SNES Cd-Rom FAQ!!!

Apparently my Double Pro Fighter rom copier can use a CD-ROM, but the CD-ROM devices are extremely rare, and noone knows how it even connects to the thing to build a homebrew one.

 

I was at CGE 2K2 and over at Dan's booth alot since we were friends (I was buying Atari 5200 prototypes off him). I *vaguely* remember seeing that device sitting on the end of the table, but like everyone already said, it wasn't his. I'm pretty sure that if it was the fabled SNES CD-ROM add-on I would have remembered someone talking about it. I'm into all types of prototypes, and that definetly would have caught my eye.

I'll ask around and see if anyone else remembers seeing that at the show and who it belonged to. Maybe we can finally get some answers to this.

 

Ah big result! I cant wait to hear what might come of this

 

i hope for the best

 

the only backup devices that used a cdrom that i saw used eide plates. so nothing so strange at all. but i think it wasn't one of the firsts out. by the way you can bet that it would use standard pc technology for containing costs...

 

okay, i just, and i mean just watched icons on g4(yea,not the best staion for games but...) and so happned they had a feature on the playstation, so i took the liberty of making some notes, not sure if any of this has ever been heard before but ill post anyways

-there is a sony developed stereo chip in the snes

-Kutarigi originally wanted to build a 3d based system in the late 80's, kutarigi worked for sony since 70's, prez said "no, were not a toy company"

-Nintendo came to sony for the snescd, Kutarigi, who is an engineer became the designer of the snescd

-there were to be 2 systems, one, the cd drive attachment for the snes, to be marketed by nintendo called the snes cd
a combo unit containing a cd drive and snes cart port was to be marketed by sony called the playstation

-games themselves would have been made, and distributed by sony, not nintendo,which drove them mad

-at CES 1991 sony held a conference stating that they had the intentions to release a cd attachment for the snes, at this same time, nintendo who told sony everything was going fine, was finishing signing the papers for the phillips contract

shortly after, the deal with sony/nintendo fell through....for good.

sony then told kutarigi to go ahead with the snescd, or rather the psx

the original idea was to use snes carts and cds, 200, yes 200 working prototypes of this system were built, which may have been what you see above....but then shortly after being shipped to roughly 100 devs, were ordered back and disposed of..

in 93 sony announces the psx, cpu is built by kutarigi

sony corp and sony music japan are formed to create sony computer entertainment

psygnoses(lemmings, wipeout) is bought and changed to sony interactive entertainment



what leads me to believe is that this very proto, is infact one of the 200 built by sony, at this time, sony was betrayed by nintendo, but they were still under contract, chances are inside, there will be a snescd boards, the original cpu, and possibly a pss through for an snes cart. i really dont know, all speculation, but the "200 built" sure is new to me....

kaz hirai was also involved in this interview on icons, though i didnt know he was around then..lol

 

If the two hundred units being built is true, I'm going to guess that most (if not all) of them were destroyed. For some reason I'm skeptical of the "prototype" that has been shown here (among other places).

 

No thats not quiet it. I think it was something about nintendo wanting to license the games them selfs so they had control of what came onto the platform. But because of their contract sony was the one who had those rights.

 

sorry to say this, but there's few truth in all of this. i doesn't want to be annoing but check my faq more a more realistic view on the situation

 

same here, isnt it a little fishy that the owner cant be found./contacted, and he knows what he has, why not document it better, 3 measly photos?......and im wondering what on the other side, it looked like there is hookups on the other side.....alas...it seems a little fishy, though to go into extensive research like that and build one? maybe it was just a homebuilt(as in ea,acclaim) dev box...its too bad, we dont have some veteran from nintendo or sony here......




i figured that it wouldnt be much there, g4 is rather known for stretching the truth...and yea, have the stuff didnt sound tight to me either.....but the 200 built still gives me confidence in the protos actual heritage..or rather authenticity

 

again, read my FAQ

if it is true is a proto from pulstech... and most of the early protos are really awful looking. And i doubt that it could be from a third party developer... i mean i could have been in the hands of a third party but not made from them

 

the show never actually said if they were destroyed or not they just said "they built 200 prots of this system, and then quickly discarded them"
really though, if the tech inside they werent going to use, then why destroy them, just toss them in the trash....but how we got one here(in the westren world).....who knows

 

LOL,yes ive read your faq, and search many sites about the snescd,



after seeing the ea sprobe though, like i said who knows, we need to contact the owner successfully, and then we will learn more.....if we can get inside it then, well we'll be in heaven.lol

 

this is EXACTLY WHAT I HOPE so i'll manage to finish my FAQ and publish it around and get famous /jk

 

Personaly i think your reading too much into the pulstech sticker. That drive might of been the only drive available to them... For all we know that sticker isnt even about the cd-rom drive. They might of wanted to use another drive but couldnt find one and had to buy that one.

 

Plus whats it doing with the proto ps1 pad, last i heard it(the design) was one of roughly 50 designs, and at most they would have built maybe 12 for internel testing, it looks lie it has a ps2 connecter though?.....soo many questions, too few answers

 

well paulo, let's say that pulstech drives (if that is really from them) are almost as rare as a snes cd proto to get hands on... since they are protos too... pulsetech doesn't produce bulk drives like matsushita, sony, philips or others

 

it was repeatedly stated that the pad have nothing to do with the cd add-on... it's on the 20+ pages topic but not in my faq

 

yea, but how did whoever get a hold of it?...again, it doesnt relate to the snescd...im just now repeating stuff, sorry......i shouldnt talk bout what i dont know....i just wanted to share what i knew...











though that reallly long snescd thread is what got me to sign up for assembler....and was a great read

 

Pulstec at least now do produce their items in bulk. Not sure if they did back in the day but yes they do have product lines.

However they might still of had product lines back when this was made it was just that it was most likely only sold in asia and only sold into the industry and not the public.