{"id":5491,"date":"2014-05-25T16:09:52","date_gmt":"2014-05-25T15:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/?p=5491"},"modified":"2026-08-27T23:11:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T21:11:22","slug":"retro-neu-der-sammlung-atari-jaguar-cd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/retro-neu-der-sammlung-atari-jaguar-cd\/","title":{"rendered":"Atari Jaguar CD [Atari Jaguar]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finally, I've found the long-sought-after Atari Jaguar CD drive. Since the CD drive for the Atari Jaguar console reportedly only had a production run of 20,000 units, it's hard to come by in Germany. I had to bite the bullet on the price. <\/p> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology and History<\/strong>
The CD drive had been promised by Atari<\/strong> for a long time, but didn't hit stores in the US until 09\/21\/1995 \u2013 price: $149.95. The unit \"sits\" right on top of the Atari Jaguar<\/strong> and connects via the cartridge slot. The Jag CD<\/strong> (short for Jaguar CD<\/strong>) has its own cartridge slot, so you don't have to remove it to use a cartridge. There was also a \"Memory <\/i><\/span>Track\"<\/em> cartridge for saving game progress or high scores.
The Jag CD<\/strong> is a double-speed (2x) drive with built-in VLM (Virtual Light Machine) software, written by Jeff Minter<\/em> (among other things, founder of Llamasoft<\/em>). The VLM played a light show whenever an audio CD was inserted. The drive shipped with two games (Blue Lightning<\/em> and Vid Grid<\/em>), a music CD (the Tempest 2000<\/em> soundtrack), and a Myst<\/em> demo disc. When the Jag CD<\/strong> is connected, you also get a different boot screen \u2013 the VLM plays a light show that looks different every time you power on.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\"Jaguar
Jaguar CD – R\u00fcckseite<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jaguar
Jaguar CD – Oberseite<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Jag<\/strong> CD<\/strong>-Spiele k\u00f6nnen bis zu 790\u00a0MB Daten enthalten \u2013 deutlich mehr als normale CD-ROMs. Die Entwickler ignorierten das normale CD-ROM-Format und entwarfen ihr eigenes Format, basierend auf dem Audio CD-Format. W\u00e4hrend das f\u00fcr mehr Speicherplatz und guten Kopierschutz sorgte, bot das Format nur eine eingeschr\u00e4nkte Fehlerkorrektur.
Das Laufwerk wurde in den USA von Philips<\/strong> f\u00fcr Atari<\/strong> hergestellt. Die erste Auflage betrug 20.000 St\u00fcck. Nur wenige Wochen nach der Verf\u00fcgbarkeit waren auch schon alle Exemplare verkauft. Angeblich wurde eine weitere Auflage bestellt. Diese wurde aber nie gesichtet, was vermutlich mit der \u00dcbernahme von Atari<\/strong> durch JT Storage<\/strong> etwa ein Jahr sp\u00e4ter zusammenhing, sodass die 20.000 erw\u00e4hnten Einheiten die einzigen waren, die wirklich produziert wurden.
Leider wurden daher auch offiziell nur 11 Spiele auf CD ver\u00f6ffentlicht \u2013 inklusive der beiden mitgelieferten Pack-in-Titel Blue Lightning<\/em> and Vid Grid<\/em>: Battlemorph, Baldies, Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods, Brain Dead 13, Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace, Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands, Myst, Primal Rage<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

F\u00fcr alle Jaguar-Sammler ist das CD-Laufwerk fast ein „Must-have“ \u2013 bedauerlicherweise in Deutschland nur sehr teuer zu bekommen. In den USA gibt es die Laufwerke oft viel g\u00fcnstiger, z. B. bei Best Electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jaguar
Jaguar CD – CD’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"Current\" games on CD<\/strong>
New releases on CD keep popping up now and then \u2013 I believe the most recent ones with proper packaging were:
- Kobayashi Maru
- Full Circle Rocketeer
There are also plenty of homebrews that keep appearing on various forums, either as a CD image or in a form you can convert \u2013 but that deserves its own article :-) <\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Atari
Atari Jaguar mit Jaguar CD – R\u00fcckseite<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Atari
Atari Jaguar mit Jaguar CD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tips<\/strong>
Here are some great tips for using the Jag CD<\/strong>, courtesy of the seller I bought it from:
1. Just set the CD down \u2013 don't press it or look for a locking mechanism, or you risk pushing the spindle down, which will interfere with playback. A well-known old Jaguar CD<\/strong> quirk.
2. The drive only starts up if the lid is properly latched. The only safe spot to press down on the lid is right where the latch is. Better not to press anywhere else. Atari, unfortunately, cut a lot of corners on the CD drive \u2013 the laser assembly is notoriously fragile to this day, and it's one of the main reasons working units are now scarce and correspondingly expensive.
3. When placing it on top of the Jaguar<\/strong>, make sure the contacts line up properly and that the CD drive locks securely into place at the front of the Jaguar.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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