Oh that's what you're talking about I'm sorry I got confused I'll show you in the private chat.
Dear Pesky Partners... - A Nintendo-Philips Timeline
- Thread starter SubparLario
- Start date
Hey SubparLario I think you might find this website interesting as it's got a bunch of in depth architecture breakdowns on various game consoles from the Famicom/NES and Master System to the 3DS and Wii-U. https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/
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I SEED WHAT YOU DID THERE..... and is NEC, not NICYou gave me too much power
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Chapter 15: No Such Thing As The Perfect Launch (Late 1991 Part 2)
(I'm baaaaaack! Sorry this took so long, I needed to take a short break in between the end of Act I and the start of Act II in order to avoid burnout. But I should be good now!)
(EDIT: Adjusted pricing to make it a bit more realistic.)
No Such Thing As The Perfect Launch (Late 1991 Part 2)
“...oh, and just one more thing. A Mega CD is only 40,000 yen. So what are you waiting for?” - Lieutenant Columbo, at the end of every Japanese Mega CD TV commercial, translated from Japanese to English. The character served as the spokesperson for the add-on in Japan.
All About the Mega CD
Also Known As: Sega CD (North America, Brazil)
CPU: NEC V70 @ 20 MHz
Main RAM: 768 KB
GPU: Custom ASIC developed jointly by Sega and Sony - allows for sprite/background rotation and scaling similar to Super Scaler or Mode 7, FMV playback that fills entire screen
VRAM: 256 KB
Audio: Sony SPC-800 - stereo output, 12 channels for sampled audio, echo and reverb effects, Red Book CD Digital Audio playback
Audio RAM: 128 KB
Drive Speed: 1x
SRAM: 8 KB internal, 128 KB external CD BackUP RAM Cart
Released: December 12th, 1991 (JP); September 8th, 1992 (USA); March 16th, 1993 (EU)
Launch Price: ¥40,000, $300 USD, £260
The Sega CD, known as the Mega CD in Japan, Europe, and Australia, is an add-on for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive that increases the console’s capabilities as well as utilizing Compact Discs. It is capable of reading audio CD’s, CD-ROM’s, and CD+G discs out of the box, and can also act as a karaoke machine with the use of an accessory. Sony proved to be invaluable during the peripheral’s development, as the Sega CD is significantly cheaper, has faster loading times, and is overall more powerful than its OTL counterpart. They produced two different combo units based on the hardware: the Sony Play Station (known as the Mega Station outside of North America and Brazil), and the Mega Discman, a portable CD player that’s also capable of playing Mega Drive and Mega CD games.
Arguably, one of the most important contributions to the system that Sony made was its Japanese advertising campaign. As the base Mega Drive was still a distant 3rd place behind the Super Famicom and PC Engine at the time, Sega and Sony hoped that the Mega CD could bolster sales of the Mega Drive, and a strong advertising campaign would be critical. Sega and Sony would license the character of Lieutenant Columbo from the Columbo TV series to be the Mega CD’s spokesperson, and commercials were shot with Peter Falk himself showing him playing and talking about Mega CD titles. Not only was Columbo incredibly popular in Japan, but the series had just recently returned with TV movies starting in 1989, so the timing was perfect. This license also allowed Sony to produce a Columbo video game, which served as one of the system’s launch titles and became a killer app.
The Mega CD launched with 7 games, thanks to Sega and Sony delivering development units to third parties on time in this timeline. Those games are:
All About Columbo: Home Detective
Also Known As: Detective Columbo: The Game (Japan)
Platform: Sega CD
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: December 12th, 1991 (JP); September 8th, 1992 (USA); March 16th, 1993 (EU)
Columbo: Home Detective is a point-and-click adventure game adaptation of NBC’s iconic crime show. It places players in the shoes of Lieutenant Columbo as he solves three different and wholly-original murder cases[1]. In typical Columbo fashion, the identity of the murder is made clear at the beginning of each case; players must then investigate the crime scene, collect evidence, and interrogate witnesses in order to pin the blame on the killer. In a way, the gameplay is most comparable to the Ace Attorney Investigations spin-offs from OTL. In order to show off what CD's could add to video games, the game features full voice acting, with Taro Ishida dubbing Columbo in Japanese and Peter Falk himself recording the English voice lines.
