Curiously, PS1 lacks floating point capability entirely. The one concession it has to 3D math is GTE, geometry transform engine, a highly specialised math vector co-processor which uses fixed point with 12-bit fractional part, so it effectively works on scaled integers. It has probably up to about 48-bit intermediates and uses 16-bit and 32-bit inputs and outputs. It's funny that SEGA allegedly asked for exclusivity? After all not much of the Dreamcast hardware ended up exclusive. While Hitachi SH-4 processor was obviously made with this or similar devices in mind, having an extensive 3D rendering specialised vector co-processor integrated, it was openly available, and NEC with PowerLogic also reused the same logic they sold to SEGA in their other endeavours. I think Hitachi processors were super aggressively priced and performed very well so it's not that SONY went with an outright cheaper one... it's just a much more streamlined system with a lot less logic overall, and high utilisation, where the chips don't end up idling and waiting for each other a lot, it really is a very smart and focused design overall. I also don't think the second SH-2 was anyhow a major issue for the Saturn, but it probably didn't help quite to an amount that they hoped it would. To be kept in mind it's also a system with a streaming DSP made by Samsung, two video chips with completely different functionality, a contested bus, and two more relatively complex dedicated processors, a 68k for the sound system and a yet third Hitachi SuperH for the optical drive, and while audio and disk subsystems were not anyhow problematic for the software developers, the total cost does mount gradually when you keep piling on these things.
The second SH2 wasn't so much an issue by itself but the complete lack of cogent development tools made it a problem. Assembly was still king on the Saturn as easier dev tools didn't appear until far to late. On PS1 and N64 you could just go in with C code and the compilers where starting to compete with assembly performance as well. It has been almost 30 years but if I recall, the other issue with the second SH2 was the split memory bus on the main RAM (two different speeds) combined with it having to constantly wait for the main CPU to release it. It was a nightmare. Co-ordination two processor fight over each other to issue commands to the SCU that would then feed into two wildly different VPU's... even N64 with its terrible memory bus and limited storage availability felt like a dream by comparison. Also yeah the Ps1 was just logical. Sony made the perfect choice of trade offs for ease of development and it worked a treat.
Thanks, I learned a lot on the importance of SGI there, I am more used to see content about SEGA and their partnership to PowerVR so this was enjoying to know more about that generation
Any time I watch a video or read on this subject, I have to ask: What in the name of Sonic were Sega of Japan executives thinking???? Man, the many roads Sega did not take in the 90s and early 2000s ... Great video, Pete. Thanks for taking the time!
I ended up watching another video that ended up discussing Tom Kalinske's (SoA CEO) relationship with Sega of Japan (SoJ). I know there's more to the story, but from what I understand, SoJ weren't big fans of Kalinske and I think part of why they did it (aside from wanting exclusive rights) was to spite him.
Back in the 1990s I worked with marketing a shared Silicon Graphics & Oracle data-solution (through DRS AS), AND marketing Nintendo 64 for the Norwegian importer of Nintendo (Unsaco AS). Was an avid gamer, and tech/computer freak (still is), interesting times :) ❤Silicon Graphics❤
FPU, FLOPs, Polygons, Integers, CPS, GPU…….. WHAT THE FCK PETE!?!? What have you done to my brain!!! 🤯😂😂 Another high end class video 👏 That retro chip advert hahahaha at first I thought, why has he got an ad for health care 🤣 I had no idea the N64 was called Ultra 😮 Amazing that you got those guys to speak. Outstanding effort again 🔥
Interesting video mate, the PlayStation is still the only machine I have ever bought on its UK release day. Riiiiidge raaaaacer, felt like bringing the arcade home, as you mentioned a huge step forward.
