The SNES-CD

   In the early to mid ninety’s Nintendo and Sega were going head to head with their respective 16-bit consoles for the hearts of gamers across the world as they each sort to dominate the market. In 1991 Sega released the Mega CD add-on which took advantage of the new medium of the future the CD, as they sort to expand upon and widen the Mega Drives range.

   Nintendo already had previous experience with add-ons as they had already ventured down this well worn path with the Famicom Disk System for the Famicom (NES.) This add-on was never released outside of Japan because it wasn’t a resounding success amongst other factors, such as piracy and unreliability to name a few. But Nintendo wanted to compete and take advantage of this new storage medium that offered so much more potential to gaming, and so they approached Sony to produce what would be dubbed the SNES-CD.

   Sony, having experience with this new CD-ROM technology, and Nintendo having used the Sony SPC-700 processor for the SNES sound output, it seemed like a natural fit for both companies. But it was mostly thanks to the relationship built between Nintendo and Sony through engineer Ken Kutaragi that such a processor was created and used in the SNES, and that there was even an open channel for dialog between the two companies at all, as Sony management didn’t like being bedfellows much with other companies at the time. So it come to pass that with a prior business deal, and a mutual business relationship (of sorts) well established, the two companies agreed on a deal.

   Where things fell apart, essentially dooming this add-on never to see the light of day on a production line, is essentially when the powers that be at Nintendo HQ realised that the contract they had signed off on with Sony for the SNES-CD, also handed complete control of all software produced on it to them, freezing Nintendo out of retaining control of the software. With the Nintendo top brass less than happy with this seemingly one sided venture, they secretly formed a deal with Philips and put a stop to any further work on the SNES-CD with Sony. At the 1991 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Sony announced that it was working with Nintendo on the SNES-CD add-on. But the following day Nintendo announced that they wasn’t working with Sony on the CD add-on for their 16-bit console, but instead had formed a deal with Philips. Sony was left red faced with embarrassment at their announcement the day before as Nintendo had neglected to tell Sony that the SNES-CD deal was dead in the water.

   Sony could have killed all further work right there and left the video games industry to itself, but with a few different prototypes of the CD add-on produced, they decided to further research and develop the project and release a standalone CD-based console themselves. They eventually ended their on-going tumultuous relationship with Nintendo and went onto release the PlayStation, and the rest they say is history.

   Although it can be said that if Nintendo had read the contract they had signed with Sony properly, then it might not have been signed in the first place. Or perhaps it would have been amended to allow Nintendo to retain control and rights over all the software for the add-on, there for it would have been signed, and the SNES-CD would possibly have been produced. Both these could have kept Sony out of the console hardware business that it ended up being the dominant leader in, but the truth is, it was Nintendo backing out and backtracking on their original agreement that caused Sony to further its development into a standalone console that would become the PlayStation. If they had honoured their contractual agreement with Sony for the SNES-CD, their decision to pull out and embarrass Sony (whether intentional or not) wouldn’t have come back to bite them, as they would slip into second place in the console market with the N64, and then third place with the Game Cube, all as Sony remained at the top spot with its PlayStation consoles.

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Nintendo Gamer Magazine

   This is the second time I have started writing this, the first time I went off on a complete tangent about how current gen gaming (at least on the Xbox 360,) has lost me, and how I’m looking for my games and gaming experience elsewhere. But I was really going off topic to be honest as all I really want to talk about is Nintendo Gamer Magazine and what’s made me pick this fine issue up.

   Firstly, as you can probably tell from the front cover, it has a great article about the Wii U, a console I'm eagerly awaiting and shall be making my next gen system, so this was the magazines first draw for me. This article is great because it aims at looking through all the speculative and rumour mill bullshit to read between the lines based upon actual fact’s given by either Nintendo themselves, or actual reliable sources that are in the spotlight, as opposed to those that remain hidden in the shadows of secrecy and can offer up any load of old tosh as god given fact. This was a very interesting read, one that laid out the facts, read between the lines, and aimed to keep an open mind at where the Wii U might be in terms of its graphics, power, price and features when  its released.

   The second thing about this magazine that attracted me to it was all the retro goodness within its pages. Now I love the Nintendo of old, the days of the 8-bit and 16-bit Nintendo, those were magical times, and when I was young nobody could seperate me away from my Game Boy or SNES, it just wasn’t going to happen. I can fondly remember taking my Game Boy everywhere with me, no matter where I went, the classic handheld was by my side in an all encompassing carry case. But I have to admit, the newer Nintendo, that from at least the N64 onwards (although I wouldn’t class the N64 as new,) I could never seem to connect with. I gave the Wii a major try when I bought one 6 months after launch, and I'm still impressed with the system, and still think even now that the motion controls have huge potential. But I was waiting for games for what seemed like forever, so I sadly and regrettably sold it, in hindsight, I wish I hadn’t as there are some amazing games on the system now, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

   Anyway, going way off topic again. But at the back of Nintendo Gamer you will find an epic best of list, each full of a sizable amount of games, with each given a short sentence or two as to why it was chosen. All Nintendo’s main systems are there, from the NES, right the way through to the 3DS, it even gives a best of games list for the Wiiware and Nintendo’s eshop, and for those of you that were wondering, no the Virtual Boy is not listed.

   But for us retro gamers the goodness doesn’t stop there, they have a great many other article’s, reviews and tip-bits on games from the past that graced Nintendo’s many systems. They cover the N64’s Glover, Viewtiful Joe, Freedom Fighters (one of my personal favourites that I loved on the PS2, though not retro, ) Aliens 3, Micro Machines for the NES and much more. One aspect of the retro content in this magazine that I really like is that it starts to creep in from the centre-fold onwards, and instead of being bunched up into its own retro section, it is cleverly mixed together alongside all the modern games.

   I’ll really be looking out for the next issue, and I hope that Nintendo Gamer will continue the great mixture of new and old together that feels quite refreshing. So if you’re a retro gamer like me, and you like Nintendo’s classic systems and games, as well as their modern stuff, Nintendo Gamer is a worthy buy, I gave it a go, and found it to be a surprisingly enjoyable read.

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