Category Archives: Homebrew

Bringing back Internet to CD-i

Frankie0815 from the Philips CD-i Discord is definitely not the 1st person trying to connect his CD-i player to internet, but he is for sure the one who is dedicating a maximum of efforts to reach his goal.
He is using original modems sold by Philips to get a connection. Of course, if you are one of the people who also tried it, you have for sure seen this screen:

Along his quest many people from the Interactive Community started helping him with ideas and tests.
To be able to get internet from the new generation connections, Hipsofjw told him to use a DreamPi, (a Raspberry Pi created by Kazade used to connect a SEGA’s Dreamcast, a Saturn and even a Nintendo’s GameCube online) to convert the old modem connection into a high speed internet for Ethernet or Wifi.

A modem will always be needed so he first used a US ROBOTICS 14400 (from the original CD-Online UK kit) but got that error “The Modem can not detect a dialtone, check the connections”, using several Dream Pi versions like 1.2, 1.5 and 1.7 (latest one) keeping the same settings as for the Dreamcast.
A CD-Online disc is also needed to get a connection, he first tried CD-Online Disc 02
Christa Lee joined forces with some tests from her side, trying to guide him to new possibilities. Then TwBurn (from the USB to CD-i device), Maartje (from the Bluetooth to CD-i device), Rosewood (from Retrostuff.org), cdifan (from CD-i Emulator & The World of CD-i), Seph (SephDB – itch.io) and kivan helped with some tips to get a dial connection.

Many problems had to be solved like making cables to connect the modem to the CD-i player (2 types of cable was used depending of the modem), use a connection under a SLIP or a PPP, try different DreamPi settings, tests with other CD-Online discs, a 14400 or a 33600 baud modem… all to try to get the modem recognised.

Frankie0815 then got a new LVI (Line Voltage Inducer) and a new version of DreamPi, he tried again and got something new:

This time the problem is a “Connection timed out” error, that means the modem is now recognised. Much better!
Later he confirmed the compatibility between a 14400 or a 33600 baud modem.

Still, no successful connection, so he went back to basic, plugging the modem to his PC using a USB to RS232 adapter, using a puTTY terminal program he sent AT commands to the modem. Turned the modem speaker ON and loud to listen to the dialtone. Unfortunately, nothing were listened.
He then decided to increase the LVI voltage from 18V to 20V to see if something changed… and… he got a dialtone loud and clear, the modem dials and even gets a connect from DreamPi. If you can do it on a PC, you also can do it on a CD-i!

He tried the CD-Online Disc 97-10, and got an handshake for a few seconds but lost connection right after.
The fact a login/account was needed back then from a specific site is also an issue that must be solved.
Look at the CD-online and Web-i websites (from Wayback Machine):

www.cd-online.com
www.cd-online.co.uk
www.cd-online.nl
www.cd-online.be
www.web-i.com

Another modem has been tested, the official one, included in the Internet Kit, a Philips branded 14400 baud.

Also several internet discs have been used, because different protocols were used from disc to disc (SLIP, PPP or even SLIP and PPP).

CD-Online Disc 01, from the internet kit was specifically for Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and UK.
In CD-Online Issue 02 and later discs you could select your country from the main menu.

About what he did, Frankie0815 says:

I have tested 3 modems: U.S. Robotics Sportster 14.400, which was distributed with the UK CD-Online set, Sportster 33.600 which I got, before I could get the 14.400, and the complete Netherlands Set Internetten op je T.V. with the Philips 144 modem.
I tested several versions of the CD-online Software, Netherlands and UK. I have 2 different modem cables, one is self made, the other from the Holland set.
Before testing with the CD-i, I built the DreamPi, and made 2 different Line Voltage inducer. With this setup, and a PC terminal (PuTTY) I dialled my first connections, to verify, that the DreamPi and Line Voltage Inducers are working properly.

That was pretty hard, as it turned out, that the Voltage of the LVI was very important and different for each modem. The LVI is needed for the modem, to recognise the Dialtone, which is produced by the DreamPi.
This was the best effort I could get. After a few seconds, modem lost connection due to missing CD-Online servers. There is a login procedure, where your account was checked. But the server isn’t not there anymore.

The connection with PPP through the DreamPi setup is working well. I made a dial-up connection to the Internet with PC, DreamPi and modem. Slow, but working. So the setup is working.

For now it’s been as far as he’s gotten so far…
We all should thank him for all the efforts he made.

It is a question of time before someone finally make it possible. Soon or later the CD-i will be connected again to the internet, of course, the actual websites are to much advanced for what the CD-i can read. A dedicated website will need to be created, with basic html coding. A different approach may also be needed to reach a connection.
We hope more people will jump into this adventure!