SoJ ignored the Kalinske team that had made SEGA the dominant game developer in the 16-bit console market. When SoA had worked out separate deals with SONY to go 50/50 on the PlayStation, SoJ turned them down. Then Kalinske thought he'd had a deal building what would turn out to become the N64, SoJ turned him down again. So Tokyo rejected a 93MHz 64-bit MIPS 4300 for a 28MHz 32-bit SuperH from HITACHI because of some backroom deal at the country club. SEGA would've had a $10,000 Silicon Graphics workstation from two years back, but instead released its own $10,000 Titan arcade board for $400... instead of the MIPS-RCP engine which only cost $40 and was twice as powerful.
I really enjoyed this video bud, definitely a period in gaming history I’m particularly fond of. Couldn’t be closer to the truth about the huge leap in graphic capabilities. It was so mind blowing back then! Credit to Sony back then though, a blessing in disguise regarding Nintendo and just simply all the right wise choices for their first ever console.
I like your video. Very detail on what kind of chip it is and who manufactured it. Most other video would just mention SGI and Nintendo partnership and that’s about it.
By accounts SOJ played dumb and let SOA discuss a next gen chip with SGI, whilst in the background they were developing the Saturn without letting SOA know and had no intention of ever taking it. These days I’d say N64 games have aged the most from this gen today. Great vid Pete 👍
@@bluetentgameroomtour-jl1jrI’d disagree VF1 flat shade polys have a basic and timeless look. VF2 is probably the best looking 3D fighter of the 5th gen on any system.
The disparity between Sega of Japan and America definitely contributed to their failure in the console market. I think we can all agree that the 2D games of that era have aged the best, which the Saturn does exceptionally well.
Visited the Computer History Museum in Mountainview CA a few years ago at SGIs old HQ, great building and a really interesting visit for me and I recomment it for any other Tecchies visiting :) (also visited Sun Microsystems original HQ on a Geocaching expedition at the time, nothing much to see there but the sign at the time).
Ohh man the 3dfx ad starting at 4:19 is so rad. I so miss the world 15+ years ago when something like that ad could be made, when we were allowed to have fun! Today everything is so sterile, corporate and boring.
I’ll never forget the first time i played Mario 64 in blockbuster. It was absolutely mind blowing for the time and you felt the future of gaming was limitless. And then came a game called Goldeneye 007. What SGI was able to cram into the N64 for under 200.00 was unbelievable.
Loved the video! Can't help but wonder as Nintendo was heavily influenced by SGI's technology, if there was any connection between Mips the Rabbit in Super Mario 64, and the MIPS SGI processor.
Hi there, loved the video, but had to ask, do you have a list of the music you used in the background? It's possibly obvious game music, but a lot of sounded like demoscene tracker music and I was interested! Thanks!
You didn't go over the Saturn VDP1 and VDP2, or how it used quads instead of triangles. Sure the two SH1 could be used for polygons, and some games did just that. Sonic R is a good example of the technical wizardry demanded to get the most out of the Saturn, even if I didn't really care for that game myself. SGI originally approached Tom Kalinske of SEGA USA, but SEGA of Japan shot the idea down in favor of their overly complex monstrosity. Also the second SH1 processor was only added after SEGA learned about the specs for the PlayStation's CPU. The SH1 allowed for a dual CPU configuration so it was just kinda tacked on.
I dunno. Most early 3D games looked worse than most 2D games. I think the biggest jump was from the PS1 to PS2. Gorgeous cgi cutscenes, voice acting became standards, etc. Compare FF 7 to FF 10. Or compare RE 1 on PS1 to its gorgeous remake in 2001 on the Gamecube.
Oh definitely, 2D games have aged far better than 3D ganes, but I'd stick by my personal opinion of that being the biggest jump. Going from 16-bit to games like WipeOut was nuts to me. But as I said in the vid, it's arguable, and there's certainly a good case for the PS1 to PS2 era.
I completely disagree. Were you alive in 1996? Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Waverace, just a name a few are still incredible games today. And when they debuted, they were absolutely mind blowing.
