The ill-fated Dreamcast notwithstanding, this year's E3 is witnessing the first serious attempts to bring some of the advantages enjoyed by computer gamers since the commercialization of the Internet-- multiplayer against human opponents, online communities, replayability, and perhaps even user-contributed modifications and scenarios-- to the much larger audiences that play games on dedicated console machines.

Sites around the web are focusing on this trend, and how the Big Four in console gaming are reacting: Sony, Nintendo, Sega and now Microsoft. News.com is reporting on these issues from E3, and Wired News is also chronicling this struggle between behemoths.

Sega is getting out of the hardware business-- none to soon, either-- and will instead make games for the other companies, some of them slated to have networking support.

Microsoft is building ethernet into its Xbox, even though it is now rumored that Internet play may not be available on the date of the console's launch.

Sony is readying a broadband adapter for the PlayStation 2.

Nintendo is being the most cautious to date. The News.com article quotes Peter Main, senior vice president of Nintendo America, as saying:

We're being honest in saying we're still working on it, Main said, adding that many of the current business plans for online gaming are likely to end up in the dot-com ash can...great technology, interesting concept, no consumers.

We're betting Microsoft is more bullish on the prospects, but even large and successful companies can make mistakes. Here's hoping Microsoft's BoBs don't turn out to be like Microsoft Bob.