Sounds like a personal problem, which itself is also why history can be boring; it is too often condensed to the deeds of great men, when social movements and how we got to when we are are infinitely more interesting (and you don't get stuck up on dates...)
LMAO if only. Remember the Dutch East India company? Yea an extremely evil entity. Also the colonisation of South Africa. That is just a drop in the bucket.
I just recently discovered your UA-cam page and have been going through your console history videos. I must say that you are very, very concise and easy to follow. Thank you for all the information and presenting it in a fun and entertaining way
One of the reasons CD-i is fairly easy to find in europe is because many if not all driver's eds had one. The concept of interactive pics, video, along with voiceovers was just a perfect fit.
The story of, essentially the birth of the PlayStation never gets old. I always want to find out more about what happened, although I think this time you pretty much covered all the aspects of it.
Hi adam im glad you fleshed out more details ahout the phillips, sony and nintendo debacle. I never knew that the 3 companies made a meeting at one point. Thanks for sharing with all of us adam! Can't wait for your next video!!!
I like your version of the story about Nintendo, Sony, and Philips in regards to the making of the Super NES PlayStation add-on than most of the other people as yours makes more sense.
15:35 That's actually identical to a Gravis PC controller. For all but the DIN style cable output. Gravis was hired by Philips to make them with the CD-i branding. There was another controller released after this one as well.
+Adam Koralik the Halcyon was the very first disc based console ever made, which was released in 1985. It used to cost around $2500 at the time, and that console was miles ahead of its time.
Hi Adam, the reason Magnavox made one is rather simple: Magnavox is Philips: "In 1974, the Magnavox Company was acquired by Philips, and all Philips consumer electronics in the US under the Norelco name began rebranding them under the Magnavox name; Philips acquired the similar-sounding company Philco in 1981, and Philips was able to freely use the Philips name, alternating with the Magnavox name for some electronics, with the personal care business continuing to use the Norelco name."
videogameobsession Whaaaa I never knew that! How did that come about? They were direct competitors. Perhaps it was because of their cooperation regarding CD-formats?
ApemanMonkey Philips hoped to have CD-i become the next big format, such as was true with VHS and Compact Disc at the time, so they would license it out to any willing companies at in a similar fashion. There were also some TV's built by RCA I believe, though they might not have made it out to the public, which had built-in CD-i player tech. I remember seeing them while I worked at Philips. I wanted one for myself. :P These were often used as kiosks for various businesses. Also, something else some people don't realize, the CD-i (White Book) format, and even the system were actually finalized in late 1987. That was a big mistake since it would be 3+ years before it hit the market. Way too long for technology to sit around! Had it been developed after the Sega Genesis was released they surely would have added more video RAM.
Wow I always assumed Nintendo was the bad guy in that Story because I only heard the last part of it. I had heard Sony and Nintendo made an agreement and Nintendo randomly backed out. I didn't know that Sony would have gotten all the money.
JacobRockz100 Well it was Nintendo's own fault when they closed the deal. And very low of them to go to the competition. Sony also worked with Sega, to get back at Nintendo, and they say the Playstation has actually Sega / Nintendo software combined.
They were a component in the death of Sega as console makers but many great have came from Sony. I sure with the Dreamcast survived and that there was a Dreamcast 2. I'm pretty sure most of the people that watch Adam feel the same way though.
Nice job! I've really enjoyed your retrospective series, I hope you keep going! It would be cool to see some in-game footage of the rarer games every once in a while too.
There was a great platformer on CD-i called The Apprentice that I used to play all the time check it out it looked amazing almost like Rayman before Rayman was a game, super colorful. Also Burn cycle was one of the best sci fi mystery games with very good fmv and music
Thanks for bringing back the memories of this console. The only game I remember playing and loving for my CD-I was a game called burn cycle. If you can find it I think you would enjoy it very much.
Playstation and Xbox, I'm Philips cd-I and I am your father. This thing was ahead of its time. Stop the hate people and love it for its technological break through. Greetings from Namibia.
@0:19 was lucky to own most of those consoles with both sides of my families, was a fun year to be a kid imo, sure love those memories picking up some games for those consoles
I just want to add that I love these generation retrospective videos and would definitely love to see it continue with the third generation. I grew up originally on the NES but I don't know much about the Sega Master System or anything else that may have been out at the time.
Hey! I noticed that game pad looked exactly like my first game pad for PC (but in white). So I looked it up and found the company that made that controller (Gravis) also made the controller for the CD-i! Very interesting! 🤓
Always thought it was part of the 5th Gen, as like most 5th Gen consoles it was able to run the point and click game Myst which was quite impressive for the time. Great video 👍👍
My brother in law has one. Best memories: Seeing digital photography software for the first time Playing Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit with the whole family Watching my nephew play Sesame Street games with a giant kid controller Playing 7th Guest, INCA, Lil Devil, World Class Soccer, Dragon's Lair, Escape from Cyber City and more... Worst memory? Renting Wand of Gamelon. Honestly, it was a pretty cool piece of hardware, managed like poop.
I have the model 350 portable CD-i with the digital video dock . Its a beast and makes the sega nomad look like a game boy micro. Its pretty bad ass. It has a ntsc/pal switch, composite vidoe in/out and rgb out port. There were 4 different cdi portables. the 330(no screen and a 3.5 inch floppy). the 350(with a flip up 5.5 inch screen) the 360( same as 350 with a higher quality screen) and the 370 with a rechargeable battery and built in digital video cartridge. The previous models required a digital video dock to play the games that required it.