I jymped fron snes to psx. To me that was the greatest leap i have seen in graphics. Going from mortal kombat 2 to tekken and mortal kombat 3 was an insane upgrade
Back then we always have these separate hardwares for each task making each consoles unique to each other and how developers trying their best to extract as much performance out of each. Thanks to AMD we have a modern APU easing the task and with modern software, even if hardware engineers decided to add specialized hardware on their consoles, like PS5, usually it is abstract to the devs making every single step to utilize these hardwares near autonomous.
Times have really changed in that respect. I'm currently reinstalling Windows 98 on my DOS PC after the hard disk died (using an SD card this time), and getting everything working takes ages and a lot of trial and error. Easy to forget how easy things are now, with everything being plug and play.
All the people commenting on how bad early 3D was and how we should've stayed 2D for longer, weren't around in that era. While 2D games can now be said to look 'aesthetically' better by Gen Z today who have no experience of the exciting development of technology, in the 90s 3D was far more exciting and visually stunning. We all played 2D games to death, by the mid 90s complex pixel art and FX was standard, expected, completely unimpressive and boring - Tomb Raider, Ridge Racer, Super Mario 64 now these games made jaws drop.
At first I thought you meant commenting here, but you mean in general? Yes, 2D was yesterday's news back then, we wanted 3D! Funny how a lot of the games that flopped back then are regarded much more fondly now (like Symphony of the Night, etc). Sure, 2D has aged better, but we weren't interested in that when all these new 3D games came in.
its hard to yjink about that sega could be only one decend 5gen console at mid 90. if only buy sony`s drive (si ps1 wold not cameout) and use SGI chip (so N64 would not came out) also hard to think abot it cause you can imagine power of that console.. it could be literally almost like Dreamcast at 95 sega did alot misstakes at that time.. literally everything
N64 games haven't aged any better than Playstation games. Many Playstation games are still being played and have been remastered to new generation of consoles, like Spyro The Dragon series, Crash Bandicoot games, Metal Gear Solid etc. Most of the old 3D games haven't aged well and it has nothing to do with the hardware.
Very thorough, entertaining and informational. Pete you've put together another fantastic video! I loved it mate!
Thanks mate! Glad you enjoyed it.
Curiously, PS1 lacks floating point capability entirely. The one concession it has to 3D math is GTE, geometry transform engine, a highly specialised math vector co-processor which uses fixed point with 12-bit fractional part, so it effectively works on scaled integers. It has probably up to about 48-bit intermediates and uses 16-bit and 32-bit inputs and outputs.
It's funny that SEGA allegedly asked for exclusivity? After all not much of the Dreamcast hardware ended up exclusive. While Hitachi SH-4 processor was obviously made with this or similar devices in mind, having an extensive 3D rendering specialised vector co-processor integrated, it was openly available, and NEC with PowerLogic also reused the same logic they sold to SEGA in their other endeavours.
I think Hitachi processors were super aggressively priced and performed very well so it's not that SONY went with an outright cheaper one... it's just a much more streamlined system with a lot less logic overall, and high utilisation, where the chips don't end up idling and waiting for each other a lot, it really is a very smart and focused design overall. I also don't think the second SH-2 was anyhow a major issue for the Saturn, but it probably didn't help quite to an amount that they hoped it would. To be kept in mind it's also a system with a streaming DSP made by Samsung, two video chips with completely different functionality, a contested bus, and two more relatively complex dedicated processors, a 68k for the sound system and a yet third Hitachi SuperH for the optical drive, and while audio and disk subsystems were not anyhow problematic for the software developers, the total cost does mount gradually when you keep piling on these things.
Love comments like this from people who obviously know what they're talking about (unlike me LOL). Thank you!
The second SH2 wasn't so much an issue by itself but the complete lack of cogent development tools made it a problem. Assembly was still king on the Saturn as easier dev tools didn't appear until far to late. On PS1 and N64 you could just go in with C code and the compilers where starting to compete with assembly performance as well.
