Amiga CD32

Codenamed "Spellbound",{{cite web |title=CD 32 Board image |url=https://bigbookofamigahardware.com/bboah/media/download_photos/cd32motherboardr3.jpg |access-date=17 April 2023 |website=bigbookofamigahardware.com}} Commodore first announced the Amiga CD32 at the Science Museum in London on July 16, 1993 amid great fanfare from the British media.{{cite magazine |date=September 1993 |title=New machine means make or break for Commodore |url=https://archive.org/details/Amiga_Shopper_Issue_29_1993-09_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n3 |magazine=Amiga Shopper |page=5 |issue=29}} Despite the healthy popularity of Amiga in Europe as of 1992, Commodore's financial situation was dire, and the Amiga CD32 was the important product to turn around its fortunes. In the Christmas period following its launch, the CD32 accounted for 38% of all CD-ROM drive sales in Britain, exceeding sales of the Mega-CD.{{cite web |date=March 11, 1994 |title="Amiga Report International Online Magazine", Issue No. 2.09 – "Amiga News"-section |url=http://www.amigareport.com/ar209/p1-2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224312/http://www.amigareport.com/ar209/p1-2.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=August 28, 2011}} Ultimately during the brief Amiga CD32 presence in the market, approximately 25,000 units were sold in Germany,{{Cite web |last=Bergseth |first=M. |date=November 25, 2014 |title=AMIGA SOLD IN UNITS BY COMMODORE IN GERMANY REVEALED |url=https://distrita.com/amiga-sold-in-units-by-commodore-in-germany-revealed/ |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713160208/https://distrita.com/amiga-sold-in-units-by-commodore-in-germany-revealed/ |archive-date=July 13, 2017 |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=Distrita - Where to Go}} and around {{nowrap|100,000 units}} were sold in Europe.{{cite web |date=January 18, 2008 |title='Hands on review' by Marriott_Guy |url=http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-cd32.htm |access-date=August 28, 2011}}

Commodore demonstrated the system at the World of Commodore Amiga show in Pasadena in September 1993, promising to sell the console in some American cities by Christmas with wider distribution in January 1994 for {{USD|399|1993}}. Computer Gaming World reported in November 1993 that "a significant amount of software will be available immediately" for the console, based on the Amiga 1200.{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=112 | title=Commodore Puts In Its 32-Bits Worth | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1993 | access-date=28 March 2016 | pages=12 }} The CD32 was released in Canada and Australia, and Commodore stated that the console would launch in the United States in either late February or early March 1994, at the price of $399 with two pack-in games, Pinball Fantasies and Sleepwalker, and six separately sold launch games.{{cite magazine|date=April 1994|title=Amiga CD is the Choice|page=24|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|publisher=EGM Media, LLC|issue=57|url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_57/page/n23/mode/2up}} However, a deadline was reached for Commodore to pay {{nowrap|10 million USD}}{{cite web|title=Commodore: What If|url=http://www.amigamccc.org/journal/1201eric.htm|date=January 4, 2013|access-date=July 10, 2013|publisher=amigamccc.org|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203164307/http://www.amigamccc.org/journal/1201eric.htm|url-status=usurped}} in patent royalty to {{nowrap|Cad Track}} ({{US patent|4197590}}){{cite web|title=Debunking the Software Patent Myths |url=http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/articles/int-prop/heckel-debunking.html#NinePats |date=October 5, 1997|access-date=July 10, 2013|publisher=groups.csail.mit.edu}} for its use of its XOR patent.Perelman, M: "Steal This Idea", page 60. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004 A federal judge ordered an injunction against Commodore preventing it from importing anything into the United States. Commodore had built up CD32 inventory in its Philippine manufacturing facility for the United States launch, but, being unable to sell the consoles, they remained in the Philippines until the debts owed to the owners of the facility were settled. Commodore declared bankruptcy shortly afterward, and the CD32 was never officially sold in the United States. However, imported models came over the border from Canada, and many stores in the United States (primarily mail-order stores) imported units for domestic sale. During the long bankruptcy proceedings, {{nowrap|Commodore UK}} also provided some hardware components and software for the American market, including production of the MPEG Video Module, which was not officially released by Commodore International.

