Amiga CD32
The AmigaCD32 was the first 32bit CD-ROM based game console. It was launched at the Science Museum in London , United Kingdom on 16 July 1993. The CD32 was based on Commodore ’s Amiga A1200 computer. It was essentially an A1200 without a keyboard , floppy drive, mouse , or monitor , that was housed in a different enclosure.
Technical specifications
- Motorola 68020 (68EC020RC16) at 14.3 MHz
- 2MB Chip RAM
- 1MB ROM with Kickstart ROM 3.1 and integrated cdfs.filesystem
- 1KB of FlashROM for game saves
- AGA Chipset
- Akiko chip, which handles CD-ROM and can do Chunky to Planar conversion
- Amiga OS 3.1
- Proprietary (MKE) CD-ROM drive at 2x speed
- Expansion socket (for accelerator, Hard drive, MPEG cartridge, SX-1 expansion pack)
- 4 8-bit audio channels (2 for left, 2 for right)
- Gamepad, Serial port, 2 Gameports, Interfaces for keyboard
The CD32 could be enhanced using these devices: ProModule, Paravision SX-1 and DCE SX-32 (which optionally includes 68030 CPU ).
Those devices extended the capability of AmigaCD32, allowing it to utilize hardware such as an external 3.5″ floppy disk drive, hard disk and IBM PC keyboard . An AmigaCD32 could be turned into a de facto Amiga 1200 via the addition of 3rd party packages. The SX-1 appeared to have been designed around Commodore’s mechanical specs and not the actual production units – it did not fit very well and required an internal ‘modification’ to fit properly. Consequently, the SX-1 could be jarred loose if the console was not handled gently. The upgraded SX-32 expansion pack (which included a 68030 25MHz processor) solved these problems.
CDs created for the CD32 conform to ISO 9660 level2, mode1, although the Rock Ridge and Joliet extensions are not compatible.
Software
At launch the CD32 was bundled with two games, ‘Diggers’, a new game from Millennium Interactive , and Oscar from Flair. The CD32 was capable of running most of the titles developed for the Amiga CDTV multimedia device (differences in CPU speed and Kickstart version prevented some of the earlier CDTV titles from running).
The console is widely regarded as unsuccessful, with Commodore filing for Chapter 11 just a year after its release. One possible reason for this was the relative lack of original games developed for the machine. Most CD32 titles were simply A1200 games on a CD, with the occasional full motion video sequence or CD audio tracks added on.
However, a large fanbase carried over from the success of other Amiga computers, and several notable titles, such as Microcosm , Simon the Sorcerer and Super Stardust prevented the console from sliding into total obscurity.
Uses of the CD32
109 CD32s were installed in 1993 to run the interactive exhibits at the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden. They provided information, animations, pictures, sound and text available in several languages. The systems were produced by Index Information.
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