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The Video Game Console Library - Commodore Amiga CD32

Commodore Amiga CD32 Commodore Amiga CD32 Commodore Amiga CD32

  HANDS ON REVIEW by Marriott_Guy            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
Commodore LTD. Commodore LTD. 14-Sep-93 UK, Canada $399 USD 513515 150+ 5.5
Ratings Reviews Pictures\Video Specs Games\Emulation Models Clones Links
Commodore Amiga CD32
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) 06
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile) 07
Controllers (design, response, feel, use) 02
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation) 04
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects) 06
Media (game media format, design, durability) 09
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging) 07
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library) 08
Innovations (technological industrial strides) 06
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?) 06
Collector Value (good collector investment?) 04
Games Rarity (general availability of games) 04
Console Rarity (general availability of a system) 05
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Reviews

  DW FACTS
 
- by Dark Watcher

Commodore had garnered a cult following in the 1980's with their brilliant line of home computers and games. In the 1990's however, PC compatibles started making there way into homes, and began pushing out the Commodore / Amiga line of computers. Game consoles also started taking over the game player's dollar. Commodore hustled to make a set-top, CDROM-based home entertainment device to compete with this growing market. In 1991, Commodore released CDTV (basically an Amiga 500 computer with a CDROM drive built in). Needless to say it suffered the similar fates of other similar devices (Bandai Pippin for example).

In 1993, Commodore released their last attempt to get back in the market. The Amiga CD32 was revealed to the public in July of that year. It was the very first 32-Bit video game console ever released on the market. It boasted a dual-speed CDROM drive, AGA chipset, lots of expansion options & even a few surprises. It could run Photo CDs (if you load up a photo CD reader first), Video CDs (if you have the FMV cartridge plugged in) CD32 software, CDTV software, music CDs, Karaoke CDs, and CD+Gs.

Commodore Amiga CD32

The Amiga CD32 was released in September of 1993 and sold very well in Europe, but eventual hype of the Saturn and Playstation crushed Commodore's efforts of a world wide release. Sales of CD32 were not enough to keep the plunging Commodore stock out of the water. Commodore entered bankruptcy on April 24th 1994. The unshipped Amiga CD32 units were seized by the Philippine government as payment for the use of their factory.

FACT: The CD32 was essentially an A1200 computer in videogame console clothing.
 


 
HANDS ON REVIEW
  - by Marriott_Guy (16-Jan-08)

Commodore, the noted home computer manufacturer of the 1980s, had endured failed attempts entering the video game console market with their releases of the Commodore 64 GS and the Commodore Amiga CDTV systems. Their final attempt at capitalizing in the very profitable hardware arena was the Commodore Amiga CD32, debuting in the UK on September 14, 1993. The CD32 was marketing as being the first 32-bit CD-ROM based system (though the FM Towns Marty, released in Japan in 1991 actually owns this true distinction) and enjoyed moderate success in the UK, gaining
more than 50% of the CD-ROM game market share in Britain (1993). However, this success was short-lived and did little to save the console, and Commodore, from eventual demise.

As in their previous efforts, Commodore relied on their roots and talents in the home computing market in the development of the CD32. Basically an Amiga 1200 computer wrapped in a dark granite-gray casing, the console is rather nondescript in appearance. A large top-loading 2x CD-ROM drive is featured as the centerpiece of the design, with a rather ordinary white label of "32bit" embossed on it. An enlarged "Reset" button, volume slide switch and headphone jack complete the top of this unit. Strangely, and not convenient at all, the controller ports (2) are located on the left hand side of the unit (along with an auxiliary port for a keyboard). The back of the system features standard AV, S-Video and RF outputs along with the expansion port interface. Surprising, the power switch is also located in the aft section of the CD32. The controllers have to be one of the worst designs I have encountered. Though quite wide, the thin U-shaped controller has four colored coded buttons which are crowded onto the right side of the controller and a simple directional pad flanks the left. Two shoulder trigger buttons complete the controller interface. Overall, the design is rather lackluster and not at all user friendly from any point of view.

Inside the chassis resides a modified 32bit MC 68EC020 processor running at 14.3 MHz that is complimented by 2 MB of RAM and a variety of co-processors - 8374 Alice (memory controller), 4203 Lisa (video control chip), 8364 Paula (sound & I/O), 391563-01 Akiko (I/O controller). This multi-processor system rendered games in 16.7 million colors and up to a resolution of 1280 x 400 (1280 x 512 PAL) and in full stereo (4 channels). The CD-ROM drive supports the Audio CD, Karaoke CD, CD+G and CDTV software formats. With the purchase of an optional FMV cartridge, Video CD, Photo CD and CD-i media could be played. Overall, the internals were quite adequate but the games produced for it leave a great deal to be desired.


