An Amiga CD32 can be turned into a de facto Amiga 1200 via the addition of third-party packages.
Those devices extend 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. The CD32 can be enhanced using these devices: ProModule, Paravision SX-1 and DCE SX-32 (which optionally includes 68030 CPU). Keyboard (6-pin mini-DIN) 2 × Mouse/Gamepad ports (DE9)ġ82-pin expansion socket for official MPEG decoder cartridge or third party devices such as the SX-1 and SX32 expansion packsĪmigaOS 3.1 (Kickstart 3.1 and CD32 firmware) Up to 256 on-screen colors in indexed modeĤ × 8-bit PCM channels (2 stereo channels)ĭouble-speed (300 kB/s) CD-ROM drive (proprietary MKE controller)Īudio out (2 × RCA and 3.5 mm stereo jack) Motorola 68EC020 at 14.32 MHz ( NTSC) or 14.18 MHz ( PAL)ġ kB non-volatile flash memory for game savesĪdditional Akiko chip ( CD-ROM controller and performs chunky to planar graphics conversion)Ģ4-bit color palette (16.8 Million colors) During the brief Amiga CD32 presence in the market, approximately 100,000 units of it were sold in Europe alone. Sales of the CD32 in Europe were not enough to save Commodore, and the bankruptcy of Commodore International in April 1994 caused the CD32 to be discontinued only months after its debut. Ultimately, Commodore was not able to meet demand for new units because of component supply problems. However, the CD32's 68EC020 processor had a 32-bit data bus both internally and externally, while the 386SX in the FM Towns Marty has a 16-bit data bus externally.
Although it was indeed the first such machine released in Europe and North America, the FM Towns Marty, a console released exclusively in Japan, beat it to market by seven months. On its release, the CD32 was marketed by Commodore as 'the world's first 32-bit CD games console'.
During the long bankruptcy proceedings, Commodore UK also provided some hardware components and software for the American market, including production of the MPEG Video Module that was not officially released by Commodore International. However, imported models did come over the border from Canada, and many stores in the United States (primarily mail-order stores) imported units for domestic sale. Commodore declared bankruptcy shortly afterwards, and the CD32 was never officially sold in the United States. Commodore had built up CD32 inventory in their Philippine manufacturing facility for the United States launch, but, being unable to sell the consoles, they remained in the Philippines until the debts owed to the owners of the facility were settled. A federal judge ordered an injunction against Commodore preventing them from importing anything into the United States.
However, a deadline was reached for Commodore to pay a patent royalty to Cad Track for their use of their XOR patent. The CD32 was released in Canada and was planned for release in the United States. The CD32 managed to secure over 38% of the CD-ROM market in the UK. A hardware MPEG decompression module for playing Video CD was also available.
Using 3rd-party devices, it is possible to upgrade the CD32 with keyboard, floppy drive, hard drive and mouse, turning it into a personal computer. The CD32 is based on Commodore's Advanced Graphics Architecture chipset, and is of similar specification to the Amiga 1200 computer. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year. The Amiga CD32, styled "CD 32" (code-named "Spellbound"), was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil.