CDi Fan Appreciation Thread

[+sixersfan105]

1 hour ago, bwestdpm said:

Thank you I emailed the eBay seller and will check out Dutch game boy site maybe that would work good for games like 7th guest…not sure if either would be good for a laser gun game like mad dog but maybe with a try

Sure thing. Honestly, the mouse and trackerball are actually really good for a lot of games and provide more precision control than a gamepad. I forget why this is, exactly, but I had read on other sites that many games were designed with the mouse and/or trackerball and that there is more of a delay with the gamepads than mouse/trackerball, as a general rule. It was very eye-opening to me. So I went ahead and bought one of everything lol...Mouse, Trackerball, Roller Controller, Touchpad (official name of the Gravis-style gamepad) and Gamepad (official name of the Genesis-style gamepad). I made all of my purchases in 2021 and I want to say I paid around $50 for the touchpad, $50 for the gamepad, $50 for the mouse (confirmed) and €39 for a loose (no original packaging) trackerball (confirmed). I'm sure five years ago, all of these items were significantly lower in price, but if you wait it out and keep your eyes peeled, you might be able to get a decent deal on some of these "pointing devices," as Philips called them.

[CatPix]

For the difference, it's because the remotes were built with 2 or 3 levels of sensivity on the movement, providing a pseudo-analog feel. Of course due to their nature, the mouse and trackerball are naturally able to provide this, but the gamepad being adapted from standard design, they don't. This is what the switch on them do, they manually change the "sensing" speed of the cursor. But even on the fastest speed, the controllers won't match the remote and mouse speeds.

[bwestdpm]

Anyway somebody on here can burn the Zelda adventure  and mad dog 2 game for the cdi on to a disk? I’m fine with it being marked readily as a copy so everyone knows I’m not trying to scam someone and sell it on eBay?? I just really want to play these two and I don’t have a CD burner. I’d be happy to pay for any incurred costs.
I have a white label

demonstration disk but it only reads ERR when I try to play it….the lot came with like 14 authentic philips titles and they all work fine but the white labels all say ERR except for the casino game which seems to work fine but the font even looks more professional so maybe that was a “real” demonstration disk.

[+sixersfan105]

@bwestdpm I'll shoot you a PM.

[Tanooki]

I noticed that whoever Yahel is (says he was a pro wrestler?? who is he??) that does wrestles with gaming is a huge CDi fan.  Anyone follow that at all?  There's enough random pokes in videos along with various others that specifically cover the system or some subject of games on the system (like one covering the Nintendo titles.)

[+sixersfan105]

A new CD-i controller splitter* is now available. Especially if you're located in the US, this splitter will prove to be cheaper than an OEM Philips splitter. The same guy, in a partnership with Fragol Tech, is working on a splitter that lets you plug in two SNES controllers instead of CD-i. Neat concept!

 

*a reminder that a controller splitter is required for two-player gaming on CD-i players which lack two controller ports. Splitters are compatible with the following players (along with regional variations (/00 (mainland Europe), /05 (UK), /11 (Japan), /17 (US)) which will change the number after the slash a bit): 210/40, 210/60, 220/60, 220/80, 450/00, 470/00, 470/20, 490/00, 550/00. Note that two of the more popular third-party players, the LG GDI 700 and the DVS VE-200, are NOT compatible with a splitter, despite only have a single controller port...Meanwhile, splitters are not required, due to native two-controller support, on the following players: 205/00, 210/00, 210/20, 220/00, 220/20, 220/40, 200/xx and 910/xx. 

[Bill Loguidice]

3 hours ago, sixersfan105 said:

A new CD-i controller splitter* is now available. Especially if you're located in the US, this splitter will prove to be cheaper than an OEM Philips splitter. The same guy, in a partnership with Fragol Tech, is working on a splitter that lets you plug in two SNES controllers instead of CD-i. Neat concept!

 

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm looking forward to the SNES adapter for the CD-i.

[phoenixdownita]

13 hours ago, sixersfan105 said:

A new CD-i controller splitter* is now available. Especially if you're located in the US, this splitter will prove to be cheaper than an OEM Philips splitter. The same guy, in a partnership with Fragol Tech, is working on a splitter that lets you plug in two SNES controllers instead of CD-i. Neat concept!

 

...

Just purchased one, not because I needed it but because I wanted it, I'll likely hardly ever use it but hey, guilty pleasure (kind of given it's for a CDi).