Ultimately, Commodore was not able to meet demand for new units because of component supply problems. Sales of the CD32 in Europe were not enough to save Commodore, and the bankruptcy of Commodore International in April 1994 caused the CD32 to be discontinued only eight months after its debut.

{{cite web|date=January 11, 2001|title="Amiga history guide", the Amiga CD32 section|url=http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/cd32.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616135008/http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/cd32.html|archive-date=June 16, 2012|access-date=August 28, 2011}}

File:Amiga-CD32-Back-wCover.jpgThe CD32 was marketed on its box as "The World's First 32-bit CD Games Console". Although it is the first such machine released in Europe and North America, it was beaten to market by seven months by the FM Towns Marty, a console released exclusively in Japan. However, the CD32's 68EC020 processor has a 32-bit data bus both internally and externally, but the 386SX in the FM Towns Marty has a 16-bit data bus externally. However, because the CD32 shipped with 2MB of RAM shared between the chipset and the CPU, this means the CPU is bottlenecked when accessing memory, similar to an Amiga 1200 operating without 32-bit "fast" (CPU dedicated) RAM.{{Cite web |title=Should the A1200 have used a 28Mhz 68000 processor instead? - Page 3 - English Amiga Board |url=http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=81690&page=3 |accessdate=April 17, 2023 |website=eab.abime.net}}

{{More citations needed section|date=September 2024}}

Commodore's MPEG decompression module for the CD32 provides support for playing Video CD and CD+G releases, attaching to the rear of the console and augmenting it with an MPEG decoder chipset from C-Cube together with {{nowrap|1.5 MB}} of video RAM. The unit, demonstrated at the 1994 CeBIT show, was priced at around £200.{{cite magazine |date=May 1994 |title=Commodore at CeBIT '94 |url=https://archive.org/details/AmigaFormatMagazine_201902/Amiga_Format_Issue_059_1994_05_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n21/mode/2up |access-date=10 December 2023 |magazine=Amiga Format |pages=22–23}}

The CD32 can be enhanced using these devices:

ProModule, Paravision SX-1, DCE SX-32 (which optionally includes 68030 CPU) and Terrible Fire's TF328 and TF330 (which add 2.5" IDE, keyboard connector and 8Mb/64mb of Fastmem).File:Amiga-CD32-Controller-L.jpgThose devices extend the capabilities of the Amiga CD32, allowing it to utilize hardware such as an external 3.5" floppy disk drive, hard disk and IBM PC keyboard (a CD32-branded keyboard was officially released however, which used the AUX port on the left of the machine). An Amiga CD32 can be turned into a de facto Amiga 1200 via the addition of third-party packages. The SX-1 appears to have been designed around Commodore's mechanical specs and not the actual production units – it did not fit very well and requires an internal "modification" to equip it properly. Consequently, the SX-1 can be jarred loose if the console is not handled gently. The upgraded SX-32 expansion pack (which included a 68030 {{nowrap|25 MHz}} processor) solves these problems.

Not wishing to repeat its earlier mistake of offering a way to turn a CD32 into an enhanced A1200 as it did with the A500-based CDTV,{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}} Commodore itself made no hardware available for that purpose. One of its last hardware designs, however, was an external CD-ROM drive for the A1200 that featured the CD32's Akiko chip, thus turning any A1200 into a CD32-compatible system. The only currently known surviving prototype of the CD1200 drive resides at the Retro Computer Museum in Leicester.{{Cite web |date=2018-01-18 |title=AMIGA alive: Rarest of the rare: The Commodore Amiga CD1200 |url=https://amigaalive.blogspot.com/2018/01/rarest-of-rare-amiga-cd1200.html |access-date=2019-12-05 |website=AMIGA alive}}

In addition to its own special controllers, the Amiga CD32 is compatible with most controllers designed for the Atari joystick port from the 1980s and 1990s, as well as Amiga mice and paddles.

