September 1991 - Developers' opinions of Super CD format

[Necromancer]

Ah, ok. Was the SuperCD designed to match the CoreGrafx II colour-wise then?

Yes.  They share a color scheme and were released just a few months apart.

Also, why didn't they put the SGX hardware into the Duos? Sure rly that would have helped?

Helped what?  The format was already dead, so it would've made the Duos even more expensive for something that neither consumers or developers were particularly interested.

[Artabasdos]

Ah, ok. Was the SuperCD designed to match the CoreGrafx II colour-wise then?

Yes.  They share a color scheme and were released just a few months apart.

Also, why didn't they put the SGX hardware into the Duos? Sure rly that would have helped?

Helped with it's technical edge against its competition. I doubt it would have cost that much more tbh.


Helped what?  The format was already dead, so it would've made the Duos even more expensive for something that neither consumers or developers were particularly interested.

[Necromancer]

Helped with it's technical edge against its competition. I doubt it would have cost that much more tbh.

A technical superiority is meaningless if developers ignored it, and additional cost is a serious concern when the system is already considered expensive.  Also, had it been included and widely supported, they would've pissed off everyone with a briefcase.

They didn't include it because they didn't think they needed it to compete on a technical level.  They were right.

[Artabasdos]

Kinda weird considering the launch of the matching SuperCD2 unit.

You mean the SuperCD2 unit that launched 2 years after the SuperGrafx (which was already judged a failure), and which color-matched the CoreGrafx II, and was a cost-cutting replacement for the whole briefcase setup?

That SuperCD2?

The SuperGrafx could already run CD games soon after its launch with the release of the RAU-30 adapter for the briefcase.

<edit>

Beaten-to-the-post by Necromancer! 

Yes and no. I had a T shaped CD setup in my head. I was thinking of the TurboGrafx & TurboCD though without realising it. I confused the 2 as the SGX is effectively the head or a capital T. But yeah, mistaken identity!

[Artabasdos]

Helped with it's technical edge against its competition. I doubt it would have cost that much more tbh.

A technical superiority is meaningless if developers ignored it, and additional cost is a serious concern when the system is already considered expensive.  Also, had it been included and widely supported, they would've pissed off everyone with a briefcase.

They didn't include it because they didn't think they needed it to compete on a technical level.  They were right.

To a degree I guess. The MegaDrive & SNES still outlived it in the mainstream.

[Black Tiger]

Helped with it's technical edge against its competition. I doubt it would have cost that much more tbh.

A technical superiority is meaningless if developers ignored it, and additional cost is a serious concern when the system is already considered expensive.  Also, had it been included and widely supported, they would've pissed off everyone with a briefcase.

They didn't include it because they didn't think they needed it to compete on a technical level.  They were right.

To a degree I guess. The MegaDrive & SNES still outlived it in the mainstream.

It's all relative. The PC Engine was catering to a different market, since Nintendo had a stranglehold on the mass  market that was independent of software or hardware. Yet it went strong for 8 years and amassed a library similar in size to the Sega Genesis.

The Super Famicom/SNES arrived midway through the generation and only went s long as it did because of Nintendo's refusal to remain current hardware-wise and the combo of questionable business practices and japanese publisher "honor" and install base loyalty. Yet its last game was released during its 8th year.

While the PC Engine still saw releases in its 9th and 10th years, even one in its 12th and the first in a steady stream of physically published hombrew releases only a few years after that. And that's with the PC-FX targeting the same publishers and consumers.

[Artabasdos]

Helped with it's technical edge against its competition. I doubt it would have cost that much more tbh.

A technical superiority is meaningless if developers ignored it, and additional cost is a serious concern when the system is already considered expensive.  Also, had it been included and widely supported, they would've pissed off everyone with a briefcase.

They didn't include it because they didn't think they needed it to compete on a technical level.  They were right.

To a degree I guess. The MegaDrive & SNES still outlived it in the mainstream.