Why not play RAM Raid online again?
It’s a question of time…


Interview with member CaptainJ plus big news!

We at The World of CD-I are very proud to bring you some big news in the CD-I community – as I discovered when I caught up recently with our member CaptainJ! Please read on….

Alan: What first got you interested in CD-I and for how long have you collected?

CaptainJ: I can tell you the exact date I was interested in the CD-i! One night in September of 1993, I couldn’t sleep and decided to watch TV. In the middle of the night an infomercial (remember those!?) came on about this new machine that could play games, movies, music, and more. That was of course the Philips CD-i! It was called the “Meaning Of Life” Infomercial and as I watched it I become obsessed with this machine and everything it could do! I am a huge FMV fan, and seeing games, movies and more come out of this with the visuals that it had, while my SNES and Genesis could not do anything close to that, made me want it even more!
The problem of course was the price at launch, and being 15 years old at the time, this wasn’t going to happen! Fast forward to Christmas of 1995, the CD-i at my local store had dropped to $299 (for the 450 model), and I finally got it with copies of Link: Faces Of Evil, Tetris, and Hanna Barbara Cartoon Carnival. From that moment on I have been a collector and have never looked back! I was even featured in a 2007 issue of Tips and Tricks magazine for my CD-i collection at the time!
Funny ending to the infomercial story, because this was the early 90’s, and because I would not have known to record it on my VCR, I never got to see it repeated again. I looked for it for years and in the early 2000’s I started an extensive search. Since YouTube and other video sites weren’t there yet to help me find the video, I put out a $200 reward to many video game websites to help me find it. Finally, a few years later, a TV station from Philadelphia called me and told me they had the original master tapes in their archives and sold it to me! I took that one, and the “Serviceman” Infomercial that I purchased from them as well, digitized them and got them out to the internet! Make sure you check it out on YouTube  😉


Alan: You used to run a store which stocked an extensive range of CD-I software and hardware. Please tell us more about it…
CaptainJ: I have been in the video game industry since 1996, but in 2003 I opened a chain of stores in northeastern Ohio called World Of Games. At the time I was working with what was left of the CD-i, PmPro, to not only fill my own collection, but to buy in bulk for my stores as well. They sold me leftover games in bulk, as well as CD-i 470 models with DVCs included. I was getting titles like Burn: Cycle, Tell Me Why, Muzzy, Pecos Bill, and the Sesame Street titles for as little as $1.50 a copy if you can believe that!
CD-i had recently closed shop in the few years preceding that and it was great to not only cater to the existing fans that were still there and looking for products, but to educate a whole other generation of CD-i fans as well! I sold that company in 2006 and turned World Of Games into a consultant company for people that wanted to own their own video game store, but were not sure how to accomplish this. I would help them with locations, design, materials, distributing, and training and it was a great feeling to help other people realize a dream that I had myself many years prior.
After many years, World Of Games changed one last time to the publishing company we are today! You can visit us at World Of Games (worldofgamespublishing.com)

Alan: Why do you think that CD-I was not as popular in the US than in Europe?
CaptainJ: As with most of the systems at that time, and there are many, nothing could stop the juggernaut that was Nintendo and Sega’s marketing and anything that tried to compete with the two in the States generally failed. This trend continued until the Playstation was released, which, if you know your lore, has to do with how the Nintendo games got on the CD-i (look it up!)
I think the European and Japanese markets were more open minded about new products and because of that they got to enjoy some great systems and titles that the US overlooked. In terms of the CD-i, because of this appreciation, the European market had a much better install base, and in turn more titles to be had.

Alan: You are about to launch an exciting new CD-I project. Please tell us about it and how our members can purchase it..
CaptainJ: I am proud to announce today that World Of Games will be releasing its first title for the CD-i, Felix The Cat’s Giant Electronic Comic Book on 11/11/22! Many people have got to play the near completed versions that are available out there, but we purchased the complete version (known as 1.03) from a private collector and have published it in original CD-i packaging. I think everyone will be very happy with how it turned out and it looks identical to an official CD-i release from back in the day! You can pre-order starting today at worldofgamespublishing.com or, to honor all the collectors out there, philipscd-i.com!. We ship worldwide and we hope you enjoy our first title!

