The Video Game Console Library - Capcom CPS Changer

	Capcom CPS Changer
	HANDS ON REVIEW by 98Pacecar DW FACTS by Dark Watcher
	Page content, development and design by Marriott_Guy

Developer	Manufacturer	Release Date	Country(s)	Initial Price	Model Number	Game Releases	Overall Rating
Capcom Co., Ltd.	Capcom Co., Ltd.	1994	Japan	$399 USD	CPSC-01A	11	06
Ratings	Reviews	Pictures\Media	Specs\Manuals	Games\Emulation	Models	Clones	Links

Ratings
Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. Ratings based upon a 10 point scale (10 being excellent\very rare).
Console Design (appearance, functionality)	04
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile)	04
Controllers (design, response, feel, use)	06
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation)	09
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects)	09
Media (game media format, design, durability)	08
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging)	06
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library)	06
Innovations (technological industrial strides)	03
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?)	01
Collector Value (good collector investment?)	10
Games Rarity (general availability of games)	10
Console Rarity (general availability of a system)	10

Reviews

Capcom CPS Changer packaging

HANDS ON REVIEW
- by 98Pacecar (27-Jun-11)

DW FACTS
- by Dark Watcher

In the 1990's, SNK took a chance at bringing their arcade games to the home console market by creating the Neo Geo AES system. The home system garnered a niche fan base despite its high price tag.

In 1994, Capcom saw an opportunity to venture into this niche home market. Gamers enjoy popular arcade titles without Capcom having to pay royalties for "lower quality" home conversions on other systems. Not a bad idea!

Rather then recreating their CPS-1 arcade board packs for home market use, Capcom created an adapter that could interface with existing boards. The Capcom Power System Changer (or CPS Changer) plugged into the arcade board CPS-1 JAMMA connectors. It provided two joystick ports, TV composite video output, TV S-Video output and an 8 channel mono audio output (no stereo sound).

Obviously the CPS Changer requires the arcade board, so Capcom sold the adapter in a package deal. The package containing CPS Changer, one CPS fighter controller, and the Street Fighter II Turbo arcade board sold for 39,800 yen. Other compatible arcade boards could be purchased for 20,000 for a single title, 2 for 38,800 and 3 for 55,000 yen. See the Games section for compatible titles.

Due to the high cost of using CPS Changer, and the fact that home console conversions were reaching near perfect arcade quality, sales began to dwindle. By March of 1996, Capcom had dropped all support for CPS Changer.

FACT: Capcom decided to give owners one last hurrah for purchasing their product. Capcom released a special conversion of their CPS-2 arcade board title Street Fighter Zero for the CPS Changer. The game was rewritten with reduced sound samples, and color depth. It was sold for 35,000 yen as a farewell gesture.

From the earliest days of video game consoles, bringing arcade perfect ports to home players has been an important part of nearly every successful console. Atari discovered this fact all the way back in 1980 when they released Space Invaders on the Atari 2600. It took another 10 years before truly arcade perfect ports would find their way to home gamers, with the release of the Neo Geo AES in 1990. But the AES wasn't the only arcade perfect console released to the home.

Street Fighter Zero Screenshot Possibly inspired by the success of the AES or driven by their own domination of 1990's arcades, Capcom brought many of their arcade games home with the release of the Capcom Power System Changer, or CPS Changer for short. Sold by mail order in Japan only between 1994 and 1996, the CPS Changer is one of the rarest Japanese consoles around.

The CPS Changer console itself is really more of a Supergun or JAMMA interface than it is a proper console. It does not feature its own processor or RAM, relying instead on the processing power of the board set used in each game. The console is really just a way to interface the games to a standard television, provide power to the game's board set, and allow for controllers to be connected. The preferred controller is the Capcom CPS Fighter, a six button fighting stick released for the Super Nintendo. The CPS Fighter was released in both Japan and the USA, so finding one is not terribly difficult.

