The Super NES CD-ROM[1] (commonly abbreviated as SNES CD) was a proposed video game platform developed in the early 1990s by Nintendo via joint ventures with Sony and Philips intended to expand the functionality of the cartridge-based Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) by adding support for compact discs (CDs).
The collaborations with Sony and Philips resulted in two distinct projects that would support playback of CDs, one of which was an add-on device for the Super NES developed by Philips and another was a dedicated all-in-one unit developed by Sony under the name "PlayStation". Games would also be stored on the medium, using two distinct formats based on CD-ROM for both collaborations.
Both projects ultimately fell short after Nintendo dropped out of both joint ventures in 1991[4] and 1993[5] respectively, meaning that both CD-based projects were cancelled with fewer to no prototypes being produced.This turn of events led to Sony developing
Nintendo themselves never properly transitioned to optical media for several years until the release of the GameCube in 2001.
History
Background
Released in 1990, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was Nintendo's entry into the fourth generation of video game consoles, also known as the 16-bit era.It became a major success worldwide, outselling its competitors, the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine and the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, becoming the most popular console of that generation.
During the 1990s, compact discs (CDs) started to gain traction and popularity as a storage medium for music and video games, which were positioned as alternatives to the traditional cartridge format that was the norm in the video game industry at the time.Some advantages over the cartridge format include greater storage capacity, full-motion video (FMV) playback, and the inclusion of high-quality audio (including audio CD playback).Add-on accessories using CD technology were created to take advantage of this approach; the first one being NEC's TurboGrafx-CD/PC Engine CD-ROM² in 1988 and then Sega's Sega CD/Mega-CD in 1991.In response, Nintendo sought to create their own take on the concept to combat its competitors, and entered negotiations with Sony, who had previously designed the sound chips for the SNES, to create the project.
Conception
Sony engineer Ken Kutaragi became interested in video game development after observing his daughter play games on Nintendo's Famicom video game console.Without full corporate approval, Kutaragi secretly designed the S-SMP audio chip for Nintendo's upcoming Super NES console.At the time, Sony was uninterested in the video game business, so most of his superiors did not approve of the project (and he was nearly fired for doing so), but Kutaragi received support from Sony executive Norio Ohga, who allowed the project to proceed.[6]
Encouraged by the collaboration, and convinced that CD-ROMs (which Sony had co-developed with Philips) would eventually supplant cartridges, Kutaragi proposed a CD-ROM drive for the Super NES. Although Nintendo was initially skeptical, concerned about the slow load times of CD-ROM drives of the time, it permitted Sony to begin development after Kutaragi claimed the drive would be used for multimedia purposes rather than games.[6]
Development began in late 1988. The resulting project was a Sony-branded console called the PlayStation, designed to support both Super NES cartridges and a new CD-based format known as the Super Disc. Contemporaneous plans also reportedly called for the integration of the Super FX coprocessor developed by Argonaut Games for 3D graphics acceleration, which was used in games such as Star Fox.Jez San of Argonaut recalled that Nintendo and Sony initially wanted to add the Super FX chip into their new console, which would have allowed for rudimentary 3D graphics out of the box, and said that the chip was discussed as part of early technical proposals during negotiations with Sony and Nintendo.[7]
Under Sony's proposed agreement, the company would retain control over the Super Disc format and its software licensing, as well as reap the exclusive benefits from music and movie content on the platform—areas where Sony was aggressively expanding.[8][9][10] Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi found the terms unacceptable. He was already wary of Sony who had demanded game developers to use its expensive, proprietary audio tools for the S-SMP audio chip. He was also concerned by Sony's growing influence across music, film, and software. Yamauchi began to suspect that Nintendo was being used to advance Sony's ambitions of launching its own console. He soon began seeking an alternative partner.[10]
Turning to one of Sony's main rivals, Philips, Yamauchi dispatched Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa and executive Howard Lincoln to the Netherlands to negotiate a more favorable deal.As chronicled by David Sheff in his book Game Over, "[The Philips deal] was meant to do two things at once: give Nintendo back its stranglehold on software and gracefully f--k Sony."[10] Unbeknownst to Sony, Nintendo's intent to go with Philips for the CD-ROM add-on was publicly announced two days before Consumer Electronics Show in a May 1991 Seattle Times news report.[11]
