The Xbox was the first console to feature a built-in hard disk. [ 14 ][ 15 ] The console also was built with direct support for broadband connectivity to the Internet via an integrated Ethernet port, [ 16 ] and with the release of Xbox Live, a fee-based online gaming service, a year after the console's launch, Microsoft gained an early foothold in online gaming and made the Xbox a strong competitor in the sixth generation of consoles.