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Super NES CD-ROM

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The Super NES CD-ROM[1][a] (commonly abbreviated to SNES CD) is a name given to a set of unreleased devices for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) video game console, which would have built upon the functionality of the cartridge-based SNES by adding support for the CD-ROM format.

The SNES CD platform would have consisted of two similar but distinct products, one of which is an add-on device that was made by Philips in collaboration with Nintendo and the other is a standalone product that was made by Sony using SNES hardware licensed by Nintendo. Both products would have utilized their own unique CD-based formats, all of which are based on CD-ROM.

History

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Sony engineer Ken Kutaragi became interested in working with video games after seeing his daughter play games on Nintendo's Famicom video game console. He took on a contract at Sony for developing the S-SMP audio chip of Nintendo's next console, the Super NES. Kutaragi secretly developed the chip, the Sony SPC 700. Sony was uninterested in the video game business, so most of his superiors did not approve of the project, but Kutaragi found support in Sony executive Norio Ohga and the project was allowed to continue. The success of the project spurred Kutaragi, who believed CD-ROMs would overtake cartridges, to propose a CD-ROM drive for the Super NES. Nintendo disagreed, believing that CD-ROMs were too slow, but agreed to allow Sony to design the add-on after Kutaragi claimed the drive would be used for everything but games.[4] The result of the deal would be a Sony-branded console called the PlayStation that would play both Super NES cartridges and Sony's own line of CD-ROM based games known as the Super Disc.

Development of the format started in late 1988, when Nintendo signed the contract with Sony. The system was to be compatible with both existing Super NES cartridges and games released for the Super Disc format.[5][6] Under their agreement, Sony would develop and retain control over the Super Disc format, with Nintendo thus effectively ceding a large amount of control of software licensing to Sony. Further, Sony would also be the sole benefactor of licensing related to music and movies software that it had been aggressively pursuing as a secondary application.[7] Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi was already wary of Sony at this point and deemed it unacceptable, because Sony was the sole provider of the S-SMP audio chip in the SNES and required developers to buy its expensive and proprietary audio development tool.[7] Nintendo had become suspicious of Sony's growth, because of the combination of the audio chip, Sony's PlayStation hybrid console, and Sony's rapid expansion beyond its electronics origins into music, movies, and most recently software. Nintendo suspected that it had become a prop in Sony's console ambitions.[4]

Furthermore, Yamauchi started to see a more favorable partner in Philips, one of Sony's largest competitors. To counter the proposed agreement, Yamauchi sent Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa and executive Howard Lincoln to the Netherlands to negotiate a more favorable contract with Philips. As David Sheff said in his book Game Over, "[The Philips deal] was meant to do two things at once: give Nintendo back its stranglehold on software and gracefully f--k Sony."[7] The Nintendo and Philips partnership would eventually lead to the development of a CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES that featured additional hardware such as a 32-bit processor, along with introducing a new line of CD-ROM based games that was developed separately from Sony's own Super Disc format known as the Nintendo Disc (ND), which was based on CD-ROM XA.

At the June 1991 Consumer Electronics Show, Sony announced its SNES-compatible console based on both cartridge and CD, called the PlayStation.[5] The next day, Nintendo revealed its partnership with Philips at the show, which surprised the audience, including Sony.[8][6] While Nintendo and Sony attempted to resolve their differences, two to three hundred prototypes of the PlayStation were produced,[9][10] and software for the system was being developed. In 1992, a deal was reached allowing Sony to produce SNES-compatible hardware, with Nintendo retaining control and profit over the games. The organizations never repaired their rift afterwards, although Sony executives remained convinced that remaining with the more experienced Nintendo was the best course of action. By the next year, upon Kutaragi's suggestions, Sony had dropped further development of the Super NES CD-ROM to develop its own console for the next generation, the PlayStation.[11][12][7][4]

Proposed devices

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There were two distinct versions of the SNES CD platform that would have incorporated CD-ROM technology on top of the existing SNES hardware, both of which were under development simultaneously.[13] One of which was to be an official add-on device that connected the SNES via its expansion port known as the Super NES CD-ROM System,[b] which was co-developed by Nintendo and Philips,[13] and the other was to be a stand-alone console officially known as the PlayStation,[c] which was developed by Sony. Both of them would utilize their own unique (and incompatible) formats based on CD-ROM.[14][8]

