So much success relies on stars aligning, or what many call "timing". The pioneers had the right ideas but we're missing key components or had key components deprecated with no alternatives. Sega had Internet game subscriptions in 1994 before any other system... And I wonder how many of us knew that.

https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/massive-two-year-project-recovers-144-previously-undumped-sega-genesis-game-roms-from-the-mid-1990s-lost-garfield-and-flintstones-games-among-the-notable-finds