CDs created for the CD32 conform to ISO 9660 level2 mode1, although the Rock Ridge and Joliet extensions are not compatible.

{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}{{See also|Amiga games|Amiga demos|List of Amiga CD32 games}}

If the system is turned on without a CD, a splash screen with scrolling colors will appear and a tune will play. After this tune ends, the user can press the blue button on the game pad to enter a language selection menu. The user can also press the red button to access a menu where they can view the contents of the internal Flash ROM. Unlike most game consoles, this menu does not allow the user to delete items. Instead, the system will automatically overwrite the oldest entries when the memory runs out. The menu does, however, allow the user to "lock" files to prevent overwriting.

The CD32 launch bundle includes two games: Diggers, a new game from Millennium Interactive, and Oscar from Flair Software. A later pack includes the one-on-one fighting game Dangerous Streets, a move by Commodore that was met with derision by the press. Many reviewers had given Dangerous Streets terrible scores (Amiga Power rating it just 3%{{cite web |date=January 1994 |title=Dangerous Streets Review |url=http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/world/ap/danger.htm |access-date=October 17, 2011}}) and were surprised that with a slew of powerful rival consoles about to hit the market, Commodore would choose to show off the abilities of its machine with a poor game.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}

The CD32 is capable of running most of the releases for the Amiga CDTV multimedia device, but differences in CPU speed and Kickstart version prevent some of the earlier CDTV releases from running. Most of the games released for the CD32 are simply ports of games that were already available for Amiga computers.{{cite journal |date=March 1995 |title=Letters |url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-003/page/n107/mode/2up |journal=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=3 |page=105 |quote=... although the CD32 is technically OK (but not outstanding), very little software has been anything other than shovelware (existing 16bit Amiga games simply given a new CD soundtrack and intro sequence).}} One benefit of this is that, when appropriate, many games retain the ability to use an Amiga mouse (in port 2) or Amiga keyboard (plugged into the AUX port).

Like all later Amiga computers, the CD32 has a hidden boot menu that can be accessed by plugging an Amiga mouse into port 2 and holding both buttons down while turning the system on. Most of the options in this menu are not useful on a CD32, but from this menu the user can choose to boot in either NTSC or PAL mode. This is important, as there are some games that will not work if the system is in the wrong mode, and most games don't advertise what video mode they were developed for. Despite the naming, the menu really only allows a choice of {{nowrap|60 Hz}} or {{nowrap|50 Hz}} video output; a PAL system booted in NTSC mode will still output a video signal using PAL color encoding, which will usually result in a black-and-white picture when connected to an NTSC television.

File:Amiga-CD32-Motherboard-Top.jpg

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Computer Gaming World magazine in January 1994 stated that "in spite of Commodore's earlier efforts to disguise the fact—the Amiga is a great gaming platform", but wondered if the company could successfully market the console in the US; "The CDTV fiasco certainly isn't reassuring. Will there be enough U.S. developers to make the investment worthwhile?"{{Cite magazine |last1=Miller |first1=Chuck |last2=Dille |first2=H. E. |last3=Wilson |first3=Johnny L. |date=January 1994 |title=Battle Of The New Machines |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=114 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=64–76}}

Several magazines were launched that were dedicated to the CD32. In particular, Paragon Publishing released Amiga CD32 Gamer, which lasted 21 issues until February 1996.{{Sfn|Retro Gamer. No. 175|p=77}}

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In 1993, 109 CD32 units were installed to run the interactive exhibits at the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden.

{{cite press release | title = CD32: The Hyper-Museum Project | publisher = Transport for London | date = July 16, 1993 | url = http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/press/indexcd32.html | access-date = September 28, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230308/http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/press/indexcd32.html| archive-date= September 27, 2007 | url-status= live}}

They provided information, animations, pictures, sound, and text available in several languages, and a London Underground simulator. The systems were produced by the Odiham, Hampshire-based company Index Information, using their CD32x interface units.