CES 1991 and aftermath
At the Consumer Electronics Show in June 1991, Sony publicly unveiled its hybrid SNES-compatible console, the PlayStation, which supported both cartridge and CDs.[8] The next day, Nintendo revealed its partnership with Philips at the show, which came as a surprise to the audience, and is now referred to by many journalists as "the greatest ever betrayal" in the industry.[4][10][12][13]
Despite the events at CES 1991, negotiations between Nintendo and Sony continued, and during this period, two to three hundred PlayStation prototypes were produced,[14][15]
Proposed devices
Sony PlayStation (SFX-100)
The PlayStation was a proposed standalone console co-produced by Nintendo and Sony that used its own proprietary CD-ROM format designed and solely licensed by Sony known as the Super Disc[19] while retaining compatibility with Super NES Game Paks via an included cartridge slot.[20]
Initial plans for the unit called for the integration of the Super FX coprocessor chip to allow for support of rudimentary 3D polygonal graphics out of the box,[7] however this is not present in any of the prototypes that were produced.
Prototypes
At least 200 to 300 units of the SNES-based PlayStation were produced[21] until they were scrapped in favor of the next-generation PlayStation project. All of these units bear the model number SFX-100. As of 2025, there have been two known examples of these units in existence.
Photos of the prototype resurfaced in the 2000s, which were subsequently shared online as well as it being featured on an article published by Edge in April 2009 about the original PlayStation's history, showing what the unit would have looked like.[8] Around July 2015, one of the original Sony PlayStation prototypes had been reportedly found; this particular unit was abandoned by former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson during his time at Advanta.[22] A former Advanta worker, Terry Diebold, acquired the device as part of a lot during Advanta's 2009 bankruptcy auction.As shown in Benjamin Heckendorn's tear-down video of the unit in 2016, the prototype featured two Super NES controller ports, a cartridge slot, a tray-loading dual-speed CD-ROM drive, RCA composite jacks, S-Video, RFU DC OUT (similar to the PlayStation SCPH-1001), a proprietary multi-out AV output port (the same one featured on the Super NES, Nintendo 64, and GameCube), headphone jack on the front, a serial port labelled "NEXT" (probably for debugging), and one expansion port under the unit.[23][24] The system was later confirmed as operational and plays Super Famicom cartridges as well as its included test cartridge, although the audio output and CD drive were non-functional.
Some groups have attempted to develop homebrew software for the console such as Super Boss Gaiden, as there were no known games that used the CD drive.[27] In March 2016, retro-gaming website RetroCollect reported that it (and influential members of online emulation communities) had received (from an anonymous source) a functional disc boot ROM for the SNES-based PlayStation.[28]
Diebold gave the unit to hardware hacker Benjamin Heckendorn in 2016 to examine its contents.In doing this, he posted a tear-down video of the system that same year, which also included some technical specifications of the prototype that he published and compared it to the other two CD-based add-ons released for the TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Genesis.He said that the system would have probably been as powerful as a standard Super NES, but not as powerful as the Sega CD.[23][24] Heckendorn later identified faults in several on-board components which he subsequently replaced in 2017, resulting in fixing the audio and CD drive issues indirectly.To also fully resolve the missing power supply issue, Heckendorn created a custom power supply for the unit based on the original PlayStation and modified the unit to use a power connector from a Sony Walkman to match the one that was used on the custom power supply unit to ensure that it would be powered on without the need for its original power supply.Heckendorn then showed Super Famicom (and SNES games via an adapter) working on the system and also showed audio CDs working on the system as there were no known game CDs, but affirmed that homebrew games worked.[29][30]
This prototype was auctioned by Diebold in February 2020, with an initial price of US$15,000, but the auction quickly exceeded US$350,000 within two days.[31][32] It was sold for US$360,000 to Greg McLemore, an entrepreneur and founder of Pets.com, who has a large collection of other video game hardware and plans to establish a permanent museum for this type of hardware.[33][34]
In March 2025, it has been reported that a second prototype unit was found to be in Kutaragi's possession, which he has kept inside his closet for storage. This unit is identical to that of the first known prototype unit that was discovered nearly ten years prior, but in a much better physical condition.[35]
Prototypes
At least 200 to 300 units of the SNES-based PlayStation were produced[21] until they were scrapped in favor of the next-generation PlayStation project. All of these units bear the model number SFX-100. As of 2025, there have been two known examples of these units in existence.