It has been almost 30 years but if I recall, the other issue with the second SH2 was the split memory bus on the main RAM (two different speeds) combined with it having to constantly wait for the main CPU to release it. It was a nightmare. Co-ordination two processor fight over each other to issue commands to the SCU that would then feed into two wildly different VPU's... even N64 with its terrible memory bus and limited storage availability felt like a dream by comparison.
Also yeah the Ps1 was just logical. Sony made the perfect choice of trade offs for ease of development and it worked a treat.
Holy crap the animation in that advertisement for the game was frigging amazing! Thanks for the vid, bro
Thanks for watching!
Thanks, I learned a lot on the importance of SGI there, I am more used to see content about SEGA and their partnership to PowerVR so this was enjoying to know more about that generation
Thank you!
Any time I watch a video or read on this subject, I have to ask: What in the name of Sonic were Sega of Japan executives thinking???? Man, the many roads Sega did not take in the 90s and early 2000s ... Great video, Pete. Thanks for taking the time!
Yeah, they didn't do themselves any favours did they. Thanks!
I ended up watching another video that ended up discussing Tom Kalinske's (SoA CEO) relationship with Sega of Japan (SoJ). I know there's more to the story, but from what I understand, SoJ weren't big fans of Kalinske and I think part of why they did it (aside from wanting exclusive rights) was to spite him.
Money and of course SGI was an American company. It’s kind of obvious why they didn’t.
Very interesting. What a great vid! Really good work man, nice one.
Thank you very much!
Back in the 1990s I worked with marketing a shared Silicon Graphics & Oracle data-solution (through DRS AS), AND marketing Nintendo 64 for the Norwegian importer of Nintendo (Unsaco AS). Was an avid gamer, and tech/computer freak (still is), interesting times :) ❤Silicon Graphics❤
Awesome! 😍
I love this topic, what a great dive into it… And not so deep that I lost interest, awesome work one trip!!! glad i subbed recently!!
Thank you! Just a topic that I didn't know much about and found interesting, and was always intrigued by the influence SGI had on the industry.
Is that the background music for Jazz Jackrabbit 2?
Yes!!! You're the first to spot that.
FPU, FLOPs, Polygons, Integers, CPS, GPU…….. WHAT THE FCK PETE!?!? What have you done to my brain!!! 🤯😂😂 Another high end class video 👏 That retro chip advert hahahaha at first I thought, why has he got an ad for health care 🤣 I had no idea the N64 was called Ultra 😮 Amazing that you got those guys to speak. Outstanding effort again 🔥
LOL That 3dfx ad is amazing.
Yes indeed; the N64 was initially marketed as the Ultra 64 (in arcades and in magazine ads, etc).
@@onaretrotip hahaha I love it, I love retro ads! Fantastic video man. Right, I’m off to treat my migraine Pete, thanks.
Interesting video mate, the PlayStation is still the only machine I have ever bought on its UK release day.
Riiiiidge raaaaacer, felt like bringing the arcade home, as you mentioned a huge step forward.
Yes, it was a leap that just blew my mind the first time I played one.
Ridge Racer also came out on N64
SoJ ignored the Kalinske team that had made SEGA the dominant game developer in the 16-bit console market. When SoA had worked out separate deals with SONY to go 50/50 on the PlayStation, SoJ turned them down. Then Kalinske thought he'd had a deal building what would turn out to become the N64, SoJ turned him down again. So Tokyo rejected a 93MHz 64-bit MIPS 4300 for a 28MHz 32-bit SuperH from HITACHI because of some backroom deal at the country club.
SEGA would've had a $10,000 Silicon Graphics workstation from two years back, but instead released its own $10,000 Titan arcade board for $400... instead of the MIPS-RCP engine which only cost $40 and was twice as powerful.
A mistake that cost them dearly.
@@onaretrotip About $7-10 billion, by my estimates.
Great video on this topic!
Thanks dude!