[+sixersfan105]

1 hour ago, phoenixdownita said:

Just purchased one, not because I needed it but because I wanted it, I'll likely hardly ever use it but hey, guilty pleasure (kind of given it's for a CDi).

I hear you! Hell, I'm thinking of getting one and I don't even have a CD-i player compatible with the splitter!

[+sixersfan105]

Exciting news to report: Nobelia, the most ambitious homebrew title yet for CD-i, will be available very soon for purchase for only €30! The link will be updated when the physical release is officially available. A demo was released last year but I was lucky enough to test the final few versions of the beta and it is absolutely fantastic. Think Zelda meets Bomberman. For me, it will be a Day One purchase. 

 

https://qrky.dev/nobelia/

[+sixersfan105]

Nobelia is now available to purchase! Just follow the link in the above post to purchase directly from the developer (€30 + shipping). The developer has also partnered with Good Deal Games for US customers. 

[electricmastro]

Well I'd say Andrea Camarena-Lindsay helps make this one of the nicest CD-I covers to look at:

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by electricmastro

[CatPix]

The pseudo Carmen SanDiego vibe is strong

[electricmastro]

Not only does this shoot-em up have no music, but in place of that are prob the most stock sound effects imaginable. Pretty bizarre to see one like this honestly.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by electricmastro

[+sixersfan105]

10 hours ago, electricmastro said:

Not only does this shoot-em up have no music, but in place of that are prob the most stock sound effects imaginable. Pretty bizarre to see one like this honestly.

 

 

You're right that the decisions on music - or lack thereof - and sound effects are questionable, but this is considered a pretty decent game for CD-i, all things considered. If you haven't tried it yet with a mouse or trackball, give those a try if you have them at your disposal, as the control is much tighter than with a gamepad. 

[electricmastro]

Didn't know there was a CD-i version of Flashback. Looks decent.

 

 

[+sixersfan105]

@electricmastro yeah it's not bad at all. Flashback seemingly came out for all systems in the early to mid-90s. Fun fact, it was called Flashback everywhere but the US, where it was called Flashback: The Quest for Identity. Speaking purely to the CD-i release, the US version typically costs a lot more than the European version, presumably due to a higher rarity stateside. It doesn't get much cheaper than burning the game to a CD-R, though...?

[+sixersfan105]

Wow! According to The World of CD-i, the new CD-i homebrew game, Nobelia, has sold more than 150 copies. That's fantastic news! Here's to 150 more

[electricmastro]

Nice version of Lemmings on the system:

 

 

[ScottC2010]

Looking forward to my delivery of a CDI 470/05 with DV this week,

I have other 'failed' consoles in my collection: CDTV, Commodore Plus4, Dreamcast, WiiU and a recently aquired Mega-CD

My favourite is the CDTV which I have had since 1994 as I make my own CD's with whdload games and even converted some cinefilm to cdxl.

The Mega-CD has some fab games like final fight and sonic so is great fun abd i have the keyboard, mouse and wheel for the dreamcast so i made an atari st emulator disk as well as downloading the beats of rage games

I have ordered Top Gun for cdi too

[+sixersfan105]

15 hours ago, ScottC2010 said:

Looking forward to my delivery of a CDI 470/05 with DV this week,

I have other 'failed' consoles in my collection: CDTV, Commodore Plus4, Dreamcast, WiiU and a recently aquired Mega-CD

My favourite is the CDTV which I have had since 1994 as I make my own CD's with whdload games and even converted some cinefilm to cdxl.

The Mega-CD has some fab games like final fight and sonic so is great fun abd i have the keyboard, mouse and wheel for the dreamcast so i made an atari st emulator disk as well as downloading the beats of rage games

I have ordered Top Gun for cdi too

Welcome to the CD-i scene! The 470 is a great choice. Has a nice, compact footprint. The DVC is a must and can be pricey to obtain separately from a player, so glad to hear yours comes with. One of the few knocks on the 470 is that it only has 8KB of NV-RAM, but it is possible to upgrade to 32KB with the technical know-how (though results may vary, based on the article posted here). The NV-RAM only really comes into play for saved game storage.