Super NES CD-ROM System

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Super NES CD-ROM System
SNES CD add-on prototype concept art
Also known asSuper Famicom CD-ROM Adapter
ManufacturerNintendo, Philips
TypeVideo game console add-on
LifespanCanceled
MediaNintendo Disc (ND) CD-ROM

The Super NES CD-ROM System[b] was a proposed CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES co-produced by Nintendo and Philips, as a result of a partnership between the two companies that occurred during the development of Sony's SNES-based PlayStation standalone console and the Super Disc CD-ROM format.

The add-on would have featured additional hardware that would expand the capabilities of the Super NES alongside supporting CDs. Games released on CDs would have used a new CD-ROM format that was completely separate from Sony's Super Disc format known as the Nintendo Disc (ND), which was based on CD-ROM XA.[2][13] Games for the ND format would also be compatible with CD-i-based hardware.[15] The add-on's CD drive (or "ND drive" as it was known) is a cartridge-based caddy loading drive that can accept discs placed in standard caddy cases to protect the discs from damage, similar to that found on early CD-ROM drives used in contemporary computers of the time[15] such as certain pre-1994 Macintosh models with built-in CD drives. The CD drive would also operate at both single (1x) and double (2x) speeds.[15]

As Nintendo was convinced that CD-ROM technology based on a 16-bit processor would not provide consumers with significantly enhanced and unique games, they decided to incorporate a new 32-bit[16] RISC processor clocked at 21.47727MHz,[2] which was reported to be an NEC V810.[17] The new 32-bit CPU, known as the SCCP, would have been included inside a dedicated system cartridge that is required to run the add-on itself, which contains the extra hardware that is dedicated for the add-on such as additional ROM, RAM, and another coprocessor that acts as a decoder for the CD-ROM called "HANDS" (Hyper Advanced Nintendo Data Transfer System). HANDS is a custom chip based around a single 65C02 8-bit processor clocked at 4.295 MHz, and would have also enhanced the SNES's sound capabilities, generating up to four channels of audio from the HANDS chip, which would complement with the CD audio of the add-on unit as well as the stock eight-channel audio of the SNES.[13] The add-on would have also provided a number of copy-protection measures to prevent the use of burned backups of ND format games.[15][13]

The specifications were completed towards the end of 1992,[13] but by the summer of 1993, Nintendo had quietly canceled the add-on entirely.[18]

Technical specifications

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The technical specifications of the Super NES CD-ROM System add-on were reported as early as 1992 by Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) before publishing its specs in its March 1993 issue,[15] which were echoed in an issue of Electronic Games published in April 1993.[13] The specifications listed below are different from that of the Sony-produced PlayStation SFX-100 prototype unit, which includes the one that was initially discovered in July 2015.

System SNES CD
(Add-on; Philips)
CPU (MHz) 3.58
Co-CPU (MHz) 2.048
Bus Width (Bits) 8
Add-on Processor (MHz) 21
Add-on Video Unspecified
Add-on Audio ASIC+CD
(HANDS+CD-ROM XA)
CD-ROM Speed 1x / 2x
Main RAM (KB) 128
Video RAM (KB) 64
Audio RAM (KB) 64
Exp RAM (KB) 1024
Exp Video RAM (KB) 0
Exp Audio RAM (KB) 0
CD Cache RAM (KB) 1
Backup RAM (KB) for save data 32
Total RAM (KB) 1313

Sony PlayStation SFX-100

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"Super Disc" redirects here. For the floppy disk drive, see SuperDisk.
Not to be confused with the original PlayStation console, which was released in 1994.
Recreation of a Super Disc logo used from 1991 until 1993

The PlayStation (with model number "SFX-100")[d] was a standalone console that would use its own proprietary CD-ROM format designed and solely licensed by Sony known as the Super Disc,[14] while retaining compatibility with SNES game paks via an included cartridge slot.[13][19][20]

Prototype

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The first known SNES-based Sony PlayStation prototype; a Sony PlayStation can be seen on the right

At least two known examples of the PlayStation SFX-100 prototype are confirmed to exist as of 2025.