Excellent research and great production! You got yourself a sub!
Thank you very much!
9:45 KI for arcade was remarkable , damn that ate a lot of quarters.
Sure did!
Awesome video, wish it was longer!
Thank you very much!
Really enjoyed this mate
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed this video bud, definitely a period in gaming history I’m particularly fond of. Couldn’t be closer to the truth about the huge leap in graphic capabilities. It was so mind blowing back then! Credit to Sony back then though, a blessing in disguise regarding Nintendo and just simply all the right wise choices for their first ever console.
Thanks mate. Yeah, that generation was such a leap it absolutely blew me away at the time.
Hearing that intro sound at high volume just slapped me right back to my childhood for a moment XD
:)
I like your video. Very detail on what kind of chip it is and who manufactured it. Most other video would just mention SGI and Nintendo partnership and that’s about it.
Thank you very much.
Love your videos!
Thank you so much! 😊
By accounts SOJ played dumb and let SOA discuss a next gen chip with SGI, whilst in the background they were developing the Saturn without letting SOA know and had no intention of ever taking it. These days I’d say N64 games have aged the most from this gen today. Great vid Pete 👍
Virtua Fighter hasn’t aged too well either.
@@bluetentgameroomtour-jl1jrI’d disagree VF1 flat shade polys have a basic and timeless look. VF2 is probably the best looking 3D fighter of the 5th gen on any system.
The disparity between Sega of Japan and America definitely contributed to their failure in the console market. I think we can all agree that the 2D games of that era have aged the best, which the Saturn does exceptionally well.
Super interesting history. Now I know why the PSX was 32 bit and the N64 was 64 bit
Thank you!
I really like these videos. I just wish that UA-cam would push these farther.
Thank you very much. Quite niche I suppose.
Visited the Computer History Museum in Mountainview CA a few years ago at SGIs old HQ, great building and a really interesting visit for me and I recomment it for any other Tecchies visiting :) (also visited Sun Microsystems original HQ on a Geocaching expedition at the time, nothing much to see there but the sign at the time).
Sounds great!
Ohh man the 3dfx ad starting at 4:19 is so rad. I so miss the world 15+ years ago when something like that ad could be made, when we were allowed to have fun! Today everything is so sterile, corporate and boring.
So great isn't it.
I’ll never forget the first time i played Mario 64 in blockbuster. It was absolutely mind blowing for the time and you felt the future of gaming was limitless. And then came a game called Goldeneye 007. What SGI was able to cram into the N64 for under 200.00 was unbelievable.
Yeah, I first played Mario 64 at a mate's house, and I remember being very impressed.
Loved the video!
Can't help but wonder as Nintendo was heavily influenced by SGI's technology, if there was any connection between Mips the Rabbit in Super Mario 64, and the MIPS SGI processor.
Who knows!
Total respect to this company and machines that moved the world steps forward. Will never forget the ultra 64, rareware, KI and donkey kong country.
Absolutely :)
Hi there, loved the video, but had to ask, do you have a list of the music you used in the background? It's possibly obvious game music, but a lot of sounded like demoscene tracker music and I was interested! Thanks!
Thanks! Apart from the outro, all the music is from Jazz Jackrabbit 2.
You didn't go over the Saturn VDP1 and VDP2, or how it used quads instead of triangles. Sure the two SH1 could be used for polygons, and some games did just that. Sonic R is a good example of the technical wizardry demanded to get the most out of the Saturn, even if I didn't really care for that game myself. SGI originally approached Tom Kalinske of SEGA USA, but SEGA of Japan shot the idea down in favor of their overly complex monstrosity. Also the second SH1 processor was only added after SEGA learned about the specs for the PlayStation's CPU. The SH1 allowed for a dual CPU configuration so it was just kinda tacked on.
Yeah, obviously I glossed over the Saturn's hardware very quickly there, as it wasn't the point of the video really, and TBH I don't understand it LOL
Nice intro!
