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Video Game SDK in Hardware
stm2 writes "Alex Varanese just released the XGameStation, a new homebrew video game system designed to teach its users how to build and program their own video game machines from the ground up. From their PR: "The expansive eBook, written by LaMothe himself, covers everything from introductory electronic theory all the way up to computer architecture, as well as a complete coverage of each of the XGS ME's subsystems. Imagine learning everything about how a video game console is built and programmed from scratch: designing and printing circuit
boards, generating TV signals, external device interfacing, and much more.". They have two posters, as well."
Who is this Alex Varanese person? I've been watching the XGS since back when it was due out for XMas last year, and I thought it was mostly just LaMothe behind it... Book, Hardware, Site, and all.
I'm not sure about this Micro Edition, but the one they were planning back in the day was somewhere between NES and SNES in power. If you want to do SNES roms stick with a modded XBox. Nes emulation would likely be difficult (not to mention complicated with all the video modes) but I'm sure "classic" consoles like the Atari and ZX Spectrum could probably be emulated.
Of course, the purpose is to give a good platform and supporting documentation so individual hobbyists can get a feel for what it was like to code for consoles in the NES era, when often it was one coder plus one artist (if not just one coder doing it all) working on a game, trying to get the absolute most out of the system.
Tough to tell how it stacks up - looks like the processing power blows away an SNES, but the graphics may be nowhere near as good.
:
From http://www.xgamestation.com/faq.php#a10
" Q:
What can the XGameStation Micro Edition hardware do? How powerful is it?
A:
The raw processing power of the XGameStation Micro Edition is approximately 40x that of the Nintendo (NES) or 20X that of a Super Nintendo, 50x that of an Atari 800 and it's graphical capabilities are similar to the Atari 2600, that is a directly controlled raster stream allowing pixel level timing and color control via software loops."
-Richard Campbell.
-Richard
Bang goes most of the potential geeks, I'd reckon.
Shame, really. Seems rather cool, I'd buy one if it didn't mean giving up my freedom, just to use it.
Join the Free Software Foundation
Andre Lamothe Launches XGameStation
The whole point of this kit is to learn by doing and the if you don't have the XGS, you can't do anything, so large sections of the book will be useless to you. There are other books that are better for learning abstract hardware architecture that are not tied to a specific platform like this one.
The XGS might be a pretty good teaching tool. I could see building a community college or high school video game programming course around the platform. Another good way to promote the platform would be through development contests perhaps sponsored by the likes of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Of the three, Microsoft might be the most enthusiastic since the dev kit runs under Windows. Also MS would probably love to be able to identify and secure new talent quickly. I think Sony's Net Yaroze program actually did turn up a few gems.
The main problem I see right now is whether or not there is enough of a market for XGS to be profitable at all. The hardcore hobbyist development market already has a variety of kits for developing on the Dreamcast, modded Xboxes, and I think all of the earlier generation consoles and even handhelds. And the kits and tools come at little or no cost. The only things that generally cost money are mod chips and cables. So I don't think the XGS would be that attractive to anyone who is already in the homebrew game.
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
A quick cruise of their product info tells it all.
- 80 Mhz processor
- Sound chip programmable like a C64 SID
- NTSC *and* PAL capable in the same module
- Atari Joystick ports *and* RS232 ports.
- Expansion Port / Cartridge Slot
- Built in Debugging Support
- 128K SRAM
- "4Kx12 WORD" onboard Flash Ram
For a learning kit this thing is fantastic. For the more adventurous hobbyist, its seriously lacking in features.
Still I was hoping for at least stereo sound, more ram and crude 3D capabilities; something more like a playstation instead of an NES. The price is right for all the stuff you get with it, you're stuck making tetris clones and rewriting MULE all afternoon.
This doesn't necessarily mean that the graphic capabilities are worse than the NES or SNES, but that the system includes no GPU or built-in modes for handling sprites and such.
The direct pixel-level control via software basically dictates that the resolution/quality depends on your ability to correctly utilize the CPU according to your needs, which in no way implies that all of your games will look like the Atari 2600 at best.
It's a very DIY solution, and not at all unlike what game developers of the 80's had to go through to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of those machines.
Yeah, no kidding.
...
The book is a great read, but whats more fun is looking back in a year at the little pile of junk in the corner, with its 240 game titles, and realizing 'holy shit, i wrote all those'.
This is exotic hardware, and while it isn't necessarily 'powerful' in the same sense as some PC archictures (you know, where there are millions of programmers to compete with), the fact remains that the neverending attempt at defeating Moores Law resonating through PC-land is a sure-fire way of losing all the fun in life.
This little box, with its tight fittings, is something fun to do something fun with. To be continued
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
The direct pixel-level control via software basically dictates that the resolution/quality depends on your ability to correctly utilize the CPU according to your needs, which in no way implies that all of your games will look like the Atari 2600 at best.
At 80 MHz and a typical horizontal resolution of 7.2 MHz (roughly 320 pixels per scanline), this leaves only 11 cycles per pixel. I'd like to see what kind of sprite compositing engine you can implement on a microcontroller in 11 cycles per pixel.