Dude nice job! Cant wait to see the last part of the series! And idk why but for some reason the CDI reminds me of the PS3 and xbone being an all purpose console o.o
Adam, I have that same gamepad-style controller for my early 486 PC, but it was cream color with different color buttons and released as the Gravis Gamepad.
Great video! I got stuck with a CDI 450 Christmas 1994 and at the time (aged 10) thought it was amazing! I had Micro Machines, two Zelda games (not the rare one), Hotel Mario, Little Divil and The Apprentice (Which was my favourite).
AdamKoralik Yeah me and my sister played it to death! Two players could simultaneously use the gamepad to steer, one using the d-pad and the other using the buttons. It featured 3D intros and CD music but the frame rate was terrible! I had lemmings too which from what I remember had quite a good soundtrack that I think was unique to the CDI version.
I owned the Philips CD-i 205 model back in the day, it was an primarily an entertainment system for the family living room and the earlier versions were definitely not marketed as a console. I quite enjoyed playing it and at the time the graphics were far ahead of the popular machines at the time. A handful of games were good but it suffered from poor marketing and the trap a lot of CD games fell into on various systems then of long FMV sequences with usually ( but not always) poor game behind them. The price point of the early models was far to high to market it for games only, the later console style version was far to little to late. I knew a few people who owned one in the UK but you got the games in your local Philips dealer or electrical store, I never saw them in games stores. Worth noting that the hand control you have came with a small joystick that screwed into the middle of the pad if you wanted to.
I actually found one complete in box today while searching for stuff in a second hand store during my lunch break. It only cost around 100 euros, so I had to buy it. When I came home later today, I opened it up, and to my surprise, everything was as good as new. It was a CD-i 450 btw.
While I'm enjoying your retro series it would be nice to know the specs of the system and how it stood up to the other systems of it's day. Whether the machine boasted any advantages over their competition.
MarsGundam That's something to be saved for hardware reviews. These are really more of a discussion about the history of the consoles and what my experience with them was.
My uncle bought one of these for his daughter back in the day. He actually bought it s from a door-to-door salesman. It had all the accessories to do all kinds of things, including this weird controller that kinda looked like an arcade type of gaming pad but with a roller ball for bowling and golfing games.
The digital Video Cartridge didn't come out until a couple of years after the launch of the CD-i. I used to review and beta test new hardware and CD-i titles for PIMA and have 2 beta units as well as a few final DVCs. Video CD was a neat format, but the 74 minute video limit hurt it, as well as the MPEG-1 codec, which yielded video quality which at it's best was close to LaserDisc, and at it's worst was below VHS, with it's blocky video, usually during fast action scene which requires higher bit rates. Had they been able to get the video length up to 100 minutes, to fit most movies or the time, it may have been a huge success. People didn't like the idea of changing discs mid movie. It was the same with LD. SVCD actually looked incredible for the time. It had double the resolution, but at half the play time (35 minutes). It looked like DVD quality (480p). I ended up buying a Pioneer Elite 5 disc carousel so I could load 3 disc SVCD movies. LOTR took 5.
I live in a town that had a Magnavox store and saw THOUSANDS of these things locally with walls of "games". had all the consoles, addons, controllers, and EVERY disc. sold the entire collection for 300 bucks thinking it wasn't that big of a deal considering I had less in it all due to discounts from having family as a plant manager for Phillips/Magnavox. Have regretted selling it for years.
I actually got mine in 1990. :) I bought the store kiosk from a local Lechmere store in December 1990. The person ringing it up thought it was just a CD player and sold it as "used stereo equipment". I ended up buying a $799.99 CD-i 910 machine for $399.
My dentist's office in Reidsville NC had one of these as recently as 2013. They used it with one of their little mini-cameras as a way of looking deep into the patient's mouth and had it hooked up to a monitor and had some kind of software that would take stills from the camera which would display on the monitor. Yet another example of a game console being usd for dentistry.
I have an uncle who had bought it 20+ years ago. In Europe it was never advertised or promoted as a video game console. It was mostly promoted as an "interactive multimedia" TV experience. It wasn't cheap either.
I bought the CD-I back in late 1990. As long as you weren't expecting a video game console (Philips never originally marketed it as such) then you were probably happy with it. It's basically what you would buy if you wanted a PC CD-Rom and content on your living room TV. I paid over $800 for it and got my money's worth out of it, as well as a job with PIMA (Philips Media). ;) I had all of our photos developed on Kodak Photo-CD and it was great to see them displayed on a TV screen. The 910 is my favorite model and its built like a tank. Escape from Cyber-City is based on a Laser Disc game called Freedom Fighers, which in turn is based on Galaxy 999 anime. Some of the better games would be The Apprentice (this game actually looks and sounds better than most SNES games). Burn Cycle, The 7th Guest, Dragon's Lair 1 & 2 (best ports until the DVD-Video releases by Digital Leisure. There are many more, but I'm betting most people couldn't care less. :P
Great video Adam! The history behind the CD-i is really interesting. Honestly, I think the worst thing about it is the size, and how much they cost on Ebay (which is pretty much the only place where I can find one). Apparently they're easier to find and cheaper in Europe, because Philips is a Dutch company. There were even models made for presentations, and one has zip disk drive!
