Amiga CD32

The Amiga CD32 is a video Game console of fifth generation developed by Commodore and marketed in September 1993. The CD32 is a console 32bit whose architecture is based on the computer Amiga 1200. It is the second console to propose to series a reader CD-ROM.

Like the 3DO or the Jaguar, marketed during the same time, the CD32 did not manage to bore on the market in spite of the support of the fans of the mark. Its technical limitations, the lack of implication of the developers and the financial problems of Commodore are as many advanced explanations of its failure.

History

After having left in 1990 a version comforts of sound Commodore 64, the C64 GS (technology of 1982) in order to compete with Amstrad and its GX-4000, then CDTV in 1991 in order to compete with the TDCI Philips, Commodore decides to leave a version comforts of Amiga 1200, Amiga CD-32.

In spite of its originality with respect to the competing products (lever of order, boot on CD-ROM, possibility of connecting a keyboard as well as a mouse, several cases for extensions Hard drive and memory), the CD32 pains to be made a place on a market of the game consoles autonomous too emergent. The sales fill 40% of the forecasts, causing a loss of 350 million dollars. It will be necessary to await two year in Europe, so that Sony imposes a true market by its model Playstation.

Shortly after the exit of the machine, the subsidiary companies of Commodore go bankrupt and close the ones after the others. The head office is in bankruptcy the April 29th 1994. Commodore the U.K. will remain with flood longer, and will sell the consoles until Christmas 1994. Stocks will be practically exhausted in the first quarter 1995.

Technical specifications

principal processor: Motorola 68EC020 (68EC020RC16) given rhythm to 14,32 MHz
random access memory: 2 Me Chip RAM and 1 Kio of RAM supplied with battery for the safeguard of the plays and the general parameters.
read-only memory: 1 Me FlashROM with the Kickstart 3.1 version 40.6 and one filesystem compatible CD ISO 9660
coprocessors: chipset AGA + Akkiko (used for the conversion of the video modes chunky into bitplan mode (C2P))
AmigaOS 3.1
mass memory: reader CD-ROM Owner (MKE) 2× (300 ko/s)
a port of extension (for the accelerator, the hard drive, the chart MPEG or the case of extension SX-1)
sound: 4 ways stereo (2 on the left and 2 on the right)
entered/left: two DB-9 for joystick, Port series interface for keyboard/mouse 6 pins mini-DIN, composite and S-Video video out. The French CD-32 has an exit Péritel instead of an exit S-Video, 2 audio exits RCA R+L, and an exit helmet
dimensions: 21,2 × 31,1 × 8,1 cm
weight: 1,44 kg

The CD32 can be improved by using the peripherals which are dedicated to him: ProModule, Paravision SX-1 and DCE SX-32 (which includes optionnellement a processor 68020). These peripherals make it possible to transform the console into Micro-ordinateur of the type Amiga 1200 by the port of extension, and to add the missing connector industries (connector for RAM port series, parallel port, tablecloth IDE for in-house hard drive and external port, port diskette, port keyboard Amiga AT KBD, left RVB with the Amiga standard is DB23, etc).

Additional chart MPEG enables him to read the format TDCI video of Philips, the video standard of the time which preceded the arrival by DVD for films.

Note: when you create CD which is intended to be read on Amiga CD32, create CD ISO 9660, level2, mode1. Use neither Rock Ridge nor the extensions Joliet.

Amiga CD32

History

Technical specifications

Plays available