The Amiga CD32 was a 32-bit 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 1200 computer. It was essentially an A1200 without a keyboard, floppy drive, mouse, or monitor, that was housed in a different enclosure (note that these could be purchased as separate add-ons, thus making it possible to upgrade the CD32 to an A1200).

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 and SX32 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 Amiga CD32, allowing it to utilize hardware such as an external 3.5" floppy disk drive, hard disk and IBM PC keyboard. An Amiga CD32 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).

While the console was fairly successful during its lifespan and managed to be the best-selling CD format console in 1993, it was not able to sustain its growth, with Commodore filing for Chapter 11 just a year after its release after not being able to secure additional CD32 shipments for the holiday season. It was speculated that the holiday season could have kept Commodore afloat for another six months. Another problem was the lack of original games, which had also plagued the CDTV before it. 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, Captive 2, 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 the company Index Information.

See also

• Amiga Demos
• Amiga Games
• Category:CD32 games

Fifth-generation video game consoles | Commodore Amiga | Computer and video game flops | Video game consoles

CD32 | AmigaCD32 | AmigaCD32 | AmigaCD32 | Amiga CD-32 | AmigaCD32