2010s - NOTES
 DW FACTSby Dark Watcher |
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Commodore had garnered a cult following in the 1980s with their brilliant line of home computers and games. In the 1990s
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, CD-ROM based home entertainment
device to compete with this growing market. In 1991, Commodore released the CDTV (basically an Amiga 500 computer with a CD-ROM
drive built in). Needless to say it suffered the similar fate of other similar devices (Amstrad GX4000 for example). In 1993, Commodore released their last attempt to get back in the market. The Amiga CD32 launched on September 14 of that year. It claimed to be the very first 32-Bit video game console ever released to the market, which was actually false since the FM Towns Marty had been previously released in Japan seven months earlier. It boasted a dual-speed CD-ROM drive, AGA chipset, lots of expansion options and even a few surprises. In addition to its own strong library of games, the CD32 could run Photo CDs, Video CDs (if you have the FMV cartridge), CDTV software, music CDs, Karaoke CDs and CD+Gs. |
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| The Amiga CD32 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. | |
 HANDS ON REVIEWby Marriott_Guy |
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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 CDTV systems. Their final attempt at capitalizing in the very profitable
hardware arena was the Amiga CD32, debuting in the UK on September 14, 1993. The CD32 was marketed as being the first 32-bit
CD-ROM based system (though the FM Towns Marty 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 Component, 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. Inside the chassis resides a modified 32bit MC 68EC020 processor running at 14.32 MHz (NTSC) 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. When taking everything into account, the internals were quite adequate for the era. |
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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 this gamers perspective. Speaking of which - what about those games? 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 titles 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 (170+), there are few notable titles that were released exclusively for this system. Overall game quality is about the same as produced by one is its primary competitors, the Panasonic 3DO. 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 significantly diluted their financial liquidity. The CD32 was also 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 relatively easy to acquire, especially the PAL model. The NTSC version, primarily unsold units that were seized by the Philippine government from Commodore to try and recoup their debt requirement, are considerably more. Overall this system is not necessarily recommended for the average gamer, unless you can score one with packed in games - moderately recommended for the console collector (NTSC version). |
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