OEM Bundle Catalog

Creative Labs

United States

Multmedia Bundles

Beginning in September 1994, Creative Labs began bundling CDs including Wing Commander II and later Wing Commander Academy with a variety of different multimedia upgrade kits. These kits typically included a CD-ROM drive and sound card plus a variety of extras like games, speakers and headphones. Because of the extremely competitive multimedia market in the mid-1990s and the rapid speed at which improved CD-ROM drives were being released, specific kits were upgraded and replaced quickly. Wing Commander kits ran from the 2x through the 4x period of CD-ROM drives with the final release coming in June 1995.

Three different OEM discs were available in the United States. The 1994 release (1213330145) included a large booklet of physical amnuals while the later versions included digital copies of the documentation.

CD-ROMs

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  1213330145
  Ultima VIII, Syndicate Plus, Strike Commander, Wing Commander II

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  1213330161
  Ultima VIII, Syndicate Plus, Strike Commander, Wing Commander II

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  1213330162
  Hong Kong Mahjong Pro, Ultima Underworld, Yeager's Air Combat, Savage Empire, Space Hulk, Wing Commander Academy, Seven Cities of Gold, Shadow Caster, Populous II, Ultima VII

Sound Blaster Edutainment CD 16

The Sound Blaster Edutainment line was offered as a higher end alternative to the Discovery series of multimedia, bundling additional software alongside the same class of hardware. The line was introduced with the Edutainment CD 16 in September 1993 alongside the first 2x update of the Discovery CD 8 and Discovery CD 16 kits. Edutainment, a neologism, was intended to refer to the fact that it included both educational software (such as encyclopedias) and entertainment software (such as games) rather than the present-day definition. The Edutainment line was refreshed twice: a May 1994 update added a microphone and changed the bundled software and a September 1994 update changed the bundled software once again. The September 1994 configuration was also released with an external CD-ROM drive as the Edutainment EZ 16. It received a packaging refresh around February 1995. No additional Edutainment bundles were issued in the United States although an Edutainment CD 32 was available in other territories.

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  Initial release

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  Packaging refresh

Sound Blaster Edutainment CD 16 (Third Revisions)
Release Date	September 1994
CD-ROM	Inernal 2x
Sound Card	Sound Blaster 16
Hardware	Microphone, Stereo Speakers
Software	Peter Pan: A Story Painting Adventure, Scooter's Magic Castle, Speed, Rebel Assault, Links, Seawolf, Wing Commander II, Strike Commander, Intuit's Quicken Deluxe CD-ROM, Aldus' PhotoStyler SE, Altamira Composer SE
EA OEM CD	1213330145
MSRP	$599.95

Sound Blaster Edutainment EZ 16

The Sound Blaster Edutainment EZ 16 is the external version of the Sound Blaster Edutainment CD 16 (third revision). It is not known if it received updating packaging in 1995.

Sound Blaster Edutainment EZ 16
Release Date	September 1994
CD-ROM	External 2x
Sound Card	Sound Blaster 16
Hardware	Microphone, Stereo Speakers
Software	Peter Pan: A Story Painting Adventure, Scooter's Magic Castle, Speed, Rebel Assault, Links, Seawolf, Wing Commander II, Strike Commander, Intuit's Quicken Deluxe CD-ROM, Aldus' PhotoStyler SE, Altamira Composer SE
EA OEM CD	1213330145
MSRP	$799.95

Sound Blaster Discovery CD 16

Beginning in 1993, the Discovery CD line was Creative Labs' flagship multimedia upgrade kit, offering consumers the essential hardware plus a more limited variety of software than the more elaborate Edutainment kits. Discovery kits typically included a CD-ROM drive, a Sound Blaster card and a set of stereo speakers. The first Discovery CD kits were released in early 1993. In September 1993, the line was split into CD 8, which included a Sound Blaster Pro, and CD 16, which included a Sound Blaster 16, models. The line was refreshed first in May 1994 before adding Wing Commander II in a third refresh in December 1994 update of the Discovery CD 16 kit.