I remember having a controller exactly like the "SNES" controller you showed. I never had a CI-i, but the controller was for a PC. It was the same exact shape, but it had colours similar to the Super Famicom controller if my memory is correct. The d-pad had a slot to screw in a mini-joystick.
I remember playing CD-i at Service Merchandise. I think all Service Merchandise stores had CD-i kiosks when I was little. Still have yet to play Neo Geo, Jaguar, or 3D0 but I played CD-i a bunch when I was little.
The CDi as a CD player is probably one of the best purchases you could make back in the day. One thing you didn’t mention is that the CDi did things that other CD players didn’t do. For example some cd albums had a track that was essentially a music video that would play in the CDi.
I have a cdi with a game called flashback that i really like. They remade it on ps4 aswell, but i always had to play it with that remote controller which was very hard to do , i have more games too but its all in a box on the attic..
That controller is built exactly like the Gravis Gamepad I had when I had my Macintosh Performa 6200CD way back when. The button and dpad layout, shape, opposing contours, even the toggle switch by the cable are the same. I think I can see a screw hole in the dpad of the CD-I controller to add a little thumbstick. The only difference is the Gravis Gamepad was white with a blue dpad and each face button were each a different color.
Am I the only person who believes that the Zelda Cdi games don't deserve so much hate? I will admit, the cutscenes were a little goofy, but they were impressive for their time, remember this was 1993-94. Seeing animated cutscenes at that time would be mind blowing. The music was awesome and upbeat, and the graphics are full of color.
About 2 weeks ago me and a friend walked into a goodwill. Browsing the CD section and what do I see a CDi game!? I was literally in shock, you don't see that everyday. So I'm like shit I gotta keep looking. Another, and another, and another. Found 10 CDi games. Nothing special, but I'm amazed I even found them. Haven't found a single TG16 game, yet I find 10 CDi games. Game collecting is a mysterious mistress.
I remember seeing the adverts then seeing it in the shops at the age of about 9. All that sticks in my mind was the price was some astronomical figure my young mind couldn't process.
Also, the CDi does have a platformer, and actually a very good one at that, i have it. It's called The Apprentice, and it's an exclusive. I'd say in fact that it's probably the best game on the console.
Funny that gamepad is rare since it's just a Gravis gamepad which themselves are common as dirt, must be a way to change the plugs around and just paint them dark grey so all CD-i owners could have one. Tough system to love, I'm thinking about collecting the software first and then getting a machine after. Bit like Wii game collecting in that I don't even want the shovelware cluttering my shelves no matter how cheap they are since I'm not going to play them.
15:10 Adam you're killing me - Philips owns Magnavox (and has since 1974). CD-i players bearing a Magnavox nameplate were not the result of a licensing deal, just a strategic decision by parent company Philips for the American market. You're right that other companies did release CD-i players, including LG/Goldstar (some of those players were also distributed by DVS). The gamepad was licensed by Gravis and manufactured by Logitech. Note it looks just like a Gravis PC gamepad, one of the best selling gamepads of all time. Not really an SNES ripoff. There are more platformers than Hotel Mario (which isn't even a true platformer), with others including The Apprentice, Christmas Crisis and Christmas Country...the long box format (Tetris) was the original box method in the US market before the switched to jewel cases as a cost-cutting measure...most people consider Zelda's Adventure, the title you have, as the worst of the three CD-i Zeldas (not the best, as you have stated)...Still a solid video, but you could've done a little more research first ;)
AdiSneakerFreak he covered it in the 1st video i think and he stated its more of a pc type system than a games console he even said it in this video if you had watched it all
AdiSneakerFreak It was even less of a video game console than the CDi. I think all the games were educational ones. But nevertheless, it is considered part of the generation.
CDTV was based on A500 architecture (not PC type), the fact is that the CDTV was a direct competitor to the CDi, hell it even looked almost the same. It was a DIRECT competitor, I was there and seen them side by side in electronics stores in 91 and 92. So it has to be included. I wouldn't say it was less of a console than the CDi, in fact it was more so, it had games like Lemmings, Turrican 2, Body Blows, Xenon 2 etc.. so more 'real' games than the CDi (many of which taken from the Amiga's rich games library). Anyway great debate guys, Adam's channel is great for encouraging this type of thing (PS. Andrew Mckenzie CDTV was not mentioned by Adam in this video) :)
The second model (the one that actually looks like a game console), is capable of playing Little Devil and all the other games that require that cartridge. When you open the CD top loader, to the left, that piece of plastic should come off, reveling the cartridge. All the renditions of the CD-i of proprietary cartridges to each specific model.
Hotsex spy Mine's never had any problems, and I couldn't find anything regarding that. But who knows, this is the only CD-i I have and I have like, three games for it (one of which is Hotel Mario).
The game pad you "Say" looks like a SNES controller is actually "identical" to a Gravis PC game pad I bought in very early 90's that came bundled with Commander Keen!!!
I bought a house and they left one of these with 4 games and the weird TV looking controller with a twist nob. No cables does anyone know what cords I need?
@AdamKoralik I can't believe YOU responded, lol, so cool. It's a CDI220/37 25452 manufactured in may 1993. This console in the house got me collecting. I have 25 systems now. So glad I found your channel.
