Phillips CD-i
In the mid 1980’s Phillips and Sony partnered up to create a new CD standard containing
interactive combinations of sound, images, and computer instructions. This CD standard
also required specific types of players. So in 1991 Phillips created the Phillips CD-I 210 as a "multimedia" system capable of playing Interactive CD-I software discs, Audio CDs, CD+G (CD+Graphics), VCDs (Video CDs), and Karaoke CDs.
You could essentially enjoy different types of media on the same machine.
People were not quite ready for the ‘multimedia’ experience and clung to their VCR’s, home computers, and video game consoles. With dwindling sales and with the videogame market doing well, Phillips decided to reintroduce the machine as videogame console. The Phillips CD-I 450 was designed to look more like a console and included
a pack in game called "Burn Cycle".
The CD-I 450 still had a high price tag, and the lack of quality games prevented the CD-I from becoming competitive in
the videogame market. The console died a slow death in the late 1990’s with the release of far more popular CD based consoles.
 FACT: Nintendo had initially planed to release a CD based add-on for it’s
SuperNes console. Phillips was one of the companies that they initially collaborated with to design it. Plans for the device were scrapped, but Phillips walked away with contract rights to produce games with Nintendo licensed characters. Three Zelda games, and a game entitled "Hotel Mario" were released for the Phillips CD-i. However the games were not produced by Nintendo, and were considered
lackluster (ok more like terrible).
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