Difference between revisions of "Sega X Board"

From Sega Retro
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The '''Sega X Board''' is an arcade system board released by [[Sega]] in 1987 as a successor to [[Sega OutRun hardware]]. It debuted with ''[[After Burner]]'' and ''[[Thunder Blade]]''.
 
The '''Sega X Board''' is an arcade system board released by [[Sega]] in 1987 as a successor to [[Sega OutRun hardware]]. It debuted with ''[[After Burner]]'' and ''[[Thunder Blade]]''.
  
−
The X Board specification is largely similar to that of the OutRun Hardware board, but allows for twice as many sprites on screen at once, twice as many tile layers, and sprite rotation effects. The contents have also been condensed onto a single board, making it slightly easier to manufacture.
+
The X Board specification is largely similar to that of the OutRun Hardware board, but allows for twice as many sprites/textures on screen at once, twice as many tile layers, and sprite rotation effects. The contents have also been condensed onto a single board, making it slightly easier to manufacture.
  
 
The X Board would be succeeded by the [[Y Board]] and [[Sega System 32|System 32]], before the [[Model 1]] made true 3D arcade games more financially affordable.
 
The X Board would be succeeded by the [[Y Board]] and [[Sega System 32|System 32]], before the [[Model 1]] made true 3D arcade games more financially affordable.
  
 
==Hardware==
 
==Hardware==
−
As the third in Sega's Super Scaler series of arcade hardware (after the [[Sega Hang-On hardware]] and [[Sega OutRun hardware]]), it was noteworthy for its sprite manipulation capabilities, which allowed it to create high quality pseudo-3D visuals, such as the [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/afterburner/afterburner.htm scaling and rotating] environments in 1987's ''[[After Burner]]'', and the [http://arcadeheroes.com/2013/06/28/the-short-lived-life-of-first-person-arcade-shooting-games/ ray casting like] environments in 1988's ''[[Last Survivor]]''. This trend would continue with the [[Y Board]] and the [[System 32]], before the [[Model 1]] made true polygonal 3D arcade games more financially affordable.
+
As the third in Sega's Super Scaler series of arcade hardware (after the [[Sega Hang-On hardware]] and [[Sega OutRun hardware]]), it was noteworthy for its sprite/texture manipulation capabilities, which allowed it to create high quality three-dimensional visuals, such as the [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/afterburner/afterburner.htm scaling and rotating] environments in 1987's ''[[After Burner]]'', and the [http://arcadeheroes.com/2013/06/28/the-short-lived-life-of-first-person-arcade-shooting-games/ ray casting like] environments in 1988's ''[[Last Survivor]]''. This trend would continue with the [[Y Board]] and the [[System 32]], before the [[Model 1]] made true polygonal 3D arcade games more financially affordable.
  
 
==Technical Specifications==
 
==Technical Specifications==
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** Math chips: 315-5248 hardware multiplier, 315-5249 hardware divider
 
** Math chips: 315-5248 hardware multiplier, 315-5249 hardware divider
 
* Video resolution: 320×224 (display), 400×262{{ref|http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/loftech.txt}}{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/segaxbd.c}} (overscan), progressive scan
 
* Video resolution: 320×224 (display), 400×262{{ref|http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/loftech.txt}}{{ref|https://github.com/mamedev/mame/tree/master/src/mame/drivers/segaxbd.c}} (overscan), progressive scan
 +
** Scanlines: 262
 
* Refresh rate: 59.6368 to 60Hz (V-sync)
 
* Refresh rate: 59.6368 to 60Hz (V-sync)
−
* Frame rate: 59.6368 to 60 frames per second
+
** Frame rate: 59.6368 to 60 frames per second
 
* Board composition: Single board
 
* Board composition: Single board
 
* Color palette: 98,304
 
* Color palette: 98,304
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** 1 road layer, can draw 2 roads at once
 
** 1 road layer, can draw 2 roads at once
 
** Translucent shadows
 
** Translucent shadows
−
* [http://graphics.wikia.com/wiki/Sprite Sprite] capabilities: Dual sprite framebuffers, 512×256 framebuffer resolution, hardware sprite zooming, sprite rotation, thousands of sprites scaled per second, [http://www.giantbomb.com/ray-casting/3015-1517/ ray casting]{{ref|http://arcadeheroes.com/2013/06/28/the-short-lived-life-of-first-person-arcade-shooting-games/}}
+
* [[Sprite]]/texture capabilities: Dual sprite framebuffers, 512×256 framebuffer resolution, hardware sprite zooming, sprite rotation, [http://www.giantbomb.com/ray-casting/3015-1517/ ray casting]{{ref|http://arcadeheroes.com/2013/06/28/the-short-lived-life-of-first-person-arcade-shooting-games/}}
−
** Sprite size: 8×8 to 512×256 pixels
+
** Sprite/texture sizes: 8×8 to 512×256 pixels
−
** Colors per sprite: 16
+
** Colors per sprite/texture: 16
−
** Sprites per frame: 256 on screen at one time
+
** Sprites/textures on screen: 256 on screen at one time per frame, 15,267 to 15,360 scaled per second
−
** Sprite pixels/texels: 50MHz video clock cycles, 833,333 (60Hz) to 838,408 (59.6368Hz) pixels/texels per frame (262 scanlines), 3180 to 3200 sprite pixels/texels per scanline, 256 sprites per scanline
+
** Video clock cycles: 50 MHz
 +
** Fillrate: 50 million pixels/texels per second
 +
** Sprite pixels/texels per frame: 833,333 (60 Hz) to 838,408 (59.6368 Hz)
 +
** Sprite pixels/texels per scanline: 3180 to 3200 sprite pixels/texels per scanline
 +
** Sprites/textures per scanline: 256
  