{{cite web

| title = The CD32xpansion

| date = June 21, 2002

| url = http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/cd32x.html

| access-date = September 28, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071015200858/http://amigahistory.co.uk/cd32x.html| archive-date= October 15, 2007 | url-status= live}}

In 1995, an Italian company named CD Express used the CD32 as a basis for an arcade machine called CUBO CD32.{{cite web|url=http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID%3D36 |title=CD Express: CUBO CD32 |access-date=2007-09-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013122834/http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=36 |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |df=mdy }} Inside these machines, stock CD32s were hooked up to an external circuit board which essentially acted as a converter to route all the input and output into a standard JAMMA connector for use in an arcade cabinet. The software was provided on CD-ROM. Nine games are known to exist, all of which are original games created by CD Express.

In the mid to late 1990s, some vehicle registries in Canada used CD32 systems for interactive multimedia testing for drivers license applications.

In the late 1990s to early 2000s, slot machine manufacturer StarGames used a stripped down CD32 motherboard in many of its slot machines. Machines confirmed to be operating on CD32 hardware are Hawaiian Delight, Leprechaun Luck, and Mister Magic.

From 1994 to 1997, Wall Street Institute used CD32 systems at its learning centers. Main features include software with voice tone recognition and interactive activities very focused on listening. Those consoles have a floppy disk drive unit attached, with a clock unit, for saving students' progress and sharing them with teachers. Data was stored in a central database and the system offered an advanced multimedia environment with statistics. It was replaced with PC systems after some years of intensive use and a very strong stock of spare consoles and pieces.

In 1995, Taurus Ventures Inc in Burnaby, BC developed the VanCity Direct TV system based on the CD32 for the VanCity Credit Union. It features a custom modem, also designed by TVi.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wHlLTFI9Yk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/5wHlLTFI9Yk |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=Vancity Direct TV Home Banking Walkthrough|date=January 14, 2015|work=YouTube|access-date=February 23, 2015}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=http://www.amigareport.com/ar222/p1-2.html|title=Amiga News|access-date=February 23, 2015}}

{{Portal|Amiga}}

• Commodore CDTV
• Commodore 64 Games System
• Amiga models and variants

{{Reflist | refs=

{{cite web|title=UK Brick - 9119402353_f4f6aeb404_z.jpg |url=http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/9119402353_f4f6aeb404_z.jpg |date=June 24, 2013|access-date=June 24, 2013}}

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• {{cite magazine|ref={{harvid|Amiga CD32 Gamer. No. 1}}|url=https://archive.org/details/amiga-cd-32-gamer-issue-1/page/58|title=Feature: Cutting Edge|last=Holborn|first=Jason|magazine=Amiga CD32 Gamer|publisher=Paragon Publishing|date=Spring 1994|access-date=2024-06-06|issue=1|pages=58–61|issn=1353-484X}}
• {{cite magazine|ref={{harvid|Retro Gamer. No. 175}}|url=https://archive.org/details/retro-gamer-raspberry-pi-buenos-aires/Retro%20Gamer%20175/page/72|title=Amiga CD32|last=Crookes|first=David|magazine=Retro Gamer|date=2017-11-30|access-date=2024-06-06|issue=175|pages=72–77}}

{{Commons category|Amiga CD32}}

• [http://www.amigacd32.com amigacd32.com: Project CD32: Amiga CD32 database]
• [http://amiga.resource.cx/mod/cd32.html amiga.resource.cx: Amiga hardware database - Commodore CD32]
• [http://www.bigbookofamigahardware.com/bboah/product.aspx?id=32 bigbookofamigahardware.com: CD32 - Commodore]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160229154033/http://voxelarcade.com/opinion/list-of-the-best-cd32-games-ever/ voxelarcade.com: List of some of the best CD32 games]

{{Amiga hardware}}

{{Commodore International}}

{{Fifth generation game consoles}}

{{Home video game consoles}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amiga Cd32}}

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