Alan: Why do you think CD-I remains so popular today, and can you foresee releasing more CD-I titles in the future?
CaptainJ: I think CD-i remains popular because people hold a special place in their hearts for it. Whether it is someone that was able to purchase it in the very beginning and experience a whole new world of entertainment that had not been seen up to that point, to someone like me that had to wait in anticipation for the price to drop to happen to afford it, to someone that discovered the system long after it discontinued, everyone has their own special CD-i story.
And I want that story to continue – which is why World Of Games is going to be working on more titles to publish for the CD-i right away! One of those titles I will be announcing within a month or so and it is another completed original unreleased title that I bought from another private collector… so let the anticipation begin!  😀 As far as beyond that, World Of Games is looking to hire a part time designer for someone with CD-i developing experience to work on some original titles! This is a paid position – so if you have interest, please contact us through the website.

Alan: Ultimately, if Philips had focused more on the games market from the start, do you think it could have been more popular worldwide, and a contender to PSOne, N64 for market share?
CaptainJ: I think it not only needed to focus on more games but ones that were easier to play when it came to the action, which was a big thing then. Those of you that have tried to play any Zelda CD-i title with the one-handed controller will know what I am talking about!
Not to say it didn’t need to have movies, edutainment, children’s etc, because that’s what made the system so special, but CD-i was so ahead of its time that people didn’t yet understand what they had before them. If you think about the PS5 and XBSX today, it can play games, it can play movies, it can go on the internet, all the things CD-i was doing 25+ years ago – but again no one related the true potential of this great piece of hardware.
It was all about getting the system into peoples’ hands, and while they still would have faced the challenges with the other systems as I mentioned above, I think there would have been a little more market share for Philips to pocket at that time. More games like Nobelia at or near the launch date could really have turned things around.

Alan: What did you think of TwBurn’s Nobelia game?
CaptainJ: I think it’s a true statement of what could have been on the system. Nobelia shows that CD-i was capable of doing things that it should have been doing more of, and why companies at that time didn’t pursue more of that we will never know. When the first original title from World Of Games comes out, I hope it’s half as good as this masterpiece! Thank you again TwBurn for all of your work!  😀

Alan: Finally, if you were forced to choose 1 CD-I title, 1 CD-I gadget/controller and 1 CD-I console to keep, which would they be and why?
CaptainJ: The system and controller are easy, and that’s the original CD-i 220 and its thumbstick controller (22ER9051) from the very beginning! The awesome casing and futuristic drawer with the opening door is what got me hooked first up.
As far as the titles that’s a tough one but if I could only pick one it might have to be Tetris! I competed in the Nintendo World Championship in 1990 and that was one of the games we played in the tournament, so it has been a lifelong favorite. Combine that with the incredible backgrounds and soothing music on the CD-i and this makes it a version of Tetris everyone should try out!

Huge thanks to CaptainJ for talking to me, and I wish him all the very best with Felix the Cat and future releases  😀


New Homebrew CD-i splitter!

Robert Dale Smith from controlleradapter.com developed a very tiny CD-i Splitter for 2 player games!
Located in Austin, Texas (USA), I followed all the development of this homebrew adapter and I am happy to share some pictures with you.

He designed the PCB, mounted the 8 pins connectors and created a box using a 3D printer.
You can order your CD-i Splitter directly at Controller Adapter that includes a 3 feet (approximately 90 cms) cable.
The price is 25USD plus shipping.

Absolutely easy to use, just connect the 3 feet cable into the CD-i Splitter, plugin to the CD-i player, then connect your 2 wired controllers and enjoy the 2 player games (Head-to-Head) available on CD-i!

We are in touch to make possible more adapter options for more accessories.
Stay tuned!


Nobelia selling like hot cakes!!

We at The World of CD-i are very pleased to report that Nobelia has sold over 150 copies to date, since we published details in March of how to get your hands on a copy. This is a tremendous achievement, and speaking to TwBurn, he has been quite surprised at the level of interest:
”The response has been great, better than I dared to hope. The reviews were extremely positive, with some fair and constructive criticism here and there, just as one would expect.”
You can read one of these reviews here: ‘Zelda Meets Bomberman’ In Nobelia, A New Philips CD-i Game – Nintendo Life.

