What if the CD32 had 1.5MB chip + 0.5MB Fast RAM

[Glen M]

The CD32 should have had 2mb chip and 4mb fast ram, 68030 processor, integral 500mb HDD, AAA chipset blah blah blah....

But then again it didn't and what we have is a consolised A1200 which to be honest is probably the best we could have ever got from commodore considering their position at the time. Its all history though I don't really see the point of these what should it have had threads. OK its nice to dream but we have what we have and to be honest the CD32 is the best Amiga gaming experience out there. Face it Amiga in its heyday with the A500 and the vast majority of games we want to play are A500 games and as such run perfectly well on the CD32 but in its compact form the console fits much better for pure gaming fun. Coupled with the TF328 and WHDLoad its unbeatable for this purpose. Yes it won't play quake, hell it struggles to play doom but that is not the point as those are not amiga games. Don't get me wrong I enjoy pushing the hardware and trying stuff but taking Doom as the example, yes I can just play it on a CD32. Its a bit better on my A1200 (030 40mhz) but then again its perfect on my windows 98 laptop.

Just my opinion folks.

[Hiddenevil]

It think at the time when I bought my CD32, I expected this new 32bit console to be somehow better then my 16bit SNES. Which incidentally could play Doom, though I'm not sure if the cartridge contains any hardware to help make this happen.

If you want to play A500 games, yes it's a great system today. But back when it was released, i think many of us were looking for something more than playing the Amiga 500 back catalog. I know I was, i knew little about the chips inside the CD32, only that it differed slightly from the A1200 (Kiko chip), with additional graphics abilities.

[Leffmann]

Originally Posted by Glen M

The CD32 should have had 2mb chip and 4mb fast ram, 68030 processor, integral 500mb HDD, AAA chipset blah blah blah....

Much of these discussions focus on small changes that would've made a noticable difference, and would've been permissible in terms of engineering and component costs.

F.ex: a real chunky graphics mode instead of the PIO-driven C2P logic in the Akiko, a 32-bit wide blitter or the old 16-bit blitter running at twice the speed to match AGA's faster chip memory, and stereo volume for each audio channel.

The required memory bandwidth and most of the logic was already there, it could've been extended, arbitrated or clocked up, without the need for dozens of engineers working for dozens of months to put hundreds of dollars worth of chips on the motherboard to do it.

[Glen M]

Originally Posted by Hiddenevil

It think at the time when I bought my CD32, I expected this new 32bit console to be somehow better then my 16bit SNES. Which incidentally could play Doom, though I'm not sure if the cartridge contains any hardware to help make this happen.

If you want to play A500 games, yes it's a great system today. But back when it was released, i think many of us were looking for something more than playing the Amiga 500 back catalog. I know I was, i knew little about the chips inside the CD32, only that it differed slightly from the A1200 (Kiko chip), with additional graphics abilities.

Totally agree. I got my cd32 on Christmas morning and was pretty much gutted as it offered nothing my A1200 sitting beside it couldn't do but looking back at it now I see little point in arguing the what ifs compared to celebrating and making the most of what we have.

Doom on the SNES used the FX2 chip within the cartridge.

[Glen M]

Originally Posted by Leffmann

Much of these discussions focus on small changes that would've made a noticable difference, and would've been permissible in terms of engineering and component costs.

F.ex: a real chunky graphics mode instead of the PIO-driven C2P logic in the Akiko, a 32-bit wide blitter or the old 16-bit blitter running at twice the speed to match AGA's faster chip memory, and stereo volume for each audio channel.

The required memory bandwidth and most of the logic was already there, it could've been extended, arbitrated or clocked up, without the need for dozens of engineers working for dozens of months to put hundreds of dollars worth of chips on the motherboard to do it.

Fair point but I would suggest commodore didn't have the money to even do that. It still would of required a re-developement of the AGA chipset though and considering they developed the A1200 CD addon along side the CD32 it suggests the plan was always to make the two systems the same specification. Your logic is sound but it needs to go back a few years to the development of AGA in general rather than the development of the CD32

[gjb1985]

the irony is that the cd32 was the most useless console in it's day yet today with all the new aditions like whdload, compilation discs that support the extra fast ram. it's one of the best retro gaming systems.

[Amigajay]

Its all a bit pointless as been mentioned saying it should have had this and that, if the A1200 didnt have it then the CD32 was never going to.

Plus a bit unfair calling the CD32 the most useless console, imo that was the Jaguar or 3DO, the CD32 at least had full computer expansion capabilities after the CD32 games dried up, to give it many uses as well as games unlike those aforementioned machines.

[idrougge]

Originally Posted by gjb1985

the irony is that the cd32 was the most useless console in it's day yet today with all the new aditions like whdload, compilation discs that support the extra fast ram. it's one of the best retro gaming systems.

Compared to a SNES or Megadrive with an Everdrive that costs even less than a CD32 RAM expansion?

[Hiddenevil]

The one thing the CD32 can do that they can't, is play Amiga games :-) I think that is its lagacy.

[gjb1985]

Originally Posted by idrougge

Compared to a SNES or Megadrive with an Everdrive that costs even less than a CD32 RAM expansion?

I said one of the best. not the best. although I do think the amiga is much better than the snes. not the megadrive/sega cd though.

[kolla]

The CD32 could have been much more if it was given a bit more time. It had the expansion slot (for which there officially was only the FMV module), it could have ended up being used for much more.