Philips CD-i



The CD-i (short for Compact Disc Interactive) was an attempt by Philips to create a multimedia CD player standard, released in 1991. The development was originally started in 1986 by Philips in cooperation with Sony.

Since the system was barely aimed at traditional gamers, the library mostly consists of educational titles, adaptations of board games such as Clue or Axis vs Allies and electronic encyclopedias. Philips tried to capitalize on its game-playing capabilities after lackluster sales, but the arrival of more powerful systems rendered that tentative irrelevant. The format did find some success as a kiosk application and remained in production up until 1998 – whereas game-focused multimedia systems such as the 3DO were eventually made obsolete by more powerful dedicated game consoles, the CD-i was the only one to cover the electronic self-help niche.

Like the aforementioned 3DO, the CD-i was conceived as a standard and thus several manufacturers produced their own versions, like Magnavox Odyssey and Sony.

Nowadays, the system is pretty much known for its four Nintendo-licensed games, the result of a deal between Philips and Nintendo for a cancelled SNES CD add-on. Their deranged animated cutscenes are frequently used as a source of Youtube Poop. It's arguably more well-known thanks to the internet; since nobody actually remembers this.

Not to be confused with Philip K. Dick, Phillip of the comedy duo Terrance and Phillip, or the screwdrivers with a plus-shaped end.

Games:

 * The Seventh Guest
 * The Apprentice
 * Burn:Cycle
 * Dark Castle
 * Dragons Lair
 * Dragon's Lair II: Timewarp
 * Flashback: The Quest for Identity
 * Hotel Mario
 * Inca
 * Inca II: Wiracocha
 * Kether
 * The Legend of Zelda CDI Games
 * Mutant Rampage Body Slam
 * Rise of the Robots
 * Sesame Street Letters/Numbers, also on PC
 * Tetris
 * Thunder in Paradise
 * Voyeur