Photos of the prototype resurfaced in the 2000s, which were subsequently shared online as well as it being featured on an article published by Edge in April 2009 about the original PlayStation's history, showing what the unit would have looked like.[8] Around July 2015, one of the original Sony PlayStation prototypes had been reportedly found; this particular unit was abandoned by former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson during his time at Advanta.[22] A former Advanta worker, Terry Diebold, acquired the device as part of a lot during Advanta's 2009 bankruptcy auction.As shown in Benjamin Heckendorn's tear-down video of the unit in 2016, the prototype featured two Super NES controller ports, a cartridge slot, a tray-loading dual-speed CD-ROM drive, RCA composite jacks, S-Video, RFU DC OUT
Super NES CD-ROM System
The Super NES CD-ROM System was a proposed CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES co-produced by Nintendo and Philips that can accept CDs while also providing some additional hardware functionality to expand upon the capabilities of the Super NES. It was developed as a result of a partnership between the two companies that occurred alongside the ongoing development of Sony's standalone SNES-based PlayStation console and the Super Disc CD-ROM format.
Like most CD-based add-ons, it can play CD-based games as well as audio CDs via its own built-in CD drive. It was designed to be used only in conjunction with a Super NES console, and attaches to the expansion port on the bottom of the main system. Unlike most CD-ROM based add-ons (and virtually most optical disc-based game consoles since), it does not use a tray loading or top loading drive and instead uses a cartridge-based caddy loading drive that can accept discs placed in enclosed caddy cases.This was designed to protect the discs from damage, and was similar to that of early CD-ROM drives used in contemporary computers of the time such as certain pre-1994 Macintosh computers with built-in CD drives. The add-on's CD drive would operate at both single (1x) and double (2x) speeds, with the faster speed (2x) being primarily used for CD-based games while the slower speed (1x) was presumably only used for audio CDs. CD-based games for the add-on would use a new CD-ROM format known as the Nintendo Disc (ND), which was developed separately from Sony's Super Disc format and was based on CD-ROM XA;[2][36] the ND format games would also be compatible with
Comparison
The following table below is based on Benjamin Heckendorn's specs comparison of the first known prototype unit of Sony's jointly produced SNES-based PlayStation console shown in July 2016.[23] The specs of the proposed Nintendo and Philips developed Super NES CD-ROM System add-on published by Electronic Gaming Monthly and Electronic Games in 1993 are also included on this table below.
Legacy
After the original contract with Sony failed, Nintendo continued its partnership with Philips. This contract provisioned Philips with the right to feature Nintendo's characters in a few games for its CD-i multimedia device, but never resulted in a CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES after Nintendo's silent cancellation of the project in late 1993.The Nintendo-themed CD-i games were very poorly received, and the CD-i is considered a commercial failure.[40] These games later found its way into the early modern internet culture as a cult classic; the hand-drawn cutscenes of certain Nintendo-themed CD-i games in particular were used in various parodies and internet memes in the 2000s, including those published on video sharing sites such as YouTube.
After Nintendo left the collaboration in 1991, Sony continued to work on the project on their own, cutting ties with Nintendo in 1992, and reworked the project into a standalone console that exclusively used CDs instead of cartridges and had more powerful hardware than any other consoles available at the time. It was around this time that Sony entered into a brief short-lived partnership with Sega under the agreement that both companies would share all costs and risk for the new CD-ROM drive (and ultimately the next generation console). Sega would cancel the partnership, however, claiming that Sony knew little of the industry at the time,[41] and resumed development on what would eventually become the Sega Saturn. Kutaragi however became emboldened enough from his experiences working with both Nintendo and Sega, and Sony resumed development of their own console for the next generation after leaving both companies.
