It's nice to see some updates again on The World of CD-i! This time it is about feature articles that will appear on the Facebook group 'Console Purist', every friday. On twitter you'll recognize friday also as #cdiday, a small movement where extra attention is given to CD-i (including us, by the way :) ). In this first article CD-i member Omegalfa explains what the best CD-i player is for those that want to try CD-i, those who want to buy a CD-i player. What should they pay attention to?
Omegalfa: "Philips did what today Sony and Microsoft make with there PlayStations and Xbox, but way long ago… Philips made different versions of players, with visual differences to let consumers choose the one they prefer to combine with the other electronic equipment at home, and they made many of them… until the end of life of the system. "
He will go into detail what you need to pay attention to when you buy a CD-i player, which is an interesting list to notice:
- Choose a player that you can connect in your country (220V or 110V and including the right adapter).
- Choose the look you prefer, the Shell version you want (old styled or new styled main screen) and the NVRAM memory capacity (old styled only have 8Kb models, newer have 32kb).
- Check if you need a CD-i splitter cable if you want to play 2 player games. (The only Philips CD-i players that do NOT require a splitter cable to connect 2 pointing devices are: 910/00, 205/00, 205/05, 210/00, 210/20, 220/00, 220/20, 220/40 and 21TCDi30).
- Find a CD-i player with a DVC included. (DVC is expensive when bought seperately)
- Find a CD-i player with at least 1 controller (controllers are generally also expensive)
- Ask the seller for proof of reading discs (like a picture of a game on screen).
- Some players after a long time not turned on, stops spinning discs. I will explain letter how to solve this problem.
- Some trays may make some noise when opening. (some industrial fat or electronic spray can solve this)
- Some trays may need your help to open and/or close. (A new belt might solve this)
- The Timekeeper may be dead. Be prepared to repair this or ask proof that it works (by showing the memory screen (which should not be empty)