In July 2015, it was reported that one of the original Sony PlayStation prototypes had been found. This prototype was reportedly abandoned by former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson during his time at Advanta.[21] A former Advanta worker, Terry Diebold, acquired the device as part of a lot during Advanta's 2009 bankruptcy auction. The system was later confirmed as operational and plays Super Famicom cartridges as well as its included test cartridge, although the audio output and CD drive were non-functional. The original power supply for the system was never received by Diebold during his time at Advanta, so he used a third-party power supply to power it.[20] The prototype came with a Sony/PlayStation-branded version of the standard Super Famicom controller (model number SHVC-005).[22]

Some groups have attempted to develop homebrew software for the console such as Super Boss Gaiden, as there were no known games to use the CD drive.[23] In March 2016, retro-gaming website RetroCollect reported that it (and influential members of online emulation communities) had received (from an anonymous source) a functional disc boot ROM for the SFX-100.[24]

Diebold had given the unit to hardware hacker Benjamin Heckendorn, to examine around 2016. He also posted a tear-down video of the system that same year.[25] Heckendorn later identified faults in several on-board components which he subsequently replaced in 2017, resulting in fixing the audio and CD drive issues indirectly. Because the system never received its original power supply (Diebold never got the original one as mentioned above), Heckendorn created a custom power supply for the system using the original PlayStation's power supply along with replacing the original power connector of the system with the one from a Sony Walkman, to ensure that it would be powered on without the need for its original power supply. Heckendorn showed Super Famicom (and SNES games via an adapter) working on the system and also showed audio CDs working on the system as there were no known game CDs, but affirmed that homebrew games worked.[26][27]

The prototype was auctioned by Diebold in February 2020, with an initial price of US$15,000, but the auction quickly exceeded $350,000 within two days.[28][29] It was sold for $360,000 to Greg McLemore, an entrepreneur and founder of Pets.com, who has a large collection of other video game hardware and plans to establish a permanent museum for this type of hardware.[30][31]

In March 2025, another prototype unit was found to be in Kutaragi's possession, identical to that of the first known prototype unit.[32]

Technical specifications

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Heckendorn's July 2016 teardown video of the first known prototype unit also provides some technical specifications of the prototype.[33] The standalone unit features two Super NES controller ports, a cartridge slot, a dual-speed CD-ROM drive, RCA composite jacks, S-Video, RFU DC OUT (similar to the PlayStation SCPH-1001), a proprietary multi-out AV output port (the same one featured on the Super NES, Nintendo 64, and GameCube), headphone jack on the front, a serial port labelled "NEXT" (probably for debugging), and one expansion port under the unit. Heckendorn said the system would have probably been as powerful as a standard Super NES, but not as powerful as the Sega CD.[34]

The specifications of the Sony PlayStation prototype are different from that of the Super NES CD-ROM System add-on co-developed by Nintendo and Philips, which were published by Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) in its March 1993 issue[15] and by Electronic Games in its April 1993 issue.[13]

System PC Engine CD-ROM² Sega CD SNES CD (SFX-100)
CPU (MHz) 7.16 7.67 3.58
Co-CPU (MHz) None 4 2.048
Bus Width (Bits) 8 16 8
Add-on Processor (MHz) None 12.5 None
Add-on Video None Present None
Add-on Audio CD ASIC+CD (Ricoh PCM+CDDA) CD
CD-ROM Speed 1x 1x 2x
Main RAM (KB) 8 64 128
Video RAM (KB) 64 64 64
Audio RAM (KB) 0 8 64
Exp RAM (KB) 64 (256 with Super CD and 2048 with Arcade Card) 512 256
Exp Video RAM (KB) 0 256 0
Exp Audio RAM (KB) 64 64 0
CD Cache RAM (KB) 0 16 32
Backup RAM (KB) for save data 0 8 8
Total RAM (KB) 200 (392 with Super CD, 2184 with Arcade Card) 992 552

Legacy

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After the original contract with Sony failed, Nintendo continued its partnership with Philips. This contract provisioned Philips with the right to feature Nintendo's characters in a few games for its CD-i multimedia device, however plans for a CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES under their partnership never materialized after Nintendo's silent cancellation of the project in mid 1993. The Nintendo-themed CD-i games were very poorly received, and the CD-i is considered a commercial failure.[35] The Nintendo-themed CD-i games would become infamous and popular with the internet culture during the 2000s.

Meanwhile, a tentative reconciliation in late 1992 gave better terms to Nintendo for game royalties while allowing Sony royalties for all other software and the rights to produce SNES-compatible hardware, such as the PlayStation. Sony would then pursue their ambitions to launch their own video game console and continued to develop the PlayStation, dropping compatibility with the SNES and resulting in more powerful hardware specifications. They even entered a short-lived partnership with Sega in that both companies would agree to share all costs and risk for the new CD-ROM drive and ultimately the next generation console. Ultimately, Sega then canceled the partnership, claiming that Sony knew little of the industry at the time, and then resumed development of what would eventually become the Sega Saturn. Kutaragi however became emboldened enough from his experiences working with Nintendo and Sega that Sony could go it alone from scratch, and broke away from Nintendo and Sega to develop their own next generation console.

The main game in development for the SNES CD platform launch was Square's Secret of Mana, whose planned content was cut down to the size suitable for cartridge and released on that medium instead.[36][37] The additional hardware used in the Nintendo and Philips Super NES CD-ROM add-on project would never come to fruition, however the NEC V810 processor that would have been used in the proposed add-on did eventually make its way into at least two products: the Japan-only PC-FX game console made by NEC and Hudson Soft and released in December 1994, as well as Nintendo's own Virtual Boy tabletop portable game console released in July 1995 in Japan and August 1995 in North America.

Sony released the PlayStation in December 1994 in Japan and September 1995 in North America and Europe, and would go on to become a global success. This new next-generation CD-based console successfully competed against other CD-based consoles such as the Fujitsu FM Towns Marty, the NEC PC-FX, the SNK Neo Geo CD, the 3DO, and the Sega Saturn, as well as Nintendo's cartridge-based Nintendo 64, making it a console leader. Sony would become a significant player in the video game industry, establishing the PlayStation brand that would still remain to this day.

The broken partnership with Sony has often been cited as a mistake by Nintendo, effectively creating a formidable rival in the video game market as a consequence of Sony's and Kutaragi's shrewd determination to break into the market. It has also been argued that if Nintendo had never broken the deal, its position may have been further undermined by Sony.[38][11] Nintendo, still convinced of the faster load times and stronger anti-piracy of the cartridge, did not release an optical disc-based console until the GameCube in 2001.[12]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The system was internally known as the Super NES CD-ROM System in the West and as the Super Famicom CD-ROM Adapter in Japan.[2][3]
  2. ^ a b Also known as the Super Famicom CD-ROM Adapter in Japan[2][3]
  3. ^ Also known as the PlayStation SFX-100 and incorrectly named the Nintendo PlayStation by fans
  4. ^ This device is often incorrectly referred to as the "Nintendo PlayStation" due to its incorporation of Nintendo-compatible hardware, however it was a Sony product, designed and manufactured by said company using SNES hardware licensed by Nintendo.