The main game in development for the SNES CD platform launch was Square's Secret of Mana, whose planned content was cut down to the size suitable for cartridge and released on that medium instead.[42][43] None of the additional hardware used in the Nintendo and Philips Super NES CD-ROM add-on project ever came to fruition, however the CPU of the proposed add-on, the NEC V810, did eventually make its way into at least two other video game products: NEC and Hudson Soft's PC-FX game console released exclusively in Japan in December 1994, as well as Nintendo's own Virtual Boy 3D stereoscopic game console released in July 1995 in Japan and August 1995 in North America.
Sony released the PlayStation in December 1994 in Japan and September 1995 in North America and Europe, and soon became a major success worldwide.This next-generation CD-based console successfully competed against other CD-based consoles such as the Sega Saturn, the 3DO, and PC-FX, as well as Nintendo's cartridge-based Nintendo 64, making it a console leader. Sony had sold three times as many PlayStation consoles compared to the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn in the mid-to-late 1990s, establishing Sony as a major player in the video game industry.
The broken partnership with Sony has often been cited as a mistake by Nintendo, effectively creating a formidable rival in the video game market as a consequence of Sony's and Kutaragi's shrewd determination to break into the market. Journalists have argued that if Nintendo had never broken the deal, its position may have been further undermined by Sony.[44][16] Nintendo, still convinced of the faster load times and stronger anti-piracy measures of the cartridge format, did not produce an optical disc-based console until the release of the GameCube in 2001.[17]
See also
Atari Jaguar CD
Panasonic M2, initially announced as an add-on chip for the 3DO
Satellaview
Sega CD, a CD-ROM attachment for the Genesis
TurboGrafx-16, the first video game console with a CD-ROM drive attachment
Voicer-kun, an IR transmitter for the Super Famicom used to provide CD audio from an external CD player
Twin Famicom, a Famicom and Famicom Disk System combination unit
Super Famicom Naizou TV SF1, a Super Famicom and television combination that is a follow-up to the Sharp C1
In early 1992, the companies reached a deal allowing Sony to produce SNES-compatible hardware, while Nintendo retained control and profit over the games.
However, the strained relationship between the two firms had already taken its toll.
Although Sony executives still believed that partnering with the more experienced Nintendo was the safer path, Kutaragi ultimately persuaded the company to abandon the Super NES CD-ROM and instead pursue development of a standalone console for the next-generation of video games, which would become the PlayStation in 1994.[16][17] This new console dropped compatibility with the SNES and contained more powerful hardware specifications than any other consoles available at the time.
In order to refocus their efforts on the new console, Sony cut all ties to Nintendo in May 1992.[18]
Meanwhile, the partnership between Nintendo and Philips led to the development of an add-on based CD-ROM peripheral for the Super NES, featuring additional hardware such as a 32-bit coprocessor and a new CD format based on CD-ROM XA technology known as the Nintendo Disc (ND).However, before any prototypes can be produced, Nintendo reportedly canceled the project quietly as late as September 1993, effectively ending development of all CD-based Super NES hardware.[5]
The unit was also missing its original power supply as Diebold likely never received the original one when he got ahold of it during the Advanta bankruptcy auction, and so the system could not be powered on without it.
To remedy this issue for the time being, a third-party power supply was used.[25] It came with a Sony/PlayStation-branded version of the standard Super Famicom controller (model number SHVC-005).[26]
(similar to the PlayStation SCPH-1001), a proprietary multi-out AV output port (the same one featured on the Super NES,
Nintendo 64
, and
GameCube
), headphone jack on the front, a serial port labelled "NEXT" (probably for debugging), and one expansion port under the unit.
The system was later confirmed as operational and plays Super Famicom cartridges as well as its included test cartridge, although the audio output and CD drive were non-functional.
The unit was also missing its original power supply as Diebold likely never received the original one when he got ahold of it during the Advanta bankruptcy auction, and so the system could not be powered on without it.
To remedy this issue for the time being, a third-party power supply was used.[25] It came with a Sony/PlayStation-branded version of the standard Super Famicom controller (model number SHVC-005).[26]
Some groups have attempted to develop homebrew software for the console such as Super Boss Gaiden, as there were no known games that used the CD drive.[27] In March 2016, retro-gaming website RetroCollect reported that it (and influential members of online emulation communities) had received (from an anonymous source) a functional disc boot ROM for the SNES-based PlayStation.[28]
Diebold gave the unit to hardware hacker Benjamin Heckendorn in 2016 to examine its contents.In doing this, he posted a tear-down video of the system that same year, which also included some technical specifications of the prototype that he published and compared it to the other two CD-based add-ons released for the TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Genesis.He said that the system would have probably been as powerful as a standard Super NES, but not as powerful as the Sega CD.[23][24] Heckendorn later identified faults in several on-board components which he subsequently replaced in 2017, resulting in fixing the audio and CD drive issues indirectly.To also fully resolve the missing power supply issue, Heckendorn created a custom power supply for the unit based on the original PlayStation and modified the unit to use a power connector from a Sony Walkman to match the one that was used on the custom power supply unit to ensure that it would be powered on without the need for its original power supply.Heckendorn then showed Super Famicom (and SNES games via an adapter) working on the system and also showed audio CDs working on the system as there were no known game CDs, but affirmed that homebrew games worked.[29][30]
This prototype was auctioned by Diebold in February 2020, with an initial price of US$15,000, but the auction quickly exceeded US$350,000 within two days.[31][32] It was sold for US$360,000 to Greg McLemore, an entrepreneur and founder of Pets.com, who has a large collection of other video game hardware and plans to establish a permanent museum for this type of hardware.[33][34]
In March 2025, it has been reported that a second prototype unit was found to be in Kutaragi's possession, which he has kept inside his closet for storage. This unit is identical to that of the first known prototype unit that was discovered nearly ten years prior, but in a much better physical condition.[35]
Because Nintendo was convinced that using CD-ROM technology with a 16-bit processor would not provide consumers with significantly enhanced and unique games, they decided to incorporate a new 32-bit RISC processor into the add-on,[37][2][36] which was reported by some analysts to be an NECV810 clocked at 21.47727 MHz.[38] This new 32-bit CPU, known as the SCCP, was to be included inside a dedicated system cartridge that contains the extra hardware dedicated for the add-on such as additional RAM, ROM, and an additional coprocessor called "HANDS" (Hyper Advanced Nintendo Data Transfer System), a custom chip based around a single 65C02 8-bit processor clocked at 4.295 MHz.HANDS primarily acts as a decoder for the add-on's CD-ROM drive, but also enhances the SNES's sound capabilities with up to four channels of audio, complimenting with the add-on's CD audio as well as the Super NES' eight-channel S-SMP audio system.[36] The system cartridge would be inserted into the console's cartridge slot and then interfaced via a cord that attaches from the system cartridge to the CD-ROM unit to supply power and data transfer, in a setup that mirrors that of the Famicom Disk System of the preceding NES (Famicom). Like most CD-ROM add-ons, it would also require its own power supply as the Super NES cannot supply power to the CD-ROM unit by itself; an AC adapter for the CD-ROM unit would be included to supply power to the add-on itself. To combat piracy, the add-on would have added a number of copy-protection measures to prevent the use of illicit copies and burned backups of ND format games.[36]
The technical specifications of the Super NES CD-ROM System add-on were reported as early as 1992 by Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) before publishing its specs in its March 1993 issue,[39] which were echoed in an issue of Electronic Games published in April 1993.[36] The 1993 EGM and EG issues also showed concept art for the proposed add-on unit, with the EGM issue showing the Super Famicom design and the EG issue showing the North American Super NES design.Before a single prototype could be made, however, Nintendo quietly cancelled the project a few years into the concept phase, which was reported as late as the summer of 1993.[5]
