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Jaguar CD
File:Jaguar CD Logo.png
Atari-Jaguar-CD-wPro-Controller
Jaguar CD atop the console with the ProController
ManufacturerAtari Corporation
TypeVideo game console peripheral
GenerationFifth generation
Release dateSeptember 21, 1995; 29 years ago (September 21, 1995)
Introductory price$149.95
Discontinued1996 (1996)
MediaCD-ROM
Online servicesAtariNet

The Atari Jaguar CD is a CD-ROM peripheral for the Jaguar video game console.

Atari announced a CD-ROM drive for the Jaguar before the console's November 1993 launch.[1][2] Codenamed Jaguar II during development,[3] the Jaguar CD was released on September 21, 1995 for US$149.95 (equivalent to about $270 in 2023).[4][5] It was originally scheduled for launch during the 1994 holiday shopping season, with multiple delays.[6] The drive fits into the ROM cartridge slot atop the console, with its own pass-through cartridge slot to optionally run software that uses cartridge only or that uses cartridge and CD in tandem.[7] The Memory Track cartridge stores saved game position and high scores. Several publications have criticized the Jaguar CD's design for resembling a toilet.[8][9][10][11]

The Jaguar CD has a double-speed (2×) drive[12] and built-in VLM (Virtual Light Machine) software by Jeff Minter, using a spectrum analyzer for a sophisticated video light show for audio CDs.[7] It is bundled with Blue Lightning, Vid Grid, the Tempest 2000 soundtrack CD, and a Myst demo disc. Every startup screen is unique, using the VLM for a random light show.

Jaguar CDs can store up to 790MB,[13] more than conventional CD-ROMs. Its proprietary CD format is based on the audio CD format, instead of standard CD-ROM data formats. It allows for more storage, and its incompatibility foils casual piracy, at the expense of reduced [[Error detection and[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1995]

References[]

  1. "Atari's 64-bit Jaguar Stalks the Competition". GamePro (IDG) (61): 16–17. October 1993. 
  2. "Atari Jaguar Unveiled—Stalks 3DO". Computer Gaming World: 10–11. November 1993. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=112. Retrieved 28 March 2016. 
  3. "Atari Gears Up for Battle". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (4): 14–15. April 1995. 
  4. "Atari Corp". HFN. 1995-09-04. Retrieved 2011-05-15. {{cite web}}:
  5. "Atari Jaguar CD system pounces onto multimedia marketplace". Business Wire. 1995-09-21. Retrieved 2011-05-15. {{cite web}}:
  6. "1995: The Calm Before the Storm?". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (13): 45. January 1996. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 Wise, Carey (September 1995). "Gamer's Day at Atari". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (74): 64–66. 
  8. Elston, Brett (June 19, 2008). "Consoles of the '90s". GamesRadar. Retrieved November 30, 2021. {{cite web}}:
  9. Gilbert, Henry (August 28, 2013). "Weirdest console redesigns in gaming history". GamesRadar. p. 4. Retrieved November 30, 2021. {{cite web}}:
  10. Williams, Andrew (March 10, 2017). "12 new games created for long-obsolete consoles". TechRadar. p. 3. Retrieved November 30, 2021. {{cite web}}:
  11. "The 10 ugliest pieces of technology ever made". The Daily Telegraph. September 12, 2019. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/09/12/10-ugliest-pieces-technology-ever-made/atari-jaguar/. 
  12. "Jaguar CD". GamePro (IDG) (86): 20. November 1995. 
  13. "Jaguar Plugs into the CD Revolution". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (6): 18–19. June 1995. 
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