Atari Jaguar CD

History

Atari Corporation announced a CD-ROM drive for the Jaguar before the console's November 1993 launch. Codenamed Jaguar II during development, the Jaguar CD was released on September 21, 1995 for . It was originally scheduled for launch during the 1994 holiday shopping season, with multiple delays. In mid-1994, Atari and Sigma Designs signed an agreement to co-develop a PC board that would allow Jaguar CD games to be played on home computers, with a scheduled release by the end of 1994; however, it was never released.

Technicals

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. MemoryTrackThe Memory Track cartridge stores saved game position and high scores. Several publications have criticized the Jaguar CD's design for resembling a toilet.

The Jaguar CD has a double-speed (2×) drive and built-in VLM (Virtual Light Machine) software by Jeff Minter, using a spectrum analyzer for a sophisticated video light show for audio CDs. 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, 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 correction.

Game library

References

References

1. (October 1993). "Atari's 64-bit Jaguar Stalks the Competition". [[International Data Group.
2. (November 1993). "Atari Jaguar Unveiled—Stalks 3DO".
3. (April 1995). "Atari Gears Up for Battle". [[Imagine Media]].
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5. (1995-09-21). "Atari Jaguar CD system pounces onto multimedia marketplace.". [[Business Wire]].
6. (January 1996). "1995: The Calm Before the Storm?". [[Imagine Media]].
7. (September 1994). "Jaguar to Roar on PC". [[International Data Group.
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13. (November 1995). "Jaguar CD". [[International Data Group.
14. (June 1995). "Jaguar Plugs into the CD Revolution". [[Imagine Media]].