Thanks! Not used that one in a while :)
I dunno. Most early 3D games looked worse than most 2D games. I think the biggest jump was from the PS1 to PS2. Gorgeous cgi cutscenes, voice acting became standards, etc. Compare FF 7 to FF 10. Or compare RE 1 on PS1 to its gorgeous remake in 2001 on the Gamecube.
Oh definitely, 2D games have aged far better than 3D ganes, but I'd stick by my personal opinion of that being the biggest jump. Going from 16-bit to games like WipeOut was nuts to me. But as I said in the vid, it's arguable, and there's certainly a good case for the PS1 to PS2 era.
At the time 3d was THE FUTURE. Indeed, it aged very bad, but at the time my eyes deceived me and the whole world.
@@cachorrofilosofico Agreed!
I completely disagree. Were you alive in 1996? Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Waverace, just a name a few are still incredible games today. And when they debuted, they were absolutely mind blowing.
I jymped fron snes to psx. To me that was the greatest leap i have seen in graphics. Going from mortal kombat 2 to tekken and mortal kombat 3 was an insane upgrade
14:09 What? Most thirds ran better on PSX.
And many N64 games ran less than 10fps
Ha, I knew that comment would drive people nuts. Even considered removing that in the edit, but thought nah, let's enjoy ourselves 😂
@@onaretrotip 👀
Back then we always have these separate hardwares for each task making each consoles unique to each other and how developers trying their best to extract as much performance out of each.
Thanks to AMD we have a modern APU easing the task and with modern software, even if hardware engineers decided to add specialized hardware on their consoles, like PS5, usually it is abstract to the devs making every single step to utilize these hardwares near autonomous.
Times have really changed in that respect. I'm currently reinstalling Windows 98 on my DOS PC after the hard disk died (using an SD card this time), and getting everything working takes ages and a lot of trial and error. Easy to forget how easy things are now, with everything being plug and play.
Silicon is for professional ambient, but low watt for easy use in home by artist of graphics.
Huh?
Why did it close
I think as 3D rendering software and hardware became more affordable and mainstream at consumer level that they suffered a lot as time went on.
@onaretrotip I see but there's the server business which is now used as cloud as well.
@@abdullakc Yeah, I'm not sure exactly.
All the people commenting on how bad early 3D was and how we should've stayed 2D for longer, weren't around in that era. While 2D games can now be said to look 'aesthetically' better by Gen Z today who have no experience of the exciting development of technology, in the 90s 3D was far more exciting and visually stunning.
We all played 2D games to death, by the mid 90s complex pixel art and FX was standard, expected, completely unimpressive and boring - Tomb Raider, Ridge Racer, Super Mario 64 now these games made jaws drop.
At first I thought you meant commenting here, but you mean in general? Yes, 2D was yesterday's news back then, we wanted 3D! Funny how a lot of the games that flopped back then are regarded much more fondly now (like Symphony of the Night, etc). Sure, 2D has aged better, but we weren't interested in that when all these new 3D games came in.
Project Reality! Look I love the n64, but even implying that they were gonna make games that look like anything T2 or Jurrasic Park is just LOL
Hahaha. What do you mean? T2 and Superman 64 look identical.
its hard to yjink about that sega could be only one decend 5gen console at mid 90. if only buy sony`s drive (si ps1 wold not cameout) and use SGI chip (so N64 would not came out)
also hard to think abot it cause you can imagine power of that console.. it could be literally almost like Dreamcast at 95
sega did alot misstakes at that time.. literally everything
yeah, things could've been so different. Sega made an absolute mess of things, in part due to the US and Japanese divisions not agreeing on things.
N64 games haven't aged any better than Playstation games. Many Playstation games are still being played and have been remastered to new generation of consoles, like Spyro The Dragon series, Crash Bandicoot games, Metal Gear Solid etc. Most of the old 3D games haven't aged well and it has nothing to do with the hardware.
LOL Yup!