@AdamKoralik idk what that means lol. I tried asking the different shifts at my local game store. They were kinda bully(ish)/condescending they acted the same when I asked if they sold a power cable for my NES. I guess I'm supposed to buy this stuff online idk. Thank you for responding, pretty cool.
Would you like to do a video where you talk about Sony's impact on the video game market? I think you had mentioned doing that in the past but was wondering if that was even still in the question (I would love for you to do this).
You can add a digital video cartridge on the Cd-i 410 model (on the left side) but it's a different cartridge which is harder to find loose. There are more platformers too: The Apprentice, Lucky Luke, Christmas Crisis and Christmas Country. I don't know if all of these games were released in Europe though. There seems to be a Japan-only Cd-i title (Mahjong) so that would mean the Cd-i was released there.
ive been having trouble remembering this very old game from the 90s and cant remember the name but i do remember the starting part when the main character wakes up and then goes on a journy and gains the power to run fast and has red hair
Gravis actually designed that pad for Philips, but they removed their logo and had it replaced with the Philips logo as per their deal. Other than that, and the color scheme, it's identical. ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71J1HR8ACGL.gif I think I might still have an early Philips CD-i pad with the Gravis SFC color scheme.
You're like a history teacher that teaches history that I actually care about.
I love your avatar pic
Sounds like a personal problem, which itself is also why history can be boring; it is too often condensed to the deeds of great men, when social movements and how we got to when we are are infinitely more interesting (and you don't get stuck up on dates...)
Dave Graham Thanks!
Dave Graham so Mario takes America is basically the new super Mario space odessy
Adam Koralik Adam.... C'mon man, what are you doing with this video dude?! You made my erection vomit WILDLY man!!
On behalf of everybody in the Netherlands, we are sorry for the Philips CD I. Every nation has his dark history, this is ours.
LMAO if only. Remember the Dutch East India company? Yea an extremely evil entity. Also the colonisation of South Africa. That is just a drop in the bucket.
Nederlands, love that place! I'd move to Almere in a heartbeat if I could... probably will if we have kiddos!
@@WayneStark626 cry baby, continue to cry like a little bitch
could have been worse. Could have made the Atari Jaguar.
@@GiordanDiodato CD-i is worse, the games are just wretched. Jaguar, more like 'not quite great enough' but CDi games are painful.
I just recently discovered your UA-cam page and have been going through your console history videos. I must say that you are very, very concise and easy to follow. Thank you for all the information and presenting it in a fun and entertaining way
Thanks for watching!
One of the reasons CD-i is fairly easy to find in europe is because many if not all driver's eds had one. The concept of interactive pics, video, along with voiceovers was just a perfect fit.
"They intended for it to be an all in one living room device" so what you're saying is it was the Xbox One of 91?
zachmanrulez In a sense, yeah.
AdamKoralik Or an early stab at what we call smart TVs today.
kind of except the xbox one isn't a piece of garbage
More like the Playstation 3 of video game consoles in 1991
So basically the CDI was just another VCR/ DVD player.
The story of, essentially the birth of the PlayStation never gets old. I always want to find out more about what happened, although I think this time you pretty much covered all the aspects of it.
llpalm08 Nah, there's definitely people who have done better justice to it. I'm just operating off of memory.
Hi adam im glad you fleshed out more details ahout the phillips, sony and nintendo debacle. I never knew that the 3 companies made a meeting at one point. Thanks for sharing with all of us adam! Can't wait for your next video!!!
in16293 Thanks for watching!
The CD-I is worth it just for The Flowers of Robert Mapplethorpe.
How good is that ?
Is this even a game?
@@Anonymous-oh4xw it was just a picture showcase, literally just a sideshow of the pictures of flowers by Robert Mapplethorpe
@@LegitMan335It’s the beat game that there ever was.
I like your version of the story about Nintendo, Sony, and Philips in regards to the making of the Super NES PlayStation add-on than most of the other people as yours makes more sense.
15:35 That's actually identical to a Gravis PC controller. For all but the DIN style cable output. Gravis was hired by Philips to make them with the CD-i branding. There was another controller released after this one as well.
+Adam Koralik the Halcyon was the very first disc based console ever made, which was released in 1985. It used to cost around $2500 at the time, and that console was miles ahead of its time.
Hi Adam, the reason Magnavox made one is rather simple: Magnavox is Philips:
"In 1974, the Magnavox Company was acquired by Philips, and all Philips consumer electronics in the US under the Norelco name began rebranding them under the Magnavox name; Philips acquired the similar-sounding company Philco in 1981, and Philips was able to freely use the Philips name, alternating with the Magnavox name for some electronics, with the personal care business continuing to use the Norelco name."
ApemanMonkey Sony also made CD-i systems as well. One, my favorite, is a portable with LCD screen on a fliptop.
videogameobsession Whaaaa I never knew that! How did that come about? They were direct competitors. Perhaps it was because of their cooperation regarding CD-formats?
ApemanMonkey Philips hoped to have CD-i become the next big format, such as was true with VHS and Compact Disc at the time, so they would license it out to any willing companies at in a similar fashion.
There were also some TV's built by RCA I believe, though they might not have made it out to the public, which had built-in CD-i player tech. I remember seeing them while I worked at Philips. I wanted one for myself. :P These were often used as kiosks for various businesses.
