CompuServe Messages

A group of departed Sega-based programmers are now supposedly writing CD32 software. Why would they leave a supposed powerhouse product like Sega for a suppposed dead duck like CD32? Meanwhile, Nintendo's in trouble of getting utterly swamped in very short order by the new generation of competing TV-ROMs. It has nothing like that in the works, as far as I can tell. I keep saying it over and over: CD32 technology *is* CD-ROM technology for the Amiga. Europe will just see it first because that's C='s No. 1 market. Face it, C= *does* have limited resources. That's why it's smart to focus this product initially in Europe. CDTV did well over there and I'd be surprised if CD32 didn't do better. Next we might expect to say new Amigas from the factory with CD32 drives. Then the only question is whether a CD32 peripheral could be retrofitted to non-AGA Amigas. An extreme optimist might imagine that a CD32 might UPGRADE a pre-AGA Amiga to AGA level. If not (and it seems unlikely), then a lot of Amiga owners wanting an AGA CD-ROM drive are going to have to buy a new Amiga, which will just give them something *else* to complain about! CD32 development has served two purposes: * One, the CD32 debuting in Europe is the obvious basis for the standard CD-ROM support that Amigans crave (those, that is, who have been unwilling to fiddle with existing third-party solutions like Xetec). The Amiga crowd will get its CD32 peripherals when C= has the money and production capacity to divert from CD32 consoles. If the consoles don't sell, that'll be sooner rather than later. So, a purely selfish Amiga owner might hope that the CD32 console fails to ignite the Euro market, because then maybe he'll see the peripheral he craves a few months sooner. Of course, it won't have the same long-term software support that a successful CD32 console would engender. It's the same tactic C= tried with the A570 but it's too easy to see that as a failure. Why did we never get a CDTV peripheral for Amigas other than the A500? Or a DCTV-based CDTV? Because in both cases, C= obviously saw that it was smart to wait for AGA and invest in the better CD32 technology. I think CD32 has every chance of succeeding in Europe, and paying back its R&D costs, meaning we'll likely see a peripheral version in due time. I agree that we can't see it too soon. C='s other evident purpose is to hold onto existing markets while developing new ones in the cheapest possible way. I love Amigas and want the Amiga to stick around, but C= would be dumb if it bet all its resources on supplying the Amiga-only community in the near future. Even Apple isn't betting its future on the Mac alone. C= needs to develop new markets that can help support the existing Amiga community. A rising tide lifts all boats. — Ron Legro, Milwaukee via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)