Re:Microsoft at Work
by jcrawfordor on Saturday April 27, 2024 @11:19PM
(#40185733)
A reader has done exactly that and reports pretty confidently that the CD-ROM subsystem firmware is not Windows, and appears to be mostly hand-written assembly and probably by Hitachi. Unsurprising considering their prominent role in the CD-ROM industry.
It is true that the later Sega Dreamcast could run Windows CE, although the Saturn, as far as I can tell, never could. Windows CE had barely been started when the Saturn came out, so it doesn't seem realistic that there had been a plan in the Saturn era to put CE on it. If I had to speculate (and I do) I think that perhaps the Sega-Microsoft partnership for the Saturn didn't work out, perhaps due to the failure of WinPad or Pegasus, but did start the relationship that lead to CE support on the Dreamcast.
It is true that the later Sega Dreamcast could run Windows CE, although the Saturn, as far as I can tell, never could. Windows CE had barely been started when the Saturn came out, so it doesn't seem realistic that there had been a plan in the Saturn era to put CE on it. If I had to speculate (and I do) I think that perhaps the Sega-Microsoft partnership for the Saturn didn't work out, perhaps due to the failure of WinPad or Pegasus, but did start the relationship that lead to CE support on the Dreamcast.