Columbo: Home Detective is received very well upon its release. It’s a solid point-and-click, but the inclusion of voice acting elevates it to a whole other level. Several reviewers comment that it feels like a playable version of a Columbo episode, even though the game has no FMV cutscenes and solely uses pixel art. It sells well worldwide thanks to Columbo’s widespread fanbase, and is the Mega CD’s killer app upon its Japanese release. By mid-1992, the Mega Drive and Mega CD would have closed the sales gap between it and the PC Engine significantly, although it was still in 3rd place. A sequel would be released in 1993.
Footnotes:
[1] So I would’ve included a plot synopsis of the three cases in this game, but there’s one small problem… I’ve never actually WATCHED Columbo. But I know enough about it that I think the show could be adapted into a video game really well. If you’re a Columbo fan and have potential plot ideas, please please PLEASE send me a PM and I can possibly add it here.
Next time, we'll see how Philips is doing with their SNES and their newest IP, Hotel Fever. You know what they say... all toa- I mean, uh, see you then!
(EDIT: Adjusted pricing to make it a bit more realistic.)
ACT II (1991-95)
No Such Thing As The Perfect Launch (Late 1991 Part 2)
“...oh, and just one more thing. A Mega CD is only 40,000 yen. So what are you waiting for?” - Lieutenant Columbo, at the end of every Japanese Mega CD TV commercial, translated from Japanese to English. The character served as the spokesperson for the add-on in Japan.
All About the Mega CD
Also Known As: Sega CD (North America, Brazil)
CPU: NEC V70 @ 20 MHz
Main RAM: 768 KB
GPU: Custom ASIC developed jointly by Sega and Sony - allows for sprite/background rotation and scaling similar to Super Scaler or Mode 7, FMV playback that fills entire screen
VRAM: 256 KB
Audio: Sony SPC-800 - stereo output, 12 channels for sampled audio, echo and reverb effects, Red Book CD Digital Audio playback
Audio RAM: 128 KB
Drive Speed: 1x
SRAM: 8 KB internal, 128 KB external CD BackUP RAM Cart
Released: December 12th, 1991 (JP); September 8th, 1992 (USA); March 16th, 1993 (EU)
Launch Price: ¥40,000, $300 USD, £260
The Sega CD, known as the Mega CD in Japan, Europe, and Australia, is an add-on for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive that increases the console’s capabilities as well as utilizing Compact Discs. It is capable of reading audio CD’s, CD-ROM’s, and CD+G discs out of the box, and can also act as a karaoke machine with the use of an accessory. Sony proved to be invaluable during the peripheral’s development, as the Sega CD is significantly cheaper, has faster loading times, and is overall more powerful than its OTL counterpart. They produced two different combo units based on the hardware: the Sony Play Station (known as the Mega Station outside of North America and Brazil), and the Mega Discman, a portable CD player that’s also capable of playing Mega Drive and Mega CD games.
Arguably, one of the most important contributions to the system that Sony made was its Japanese advertising campaign. As the base Mega Drive was still a distant 3rd place behind the Super Famicom and PC Engine at the time, Sega and Sony hoped that the Mega CD could bolster sales of the Mega Drive, and a strong advertising campaign would be critical. Sega and Sony would license the character of Lieutenant Columbo from the Columbo TV series to be the Mega CD’s spokesperson, and commercials were shot with Peter Falk himself showing him playing and talking about Mega CD titles. Not only was Columbo incredibly popular in Japan, but the series had just recently returned with TV movies starting in 1989, so the timing was perfect. This license also allowed Sony to produce a Columbo video game, which served as one of the system’s launch titles and became a killer app.
The Mega CD launched with 7 games, thanks to Sega and Sony delivering development units to third parties on time in this timeline. Those games are:
- Heavy Nova
- Sol-Feace
- Nostalgia 1907
- Earnest Evans
- Wakusei Woodstock: Funky Horror Band
- Tenka Fubu: Eiyuutachi no Houkou
- Columbo: Home Detective
All About Columbo: Home Detective
Also Known As: Detective Columbo: The Game (Japan)
Platform: Sega CD
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: December 12th, 1991 (JP); September 8th, 1992 (USA); March 16th, 1993 (EU)
Columbo: Home Detective is a point-and-click adventure game adaptation of NBC’s iconic crime show. It places players in the shoes of Lieutenant Columbo as he solves three different and wholly-original murder cases[1]. In typical Columbo fashion, the identity of the murder is made clear at the beginning of each case; players must then investigate the crime scene, collect evidence, and interrogate witnesses in order to pin the blame on the killer. In a way, the gameplay is most comparable to the Ace Attorney Investigations spin-offs from OTL. In order to show off what CD's could add to video games, the game features full voice acting, with Taro Ishida dubbing Columbo in Japanese and Peter Falk himself recording the English voice lines.
