Do you like the AMIGA CD32 ? (Poll) - Page 2

invent · 27 February 2015, 12:33

I liked it when we used it as a interactive kiosk machine for a Toyota demo we were demonstrating.

As mentioned by other members it had a cheaper feel about it, never owned one and was happy with my A500, A1200, and then A4000.

Eclipse · 28 February 2015, 12:33

Such a shame when you think about it. How were any other consoles of the time really any better?

eXeler0 · 15 March 2015, 09:54

@Eclipse well, in retrospect, 1993-1994 were very busy years in the videogame industry and really, it was in this period that the market transformed forever by the arrival of the playstation.
Anyhoo, when the cd32 came out, I suppose the main competitor was probably the Atari Jaguar which had no CD but was cheaper and it had more powerful graphics and sound (but not cpu). The 3do was way more expensive so it wasnt a direct competitor. But a short year later there was the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation which were both years ahead technologically. And the rest is, as they say, history.
If Commodore had released the CD32 with AAA chipset (if that had bern completed in time) and used a 030 with some fast mem, it would probably have lasted a bit longer (and it would have been a console we'd all worship today) however, the industry was changing towards 3d graphics so any console that didnt do 3d graphics well was doomed. Commodore scrapped the almost functional AAA and began work on the Hombre chipset when they too realized this, but alas, by then it was too late....

NovaCoder · 15 March 2015, 10:34

I actually think the CD32 was pretty much spot on for the time. OK the controller was a bit crappy and the small amount of game save storage was a mistake but other than that it was very good for the price point.

It wasn't the hardware that killed the CD32.

eXeler0 · 15 March 2015, 14:41

@NovaCoder Well a console obviously needs good software or its just an expensive door stop or paper press (pick one) ;-)
Honestly i dont see how the CD32 could have survived the PS1 era. Techonlogy wise it was more of a Mega CD competitor than any of the later consoles that came along.
The Saturn is vastly superior to the CD32 and that one wasnt built as a 3d gaming console either from the beginning. (Once SEGA heard the playstation rumours they crammed in a second CPU into the design giving it some headroom but ultimately the design was very complex and expensive to manufacture.. However, the Saturn DID actually have quite decent software support, yet in the end it couldnt quite measure up to the increasingly popular ps1 (while not being a huge failure like the cd32, it was struggling badly against the PS1 once the market got used to 3d gaming).
It is rumoured that if only Commodore could have launched the cd32 in the US and get maybe half a million sales they could have survived and maybe we would have seen a cd64.. but it just wasnt to be.

Retro-Nerd · 15 March 2015, 14:54

Redundant console with a crappy build quality. But i like the CD32 controller design with multi-buttons. WHDLoad games are so much fun with it.

Nibbler · 15 March 2015, 21:56

Yeah, the quality felt really cheap, but the Quality of the Motherboard is pretty good.
In fact, it´s a very reliable Amiga.

View Poll Results: Do you like the Amiga CD32 ?
Yes	59	67.82%
No	16	18.39%
Yes, If Expanded	7	8.05%
For Compilations	5	5.75%
Voters: 87. You may not vote on this poll

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27 February 2015, 12:33	#21
invent pixels Join Date: May 2014 Location: Australia Age: 52 Posts: 476	I liked it when we used it as a interactive kiosk machine for a Toyota demo we were demonstrating. As mentioned by other members it had a cheaper feel about it, never owned one and was happy with my A500, A1200, and then A4000.

28 February 2015, 12:33	#22
Eclipse Turpentine Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kent, United Kingdom Posts: 744	Such a shame when you think about it. How were any other consoles of the time really any better?

15 March 2015, 09:54	#23
eXeler0 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Sweden Age: 50 Posts: 2,946	@Eclipse well, in retrospect, 1993-1994 were very busy years in the videogame industry and really, it was in this period that the market transformed forever by the arrival of the playstation. Anyhoo, when the cd32 came out, I suppose the main competitor was probably the Atari Jaguar which had no CD but was cheaper and it had more powerful graphics and sound (but not cpu). The 3do was way more expensive so it wasnt a direct competitor. But a short year later there was the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation which were both years ahead technologically. And the rest is, as they say, history. If Commodore had released the CD32 with AAA chipset (if that had bern completed in time) and used a 030 with some fast mem, it would probably have lasted a bit longer (and it would have been a console we'd all worship today) however, the industry was changing towards 3d graphics so any console that didnt do 3d graphics well was doomed. Commodore scrapped the almost functional AAA and began work on the Hombre chipset when they too realized this, but alas, by then it was too late....

15 March 2015, 10:34	#24
NovaCoder Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Melbourne/Australia Posts: 4,400	I actually think the CD32 was pretty much spot on for the time. OK the controller was a bit crappy and the small amount of game save storage was a mistake but other than that it was very good for the price point. It wasn't the hardware that killed the CD32.

15 March 2015, 14:41	#25
eXeler0 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Sweden Age: 50 Posts: 2,946	@NovaCoder Well a console obviously needs good software or its just an expensive door stop or paper press (pick one) ;-) Honestly i dont see how the CD32 could have survived the PS1 era. Techonlogy wise it was more of a Mega CD competitor than any of the later consoles that came along. The Saturn is vastly superior to the CD32 and that one wasnt built as a 3d gaming console either from the beginning. (Once SEGA heard the playstation rumours they crammed in a second CPU into the design giving it some headroom but ultimately the design was very complex and expensive to manufacture.. However, the Saturn DID actually have quite decent software support, yet in the end it couldnt quite measure up to the increasingly popular ps1 (while not being a huge failure like the cd32, it was struggling badly against the PS1 once the market got used to 3d gaming). It is rumoured that if only Commodore could have launched the cd32 in the US and get maybe half a million sales they could have survived and maybe we would have seen a cd64.. but it just wasnt to be.

15 March 2015, 14:54	#26
Retro-Nerd Missile Command Champion Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Germany Age: 52 Posts: 12,436	Redundant console with a crappy build quality. But i like the CD32 controller design with multi-buttons. WHDLoad games are so much fun with it.

15 March 2015, 21:56	#27
Nibbler namm namm AMIGA Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Austria Age: 44 Posts: 734	Yeah, the quality felt really cheap, but the Quality of the Motherboard is pretty good. In fact, it´s a very reliable Amiga.

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