Also, something else some people don't realize, the CD-i (White Book) format, and even the system were actually finalized in late 1987. That was a big mistake since it would be 3+ years before it hit the market. Way too long for technology to sit around! Had it been developed after the Sega Genesis was released they surely would have added more video RAM.
ApemanMonkey so that means that the magnavox odyssey 2 was released by philips?
In case you are still wondering after two years: yes it was. It is called the Philips G7000. I still own one.
Wow I always assumed Nintendo was the bad guy in that Story because I only heard the last part of it. I had heard Sony and Nintendo made an agreement and Nintendo randomly backed out. I didn't know that Sony would have gotten all the money.
JacobRockz100 Well it was Nintendo's own fault when they closed the deal. And very low of them to go to the competition. Sony also worked with Sega, to get back at Nintendo, and they say the Playstation has actually Sega / Nintendo software combined.
SuperHns
Yeah both companies did some bad things but it is all part of the business. I'm still glad that Sony made their own consoles.
JacobRockz100 Yes and no I love the PS1 and PS2, but I think they kind of "ruined" the pure GAMING console market?
They were a component in the death of Sega as console makers but many great have came from Sony. I sure with the Dreamcast survived and that there was a Dreamcast 2. I'm pretty sure most of the people that watch Adam feel the same way though.
Well basically you could argue, that the first Xbox took over from the DreamCast.
Thanks Ronald! From 2022 and friends!!
Thanks Ronald! And thanks Adam for the great videos. Always fascinating.
poopiedeloopie
There’s another CD-i controller which is similar to a Genesis 3-Button Controllers
Knowing that the CD-I was an all in one media platform, it can kinda be seen as a precursor to the 7th and 8th gen consoles.
Great video! Even without the RGB mod, another advantage the bigger CD-I model has is outputting S-Video natively which the smaller one doesn't.
just stumbled on your videos because of the Neo Geo... videos are awesome
+John Matrix Thanks!
Adam Koralik me too
Nice job! I've really enjoyed your retrospective series, I hope you keep going! It would be cool to see some in-game footage of the rarer games every once in a while too.
There was a great platformer on CD-i called The Apprentice that I used to play all the time check it out it looked amazing almost like Rayman before Rayman was a game, super colorful. Also Burn cycle was one of the best sci fi mystery games with very good fmv and music
Thanks for bringing back the memories of this console. The only game I remember playing and loving for my CD-I was a game called burn cycle. If you can find it I think you would enjoy it very much.
I just want to say good job on the series I can tell you put a lot of hard work into these videos and keep up the good work man
Andrew Whitaker Thanks!
The story about a 3rd game being located in my home city of Ottawa, canada intrigues me!!
Great video. The Magnavox also has a digital video cartridge input slot; making it my favorite model for its compact design and easy to repair.
I recently found your channel and I have watched all your videos and really enjoy them. Lots of info thanks for doing them.
Shane Crider Thanks for watching!
you are welcome sir
Playstation and Xbox, I'm Philips cd-I and I am your father. This thing was ahead of its time. Stop the hate people and love it for its technological break through. Greetings from Namibia.
Hi Adam, just watched all your 4th Gen videos, really like them all, awesome vids.
Francis Moon Thanks!
Thank you Ronald for sending it thank you for the practical passion you have for gaming Adam
Wasn't expecting to hear Robert Mapplethorpe mentioned in a video on a Philips CD-i LOL
Hey, I heard you say in a comment that not many have asked for a series over the 3rd gen, and I just wanted to say that I personally would love that.
SondoSoft Appreciated.
Hey! Are you going to make a Generation Recap of handheld consoles?
HeroesOfTime Maybe eventually.
AdamKoralik PLEEEEASE that would be amazing.
AdamKoralik It would be pretty cool seeing as how the handhelds have grown over the years.
AdamKoralik if you do can you include the neo geo pocket /pocket color
Great video Adam! I enjoyed hearing about the history of this console, very detailed! Man I wish I can eventually own a copy of Zelda's Adventure.
Thanks for watching!
+AdamKoralik You're welcome :-)
Great Explanation. I like how you explain the market and relate it back to today and explain about the history.
+Jasper Greenhill Thanks for watching!
@0:19 was lucky to own most of those consoles with both sides of my families, was a fun year to be a kid imo, sure love those memories picking up some games for those consoles
Not a better feeling than seeing a new Adam retrospect!
caloricfoil98 Thanks.
I just want to add that I love these generation retrospective videos and would definitely love to see it continue with the third generation. I grew up originally on the NES but I don't know much about the Sega Master System or anything else that may have been out at the time.
Motorheadache95 Thanks for watching!
Hey! I noticed that game pad looked exactly like my first game pad for PC (but in white). So I looked it up and found the company that made that controller (Gravis) also made the controller for the CD-i! Very interesting! 🤓
Always thought it was part of the 5th Gen, as like most 5th Gen consoles it was able to run the point and click game Myst which was quite impressive for the time.
Great video 👍👍
My brother in law has one.
Best memories:
Seeing digital photography software for the first time
Playing Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit with the whole family
Watching my nephew play Sesame Street games with a giant kid controller
Playing 7th Guest, INCA, Lil Devil, World Class Soccer, Dragon's Lair, Escape from Cyber City and more...
Worst memory? Renting Wand of Gamelon.
Honestly, it was a pretty cool piece of hardware, managed like poop.
