. Modchip + CD-R
C. Fenrir ODE + ISO
D. MODE ODE + ISO
E. Satiator + ISO

  • Option 1. Modchip + CD-R – Also known as a ‘hard-mod’, the Phantom Universal Modchip sits in-between the Saturn’s CD-ROM drive and the motherboard (internally), hijacking the boot process and satisfying the Saturn’s security check. This allows you to boot a patched game image burned to a standard CD-R. This is the cheapest option, if you are able to install it yourself. Installation Guide.
  • Option 2. ODE (Optical Drive Emulator) – These devices emulate the functions of the Saturn CD-ROM drive allowing you to load game images from a storage device like an SD card as if they were actual Saturn CDs. An excellent comparison of all currently available devices can be found here: https://www.segasaturnshiro.com/saturn-community-projects/saturn-ode-comparison-chart/

3. Saturn Modem Cart

The Saturn XBand Modem Cartridge came in two ‘flavors’… US & JP. Both work just fine, but you’ll need to have one or the other for online play, so grab a US NetLink Modem (Model #MK-80118 / Part #G2883) or the JP Sega Saturn Modem (Model #HSS-0127 / HSS-0148). Listings: eBay , Yahoo Auctions , Mercari , etc…

US NetLink – Model #MK-80118 / Part #G2883
JP Networks Modem – Model #HSS-0127 / HSS-0148

4. USB Voice Capable Modem (with Line Voltage)

Next, you’ll need a relatively cheap USB Dial-Up Voice Modem. Compatible models have been rebadged and sold under various brands. eBay, Amazon, etc. The following modem models are known to work:

  • Dell RD02-D400
  • Lenovo RD02-D400
  • Zoom 3095
  • TRENDnet TFM-561U
  • StarTech.com USB56KEMH
Generic USB Modem (with no line voltage)

Since we won’t be using a live telephone line for the NetBand Tunnel, we’ll need phone line voltage to carry the audio data to and from the Saturn Modem Cartridge and the USB Voice Modem. It may be possible to purchase a ready-made “Live USB Modem“ modified with line voltage built-in (subject to availability).

‘Live USB Modem’ (with line voltage mod)

However, if you’re unable to acquire one of these, you can use this following guide that provides you with a few different options for creating your own telephone line voltage:

Telephone Line Voltage Mod Guide

5. Computer Connected to Internet

Next you’ll need an internet-connected computer to run the NetBand Tunnel software. The NetBand Tunnel has been designed for use with DreamPi, a plug-n-play solution that many folks already use to get their Dreamcast online or a standard Windows PC.

A. DreamPi
B. Windows Computer

  • A. DreamPi – DreamPi is based on a Raspberry Pi (a tiny Linux computer) and runs dedicated software for getting your Dreamcast (and now Saturn) online with ease. These can be purchased or you can build your own.
  • B. Windows Computer – A Windows (7 or newer) Laptop or Desktop PC with available USB port and capable of running the NetBand Tunnel software.

6. NetBand Tunnel Software Package

The NetBand Tunnel has been written in Python. SEGA RPG FAN (aka eaudunord) has made it super simple for folks to stay up-to-date, by making it capable of receiving automatic push updates!

If you’re using a DreamPi to connect, you’ll need to flash the SD card with the latest DreamPi Image

If you’re using a Windows PC to connect, you will need to download the latest NetBand Tunnel Release

Notes:

  • Automatic updates are disabled by default on DreamPi. To enable them, delete the file “noautoupdates.txt” from the boot partition. If you connect the SD card to a PC this will be the only visible part of the card.
  • Use of the web browsers, and IRC chat is only possible on DreamPi. This is not possible on Windows due to an OS limitation. However, neither are required to play games online.

Putting it all together

Now that you have everything you need to get your Saturn back online, your setup should look something like this…

Follow These Steps…

Step 1. Connect your DreamPi or PC to your router via WIRED ETHERNET
(wi-fi will work, but performance may be degraded)

Step 2. Connect the USB Modem (with Line Voltage) to an available USB port on DreamPi or PC and insert the Modem Cartridge into the Sega Saturn’s cartridge slot.

Step 3. Connect a standard RJ11 telephone cable from the USB Modem to the Saturn Modem Cartridge’s LINE port. (if you need to create your own line voltage, see our Line Voltage Guide for connection configuration)

Step 4. Power on all hardware (Saturn, DreamPi/PC & Line-Voltage Solution – if applicable) and boot a patched game.

Step 5. If using DreamPi, skip to step 6. DreamPi will automatically detect if you’re trying to use the NetBand Tunnel. If using PC, launch the NetBand Tunnel Script by double-clicking Run_Tunnel.bat
(once launched, you may need to hit enter a few times to perform any necessary auto-updates)

Step 6. At this point you will need to dial an opponent or wait to be dialed…

Dialing Instructions for Japanese Games (NTSC-J)

For all Japanese games (NTSC-J), you will need 2 Separate Player IDs:
sp & mp#xxx#

sp = slave player (this side waits for call)
Make sure you do not enter any spaces before the initial s, otherwise you’ll receive an error message when you select challenge.

mp#xxx# = master player + game ID (this side dials out)
You’ll need to set this ID to match the game ID that you are currently playing. The code name entry screen will list the current game’s ID to use.

You will need to coordinate your matches. One player will need to select the sp ID and select challenge. Once the game is waiting for a call, the other player needs to select the mp ID and select challenge. A matchmaking service will connect you to your opponent once two players are waiting/dialing for the same game. Be aware that the games will only wait a maximum of 2 minutes for a match.

Dialing Instructions for US Games (NTSC-U)

For all US games (NTSC-U), you’ll need to select QuickLink to enter the XBAND menu.

Select Wait to wait for a call, or Dial to dial your opponent.

You will need to coordinate your matches. One player will need to select Wait. Once the game is waiting for a call, the other player needs to Dial the current game’s ID. The dial screen will show the ID to enter in the format #xxx#. A matchmaking service will connect you to your opponent once two players are waiting/dialing for the same game.

For most users, no port forwards will be necessary. If you experience difficulty connecting to other players, you can try forwarding the following port ranges in your router setup to the device running the NetBand tunnel:

  • 65432 TCP
  • 20001-20002 UDP

Join SHIRO! Discord server to find other players and learn more: Invitation link

Now sit back and revel in the fact that you’re now playing a console released in 1994/95 over the internet through this amazing NetBand Tunnel! Out of this world!!!

Another great example of the NetBand Tunnel’s performance:

Skip to toolbar