References

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  1. ^ "Super NES Technology Update: CD-ROM". Nintendo Power. No. 35. April 1992. pp. 70–71.
  2. ^ a b c d "Super NES CD-ROM System documentation" (PDF). Nintendo of America, Inc. February 1, 1993. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "ニューマシン総まくり" [Overview of New Consoles]. Weekly Famitsu (in Japanese). July 3, 1992. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Kohler, Chris (September 7, 2018). "The Weird History Of The Super NES CD-ROM, Nintendo's Most Notorious Vaporware". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "The Making Of: PlayStation". Edge. Future Publishing. April 24, 2009. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "History of the PlayStation". IGN. August 27, 1998. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d Robinson, Andy (February 5, 2020). "The Road To PS5: PSOne's Betrayal And Revenge Story". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Nintendo-Philips Deal Is a Slap at Sony". The New York Times. June 3, 1991. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016.
  9. ^ "Sony PlayStation". Next Generation. No. 24. Imagine Media. December 1996. p. 48.
  10. ^ Lipshy, Jarrod S. (November 20, 2013). "Why the Super Nintendo CD Would Have Been the Greatest Console Ever". Unrealitymag. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Fahey, Rob (April 27, 2007). "Farewell, Father". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  12. ^ a b Cowan, Danny (April 25, 2006). "CDi: The Ugly Duckling". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Nintendo's rocky road to CD". Electronic Games. April 1993. p. 27.
  14. ^ a b Sharples, Nick. "SCEE -- Sony History". Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Archived from the original on August 26, 2005. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "Production Super NES CD-ROM Specs Revealed!". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 6, no. 3. March 1993. p. 52.
  16. ^ Nintendo of America (August 27, 1992). "3 Dimensional Graphics Come To 16 - Bit Super NES". Letter to Kevin Edwards. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  17. ^ Davies, Jonathan (May 1993). "New Tech: CD-ROM-More Details Emerge". Super Play. No. 7. p. 21.
  18. ^ "Nintendo CD: The full story". Super Play. No. 11. September 1993.
  19. ^ Theriault, Donald (July 3, 2015). "Nintendo Play Station Superdisc Discovered". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Lai, Richard (November 6, 2015). "We turned on the Nintendo PlayStation: It's real and it works". Engadget. AOL Inc. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016.
  21. ^ Brian Crecente (July 3, 2015). "How misfortune and a bit of luck led to the discovery of the fabled Nintendo Play Station". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  22. ^ "Did a SUPER RARE Sony-Nintendo PlayStation prototype just pop up online? Possibly, maybe". theregister.com. July 4, 2015. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  23. ^ "Someone Has Actually Made A Game Which Works On The SNES PlayStation". Nintendo Life. July 11, 2016. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  24. ^ Buchanan, Adam (March 1, 2016). "Unreleased Super Nintendo CD "Nintendo PlayStation" Boot ROM Discovered". RetroCollect. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.
  25. ^ The Ben Heck Show (July 22, 2016). Ben Heck's Nintendo-Playstation Prototype Part 2 Repair. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Good, Owen S. (May 6, 2017). "The 'Nintendo Play Station' is working, thanks to Ben Heck". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  27. ^ "Hacker Makes the Nintendo PlayStation Fully Operational". Kotaku. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  28. ^ Philips, Tom (February 13, 2020). "Ultra-rare Nintendo PlayStation prototype up for auction". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  29. ^ Smith, Andrew (February 14, 2020). "Auctioned Nintendo PlayStation Prototype Console Will Be the Most Expensive Video Game Item Ever, Current Bid is $350,000". IGN. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  30. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (March 6, 2020). "Rare Nintendo Play Station sold at auction for more than $300,000". Polygon. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  31. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (March 7, 2020). "The Man Behind Pets.Com Bought The 'Nintendo Play Station' Console For $360,000". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 8, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  32. ^ https://www.vice.com/en/article/playstation-co-creator-ken-kutaragi-still-has-a-nintendo-playstation-prototype-which-is-wild-to-witness/
  33. ^ "Ben Heck tears down the legendary Nintendo PlayStation". July 17, 2016. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  34. ^ The Ben Heck Show (July 15, 2016). Ben Heck's Nintendo-Playstation Prototype Pt 1 Teardown. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ Snow, Blake (May 4, 2007). "The 10 Worst-Selling Consoles of All Time". GamePro.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2007.
  36. ^ Finnegan, Lizzy (April 7, 2015). "Secret of Mana: A Good Game With The Great Cut Out". The Escapist. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  37. ^ Schaulfelberger, Frederik (September 2006). "Sanningen om Mana". Level (in Swedish) (6). IDG: 114–121.
  38. ^ Nutt, Christian (September 9, 2010). "Birthday Memories: Sony PlayStation Turns 15". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on February 14, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
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