Subject: REVIEW: Commodore CD32
From: [email-masked] (Gene Ruebsamen)
Date: 1 Jan 1994 19:03:51 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	Amiga CD32

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	32-bit CD console, with AGA Graphics Chipset and an expansion port to
allow for optional 3rd party devices such as MPEG modules, etc.

COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		Commodore Business Machines
	Address:	1200 Wilson Drive
			West Chester, PA 19380
			USA

	Telephone:	(800) 66-AMIGA	[USA; varies for other countries]

LIST PRICE

	$450 (US), I believe.

	I paid $399 (US) from Software Hut, and I got Pinball Fantasies and
Sleepwalker with the system.

SPECIAL HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

	Television or monitor that is able to accept RF, Composite, or
S-Video input.

INSTALLATION

	Installation was quick and painless.  The manual describes the
process in detail.

REVIEW

	The CD32 is a console machine with a top loading CD drive.  It is
32-bit machine with the complete AGA chipset and a double speed CD-ROM
drive.  There is also another chip called "Aikiko" which allows for
instantaneous hardware Chunky-to-Planar conversion.  This chip should allow
game manufactures more ease in porting games from other systems that use a
Chunky pixel display.

	[MODERATOR'S NOTE:  For non-technical readers, this hardware "chunky
	to planar" conversion means faster graphics.  - Dan]

	Loading a CD is easy:  just pull up the lid, place the CD into the
drive, and close the lid.  The CD32 will automatically sense that a new CD
has been placed into the drive and will act accordingly.  If a CDTV or CD32
disc is placed into the drive, the CD32 will start loading the program.  I
have noticed that with the double speed CD drive, games load very quickly.
If a standard audio CD is placed into the drive, a screen displaying a
futuristic CD player will appear, with several controls for playing the
audio CD.  Some of the controls include Shuffle, Repeat, Fast Forward and
Rewind, several different time displays, and a Sample mode which allows you
to audition the first ten seconds of each track in order.

	The controller that comes with the CD32 is very ergonomic and sleek,
and I like the way it looks.  It has 11 buttons:  4 for movement, 4 large
buttons on the right, 2 buttons on the top, and a play button in the
middle.  The layout is similar to that of a Super Nintendo controller;
however, the CD32's appearance is much better I think.

	The graphics of this machine are excellent.  There are three
different video outputs on the CD32:  RF, Composite, and S-Video.  Of the
three, the manual recommends using S-Video or composite for a higher quality
picture.  I have mine hooked up to a big screen television through the
composite input.  The video output seems much better than that of an A520.
Even when using the machine without a CD, the graphics are top notch.  When
the CD32 is started without a CD in the drive, an animation is displayed of
a CD flying through space with 256-colour cycling and orchestra music.  Even
the option screens and the CD player screen are professionally drawn and
take advantage of the 256 colours AGA supports.

	There are two option screens that are accessible from the CD32 logo
screen.  There is a language selection screen which lets you choose your
default language for games.  There are about 36 different languages.  The
other screen is the memory management screen.  This screen allows you to
lock your high scores list or saved games into non-volatile RAM.  There are
100 memory units that can be used; and when they are all used, if a game or
program attempts to access the memory, it will delete the oldest data stored
in memory unless it is locked.

	Playing Audio CD's is simple.  Just load the Audio CD into the drive
and select which tracks to play, or select one of the many other options.
The graphics for this screen are great:  with the 256 colors and color
cycling, it looks very futuristic.

DOCUMENTATION

	The CD32 comes with a short manual that describes the installation
process, special features (such as playing audio CD's and accessing the
special screens), the loading of CD's, etc.  The getting started guide is
quick and to the point, and serves as excellent reference.

LIKES & DISLIKES

	So far, I have yet to find anything that I dislike about the CD32.

BUGS

	None found.

CONCLUSION

	I feel the CD32 is an excellent product.  Even though it hasn't been
released in the US yet, it will be the console with the best
price/performance ratio when it is released.  I give the CD32 nine stars out
of ten.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	Copyright 1993 Gene Ruebsamen.  All rights reserved.

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