I have the model 350 portable CD-i with the digital video dock . Its a beast and makes the sega nomad look like a game boy micro. Its pretty bad ass. It has a ntsc/pal switch, composite vidoe in/out and rgb out port. There were 4 different cdi portables. the 330(no screen and a 3.5 inch floppy). the 350(with a flip up 5.5 inch screen) the 360( same as 350 with a higher quality screen) and the 370 with a rechargeable battery and built in digital video cartridge. The previous models required a digital video dock to play the games that required it.
buen video adam, estoy ansioso por ver el resto de la serie, saludos!
Managed to grab one with the digital video cartdrige and the regular gamepad. I've been having more fun with it than i expected!
Dude, i always learn from your videos! Thanks for passing the knowledge and insight.
T Mirksy Thanks for watching!
Dude nice job! Cant wait to see the last part of the series! And idk why but for some reason the CDI reminds me of the PS3 and xbone being an all purpose console o.o
Riiku139 Thanks!
Really love these series adam!!
xGeneticzz97 Thanks!
Adam looking mad good in this on
Adam, I have that same gamepad-style controller for my early 486 PC, but it was cream color with different color buttons and released as the Gravis Gamepad.
This guy in Austria that sended the console for free so you could create the video for us properly, this guy kept my hope in humanity
Wow, now i know more parts of that history... Thanks for the video, very good one!
izumi937 Thanks for watching!
Great video! I got stuck with a CDI 450 Christmas 1994 and at the time (aged 10) thought it was amazing! I had Micro Machines, two Zelda games (not the rare one), Hotel Mario, Little Divil and The Apprentice (Which was my favourite).
John Downie There was a Micro Machines game?
AdamKoralik Yeah me and my sister played it to death! Two players could simultaneously use the gamepad to steer, one using the d-pad and the other using the buttons. It featured 3D intros and CD music but the frame rate was terrible! I had lemmings too which from what I remember had quite a good soundtrack that I think was unique to the CDI version.
I owned the Philips CD-i 205 model back in the day, it was an primarily an entertainment system for the family living room and the earlier versions were definitely not marketed as a console. I quite enjoyed playing it and at the time the graphics were far ahead of the popular machines at the time. A handful of games were good but it suffered from poor marketing and the trap a lot of CD games fell into on various systems then of long FMV sequences with usually ( but not always) poor game behind them. The price point of the early models was far to high to market it for games only, the later console style version was far to little to late. I knew a few people who owned one in the UK but you got the games in your local Philips dealer or electrical store, I never saw them in games stores.
Worth noting that the hand control you have came with a small joystick that screwed into the middle of the pad if you wanted to.
When you opened your long box Tetris, inside above the game, what was that rectangular piece? Decoration?
Douglas Ray III Yeah, it's a piece of paper clipped in by some plastic. It says "welcome to the world of CD-i."
I actually found one complete in box today while searching for stuff in a second hand store during my lunch break. It only cost around
100 euros, so I had to buy it. When I came home later today, I opened it up, and to my surprise, everything was as good as new. It was a CD-i 450 btw.
While I'm enjoying your retro series it would be nice to know the specs of the system and how it stood up to the other systems of it's day. Whether the machine boasted any advantages over their competition.
MarsGundam That's something to be saved for hardware reviews. These are really more of a discussion about the history of the consoles and what my experience with them was.
AdamKoralik
Oh okay cool.
My uncle bought one of these for his daughter back in the day. He actually bought it s from a door-to-door salesman. It had all the accessories to do all kinds of things, including this weird controller that kinda looked like an arcade type of gaming pad but with a roller ball for bowling and golfing games.
The digital Video Cartridge didn't come out until a couple of years after the launch of the CD-i. I used to review and beta test new hardware and CD-i titles for PIMA and have 2 beta units as well as a few final DVCs. Video CD was a neat format, but the 74 minute video limit hurt it, as well as the MPEG-1 codec, which yielded video quality which at it's best was close to LaserDisc, and at it's worst was below VHS, with it's blocky video, usually during fast action scene which requires higher bit rates.
Had they been able to get the video length up to 100 minutes, to fit most movies or the time, it may have been a huge success. People didn't like the idea of changing discs mid movie. It was the same with LD.
SVCD actually looked incredible for the time. It had double the resolution, but at half the play time (35 minutes). It looked like DVD quality (480p). I ended up buying a Pioneer Elite 5 disc carousel so I could load 3 disc SVCD movies. LOTR took 5.
I live in a town that had a Magnavox store and saw THOUSANDS of these things locally with walls of "games". had all the consoles, addons, controllers, and EVERY disc. sold the entire collection for 300 bucks thinking it wasn't that big of a deal considering I had less in it all due to discounts from having family as a plant manager for Phillips/Magnavox. Have regretted selling it for years.
I actually got mine in 1990. :) I bought the store kiosk from a local Lechmere store in December 1990. The person ringing it up thought it was just a CD player and sold it as "used stereo equipment". I ended up buying a $799.99 CD-i 910 machine for $399.
These recaps made me subscribe your channel, just awesome!
Adrian Moj Thanks!
My dentist's office in Reidsville NC had one of these as recently as 2013. They used it with one of their little mini-cameras as a way of looking deep into the patient's mouth and had it hooked up to a monitor and had some kind of software that would take stills from the camera which would display on the monitor. Yet another example of a game console being usd for dentistry.