All of the CPS Changer games run on a standard CPS-1 motherboard. The CPS-2 confusion comes about as Capcom used the enclosure that was designed for the later CPS-1 games, known as the CPS Dash, to protect the CPS Changer games. This makes the games look similar to the CPS-2 arcade releases. Internally, CPS Changer games are identical to their CPS-1 counterparts. Minor tweaks were made to the code to eliminate the need for coin ups and to allow for software settings for difficulty and controller settings.

Commonly mistaken as a CPS-2 based system, the CPS Changer only features one game from the CPS-2 library, a special version of Street Fighter Zero, which was the last game of the 11 total released for this system. Other notable titles include the pack in Street Fighter 2 Turbo as well as beat-em ups Final Fight and Warriors of Fate. Every game released, with the exception of Street Fighter Zero, are arcade perfect in every way. Street Fighter Zero was scaled back graphically due to the lesser power of the CPS-1 board over the CPS-2.

Though it is not a standard JAMMA connector, it is possible to build an adaptor cable to use most standard JAMMA PCBs with it. If this is your goal though, it is much more financially responsible to build a Supergun or buy a JAMMA cabinet. Both will be much cheaper than the cost of the CPS Changer and will give you more capabilities in the long run.

The CPS Changer rarely shows up for sale in the US or even on eBay. If you are looking for one, be prepared to have a proxy bidder in Japan and start watching Yahoo Japan auctions. The current pricing trends seem to put not only the games but also the system at between $700-$1000 a piece. Because of this and the relative ease with which the arcade versions of these games can be found, it is difficult to recommend this console to anybody but the most hardcore of collectors. Even among other collectors, you won't find too many people that know about the CPS Changer. That makes it a central piece to anybody that is into obscure, Japanese hardware.

Pictures & Media

Various pictures\media for this console. Click pictures to enlarge.

Specs & Manuals

For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
Custom Capcom Motorola 68000	10 MHz	None	Varies (based on game)
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
384 x 224	4,096 Colors	Unknown	8 channel mono audio
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
Cartridge (PCB arcade board inside)	Varies (eprom based)	11	None
Internal Storage	External \ Removable Storage	Game Controllers	Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
None	None	Fighter Arcade Joysticks	None
Controller Ports	Network Ports	Other Ports	Audio \ Video
Two (2)	None	None	Composite, S-Video
Power Supply - External	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
AC 110V, 60Hz	None	None
Manuals
Not available. Can you help us out? You will receive full credit in addition to keeping the history of video gaming alive for all! Please contact me.

Games & Emulation

Games screen shots\videos released for this system. Click pictures to enlarge.

Captain Commando

Captain Commando Screenshot

Final Fight

Final Fight Screenshot

King of Dragons

King of Dragons Screenshot

Knights of the Round

Knights of the Round Screenshot

Muscle Bomber

Muscle Bomber Screenshot

Saturday Night Slam Masters

Saturday Night Slam Masters Screenshot

Street Fighter II

Street Fighter II Screenshot

PCB Board

Warriors of Fate

Warriors of Fate Screenshot

Warriors of Fate - Intro

Video courtesy of 98PaceCar.

Warriors of Fate - Game Play

Video courtesy of 98PaceCar.

Street Fighter 2 Turbo Game Play

Video courtesy of 98PaceCar.

Third Party Emulators
Program	Website	Description
Callus	http://bloodlust.zophar.net/Callus/callus.htm	This is an easy to use CPS-1 emulator for WIN32 operating systems.

Models

Additional authorized releases for this console.

No other additional models were released.

Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones).

No clones were released for this system.

Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

Name	Website	Description
NFG Games	http://nfg.2y.net/games/CPSChanger/	CPS Changer website\pics

visitors since 01-Apr-2008
Page last updated 11-Dec-2011

Copyright 2008-2011 The Video Game Console Library. This website and the information contained within it is protected by copyright. Reproduction of part or all of the
website contents in any form is prohibited unless expressed written consent of the author has been obtained in advance. Content of this website may not be copied
to any other publication (including electronic, hard copy or others). Interior deep linking or framing of this website is prohibited without permission of the author.