Difference between revisions of "VCO Object"

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'''VCO Object''' arcade hardware was used by [[Sega]] for a brief period between 1981 and 1983. It was Sega's earliest attempt at creating hardware specifically designed for sprite scaling, something that would be widely used in [[Sega X Board]] and [[Sega Y Board]] hardware, and a handful of Sega System boards in between.
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'''VCO Object''' arcade hardware was used by [[Sega]] for a brief period between 1981 and 1983. It was Sega's earliest attempt at creating hardware specifically designed for sprite scaling, something that would be widely used in the [[Sega Hang-On hardware|Sega Hang-On]], [[Sega OutRun hardware|Sega OutRun]], [[Sega X Board]] and [[Sega Y Board]] hardware, and a handful of Sega System boards in between.
  
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The hardware debuted with the release of ''Turbo'', and is often known as "Turbo Hardware" because of this.
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The hardware debuted with the release of ''Turbo'', and is often known as "Turbo Hardware" because of this. It is also known as "Sega Z80-3D" system.{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/video/turbo.c}}
  
 
All VCO Object games rely on external LED displays for parts of the HUD. This means extra precautions must be taken when attempting to emulate VCO Object games.
 
All VCO Object games rely on external LED displays for parts of the HUD. This means extra precautions must be taken when attempting to emulate VCO Object games.
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==Hardware==
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It was the first system specifically designed for [[2.5D|pseudo-3D]] [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]]-scaling graphics, using an analog scaling technique, with Voltage Controlled Oscillators (VCOs) generating [[clock signal]]s controlling the data fetched from the sprite/object [[Read-only memory|ROM]]; the slower the clock signal, the larger the sprite on screen.{{ref|http://www.system16.com}} In 1982, ''[[SubRoc-3D]]'' also introduced an [[active shutter 3D system]], jointly developed by Sega with [[Panasonic|Matsushita]] (now Panasonic).{{ref|http://flyers.arcade-museum.com}}
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==Technical Specifications==
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* [[Central processing unit|CPU]]:{{ref|http://www.system16.com}}
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** ''Turbo'' & ''SubRoc-3D'': [[Zilog Z80|Z80]] @ 5 MHz (8-bit & 16-bit instructions @ 0.725 MIPS{{ref|http://www.drolez.com/retro/}})
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** ''Buck Rogers'': 2× Z80 @ 5 MHz (8-bit & 16-bit instructions @ 1.45 MIPS{{ref|http://www.drolez.com/retro/}})
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* [[Sound card|Sound board]]: Sega Sound Board{{ref|http://www.system16.com/files/manuals/subroc3d.pdf}}
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** [[Sound chip]]: Custom
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** Audio output: [[Stereophonic sound|Stereo]]{{ref|http://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/173/479/subroc-3d_review.html}}
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* [[Display resolution]]:{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}}{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/includes/turbo.h}}
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** Standard resolution: 256×224 to 320×264 (horizontal), 224×256 to 264×320 (vertical)
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** Analog scaling resolution: 512×224 to 640×264 (horizontal), [[480p|224×512]] to [[576p|264×640]] (vertical)
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* [[Refresh rate]]: 60 Hz ([[V-sync]]){{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}}
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* [[Frame rate]]: 30 frames per second (''SubRoc-3D''),{{ref|http://flyers.arcade-museum.com}} or 60 frames per second (''Turbo'', ''Buck Rogers''){{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}}
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* [[List of color palettes|Color palette]]: 832 (''Turbo''), or 768 (''SubRoc-3D''), or 1536 (''Buck Rogers''){{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}}
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* [[Color depth|Colors on screen]]: 256 (''Turbo'', ''SubRoc-3D''), or 1024 (''Buck Rogers''){{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}}
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* Background planes:
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** [[Tile engine|Tilemap]] layer: 8×8 [[pixel]] tiles, 4 colors per tile, [[scrolling]], tile flipping{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}}
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** [[Bitmap]] layer{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/video/turbo.c}}
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* [[Sprite (computer graphics)|Sprite]] capabilities: [[2.5D|Pseudo-3D]] sprite-scaling (analog scaling), [[Framebuffer|line buffer]],{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/video/turbo.c}} 64 sprites on screen,{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}} 16 sprites per [[Scan line|scanline]],{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/video/turbo.c}} 4{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}} to 8{{ref|http://www.system16.com}} colors per sprite
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** [[Texel (graphics)|Sprite pixels/texels]]: 4.992 MHz (standard) to 9.984 MHz (scaling) pixel clock,{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/turbo.c}}{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/includes/turbo.h}} 83,200 (standard) to 166,400 (scaling) pixels/texels per frame, 315 (standard) to 630 (scaling) sprite pixels/texels per scanline
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* ''SubRoc-3D'' capabilities: [[Stereoscopic video game|Stereoscopic 3D]], [[active shutter 3D system]]{{ref|http://flyers.arcade-museum.com}}
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==List of VCO Object Games==
 
==List of VCO Object Games==
 
Only three games make use of VCO Object hardware:
 
Only three games make use of VCO Object hardware:
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*''[[Turbo]]'' (1981)
 
*''[[Turbo]]'' (1981)
 
*''[[Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom]]''/''Zoom 909'' (1982)
 
*''[[Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom]]''/''Zoom 909'' (1982)

Revision as of 11:02, 19 February 2015

VCO Object arcade hardware was used by Sega for a brief period between 1981 and 1983. It was Sega's earliest attempt at creating hardware specifically designed for sprite scaling, something that would be widely used in the Sega Hang-On, Sega OutRun, Sega X Board and Sega Y Board hardware, and a handful of Sega System boards in between.

The hardware debuted with the release of Turbo, and is often known as "Turbo Hardware" because of this. It is also known as "Sega Z80-3D" system.[1]

All VCO Object games rely on external LED displays for parts of the HUD. This means extra precautions must be taken when attempting to emulate VCO Object games.

Hardware

It was the first system specifically designed for pseudo-3D sprite-scaling graphics, using an analog scaling technique, with Voltage Controlled Oscillators (VCOs) generating clock signals controlling the data fetched from the sprite/object ROM; the slower the clock signal, the larger the sprite on screen.[2] In 1982, SubRoc-3D also introduced an active shutter 3D system, jointly developed by Sega with Matsushita (now Panasonic).[3]

Technical Specifications

List of VCO Object Games

Only three games make use of VCO Object hardware:


Sega arcade boards
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Console-based hardware








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