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.

1213330145 - Ultima VIII, Syndicate Plus, Strike Commander, Wing Commander II 1213339161 - Ultima VIII, Syndicate Plus, Strike Commander, Wing Commander II (w/ manuals) 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 7 (w/ manuals)

Sound Blaster Edutainment CD 16

Release Date: September 1994 Ultima VIII, Syndicate Plus, Strike Commander, Wing Commander II

Sound Blaster Edutainment EZ 16

Release Date: September 1994

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

Sound Blaster Discovery CD 16

Release Date: December 1994

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

Sound Blaster Multimedia Home 4x

Release Date: March 1995

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

Sound Blaster Discovery CD 4x

Release Date: April 1995

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

Sound Blaster Value CD 4x

Release Date: June 1995

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 7

Sound Blaster Performance 4x

Release Date: June 1995

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

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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