Sound Blaster Discovery CD 16
Release Date	December 1994
CD-ROM	Internal 2x
Sound Card	Sound Blaster 16
Hardware	Stereo Speakers
Software	Peter Pan: A Story Painting Adventure, Scooter's Magic Castle, Speed, Rebel Assault, Links, Seawolf, Wing Commander II, Strike Commander, Intuit's Quicken Deluxe CD-ROM, Aldus' PhotoStyler SE, Altamira Composer SE
EA OEM CD	1213330145
MSRP	$799.95

Sound Blaster Multimedia Home 4x

Release Date: March 1995

Contents: 1213330161

Sound Blaster Discovery CD 4x

The Sound Blaster Discovery CD4x was the followup to the Discovery CD 16 which moved from a 2x CD-ROM to a 4x drive. It also included Wing Commander II. The Discovery line continued into the late 1990s but did not ever include another Wing Commander game in the United States.

Release Date: April 1995

Contents: 1213330161

Sound Blaster Performance 4x

Release Date: June 1995

Contents: 1213330161

Sound Blaster Value CD 4x

Release Date: June 1995

Contents: 1213330162

Gateway 2000

Gateway 2000, later Gateway, Inc., was a South Dakota-based hardware company which offered customized personal computers from 1985 to 2007 when it was purchased by Acer. Gateway began offering a variety of OEM Origin titles in early 1995 as part of optional software bundles which could be purchased alongside a new PC. The Multimedia Software Flight Pack included Wing Commander Privateer and Armada and was advertised from February through November. A 10th Anniversary Software Bundle included Wing Commander III and was advertised from October 1995 through April 1996. In May 1998, Gateway sold a bespoke version of Wing Commander IV DVD as an optional bundle their Destination "big screen PC" systems.

Multimedia Software Flight Pack

Software: TFX: Tactical Fighter Experiment, Aces Over Europe, Comanche, Strike Commander, Privateer, Wing Commander Armada and Warplanes

Other: Quickshot Warrior 5 Plus joystick and 20-disk storage system

MSRP: $99

10th Anniversary Software Bundle

Software: BioForge, Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, Magic Carpet II: The Netherworlds

Other: Gateway 2000 10th Anniversary t-shirt

MSRP: $49

Destination DVD Bundle

Software: Wing Commander IV DVD

MSRP: $99

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Media Vision

Media Vision was a California-based hardware company best known for the Pro AudioSpectrum line of sound cards which operated from 1990 to 1995. In addition to sound cards, Media Vision released a number of multimedia kits which bundled their sound card hardware with OEM CD-ROM drives and software. Media Vision bundled Wing Commander II and Ultima Underworld with the first releases of their Fusion line of entry level 1x CD-ROM kits which debuted in November 1992. The Fusion CD was an external SCSI kit which included the 8-bit Pro Audio Spectrum Plus sound card and the Fusion CD 16 was an internal kit which included a modified version of the 16-bit Pro Audio Spectrum 16 card which added Sony's proprietary CD-ROM connector. The Origin titles were replaced with CD-ROM versions of XF5700 Mantis Experimental Fighter and Sid Meier's Civilization in mid-1993 starting with the Fusion CD 16EX external kit and the Fusion Double CD-16 2x kits. Media Vision added copies of Battle Chess to the Fusion CD kits in late 1993 as they were selling off backstock.

Media Vision Fusion CD Multimedia Upgrade Kit

Drive: NEC CDR-25BJ 1x CD-ROM

Sound Card: Pro Audio Spectrum Plus

Speakers: Labtec CS-550

Software: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Compton's Family Encyclopedia, Ultima Underworld, Wing Commander II (plus Battle Chess starting in late 1993)

MSRP: $499

Media Vision Fusion CD 16 Multimedia Upgrade Kit

Drive: Sony CDU-31A 1x CD-ROM

Sound Card: Pro Audio Spectrum 16

Speakers: Labtec CS-550

Software: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Compton's Family Encyclopedia, Ultima Underworld, Wing Commander II

MSRP: $699

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