14 Facts About Philips CD-i

Philips CD-i players were usually standalone boxes that connect to a standard television; some less common setups included integrated Philips CD-i television sets and expansion modules for personal computers.

Unlike CD-ROM drives, Philips CD-i players are complete computer systems centered around dedicated Motorola 68000-based microprocessors and its own operating system called CD-RTOS, which is an acronym for "Compact Disc – Real Time Operating System".

Philips's CD-i system implemented Internet features, including subscriptions, web browsing, downloading, e-mail, and online play.

Philips CD-i tracks are structured according to the CD-ROM XA specification, and have different classes depending on their contents .

Nintendo and Philips CD-i had established an agreement to co-develop a CD-ROM enhancement for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System due to licensing disagreements with Nintendo's previous partner Sony .

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Philips CD-i has a series of learning games targeted at children from infancy to adolescence.

TelePhilips CD-i is the world's first networked multimedia application at the time of its introduction.

Electronic Arts for instance was enthusiastic about Philips CD-i and formed a division for the development of video game titles on the format, but it was eventually halted with the intention of resuming when Philips CD-i players would reach the market.

The magazine noted that while Philips had not yet officially discontinued the CD-i, it was dead for all intents and purposes, citing as evidence the fact that though Philips had a large booth at the 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo, there was no CD-i hardware or software on display.

In October 1994, Philips claimed an installed base of one million units for the CD-i worldwide.

Plans for a second generation Philips CD-i system were certainly present and Argonaut Software was even designated to design chip sets for the successor to the Philips CD-i.

The Dutch half of Philips Media was sold to Softmachine, which released The Lost Ride on the CD-i as the last product for the CD-i.

The last Philips CD-i game was made by Infogrames, who released Solar Crusade in 1999.

In later retrospective years, the Philips CD-i has become best known for its video games, particularly those from the Nintendo-licensed The Legend of Zelda series, considered by many to be of poor taste.