A WebTV unit has a similar CPU and uses a phone line to connect to the Internet. All of these devices have a video output, of course. The WebTV looks like the first to disappear. The same modem can be used to surf the Web, and Dreamcast will include browser software for this purpose. Like the current Sega Saturn, Dreamcast uses a CD-ROM to access its game software.
Additional convergence is possible.
The makers of DVD players, of course, don't want to be left out of the action. The VM Labs media processor has enough performance for MPEG-2 decoding as well as the 3D graphics needed for popular video games. This chip could also be used to replace the hardwired MPEG-2 decoder in a DSS receiver or digital cable box. In this way, these systems could also be converted to video-game players. One drawback to this combination is that a DSS or cable box cannot read CD-ROMs, which are used to distribute many video games today.