Poll: What do you say to this?
- Thread starter Killbat
- Start date
The 1st gen SuperFX chip:
Super FX
The Super FX is just a fast integer RISC-type processor but with a built-in plot instruction that can draw a single pixel in the SNES' planar format into a virtual screen very quickly, very handy for 3d polygon rendering. Its a strange chip though - no stack, a 512 byte cache and a one stage pipe-line that causes the instruction following a branch instruction to be executed. Instructions fetched from the cache often execute in a single cycle.
Super FX games came with additional RAM inside the game pak that is used as work RAM for the 'FX chip and as save-game positions, if the ROM supports it. The 'FX chip has 16 16-bit registers and built-in fast integer multiply. Although the Super FX and the 65c816 can run in parallel, the 'FX chip can't access the game pack ROM or RAM at the same time as the main SNES CPU, so most games just get the SNES CPU to execute a wait loop in the SNES work RAM.
The 'FX can't access the SNES custom hardware chips, so if the 'FX has rendered a screen image in its work RAM, it has to go to sleep while the SNES CPU copies the screen to video RAM, usually using DMA. The SNES CPU can pass parameters to 'FX routines either by writing them into the 'FX work RAM or writing directly into the 'FX registers, which it can be accessed by the CPU only when the 'FX chip is sleeping.
There are two versions of the 'FX chip, the original 10MHz chip used in Star Fox and limited to 1Mb of ROM access and 64K RAM and a newer version used in Yoshi's Island, Doom, Vortex, Winter Gold, Star Fox 2, etc. which can be clocked at 21MHz and can access twice as much ROM and RAM.
Super FX
The Super FX is just a fast integer RISC-type processor but with a built-in plot instruction that can draw a single pixel in the SNES' planar format into a virtual screen very quickly, very handy for 3d polygon rendering. Its a strange chip though - no stack, a 512 byte cache and a one stage pipe-line that causes the instruction following a branch instruction to be executed. Instructions fetched from the cache often execute in a single cycle.
Super FX games came with additional RAM inside the game pak that is used as work RAM for the 'FX chip and as save-game positions, if the ROM supports it. The 'FX chip has 16 16-bit registers and built-in fast integer multiply. Although the Super FX and the 65c816 can run in parallel, the 'FX chip can't access the game pack ROM or RAM at the same time as the main SNES CPU, so most games just get the SNES CPU to execute a wait loop in the SNES work RAM.
The 'FX can't access the SNES custom hardware chips, so if the 'FX has rendered a screen image in its work RAM, it has to go to sleep while the SNES CPU copies the screen to video RAM, usually using DMA. The SNES CPU can pass parameters to 'FX routines either by writing them into the 'FX work RAM or writing directly into the 'FX registers, which it can be accessed by the CPU only when the 'FX chip is sleeping.
There are two versions of the 'FX chip, the original 10MHz chip used in Star Fox and limited to 1Mb of ROM access and 64K RAM and a newer version used in Yoshi's Island, Doom, Vortex, Winter Gold, Star Fox 2, etc. which can be clocked at 21MHz and can access twice as much ROM and RAM.
"What do I need that crap for? I have massive 'puter power!"
:| Damnit. You're telling me you'd have more fun playing Daikatana on a 1.2ghz Athlon with a GeForce3 and 5.1 sound than you'd have playing Defender on an Atari 2600 and a B/W TV?
Don't pass something off as "crap" simply because it's not new and shiney.
:| Damnit. You're telling me you'd have more fun playing Daikatana on a 1.2ghz Athlon with a GeForce3 and 5.1 sound than you'd have playing Defender on an Atari 2600 and a B/W TV?
Don't pass something off as "crap" simply because it's not new and shiney.
I got that thing sitting around with about a dozen games...whats it worth????????
btw, it works just fine
btw, it works just fine
<< "What do I need that crap for? I have massive 'puter power!"
:| Damnit. You're telling me you'd have more fun playing Daikatana on a 1.2ghz Athlon with a GeForce3 and 5.1 sound than you'd have playing Defender on an Atari 2600 and a B/W TV?
Don't pass something off as "crap" simply because it's not new and shiney. >>
Try to relax, son. I go way back and wouldn't trade today's stuff for the old! (1.33 o/c'd T-bird, Radeon, measly soundcard.) You try System Shock 2, or Deus Ex?
<< It's worth saving for your kids/grandkids. >>
no kids ergo no grandkids...considering I'm over 40 I don't think I'll be having any so,again, whats it worth??
Damnit. You're telling me you'd have more fun playing Daikatana on a 1.2ghz Athlon with a GeForce3 and 5.1 sound than you'd have playing Defender on an Atari 2600 and a B/W TV?
Don't pass something off as "crap" simply because it's not new and shiney.
Amen brutha.
That game rocked. I still love some of the ATARI/SNES games. I use the roms sometimes when I'm bored.
Don't pass something off as "crap" simply because it's not new and shiney.
Amen brutha.
That game rocked. I still love some of the ATARI/SNES games. I use the roms sometimes when I'm bored. TRENDING THREADS
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