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SNES Maintainer
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Super Nintendo CD-ROM: The Myth, The Death, and The Legend
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The Ill fated CD-ROM: A great idea by a joint venture by Sony and Nintendo. 16-bit at the start, Sony decided to start making a console that can read and play SNES CD-ROM's. The story is a great and twisted story that will be with us all. |
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The Beginning: |
Started with the manufacture of the SPC700, Sony had made a deal with Nintendo to get into the world of console gaming. Sony also had another great idea: The SNES CD-ROM. SO Sony sent a letter to Nintendo for the making of a crashing defeat of the Sega CD: The SNES CD. Nintendo replyed this letter, and said they could do it, as long as Nintendo gets all profits and has a proprertity format.
Sony started developing this CD-ROM with Nintendo, and then it was announced(but STILL kept locked away tight in-house that even the CIA couldn't see what they were doing :))
Sega had came out with the Sega CD, and response was lukewarm. Sure, many people liked C+C Factory, Make your own Video and Sewer Shark(which is STILL a good game, in my opinion), but nobody wanted to pay extra for the new games. (Incendently, thats ONE of the 3 reasons TG16 and TurboDuo went out of business)
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The Confilcts:
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The SNES CD-ROM was progressing slowly. It was a challenge just to interface with the SLOW CPU(See SNES Hardware In English) and how to get both graphics intertwined. The REAL marvel of Sega was how in the heck the 32x works :). Nintendo just did not want to pay for development when they could just make a NEW console for waiting so long.
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The 16-bit "Playstation:" |
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After a few months, Sony decided to start making a format that can use BOTH the SNES CD-ROM and their console they were building. Nicknamed the "Playstation," it was a SNES CD-ROM console that could read their own format(which the SNES CD couldn't), and the SNES CD-ROM format. It could display the exact same effects, BUT it had a faster CPU(I think a 68020). This CD-Rom was radically better then what Sony was developing for Nintendo. Remember, there is a 16-bit Playstation AND a 32-bit Playstation. |
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The Fallout: |
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Nintendo finally figured out why development was slowing in the SNES CD. Sony was making another console. As selfish Nintendo is sometimes, they cut a deal with Phillips and said to Sony at that years comdex(the first day, they announced the SNES CD-ROM Release date)the very next day. Sony was baffled. What they did was in the contract(It WAS), and they were trying to get into the console biz. So nintendo was now working on a 64-bit system that would be done by 1995(yeah, right :)). Sony still developed the 16-bit PSX, but it was for naught. The console still sits in Sony's office. Another reason of this fallout is the lukewarm reception of Sega' CD add-on. They were set to be great. Then consumers realized: WE CANT PAY $200 for a add-on! |
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The SNES CD Specs |
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16-Bit 68516 Processor (Sony's had a faster one, like a 68020 or a 80386)
A Color pallete of 16.7Mil, displays 32,768 at a time
A 1x(Sony's had a 2x) CD-ROM with 150k transfer rate
Redbook CD-Audio
More intense scaling and Mode 7 effects
650MB Memory(same as ANY cd-player)
A few games, all were AMAZING for its time
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Conclustion: |
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The SNES CD-Rom was a great console attachment, but many fatcors hampered its release: Sony, Sony, and Sony! Sony wanted the profits too, and finally just started developing their own console. (Amazing how ironic THIS is, considering the Playstation is the #1 console in America) |
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Links:
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SNES Hardware In English.
Videogames.com - Look at features for some Information
Nintendo's website
Sony's console Website
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