CONSOLE ARCHITECTURE
Introduction – Part 1
What is a console?
Console components
Differences between consoles and PCs
Benefits of console development
The development environment
Console game design
What is a Console?
Consoles are dedicated game machines
– Nintendo Wii
– Nintendo GameCube (NGC)
– Nintendo64 (N64)
– Sony Playstation 3 (PS3)
– Sony Playstation 2 (PS2)
– Sony Playstation (PSX)
– Microsoft Xbox 360
– Microsoft Xbox
– Sega Dreamcast (DC)
– Nintendo DS (DS)
Console Evolution
•
Super Nintendo (1991)
• 3.58 MHz 65816 (16 bit 6502)
• 128 Kb RAM
• Cartridge-based storage (~4 MB / cart)
•
Sony Playstation (1995)
• 33 MHz MIPS R3000 derivative
• 2 MB RAM
• CD-based storage (~650 MB / disc)
•
Sony Playstation 2 (2000)
• 300 MHz MIPS R5000 derivative
• 32 MB RAM
• DVD-based storage (~4 GB / disc)
•
Sony Playstation 3 (2005)
• 3.2 GHz Power-PC
• 512 MB Total RAM
• Blu-Ray (~50GB)
Console Hardware Trends
• Memory wall
The "memory wall" is the growing disparity of speed between CPU
and memory outside the CPU chip. An important reason for this
disparity is the limited communication bandwidth beyond chip
boundaries. From 1986 to 2000, CPU speed improved at an annual
rate of 55% while memory speed only improved at 10%.
– This is getting worse, currently potentially hundreds of cycles for
cache miss
– Need to learn how to write cache efficient code
• Frequency wall
– CPUs aren't getting faster as quickly as they used to
• Power wall
– Moore's Law is starting to run into the laws of Thermodynamics
Power Density Wall
Multi-core, parallel architectures
• Solution to many hardware challenges
– Increased performance without increased frequency
– Simpler CPU architecture
• No Out of Order Execution
• Makes the software much harder though
– Need to learn how to write parallel code
– Simpler CPU architecture makes memory wall more important
Business Trends
• The rise of the little guy (Wii)
– Much broader market appeal
• Rise and Fall of accessories
– Guitar, DJ turntable, Skateboard, etc.
• Publishers vs. Gamestop
– U