We asked TwBurn: What was the best thing about making this game for CD-i, for you?
”It was a fun project, got to learn a lot of new skills and stuff about the system itself, gave me a whole new perspective on the CD-i.”
Having played CD-i games for 28 years now, I can honestly say that the game has blown me away and kept me coming back for more. The goal to collect all 7 gold coins reminds me of trying to collect all of the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic the Hedgehog, back when I had a Sega Game Gear! We are also pleased to announce that the prize for completing the game and collecting all of the coins has now been claimed, and the winner will be announced soon 🙂

TwBurn has created a true masterpiece on CD-i, complete with cute graphics, a toe-tapping soundtrack, challenging puzzles and a unique style of game for CD-i. The packaging is SOOOO professional – and I’m very excited for the future of CD-i in its ‘2nd life’. Big fans of CD-i will remember back to 2002, when Oldergames announced 4 ‘new’ CD-i games would be released, and we were treated to GO – Special Edition, Plunderball, Jack Sprite and Space Ranger. But TwBurn, having no prior game development experience, has produced Nobelia ‘from the ground up’ and delivered something incredibly special for us – which will be exclusive to CD-i. How unbelievably cool. And we’re confident at The World of CD-i that there will be more to come, so please stay tuned. Also, please do get interactive and post comments on your experience to date with Nobelia – we’d love to read them.

Another promising brand new game for CD-i is Super Quartet, released in demo form in late 2018. Sadly there is no news on whether this game will have a full release like Nobelia, but we will do our best to bring you news on this title.

For many years, I have been jealous of other retro consoles that have been given a new lease of life through homebrew development. Thanks to TwBurn, CD-i is now in on the act – and long may this continue – to make up for the multitude of games that were promised for our beloved system, but sadly never saw the light of day.

Keep enjoying Nobelia – we can’t get enough of it here!!! 🙂

You are still in time to buy Nobelia!


Nobelia winning prize claimed!

Huge congratulations to our member RetroChris who has claimed the winning prize for completing Nobelia in the quickest time, collecting all 7 gold coins on the way!

Alan_CDIZone caught up with Chris recently, to ask him about his achievement, his prize, and his love of Philips CD-I.

Alan: What are your thoughts on Nobelia as a whole, your favourite aspects of it, things you found most difficult (without giving anything away of course in terms of solutions 🙂)?

Chris: Since Philips pulled the plug on the CDi back in 1997, we as long-suffering fans were given a final few titles that were worth playing such as Solar Crusade and Tetsuo Gaiden . Although we’ve had some new releases since then, when the Nobelia demo was released, I knew I was playing something of real quality.  Buying the full version was a no brainer and even at that point of pre-ordering it I was wondering about the physical quality of the game case etc.  A few weeks later the post arrived and when I opened it up I was absolutely amazed with just how high quality the whole packaging was and couldn’t wait to play it.  I went straight upstairs to the retro room and settled down to play the first CDI game I had been excited about playing for what must be 24 years….ish.  The graphics are great, the soundtrack is bang on and the challenge was good enough to keep me glued to the game until I collected all the gold coins the game had to offer and with the announcement that TwBurn would be giving away a special prize to the person who collected the gold coins the quickest I was pleased to submit my time to him with the screenshots of the gold coins’ collection.  What a game!

Alan: How long have you collected for CD-I?
Chris: I have been collecting CD-i since 1994.  My parents bought us a CD-i after seeing ‘Palm Springs Open’ in Dixons and our package was the 450 with DV complete with Tennis, 7th Guest and Palm Springs Open.  I’m still collecting now in 2022 and must have over 500 titles now including the films and reference disks.

Alan: Did you enter any CD-I magazine competitions and did you win any? And/or did you ever apply to appear on Gamesmaster, to win a coveted Golden Joystick??
Chris: No I never entered any competitions back in the day to be honest.  Although would love to win a Golden Joystick! I’ve been doing well on the CD-i version of Tetris lately so perhaps Gamesmaster could honour my commitment with one 🤣

Alan: What prize did you win for being the first to complete Nobelia? 🙂 And what was your completion time?
Chris: I won a signed copy of the game and on top of that TwBurn sent me some amazing Nobelia models that were hand made by his girlfriend – something very cool that I will cherish. (TwBurn describes the prize as ”clay figurines of the protagonist, coin and a bomb – each beautifully modelled by my talented girlfriend”).

Alan: What is your favourite all time CD-I game and why?
Chris: This is a difficult one to answer as I have a few shall we say ‘core’ CD-i games that I still play to this day. I strongly believe that if more money had been spent at developing further titles based on these then the CD-i story would be very different today.  Here are my Top 5 in no particular order:

The Apprentice, The 7th Guest, Tetris, Dimo’s Quest, Hotel Mario.

Alan: If you could have any game produced for CD-I, what would it be?
Chris: It would have to be along the lines of The Apprentice 2; we know a sequel was mooted, so would love to see someone release a physical version.

My huge thanks to Chris, and of course to TwBurn for producing such an incredible CD-I game, and TwBurn’s girlfriend for creating the stunning prize.

Will there be a prize for TwBurn’s forthcoming new CD-I game I wonder…?  😉 Can’t wait to find out!