Amiga CD32 Magazine (picture credits unknown)

Having an extensive Amiga library already at its disposal, the system launched with many ports of existing games. Unfortunately, many third party developers saw this as an opportunity to cash in. Many ports were simply supped up originals with added color depth, CD quality tracks and FMV cut scenes interspersed. Though the number of games released for the CD32 is extensive (150+), there are few notable titles that were released exclusively for this system. Overall game quality is a little better than the SNES and Sega Genesis, but less than that produced by the 3DO. Though this system was the first 32-bit console released outside of Japan, Commodore did not invest heavily in advertising the CD32 outside of the UK. This was partly due to the marketing strategy (or lack there of) in recent years by Commodore as well as a severe cash flow problem within the company. Though highly successful in the home computing market (the C64 is still the best selling home computer of all-time and is pictured below), the failed attempts of their previous console entries (C64 GS, CDTV) and the emergence of affordable PC-based home computers decapitated their liquid assets. The CD32 was released in Canada in limited quantities after it debuted in the UK, but was never sold publicly in the USA. This was due to a limited hardware supply because Commodore was unable to meet their credit obligations with the Philippine government, whose factories were used to manufacture the console. Commodore filed for bankruptcy on April 24, 1994, less than a year after the release of the CD32.

The CD32 was not a bad machine, but ended up failing due to poor significant third party software support and a lack of financial viability of Commodore to both fund the manufacturing of the hardware as well as to properly market it outside the UK. The CD32 initially was sold for $399 USD, well below its primary competitor the 3DO ($699). An overall poor design, a dependence upon outdated technology (primarily software) and a lack of any substantial games for this system spelled its eventual doom.

A CD32 system is readily available and can be purchased for approximately $80 USD ($50 USD for shipping from Japan or Europe). These systems are primarily unsold units that were seized by the Philippine government from Commodore to try and recoup their debt requirement, or a standard PAL system. Acquiring a CIB North American unit will run you a bit more - upwards of $100 USD or so. Not recommended for the average gamer, unless you can score one with packed in games - moderately recommended for the console collector (NA version).
 

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Pictures & Video

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

Original TV Advertisement



Video courtesy of amigang.
Commodore Amiga CD32 - Front

Commodore Amiga CD32 - Front

Promo Video



Video courtesy of teamwrp.
Commodore Amiga CD32 - Back Close Up

Commodore Amiga CD32 - Input

Commodore Amiga CD32 - CD Open

Commodore Amiga CD32 - CD Open

Commodore Amiga CD32 - Controller

Commodore Amiga CD32 - Controller

System Boot Screen



Video courtesy of realcatgirllover.
Commodore Amiga CD32 - Back

Commodore Amiga CD32 - Back

User Video Footage of CD32 & A1200



Video courtesy of amigang.
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Specs

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

 Processor Type  Processor Speed  Other Processor Information RAM \ Video RAM
32bit MC 68EC020 14.3 MHz See Other Details for specifics 2 MB

Screen Resolution

Color Palette

Polygons \ Sprites

Audio
320 x 200 to 1280 x 400 NTSC
320 x 256 to 1280 x 512 PAL
16.7M colors Unknown Stereo 8 bit, 4 channel 28 KHz

Media Format

Media Capacity

Games Released

Other Supported Formats

CD-ROM (2X drive) 700 MB 150+ CD-ROM, Audio CD, CD+G,
Karaoke CD (CD-i, Photo and
VCD w\FMV module)

Internal Storage

External \ Removable Storage

Game Controllers

Other Game \ Peripheral Devices

1 KB Flash ROM None U-shaped standard control pad FMV module, various Amiga 1200 expansion ports (all optional)
Controller Ports Network Ports

Other Ports

Audio \ Video

Two (2) None Mouse port (1), headphone jack(1),
182 Pin expansion slot (1)
S-Video, RF, Standard AV

Power Supply

Other Outputs

 Other Details \ Notes

Standard 110w (NTSC) \ 240w (PAL) built-in power supply None 8374 Alice (memory controller), 4203 Lisa (video control chip),
8364 Paula (sound & I/O), 391563-01 Akiko (I/O controller)
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Games & Emulation

Games screen shots and\videos released for this system.

Defender of the Crown 2 Game Footage



Video courtesy of ShadraX.
Various CD32 Games



Video courtesy of amigang.
Diggers Game Footage



Video courtesy of gitensens.
Microcosm Game Footage



Video courtesy of Msakaji.
Out of this World Game Footage



Video courtesy of DigitalQuirk.
GLOOM Game Footage



Video courtesy of realcatgirllover.
Third Party Emulators
Program Website Description

WinUAE

http://www.winuae.net/

Great Windows based emulator capable of running CD32 and other Amiga computer games.
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Models

Additional authorized releases for this console.

No additional models were released for this system.
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Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones).

No clones were released for this system.
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Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

Name Website Description
Amiga Hardware Database http://amiga.resource.cx/mod/cd32.html Amiga CD32 Page
Amiga Hardware Database http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/search.pl?amiga=cd32 Amiga CD32 Page expansion cards
The Ninjaw http://ninjaw.ifrance.com/cd32/ Amiga CD32 Page
Mysterious Ways http://www.mways.co.uk/amiga/cd32.php Amiga CD32 review
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