I think the CD32 would have saved Commodore if it had been marketed properly and if they had enough units to satisfy demand. True, it couldn't really compete with the Saturn and Playstation, but they didn't exist yet. If the machine's expansion slot had been used to potential, I think the machine would have been able to hold out. If the records are correct, the CD32 was a serious contender in Europe.
It was successful for a while, admittedly, but there's no way the CD32 could've lasted.
Even at the time it was nothing special hardware wise. Admittedly it had more muscle that the Mega CD (aka Sega CD), but not really in the sprite-pushing department. In terms of games, a load of straightforward Amiga 500 ports (and a few PC CD-ROM conversions) were never going to sell the machine beyond the Amiga loyalists. Quite honestly, I think the CD32 was a bigger mistake than the C64 games console, or Amstrad's GX-4000. Putting home computer games, by a course less visually sophisticated than their 'proper' console rivals, into new boxes without keyboards was a recipe for disaster. Had Commodore not gone under, the CD32 would've been obliterated come the launch of the Playstations, with its (then) impressive graphics and heavy marketing.
It's so obvious now - if Commodore had started to design CD-ROM drives for the Amigas people already had in their homes (along with new Amiga
computers) there could've been a future for the system beyond dedicated hobbyists. Back then, CD drives in PCs were a relatively new thing. Having CD-ROM drives in store-bought Amiga would have undoubtably increased the potential of the format as a games and serious use machine. I mean, that Amigas in 1996 still had floppy disc drives as their only source was ridicolous.