I have an uncle who had bought it 20+ years ago. In Europe it was never advertised or promoted as a video game console. It was mostly promoted as an "interactive multimedia" TV experience. It wasn't cheap either.
I bought the CD-I back in late 1990. As long as you weren't expecting a video game console (Philips never originally marketed it as such) then you were probably happy with it. It's basically what you would buy if you wanted a PC CD-Rom and content on your living room TV. I paid over $800 for it and got my money's worth out of it, as well as a job with PIMA (Philips Media). ;)
I had all of our photos developed on Kodak Photo-CD and it was great to see them displayed on a TV screen. The 910 is my favorite model and its built like a tank.
Escape from Cyber-City is based on a Laser Disc game called Freedom Fighers, which in turn is based on Galaxy 999 anime. Some of the better games would be The Apprentice (this game actually looks and sounds better than most SNES games). Burn Cycle, The 7th Guest, Dragon's Lair 1 & 2 (best ports until the DVD-Video releases by Digital Leisure. There are many more, but I'm betting most people couldn't care less. :P
Great video Adam! The history behind the CD-i is really interesting. Honestly, I think the worst thing about it is the size, and how much they cost on Ebay (which is pretty much the only place where I can find one). Apparently they're easier to find and cheaper in Europe, because Philips is a Dutch company. There were even models made for presentations, and one has zip disk drive!
David Halligan Thanks for watching!
I hope one day to get that Mario game as i live in Canada i just need to see how much i can easily upload it if it’s not uploaded
I remember having a controller exactly like the "SNES" controller you showed. I never had a CI-i, but the controller was for a PC. It was the same exact shape, but it had colours similar to the Super Famicom controller if my memory is correct. The d-pad had a slot to screw in a mini-joystick.
The Gravis Gamepad. I had a white one for PC back in the day.
this was a interesting video to watch. great upload!
+HIP HOP Thanks for watching!
I remember the CD-i infomercials that played all day for over a year.
I remember playing CD-i at Service Merchandise. I think all Service Merchandise stores had CD-i kiosks when I was little.
Still have yet to play Neo Geo, Jaguar, or 3D0 but I played CD-i a bunch when I was little.
Remember playing with one in a high end electronic store in 92'. Compared to the Megadrive I had at home the CD-i was painful to use.
The CDi as a CD player is probably one of the best purchases you could make back in the day. One thing you didn’t mention is that the CDi did things that other CD players didn’t do. For example some cd albums had a track that was essentially a music video that would play in the CDi.
Thanks ronald
Adam the small CDI also has the video cartrige slot ( next to the CD drive )
I have a cdi with a game called flashback that i really like. They remade it on ps4 aswell, but i always had to play it with that remote controller which was very hard to do , i have more games too but its all in a box on the attic..
That controller is built exactly like the Gravis Gamepad I had when I had my Macintosh Performa 6200CD way back when. The button and dpad layout, shape, opposing contours, even the toggle switch by the cable are the same. I think I can see a screw hole in the dpad of the CD-I controller to add a little thumbstick. The only difference is the Gravis Gamepad was white with a blue dpad and each face button were each a different color.
+Ben Hughes Yes, you are correct, there is a threaded hole where you can put in a little thumbstick.
I'm curious how that came about. Was it a partnership with Gravis? Possible ripoff? Another manufacturer and Philips had no idea?
I actually got one for Christmas of '93. Mad Dog McRee and The 7th Guest were pretty good.
I remember seeing the CDi ads on TV when I was younger.
Also, Magnavox is part of Philips.
A friend of mine had a CDi branded by Goldstar. Same thing happened with the Panasonic 3DO console.
1:52 favorite moment on this entire channel
Am I the only person who believes that the Zelda Cdi games don't deserve so much hate? I will admit, the cutscenes were a little goofy, but they were impressive for their time, remember this was 1993-94. Seeing animated cutscenes at that time would be mind blowing. The music was awesome and upbeat, and the graphics are full of color.
Oh my god don't. Those games were godawful. Have you actually played them?
Yes you are.
About 2 weeks ago me and a friend walked into a goodwill. Browsing the CD section and what do I see a CDi game!? I was literally in shock, you don't see that everyday. So I'm like shit I gotta keep looking. Another, and another, and another. Found 10 CDi games. Nothing special, but I'm amazed I even found them. Haven't found a single TG16 game, yet I find 10 CDi games. Game collecting is a mysterious mistress.
FanezeBrezey Yeah, I don't get that phenomenon either. I see CDi games in the wild from time to time...but never the console.
FanezeBrezey Yeah, I don't get that phenomenon either. I see CDi games in the wild from time to time...but never the console.
you should to a teardown of the big cd-i. i've always wondered what takes up all the space inside it.
I remember seeing the adverts then seeing it in the shops at the age of about 9. All that sticks in my mind was the price was some astronomical figure my young mind couldn't process.
Also, the CDi does have a platformer, and actually a very good one at that, i have it. It's called The Apprentice, and it's an exclusive. I'd say in fact that it's probably the best game on the console.
Funny that gamepad is rare since it's just a Gravis gamepad which themselves are common as dirt, must be a way to change the plugs around and just paint them dark grey so all CD-i owners could have one.
Tough system to love, I'm thinking about collecting the software first and then getting a machine after. Bit like Wii game collecting in that I don't even want the shovelware cluttering my shelves no matter how cheap they are since I'm not going to play them.
