AmigaCD32

The AmigaCD32 was the first , and having been placed in a suitable case.

= Technical specifications =

*Motorola Motorola 68020 (68EC020RC16) at 14.3 MHz *2MB Chip RAM *1MB FlashROM with Kickstart ROM 3.1 and integrated cdfs.filesystem *8KB of battery-backed RAM for game saves *Advanced Graphics Architecture Chipset *AmigaOS *Proprietary (MKE) CD-ROM drive at 2x speed *Expansion socket (for accelerator, Hard drive, MPEG cartridge, SX-1 expansion pack) *4 channel stereo sound *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 Motorola 68030 Central processing unit).

These devices make it possible to use a floppy disk, hard disk, IBM PC keyboard and much more with this Amiga. 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 unit, since it didn t fit very well and required an internal modification to fit properly. Knocking the console could well knock the SX-1 loose. The upgraded SX-32 expansion pack (which included a 68030 25MHz processor) solved these problems.

compact discs created for the CD32 conform to ISO 9660 level2, mode1, although the Rock Ridge and Joliet (ISO 9660 Extension) 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 many, but not all, 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 is 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 added on.

However, a large fanbase carried over from the success of other Amiga computers, and several notable titles, such as 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. These displays were produced by Index Information.

=See also=

*Amiga Demos *Amiga Games *