CD-i, VIS, 3DO, CDTV, CD-ROM, MMCD, Macintosh CD-ROM, MPC, Sega CD, TTI, FM-TOWNS/Marty are some of the many different platforms for delivering CD-ROM based entertainment and information applications.

All of the aforementioned platforms (and others not mentioned here) usually utilize the same kinds of components: specific audio, video, and user input hardware; a computer system; and a CD-ROM drive. However, the components all have different characteristics and features and are, therefore, generally incompatible. If you have a title for any of those systems, it will not work on any of the other platforms unless special steps have been taken by the developer of the title to ensure compatibility with more than one platform.

All of the above-mentioned systems play CD-DA discs. Some play CD+G discs, and some play CD-ROM/XA bridge discs like PhotoCD.

This current world-wide incompatibility presents big challenges for both users and developers, but it is a fact of life until the dust settles around the prevailing format(s).