I found a CD-I, but no controller, any options?

[Anthony1]

I was a thrift store earlier today and found a Phillips CDI-220. Only problem is, no remote control of any kind. Just the unit, and a power cable. I got it home, and hooked it up to the TV, and the system is actually working. I popped a game in it, and it appears to be working fine, but I don't have a remote. I was wondering if maybe I could use a universal remote of some kind. Maybe I can find the right codes for the CDI-220, and then I could actually use a universal remote with it.

Or do I need a specific controller?

Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Daria]

If you bought the system for games, I'd forget the remote and buy a gamepad. More comfortable and much easier to use. Also I've never tried them, but there seem to be a few Genesis to CDi adaptors on eBay, pricey but it's another option.

[Anthony1]

Is there a particular model for the gamepad? Anything special I should look out for? Any idea how much they typically go for? I definitely want to try this puppy out, but I don't want to get desperate. The CD-I is more of a curiosity to me than anything else.

[Borman]

I bought a CD-i touchpad 22er 9017 a while ago brand new for like 20 bucks, I highly recommend it compared to the remote, which renders games that otherwise are barely playable, to be not playable at all heh. I love my CD-i though, and just cant bring myself to sell it.

[PSXferrari]

I agree, avoid the remote if you can. Problem is, controllers for the CD-i are pretty hard to come by. They can easily fetch $30 or more on eBay. I was fortunate enough to get a 550 model which was marketed more towards playing games and came with the controller (as you can tell from your model, Philips wasn't very smart early on and made the CD-i look more like a cheap DVD player [pre-DVD of course]). As someone else mentioned, there are converters on eBay to use Genesis controllers on the CD-i. Not sure how they work, but the designs for both controllers are the exact same (d-pad and three buttons). As for using a universal remote, I've never heard of it being possible. Philips did release a remote with the system but it wasn't exactly a Wii-mote; it was quite uncomfortable for gaming.

Of course, as I'm sure you know, don't put the investment into the gamepad unless you actually have some games you want to play for it. Are there any you're interested in? There really isn't much worth buying for the CD-i, except of course it's main claim to fame in having Hotel Mario and the 3 Philips' produced Zelda games. None of those are particular good games, but I personally found them cool to play anyways; if for nothing more than the historical value and unintentionally hilarious cutscenes. Problem is, eBay is about the only way to get those games easily and they'll run you around $20-$30 each, except for Zelda's Adventure, which fetches around $100. But from the sounds of it, you might not be willing to put that kind of investment into it, which is perfectly understandable. Other than that there are some good versions of old laser disc arcade games (like Dragon's Lair and Space Ace). Games like Burn: Cycle and Voyeur are cool too. All of these games will cost you closer to $5-$10 (plus shipping) on eBay. But you might already know all this stuff, so sorry for rambling.

Anyways... also make sure to check if there is a Digital Video Catridge installed into the expansion port of the console. It is necessary for playing a large number of the games on the system.

[sharp]

In the netherlands controllers for CD-I go for around 10 euro unboxed. But I think they are quite common here as CD-I did quite well here, as it is the home country of Philips.

[PSXferrari]

In the netherlands controllers for CD-I go for around 10 euro unboxed. But I think they are quite common here as CD-I did quite well here, as it is the home country of Philips.

This reminded me, I do believe that the CD-i didn't have any form of lock-out, so both games and hardware from overseas should work with it (though I'm not 100% positive on this). It's very hard to find stuff for the system but the sites below are the two main places I've dealt with. Figured I'd post them so you can check it out to get an idea of what the CD-i games and price ranges are. Both have fair prices in most cases and almost everything they sell is brand new and factory sealed (which is kinda cool considering how old the stuff is-- I guess this goes to show how bad the stuff did when it was actually on the market).