Columbo: Home Detective is received very well upon its release. It’s a solid point-and-click, but the inclusion of voice acting elevates it to a whole other level. Several reviewers comment that it feels like a playable version of a Columbo episode, even though the game has no FMV cutscenes and solely uses pixel art. It sells well worldwide thanks to Columbo’s widespread fanbase, and is the Mega CD’s killer app upon its Japanese release. By mid-1992, the Mega Drive and Mega CD would have closed the sales gap between it and the PC Engine significantly, although it was still in 3rd place. A sequel would be released in 1993.
Footnotes:
[1] So I would’ve included a plot synopsis of the three cases in this game, but there’s one small problem… I’ve never actually WATCHED Columbo. But I know enough about it that I think the show could be adapted into a video game really well. If you’re a Columbo fan and have potential plot ideas, please please PLEASE send me a PM and I can possibly add it here.
Next time, we'll see how Philips is doing with their SNES and their newest IP, Hotel Fever. You know what they say... all toa- I mean, uh, see you then!
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OTL launch price was 49800, if both Sony and Sega are willing to loss lead, that could help the device a little in japan(i think the west will be more vital, it took VF to put sega in japan map)
will need a rewatch...but well, there's going my free time,xd
SubparLario you forgot to state what year in North America the Mega CD/Sega CD launch's, it looks like you intended to for it to be 1992 judging by it's Japanese and EU launch dates. Otherwise great update to the timeline, I already wish we got this version of the Mega CD/Sega CD in OTL.
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Technically those are otl dates, so the slip make sense.SubparLario you forgot to state what year in North America the Mega CD/Sega CD launch's, it looks like you intended to for it to be 1992 judging by it's Japanese and EU launch dates. Otherwise great update to the timeline, I already wish we got this version of the Mega CD/Sega CD in OTL.
You could argue Sony is doing everything to avoid this device to bomb ,that price is far cheaper otl... meaning they're loss leading to get a foothold in Japan.
Yeah that argument does make a lot of sense, good point. Sega and Sony likely got a year give or take a couple of months before Nintendo and Phillips launch their own CD add-on hardware. Sega and Sony would be smart to take advantage of that as best they can while the have the chance.
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Plus both Sega and Sony would truly at least being able to beat NEC in their home region, especially as Nintendo will also release their own device soon enough. That will be very interesting.
Yeah and Sega + Sony Vs Nintendo + Phillips is a quite even fight, things will be very interesting indeed.
probably with some limitations. the sega CD color pallate is a limitation.
I'm not sure TTL's Sega CD/Mega CD would have the same color limitations it's OTL counterpart had. It's got a much more capable CPU, Audio System and more RAM then it's OTL counterpart. I wouldn't be surprised if it's GPU was moderately to considerably more capable as well.
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Whoops, I completely missed that! Could've sworn the year was there, I must've accidentally erased it at some point. Thanks for catching that! The Western launch dates are actually different compared to OTL; they're about a month earlier, and come out on a Tuesday.SubparLario you forgot to state what year in North America the Mega CD/Sega CD launch's, it looks like you intended to for it to be 1992 judging by it's Japanese and EU launch dates. Otherwise great update to the timeline, I already wish we got this version of the Mega CD/Sega CD in OTL.
Probably, yeah. I talked things over with Nivek once and we came to the conclusion that a stripped down port of Virtua Fighter would be possible on TTL's Mega CD, so I think it could handle these Super Scaler games fairly well. As you mentioned, TTL's Mega CD is very different beast compared to OTL.
Oh, and really quickly, I'd also like to tell you guys what updates are next on my docket:
Philips Update (Ports, Hotel Fever)
A Link to the Past/Final Fantasy IV Double-Feature
TV in 1991-1992 (Muppet High, Sesame Street, and one other show)
Summer CES '92 (will feature SNES, Genesis, and Sega CD games, a look at the SNES-CD, and one other thing)
Major problem here: from what I can tell, the V810 didn't enter full-scale production until early 1992.
Also, it looks like you've got your SNES-CD prototypes mixed up! The Sony design was essentially just a CD drive plus a RAM cartridge.