 

Be sure to get a controller splitter if you want to have two-player functionality. They're much easier to obtain in the UK/Europe, which is where it seems like you're based, so that's good  

 

The CDTV is very similar to the CD-i in terms of it being Commodore's "media hub" or "computer on your TV" attempt. You mention you make your own CD's for the CDTV. As you may know, you can do the same for the CD-i, as there is no copy protection, woo! I'm a big fan of the Dreamcast, too. I have a variation of the Mega-CD called the JVC X'Eye that is one of my favorite consoles.

 

Let us know if you have any questions once you get your feet wet with the CD-i!

[ScottC2010]

55 minutes ago, sixersfan105 said:

Welcome to the CD-i scene! The 470 is a great choice. Has a nice, compact footprint. The DVC is a must and can be pricey to obtain separately from a player, so glad to hear yours comes with. One of the few knocks on the 470 is that it only has 8KB of NV-RAM, but it is possible to upgrade to 32KB with the technical know-how (though results may vary, based on the article posted here). The NV-RAM only really comes into play for saved game storage.

 

Be sure to get a controller splitter if you want to have two-player functionality. They're much easier to obtain in the UK/Europe, which is where it seems like you're based, so that's good  

 

The CDTV is very similar to the CD-i in terms of it being Commodore's "media hub" or "computer on your TV" attempt. You mention you make your own CD's for the CDTV. As you may know, you can do the same for the CD-i, as there is no copy protection, woo! I'm a big fan of the Dreamcast, too. I have a variation of the Mega-CD called the JVC X'Eye that is one of my favorite consoles.

 

Let us know if you have any questions once you get your feet wet with the CD-i!

Fab, thank you! For making CD's for CDTV I actually create them from scratch by using a workbench installation and then put my own programs on - can you make your own video CD's for the CDI  in a similar way?

 

The NVRAM looks interesting but I would have to wait until I am more confident.

 

I have downloaded a few cd's such as rise of the robots, mad dog mccree, myst and bryan adams as well as star trek 6 to get me started. 

 

The jvc x-eye is cool (Do you have the 32x variant?), I quite enjoy tomcat alley on my mega cd!

 

For CDTV/Amiga you should check out Dread - an amazing fps, I would think this is possible on cdi as the processor (68070 is a modified 68000) is similar Commodore Amiga -=Dread=- Eye Waste/preview 2514 - YouTube

 

Lots of good places in the uk for retro such as the retro computer museum in leicester - here's me enjoying VR, al I bought a Pye Tube Cube TV for £25 from Retrotech show @ Warwickshire Exhibition Centre. Radio Rallies here are good places too

 

[+sixersfan105]

@ScottC2010 ah interesting re CDTV. I'm not sure how to go about creating Video CDs for the CD-i but I'm sure it's possible. Dread looks great on Amiga/CDTV - like a Doom/Wolfenstein clone of sorts? The only FPS that I'm aware of on CD-i is Atlantis: The Last Resort (and RAM Raid, which Atlantis was based on but that never saw a retail release I don't believe). 

 

So the X'Eye will work with a 32X but due to the configuration, you can't open the CD door with a 32X installed in the cartridge port. I have heard rumors of JVC modding their X'Eyes by customer request to be 32X-friendly (back in the 90s, of course). There are also people who make those mods, today, but I have opted to keep mine original spec.

[ScottC2010]

1 minute ago, sixersfan105 said:

@ScottC2010 ah interesting re CDTV. I'm not sure how to go about creating Video CDs for the CD-i but I'm sure it's possible. Dread looks great on Amiga/CDTV - like a Doom/Wolfenstein clone of sorts? The only FPS that I'm aware of on CD-i is Atlantis: The Last Resort (and RAM Raid, which Atlantis was based on but that never saw a retail release I don't believe). 

 

So the X'Eye will work with a 32X but due to the configuration, you can't open the CD door with a 32X installed in the cartridge port. I have heard rumors of JVC modding their X'Eyes by customer request to be 32X-friendly (back in the 90s, of course). There are also people who make those mods, today, but I have opted to keep mine original spec.

I will definately download Atlantis then and also flashback i saw in this thread too - there was an xeye mod below for the door:

[ScottC2010]

All arrived safely and now watching Star Trek 6 and Bryan Adams!

Interestingly there is no MPEG slot cover at the back - it is internal like the 490, so could this is a later unknown version (It says 470/05 which is uk pal designation)?

I burnt the disks using imgburn by simply changing TRACK 01 CDI/2352 to TRACK 01 MODE2/2352