Sega will retool some of its more popular titles for Xbox, developing sequels to Jet Grind Radio, a skateboarding game in which players tag the town with graffiti, and Sega GT, a Gran Turismo-style racing game. This isn't the first time Sega has struck a deal with a one-time rival, following the Jan. 31 announcement that it would halt production of its failed Dreamcast console. Sega brought its popular Sonic franchise to Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, which went on sale Wednesday in Japan and is slated for release in the U.S. market on June 11. It also plans to make games for PlayStation 2. Gates also announced a deal with one of Japan's leading telephone providers, NTT Communications, to provide online gaming to subscribers of it's the telco's high-speed Internet service.
Most Japanese consumers access the Internet wirelessly, through their phones.
Microsoft envisions a time when the Xbox will become the home Internet portal. Its broadband service launches in the second half of 2002.