CP System
Capcom began developing the CP System hardware around 1986. Capcom president Kenzo Tsujimoto came up with the concept inspired by the success of the Nintendo Entertainment System. He saw the rise of home video games as competition for the arcades. Tsujimoto said the only way they could make money was to give people twice what they could get at home. The company developed the CPS hardware for about two-and-a-half years. During that time, they created two custom microchips called the CPS Super Chips. These chips were equivalent to the power of ten normal arcade printed circuit boards at the time. The development cost £5,500,000 or approximately $37 million.
The system used a Motorola 68000 CPU running at 10 MHz. Some later boards ran this processor at 12 MHz. A secondary Zilog Z80 chip operated at 3.579 MHz. Audio capabilities relied on a Yamaha YM2151 chip and an Oki OKI6295 chip. The display resolution reached 384×224 pixels at 59.6294 Hz. The system supported 65,536 colors but displayed 4,096 onscreen colors simultaneously. It could show up to 256 sprites per scanline. Each sprite measured 16×16 pixels with a maximum of 16 colors including one transparent color. Tile maps supported sizes of 512×512, 1024×1024, and 2048×2048 pixels. The hardware included 64 KB of work RAM and 192 KB of video RAM.
The CP System was plagued by many bootleg versions of its games. There were so many bootleg versions of Street Fighter II that they were more common in some countries than the official version. To combat piracy, suicide batteries were implemented in later revisions. These batteries powered volatile RAM containing manual configuration of display hardware registers. If the battery voltage dropped below +2V, the registers would be lost. This rendered the game inoperable. Operators had to send the board back to Capcom to be fixed at their own expense. Unlike the CP System II, the CP System Dash sound ROMs used Kabuki Z80 encryption methods.
More than two dozen arcade titles were released for CPS-1 before Capcom shifted development to its successor. The system is best known for beat 'em up titles such as Dynasty Wars and Final Fight. Other popular entries included The King of Dragons and Captain Commando. Fighting games like Street Fighter II also defined the era. A list of thirty-three games spans from the 13th of May 1988 to the 11th of April 2000. Shoot 'em ups like Forgotten Worlds and U.N. Squadron appeared alongside platformers like Strider. Quiz games such as Adventure Quiz: Capcom World 2 offered variety beyond action genres. Kiddie rides like Pokonyan! Balloon rounded out the catalog with simpler mechanics.
The CP System hardware was utilized in Capcom's unsuccessful attempt at home console market penetration. The Capcom Power System Changer was released in late 1994 in Japan. It competed directly with SNK's Neo Geo AES. The package deal contained the console itself, one CPS Fighter joystick controller, and Street Fighter II Turbo for 39,800 yen. Additional games sold for about 20,000 yen. Upon release in November 1994, Capcom initially manufactured only 1,000 units in Japan. The adapter functioned as an encased SuperGun compatible with most JAMMA standard PCBs. Physical shape prevented attachment to normal arcade boards which would lean at odd angles. The final game for the system was a back-ported version of Street Fighter Zero released in 1995.
A year before releasing the CP System II, Capcom released an enhanced version dubbed the CP System Dash. This board featured QSound chips that would later appear in the successor hardware. The CP System Dash boards had four interlocking PCBs contained in gray plastic boxes. This concept of enclosing arcade PCBs in special plastic enclosures reused for the CP System II. Five games developed by Capcom ran on this platform between the 2nd of October 1992 and the 6th of December 1993. Titles included Warriors of Fate and Cadillacs and Dinosaurs. The CP System Dash 68000 code remained unencrypted unlike other revisions. Sound ROMs used Kabuki Z80 encryption methods instead.
Capcom ceased production of the CP System hardware on the 11th of May 1995. New software continued to be released for the hardware as late as 2000. Technical support for the CPS-1 ended on the 31st of March 2015. This marked the final cessation of official maintenance for the system. Thirty-three games were released across the lifespan of the platform. The transition to CP System II began shortly after production stopped. The legacy remains visible through preserved cabinets and collector communities today. No new titles have been created since the turn of the millennium.
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Common questions
When did Capcom begin developing the CP System hardware?
Capcom began developing the CP System hardware around 1986. The company developed the CPS hardware for about two-and-a-half years before releasing it to the market.
What are the technical specifications of the CP System CPU and memory?
The system used a Motorola 68000 CPU running at 10 MHz with 64 KB of work RAM and 192 KB of video RAM. Some later boards ran this processor at 12 MHz while supporting up to 65,536 colors simultaneously on screen.
Why were suicide batteries implemented in the CP System revisions?
Suicide batteries were implemented to combat piracy by powering volatile RAM containing manual configuration of display hardware registers. If the battery voltage dropped below +2V, the registers would be lost and render the game inoperable until operators sent the board back to Capcom.
Which games were released for the CP System between 1988 and 2000?
A list of thirty-three games spans from the 13th of May 1988 to the 11th of April 2000 including titles like Street Fighter II, Dynasty Wars, Final Fight, Strider, and Forgotten Worlds. The catalog also included quiz games such as Adventure Quiz: Capcom World 2 and kiddie rides like Pokonyan! Balloon.
When did Capcom cease production of the CP System hardware?
Capcom ceased production of the CP System hardware on the 11th of May 1995. Technical support for the CPS-1 ended on the 31st of March 2015 marking the final cessation of official maintenance for the system.