Blackmoon Project CD-i Store:

http://www.btinternet.com/~devin.cdistore/



GamGator2000's CD-i Showcase

http://stores.ebay.com/GAMGATOR2000-...QQftidZ2QQtZkm




Most of my CD-i collection has come from GamGator. Most of his games are $5 and few go higher than $10; plus he combines shipping. Also has a controller adapter with the Genesis gamepad for... $35! Expensive. Just checked all of eBay and only one CD-i controller has been posted in the last month (that's how rare they are). It ended at $35 plus $8 shipping. Pretty ridiculous, and those prices alone might be enough to turn you off from a system that doesn't have too much to offer in the way of games.

Only ordered from GamGator once and bought like 10 games in bulk and had no problems. Never ordered from Blackmoon, but I have contacted them in the past when I was interested in some of their items and they seemed like a pretty good company to deal with. They are located overseas.

[Anthony1]

Damn, oh well, the CD-i was 7 bucks, so I had to get it. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have the FMV cartridge either. Unless you have to open up that slot to tell or not. I'm assuming once somebody puts a FMV cart in there, it's pretty obvious that it's in there, but maybe not. I'll just keep an eye out for a extra controller at some point.

[Daria]

Also remember, Cd-i's play burns naturally. So you can either try out a few free games or simply have a $7 VCD player.

[Anthony1]

Also remember, Cd-i's play burns naturally. So you can either try out a few free games or simply have a $7 VCD player.

You need the FMV cart to play VCD's right? Cause mine doesn't have the FMV cart. I'm just going to put the CD-i in my closet, and if I stumble upon a CD-i controller for a decent price, or via a trade or something, then I'll be able to try out the games. I actually have a few CD-i games on cd-r's, that I can try on it, once I finally do get a controller. I think a few of them need the FMV cart though, so I guess I need to track one of those down too.

[PSXferrari]

double-post

[PSXferrari]

You need the FMV cart to play VCD's right? Cause mine doesn't have the FMV cart. I'm just going to put the CD-i in my closet, and if I stumble upon a CD-i controller for a decent price, or via a trade or something, then I'll be able to try out the games. I actually have a few CD-i games on cd-r's, that I can try on it, once I finally do get a controller. I think a few of them need the FMV cart though, so I guess I need to track one of those down too.

Figured those controller prices would scare you away! I over-paid at the time when I got my system and controller ($50+), but I guess I was a little more desperate to try out the Zelda games and was dead-set on getting the 550 model (which looks more like a video game system and has the DVC built in). So I was willing to over pay.

As for VCDs, yes you'll need the DVC expansion to be able to play them, along with most games that are heavy with FMV. And you see on the sites I posted, the cartridge goes for about $25, so yet another thing to discourage you. But hey, on eBay it's like $15 just to ship one of those big things (not even counting the auction price), so for $7 you made out quite well!

[Playcosm]

Or just try the CD-i Emulator instead of an original machine. Using this guide it was even for me easy to set it up. Download some games are there you go...

Otherwise, yes avoid the remote as it is slow as hell. You might have better luck asking on a CD-i forum, as more CD-i fanatics hang around here and you might have more luck finding one who have a spare controller.

I also never knew the CD-i had a few third party controllers, and from the same site some more info I read about it, pretty cool, but also pretty rare. Apparently, the Gamester CD-i pad is the best working. Never seen it in real life though...

[irata]

I picked up my CD-i a while ago, all I have to play on it are Name That Tune, and Joker's Wild.

But mine came with this giant track ball thingy. It's all bright primary colors, looks like it's for a 3 year old. It's like half the size of a bowling ball. Anyone know what it's used for??

[PSXferrari]

I picked up my CD-i a while ago, all I have to play on it are Name That Tune, and Joker's Wild.

But mine came with this giant track ball thingy. It's all bright primary colors, looks like it's for a 3 year old. It's like half the size of a bowling ball. Anyone know what it's used for??

Yes, it's a controller that can be used similar to a mouse. They were designed primary to used by young kids, hence the giant size. Still, you can use it as a controller anyways. Like all CD-i controllers, it's also tough to find. On eBay they tend to go in the $15-$30 range, from what I've seen.