15:10 Adam you're killing me - Philips owns Magnavox (and has since 1974). CD-i players bearing a Magnavox nameplate were not the result of a licensing deal, just a strategic decision by parent company Philips for the American market. You're right that other companies did release CD-i players, including LG/Goldstar (some of those players were also distributed by DVS).
The gamepad was licensed by Gravis and manufactured by Logitech. Note it looks just like a Gravis PC gamepad, one of the best selling gamepads of all time. Not really an SNES ripoff. There are more platformers than Hotel Mario (which isn't even a true platformer), with others including The Apprentice, Christmas Crisis and Christmas Country...the long box format (Tetris) was the original box method in the US market before the switched to jewel cases as a cost-cutting measure...most people consider Zelda's Adventure, the title you have, as the worst of the three CD-i Zeldas (not the best, as you have stated)...Still a solid video, but you could've done a little more research first ;)
Enjoying these vids dude, great research. You should hit the guy back with some cash who gave it to you though, pretty major find.
Excited for this!
The CD-i is the second best console with CD in the name, that can be found more easily where you currently are.
I got a stack of CD-i digital videos from a charity shop, I hoped there was a collectors market for them on eBay but it seems not...
Also Adam, The Commodore CDTV came out before the CDi, great video tho mate. But the CDTV certainly deserves your attention. 😉
AdiSneakerFreak
lol, was about to comment just that!
but yeah cdtv was first, and deserves attention.
AdiSneakerFreak he covered it in the 1st video i think and he stated its more of a pc type system than a games console he even said it in this video if you had watched it all
AdiSneakerFreak It was even less of a video game console than the CDi. I think all the games were educational ones. But nevertheless, it is considered part of the generation.
CDTV was based on A500 architecture (not PC type), the fact is that the CDTV was a direct competitor to the CDi, hell it even looked almost the same. It was a DIRECT competitor, I was there and seen them side by side in electronics stores in 91 and 92. So it has to be included. I wouldn't say it was less of a console than the CDi, in fact it was more so, it had games like Lemmings, Turrican 2, Body Blows, Xenon 2 etc.. so more 'real' games than the CDi (many of which taken from the Amiga's rich games library). Anyway great debate guys, Adam's channel is great for encouraging this type of thing (PS. Andrew Mckenzie CDTV was not mentioned by Adam in this video) :)
AdiSneakerFreak Actually I did mention it in the first video.
The second model (the one that actually looks like a game console), is capable of playing Little Devil and all the other games that require that cartridge. When you open the CD top loader, to the left, that piece of plastic should come off, reveling the cartridge. All the renditions of the CD-i of proprietary cartridges to each specific model.
***** I swear that version is more faulty, not too sure, just a hunch.
Hotsex spy Mine's never had any problems, and I couldn't find anything regarding that. But who knows, this is the only CD-i I have and I have like, three games for it (one of which is Hotel Mario).
***** Ah, my bad. Ronalld told me it couldn't use it. I must have misunderstood him.
AdamKoralik It's alright. Without a manual (or in my case, the internet), I wouldn't have figured that out.
The game pad you "Say" looks like a SNES controller is actually "identical" to a Gravis PC game pad I bought in very early 90's that came bundled with Commander Keen!!!
I bought a house and they left one of these with 4 games and the weird TV looking controller with a twist nob. No cables does anyone know what cords I need?
Depends on the model.
@AdamKoralik I can't believe YOU responded, lol, so cool.
It's a CDI220/37 25452 manufactured in may 1993. This console in the house got me collecting. I have 25 systems now. So glad I found your channel.
@@odnewdylee If I recall correctly it should have some pretty standard output ports on the back.
@AdamKoralik idk what that means lol. I tried asking the different shifts at my local game store. They were kinda bully(ish)/condescending they acted the same when I asked if they sold a power cable for my NES. I guess I'm supposed to buy this stuff online idk. Thank you for responding, pretty cool.
@@odnewdylee Take photos of the back, pop into my Discord server. Show people and ask there.
Would you like to do a video where you talk about Sony's impact on the video game market? I think you had mentioned doing that in the past but was wondering if that was even still in the question (I would love for you to do this).
You can add a digital video cartridge on the Cd-i 410 model (on the left side) but it's a different cartridge which is harder to find loose.
There are more platformers too: The Apprentice, Lucky Luke, Christmas Crisis and Christmas Country. I don't know if all of these games were released in Europe though.
There seems to be a Japan-only Cd-i title (Mahjong) so that would mean the Cd-i was released there.
Ruudos Really? Any idea what the Japanese version looks like?
AdamKoralik I don't know but here are some pictures of the Mahjong game:facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.320212708093624.76816.286600448121517&type=1
The CD-I has a few platform games. Hotel Mario, The Apprentice, Dimo's Quest, Flashback etc.
ive been having trouble remembering this very old game from the 90s and cant remember the name but i do remember the starting part when the main character wakes up and then goes on a journy and gains the power to run fast and has red hair
Gravis actually designed that pad for Philips, but they removed their logo and had it replaced with the Philips logo as per their deal. Other than that, and the color scheme, it's identical.
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I think I might still have an early Philips CD-i pad with the Gravis SFC color scheme.
I have a U.S. Version of the console with a 3-button controller (similar to a sega controller) and actually one still in the box if I recall.