It's all relative. The PC Engine was catering to a different market, since Nintendo had a stranglehold on the mass  market that was independent of software or hardware. Yet it went strong for 8 years and amassed a library similar in size to the Sega Genesis.

The Super Famicom/SNES arrived midway through the generation and only went s long as it did because of Nintendo's refusal to remain current hardware-wise and the combo of questionable business practices and japanese publisher "honor" and install base loyalty. Yet its last game was released during its 8th year.

While the PC Engine still saw releases in its 9th and 10th years, even one in its 12th and the first in a steady stream of physically published hombrew releases only a few years after that. And that's with the PC-FX targeting the same publishers and consumers.

No disrespect to homebrew releases, but I'm only including officially licensed software. By that logic the Genesis and SNES are still alive, as they get homebrew-esque stuff too.

I'm also not attacking the PCE or its achievements in anyway. It's an amazing little machine with some impressive punch. The fact it could output 482 onscreen colours at the same time when mainstream PC videocards of the time could only do 256, and cost a small fortune is pretty mind blowing.
I'm a HUGE Megadrive fan, but have to admit the graphics are sometimes lacking in terms of colour. Then again, not many devs took advantage of the MD's built-in 192 colour shadow & highlight feature. The highest recorded amount of colours of any game or beta from back in the day that I know of is 114, on a Sonic 2 beta. But yeah, I'm just rambling now.

[Black Tiger]

Commercial non-homebrew releases spanned 12 years.

Translucent overlays are not the same as legit shading/color/detail and S&H has limited use, but many games still did something with it.

The Genesis/Mega Drive had enough color flexibilty for most types of games, even though most devs were bad at making good use of it. Palette hacks are transforming exiating games. Unfortunately, it was the same generation that street fighting games took off, which are the hardest kind of game to do within the Genesis' color restrictions, particularly ports.

[Necromancer]

To a degree I guess. The MegaDrive & SNES still outlived it in the mainstream.

The SNES/SF and Genesis both had more releases later in life, but the Mega Drive did not.  It died off in Japan much more quickly.

No disrespect to homebrew releases, but I'm only including officially licensed software.

So was Black Tiger.  The first official PCE game was released on 10/30/87 and the last was on 6/3/99.

[Artabasdos]

Commercial non-homebrew releases spanned 12 years.

Translucent overlays are not the same as legit shading/color/detail and S&H has limited use, but many games still did something with it.

The Genesis/Mega Drive had enough color flexibilty for most types of games, even though most devs were bad at making good use of it. Palette hacks are transforming exiating games. Unfortunately, it was the same generation that street fighting games took off, which are the hardest kind of game to do within the Genesis' color restrictions, particularly ports.

The MD's S&H differs from most by being a built-in feature, not pseudo hack. It's not HAM.

You're right. Some devs chose very, very poor colour choices for certain MD games. Those hacks look so much better it's ridiculous. There are even copies of SFII CE being sold that have had the sound and colour fixes applied, and it's so much better. Hell, even Final Fight CD got a colour hack. That's the only burnt game I own.

[Black Tiger]

Commercial non-homebrew releases spanned 12 years.

Translucent overlays are not the same as legit shading/color/detail and S&H has limited use, but many games still did something with it.

The Genesis/Mega Drive had enough color flexibilty for most types of games, even though most devs were bad at making good use of it. Palette hacks are transforming exiating games. Unfortunately, it was the same generation that street fighting games took off, which are the hardest kind of game to do within the Genesis' color restrictions, particularly ports.

The MD's S&H differs from most by being a built-in feature, not pseudo hack. It's not HAM.

You're right. Some devs chose very, very poor colour choices for certain MD games. Those hacks look so much better it's ridiculous. There are even copies of SFII CE being sold that have had the sound and colour fixes applied, and it's so much better. Hell, even Final Fight CD got a colour hack. That's the only burnt game I own.

S&H is so convoluted to make much use of, that in practical use, it's more of a software feature. Which is why it was mainly used for simple things.