Atari Jaguar (JAG CD)
The Atari Jaguar CD or Jag CD is a peripheral CD-ROM for the Jaguar game console.
Atari announced a CD-ROM drive for the Jaguar ahead of the console's release in November 1993. During development, codenamed Jaguar II, the Jaguar CD was released on September 21, 1995, priced at US$149.95 (equivalent to approximately US$270 in 2021). It was originally scheduled to launch during the 1994 holiday shopping season with numerous delays. The drive slots into a ROM cartridge slot at the top of the console, and its own pass-through cartridge slot allows you to run software that uses only the cartridge or that uses the cartridge and CD together. The Memory Track cartridge stores the saved game position and high scores. Several publications have criticized the design of Jaguar's CD for its resemblance to a toilet bowl.
The Jaguar CD has a 2-speed (2x) drive and firmware VLM (Virtual Light Machine) by Jeff Minter using a spectrum analyzer for a complex audio CD video light show. It comes with Blue Lightning, Vid Grid, the Tempest 2000 soundtrack CD, and the Myst demo CD. Each launch screen is unique, using VLM for a random light show.
Jaguar CDs can store up to 790MB, more than regular CDs. Its proprietary CD format is based on the audio CD format rather than the standard CD data formats. This allows for more memory, and its incompatibility prevents accidental piracy by reducing error correction.
Only 11 games were released for the Jaguar CD during its existence: Battlemorph, Baldies, Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods, Brain Dead 13, Dragon's Lair, Space Ace, Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands, Myst, Primal Rage and two packs. -ins. However, previously unfinished and self-made games have since been released.
In mid-1994, Atari and Sigma Designs signed an agreement to jointly develop a PCB that would allow Jaguar CD games to be played on home computers, scheduled for release in late 1994. However, it was never released...