 
''[[Super Monaco GP]]'' (1989) added the following upgrades:
 
''[[Super Monaco GP]]'' (1989) added the following upgrades:

Revision as of 05:12, 7 October 2015

Notavailable.svg
Sega X Board
Manufacturer: Sega
Release Date RRP Code

The Sega X Board is an arcade system board released by Sega in 1987 as a successor to Sega OutRun hardware. It debuted with After Burner and Thunder Blade.

The X Board specification is largely similar to that of the OutRun Hardware board, but allows for twice as many sprites/textures on screen at once, twice as many tile layers, and sprite rotation effects. The contents have also been condensed onto a single board, making it slightly easier to manufacture.

The X Board would be succeeded by the Y Board and System 32, before the Model 1 made true 3D arcade games more financially affordable.

Hardware

As the third in Sega's Super Scaler series of arcade hardware (after the Sega Hang-On hardware and Sega OutRun hardware), it was noteworthy for its sprite/texture manipulation capabilities, which allowed it to create high quality three-dimensional visuals, such as the scaling and rotating environments in 1987's After Burner, and the ray casting like environments in 1988's Last Survivor. This trend would continue with the Y Board and the System 32, before the Model 1 made true polygonal 3D arcade games more financially affordable.

Technical Specifications

  • CPU:
    • Main CPU: Hitachi FD1094 @ 12.5MHz, Motorola MC68000 @ 12.5MHz (16-bit & 32-bit instructions @ 4.375 MIPS)
    • Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 @ 4MHz (8-bit & 16-bit instructions @ 0.58 MIPS)
  • Sound chips:
    • Frequency modulation synthesis chip: Yamaha YM2151 @ 4MHz (8 FM channels)
    • Pulse-code modulation chip: SegaPCM (315-5218) @ 4MHz (stereo output, 16 PCM channels, 12-bit audio, 31.25kHz sampling rate)
  • Graphics processing unit: Sega Super Scaler chipset @ 50MHz
    • Main graphics chips: 315-5197 tilemap generator, 315-5211A sprite generator, 315-5242 color encoder, 315-5275 road generator, 315-5278 sprite ROM bank control
    • Math chips: 315-5248 hardware multiplier, 315-5249 hardware divider
  • Video resolution: 320×224 (display), 400×262[1][2] (overscan), progressive scan
    • Scanlines: 262
  • Refresh rate: 59.6368 to 60Hz (V-sync)
    • Frame rate: 59.6368 to 60 frames per second
  • Board composition: Single board
  • Color palette: 98,304
    • Sega's 16-bit arcade color palette: 15-bit RGB high color depth (32,768 colors) and 1-bit shadow & highlight that triples up to 98,304 colors.
  • Colors on screen: 24,576
  • Graphical planes:
    • 4 tile layers
    • 1 text layer
    • 1 sprite layer with hardware sprite zooming
    • 1 road layer, can draw 2 roads at once
    • Translucent shadows
  • Sprite/texture capabilities: Dual sprite framebuffers, 512×256 framebuffer resolution, hardware sprite zooming, sprite rotation, ray casting[3]
    • Sprite/texture sizes: 8×8 to 512×256 pixels
    • Colors per sprite/texture: 16
    • Sprites/textures on screen: 256 on screen at one time per frame, 15,267 to 15,360 scaled per second
    • Video clock cycles: 50 MHz
    • Fillrate: 50 million pixels/texels per second
    • Sprite pixels/texels per frame: 833,333 (60 Hz) to 838,408 (59.6368 Hz)
    • Sprite pixels/texels per scanline: 3180 to 3200 sprite pixels/texels per scanline
    • Sprites/textures per scanline: 256

Super Monaco GP (1989) added the following upgrades:

  • Additional boards: Network board, sound board, motor board
  • Additional CPU: 2× Zilog Z80 @ 8MHz (2.32MIPS)
  • Additional sound CPU: Zilog Z80 @ 4MHz (0.58MIPS)
  • Additional sound chip: SegaPCM @ 4MHz (additional 16 PCM channels, totalling 32 PCM channels)
  • Sound output: 4-channel surround sound

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