From: milton@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Milton W. Kuo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Super NES CD-ROM
Summary: was Re: A Tale of Three CDs
Keywords: Nintendo, CD, ROM, Super, NES
Date: 15 Apr 92 19:34:39 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

In article <!4vjysj.primus@netcom.com> primus@netcom.com (Robert keng) writes:
>			Well, Nintendo did get the SNES under $200 like they
>promised, including a game as well as two controllers. Technically, although
>slower, the SNES's hardware wise is superior to the Genesis (arrgh, please, no
>flames. Just stating a fact).

     You certainly are correct -- Nintendo did indeed make the  SNES sell
for under $200.   It is, IMHO, a very good deal when you can get a 16-bit
system with two controllers, a battery backed  cartridge, AC adapter, and
all the patch cables.   In fact, I believe the SNES is a much better deal
than the Super Famicom.  I'm not sure how much a SF is going for in Japan
but I would imagine it's still going for a lot....  Of course, the SF has
one advantage over SNES -- it looks better.  :-)

>Therefore, Nintendo doesn't have to add the
>same amount of hardware into their CD-ROM unit to make it perform at the same
>level, if not better, than the Mega CD. For example, the SNES base unit
>already has scalaing abilities. I am not a EE wiz, but I can guess that all
>Nintendo has to do is add in a couple of support chips to enhance the already
>incredible scaling ability that the base unit already has, instead of having
>to install an entire set of chips into their CD unit for scaling like Sega
>had to do. (please, correct me if I am wrong)

     The Super NES at current cannot scale sprites so the Nintendo CD-ROM
may have chips which allow hardware scaling of sprites.  Furthermore, the
SNES cannot do biaxial rotation in hardware.  This, too, may be added in-
to the SNES CD-ROM drive.

>			Also, do bear in mind that the cost of various components such as RAM chips and CPUs have been droppong lately (not by a quantum leap,
>but it has been dropping). And what does all this mean? Lower production costs  most likely. Also, since no one knows what kind of components Nintendo will
>be using for their CD-ROM, there is no way anyone can say that Nintendo can 
>or can't do as promised.(again, correct me if I'm wrong).........

     I'm not too sure about the RAM chips and CPU's becoming cheaper.  If
anything, those are probably some of the cheapest components that will be
in the CD-ROM.   1 MB RAM  costs peanuts nowadays.   If Nintendo hopes to
make a  CD-ROM for under $200, they'll have to  some how get  the support
chips cheaply.  This means they're going to have to find some inexpensive
CD-I chips.  I still believe that Nintendo's $200 price is a load of crap
and is just there to  make people "wait and see."  Even one of EGM's sis-
ter  magazines (the exclusively  SNES one)  seemed to be doubtful whether
Nintendo could keep its promise.

>			I am not saying that Nintendo will be able to deliver
>a CD-ROM unit comparable if not better than the Mega CD for under 200 bucks.
>I'm just saying that it is probable that nintendo will be able to do as  
>promised (I certainly hope so), in my opinion, of course. One can always hope,
>can't they? :)

     Nintendo probably  could deliver a CD-ROM for under $200.  However,
I genuinely  doubt it'll have the specs the  EGM staff printed (which is
supposedly from  Nintendo Of America).   I guess we'll  all have to wait
and see -- if Nintendo waits maybe 2 or 3 years to release it, it proba-
bly could include all those features EGM talked about for under $200.

     By the  way, you made a  civilized posting, Primus.   Please try to
make more posts like this one.

-- 
Milton W. Kuo
milton@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu