Sega Saturn
From Sega Retro
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Add-ons: Backup Memory, PriFun, Video CD Card, Extended RAM Cartridge, ROM Cartridge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Sega Saturn (セガサターン), is a video game console manufactured by Sega and was the successor to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (as opposed to add-ons such as the Sega 32X and Mega-CD). Initially released in 1994, the Saturn was a 32-bit compact disc-based system, and was a key player in what is now widely known as the fifth generation of video game consoles. The Saturn was first released on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe.
Depending on where you live, the Saturn could be described as either Sega's most successful console of all time (Japan) or one of their biggest commercial failures (North America). Despite being powerful for its time, its complex hardware and inability to meet rapidly evolving consumer expectations and demands put it in a distant third place in the Western world, but a combination of 2D sprite games, 3D arcade ports and strong marketing campaigns made the Saturn the most successful Sega console in Japan. Estimates for the total number of Saturns sold worldwide range from 9.5 million to 17 million.[9]
The Saturn's main competitors were Sony's PlayStation released just a week after the Saturn in Japan, and the Nintendo 64 from September 1996. Its arcade counterpart was the Sega Titan Video (ST-V) system. It was succeeded by the Sega Dreamcast in late 1998.
Contents
- 1 Hardware
- 2 History
- 3 Game packaging
- 4 Emulation
- 5 Games
- 6 Magazine articles
- 7 Promotional material
- 8 Artwork
- 9 External links
- 10 Footnotes
- 11 References
Hardware
The Sega Saturn is the successor to the Mega Drive, though as a video game system it is almost entirely different. It is a "32-bit" console, marketed in such a way that it appeared to be an evolution of the "16-bit" era of video gaming dominated by the Mega Drive and Super NES (which in turn succeeded the "8-bit" Master System and NES, respectively).
This description, however, was initially fabricated - Sega of Japan originally claimed the Saturn was a "64-bit" console[10] and some within Sega even chose to call it an "128-bit" machine,[11] a number arrived at by cumulating processors rather than simply picking the main CPU. Alternatively some areas of Sega simply went down the "multi-processor" route, refusing to get drawn into the perceived differences between 32-bit and 64-bit.[12] This was incidentally the last video game generation where these so-called "bit wars" were considered to matter.
The system uses CD-ROMs as its primary choice of media. Though it contains a cartridge slot, this is not used for games, but rather backup memory or RAM cartridges. The former was to extend the space for save games beyond that of the Saturn's internal memory, while the latter was used to augment the Saturn's limited memory and to avoid long CD load times.
The Saturn has two controller ports, and the standard Saturn controller builds on that seen in the six button Sega Mega Drive controller. It adds two shoulder buttons, first seen on the Super NES controller, bringing the amount of buttons up to nine. The 3D Control Pad, released later with NiGHTS into Dreams, would supply the console with an analogue stick and analogue shoulder buttons, the latter later being used in the Sega Dreamcast before being adopted by Nintendo and Microsoft for their GameCube and Xbox consoles, respectively.
The Sega Saturn hardware combined features from several Sega arcade systems.[13] It has a multi-processor system, like arcade machines. Its geometry engine consists of three DSP math processors, two inside both Hitachi SH-2 CPU and one inside the SCU, which were all intended to be programmed in parallel using complex assembly language, similar to how Sega programmed 3D arcade games at the time.
The VDP1 combined features from the Sega System 32 and the Sega Model series, with a quad polygon engine based on the Model 1, and texture mapping capability based on the Model 2 and System 32. The VDP1 is capable of drawing more polygons than the Model 1, but less than the Model 2. The Saturn was also influenced by the Sega Model 1's use of a separate graphics processor for the 2D backgrounds (based on the Sega System 24). The quad polygons are drawn with edge anti‑aliasing (for smoother edges), forward texture mapping (a form of perspective correction), bilinear approximation (reduces texture warping), and medium polygon accuracy (resulting in seamless polygons).[14]
The Saturn's VDP2 was based on Sega System 32 technology (an evolution of Super Scaler technology), used for both 2D backgrounds and 3D planes; the latter can be manipulated as polygon objects. The VDP2's tiled infinite plane engine uses tilemap compression and a form of scanline/tiled rendering to draw large, detailed, 3D texture-mapped infinite planes (for things such as grounds, seas, walls, ceilings, skies, etc.), with perspective correction and a virtually unlimited draw distance (and capable of effects such as transparency, parallax scrolling, reflective water surfaces, fog/misting,[15] fire, and heat haze), at a very high tile fillrate for its time.
The VDP2 draws 3D infinite planes as large as 4096×4096 pixels at 30 FPS, equivalent to a fillrate of over 500 MPixels/s, significantly larger than what any console or PC hardware were capable of with polygons at the time. It requires 1 million texture-mapped polygons/sec, with 500 pixels per polygon, to draw a texture-mapped 4096×4096 infinite plane at 30 FPS; the Dreamcast was the first home system capable of doing this with polygons, as it was the first home system that exceeded 500 MPixels/s polygon fillrate (using tiled rendering).
The Saturn was known for its difficult 3D development environment (especially for third-party developers), including its complex parallel processing hardware architecture, requiring familiarity with assembly language, lack of an operating system, and initial lack of C language support, useful development tools and graphics software libraries. Sega eventually provided DTS support for these features in late 1995. However, the C language development tools were not very well optimized for Saturn hardware, only tapping into a fraction of the Saturn's power, compared to assembly language which could tap into most of the Saturn's power. For example, the libraries did not use the SCU DSP, nor were they well-optimized for a multi-core CPU setup.[16] Some of the advanced techniques used by Sega's first-party AM studios did not become available until the introduction of SGL (Saturn Graphics Library).[17]
Only a handful of developers were able to squeeze most of the power out of the second SH-2 CPU, and even fewer utilized the SCU DSP, as its assembly code was more complex than the SH-2. Assembly language was often used by Japanese and British developers, but rarely used by American developers who preferred C language.[18] The VDP1 rendered quadrilateral polygons, which, despite being used by the most powerful gaming system at the time (Sega Model 2 arcade system), did not become industry standard for 3D graphics, compared to the more widely used triangle polygons.
The VDP2's tiled infinite plane engine, which could draw large 3D infinite planes with a much higher draw distance, texture details and fillrate than polygons at the time, was unfamiliar to most developers who relied on polygons to construct 3D planes. Sega's first-party 3D games often utilized both CPU, the DSP, and/or both VDP, but the hardware's complexity and difficult 3D development environment led to most third-party developers only utilizing a single CPU and the VDP1, just a portion of the Saturn's power, for 3D games. This was also partly due to the advanced techniques used by Sega's first-party studios being unavailable to third-party developers until the introduction of SGL.[17] While the VDP2 was under-utilized for 3D games, it was frequently used for 2D games, where the VDP1 draws sprites and the VDP2 draws scrolling backgrounds.
Models
- Main article: Sega Saturn consoles.
There are a variety of Sega Saturn models of different shapes and colours, as well as novelty units, such as the Game & Car Navi HiSaturn. Differences between systems are not as drastic as seen with the Sega Mega Drive - the same basic feature set and component designs were used throughout the console's lifespan in all regions.
HST-3200/HST-3210
First seen on launch day in Japan (1994-11-22), the HST-3200 (later revised and released as the HST-3210, although the differences aside from a BIOS update are not fully understood), commonly referred to as the "grey Saturn" (although during development it had a metallic finish), was the basis for all Sega Saturns released between the Japanese launch and early 1996. These Saturns use blue "oval" buttons, mounted to black plastic at the front of the unit, and have both "power" and "access" LEDs similar to the Sega Mega-CD.
The Saturn saw variants produced by Hitachi and Victor as the HiSaturn and V-Saturn respectively, though aside from altered BIOSes and aesthetics (and bundles/pricing) these do not deviate much from the Sega designs. Novelty value sees these models worth slightly more in pre-owned markets - fewer were produced than the Sega models, but compatibility rates are much the same.
Overseas versions are physically identical (save for region encoding), but use black plastic throughout.
HST-3220
Released in March 1996, the HST-3220 stands as the only significant change to the Saturn's design, although functionality wise, the only feature omitted is the "access" LED seen in previous models. Reportedly the change in colour scheme was made to appeal to younger and female demographics.[19]
These "white" Saturns likely cost less to produce (they were certainly sold for a lot less in Japan), but from a user perspective the change is largely negligible - the console is roughly the same size and has no problems running any Saturn software. White Saturns opt for grey "circle" power and reset buttons and a pink "open" button for lifting the lid.
It is rumoured, though not proven, that the HST-3220 has a faster disc reading time than its earlier counterparts, meaning quicker loading screens in games.
When brought overseas the console continued to be shipped only in black, although the North American and European models have different coloured buttons. In 1998 Sega started releasing special versions of these consoles with semi-transparent plastic under the "This is cool" brand - only 30,000 units were produced. Again aside from aesthetic differences the consoles are interchangeable.
Some of the Japanese colour designs were also brought to Brazil.
Technical specifications
Processors
- Main CPU: 2× Hitachi SH-2 @ 28.63636 MHz[20][21][22]
- Configuration: Master/Slave
- 2x CPU cores: 32‑bit RISC instructions/registers, 74.454536 MIPS (37.227268 MIPS each, 1.3 MIPS per MHz),[23][24] up to 4 instructions/cycle (2 instructions/cycle per SH-2)[25]
- 2x DMA units: 2x DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller),[26] parallel processing[27]
- 4x internal fixed‑point math processors:[28] 2x MULT multiplier DSP,[26][29][30] 2x DIVU division units,[26][29] parallel processing[31]
- Bus width: 64‑bit (2× 32‑bit) internal, 32‑bit external[34]
- Word length: 32-bit
- System coprocesor: Custom Saturn Control Unit (SCU), with DSP for geometry processing and DMA controller for system control[34][28][35]
- CD‑ROM CPU: Hitachi SH-1 32‑bit RISC processor @ 20 MHz (20 MIPS)[21] (controlling the CD‑ROM)
- Microcontroller: Hitachi HD404920[37] (4‑bit MCU) "System Manager & Peripheral Control" (SMPC) @ 4 MHz[28]
- Optional MPEG Video CD Card:[39][20]
- MPEG Video decoder: Sega P/N 315-5765 (Hitachi HD814101FE)
- MPEG Audio decoder: Hitachi HD814102F
Audio
- Sound processor: Yamaha SCSP (Saturn Custom Sound Processor) YMF292[40]
- Sound CPU: Motorola 68EC000 (16/32‑bit CISC) sound processor @ 11.29 MHz[34] (1.97575 MIPS[43])
- Bus width: 16‑bit internal, 16‑bit external
Video
- Sega/Hitachi VDP1 @ 28.63636 MHz: Handles sprite/texture and polygon drawing[44][37]
- Bus width: 48‑bit (3x 16‑bit)[28]
- Word length: 16-bit
- Sega/Yamaha VDP2 @ 28.63636 MHz: Backgrounds, scrolling, handles background, scroll and 3D rotation planes[45][37]
- Bus width: 32‑bit[28]
- Word length: 32-bit
- Sony CXA1645M RGB‑Composite Video Encoder[37]
Graphics
- Graphics pipeline:
- 3 DSP geometry processors: 2× SH-2 DSP, SCU DSP
- 2 VDP rendering processors: VDP1 for sprites/textures/polygons, VDP2 for planes/backgrounds/textures
- Video clock rate: 28.63636 MHz MHz (NTSC),[46][20] 28.4375 MHz (PAL)[46]
- NTSC dot clock: 7.15909 MHz (lo-res),[20] 14.31818 MHz (hi-res)
- PAL dot clock: 7.109375 MHz (lo-res), 14.21875 MHz (hi-res)
- Display resolutions: 320×224 to 704×480 (see Resolutions)[46][47]
- NTSC overscan resolution: 453×263 (lo-res),[20] 907×263 (hi-res)
- PAL overscan resolution: 454×313 (lo-res), 908×313 (hi-res)
- Refresh rate: 30–60 Hz (NTSC), 25–50 Hz (PAL)[48]
- Maximum frame rate: 60 FPS (NTSC), 50 FPS (PAL)
- Color depth: 15-bit RGB to 32‑bit RGBA (24‑bit color with 8‑bit alpha transparency)[42]
- Color palette: 16,777,216 (VDP2), 32,768 (VDP1)
- Colors on screen: 256 to 16,777,216 (VDP2), 256 to 32,768 (VDP1)
- VDP2 colors per background: 16 colors (4-bit) to 16,777,216 colors (24-bit)[49][50]
- VDP1 colors per sprite/polygon: 16 colors (4-bit) to 32,768 colors (15-bit)[51][52]
- CLUT: Virtually unlimited number of CLUTs[53]
- DSP geometry processing: 188 MIPS (million instructions per second)[fn 4]
- Geometry calculations: 114 MOPS fixed-point calculations[fn 9]
- Vertex transformations: 2,400,000 vertices/sec[fn 10]
- Polygon transformations: 1,800,000 polygons/sec[fn 11]
- T&L flat lighting: 800,000 polygons/sec[fn 12]
- T&L Gouraud lighting: 700,000 polygons/sec[fn 13]
- Transmission bus bandwidth: 143 MB/s
- Fillrate:
- Bitmap/Framebuffer fillrate: 26–28 MPixels/s (24-bit color), 82–85 MPixels/s (15-bit color), 143–150 MPixels/s (8-bit color), 250–264 MPixels/s (4-bit color)[fn 16]
- Tile fillrate: 280–570 MPixels/s[fn 17]
- Optional MPEG Video CD Card: 704×480 resolution, 30 frames/sec, 16‑bit audio with 44.1 kHz sampling,[66] up to 72 minutes on one CD[39]
SCU DSP
- SCU math coprocessor: Geometry DSP @ 14.31818 MHz, 32‑bit fixed‑point instructions[35][67][68]
- Parallel units: 32/48-bit ALU (arithmetic logic unit), 48/64‑bit Multiplier, 32-bit instruction decoder
- Buses:[67][69]
- Internal: 4 parallel buses, 32-bit per bus, 128-bit overall bus width, 3 buses at 14.31818 MHz, 1 bus at 28.63636 MHz
- External: 32-bit, 28.63636 MHz
- Cache RAM: 2 KB (1 KB data, 1 KB program)[70]
- Instructions: 6 parallel instructions/cycle (one instruction per unit/bus),[36] 85.90908 MIPS (6 MIPS/MHz)
- Fixed-point operations: 28.63636 MOPS (million operations per second), 2 MOPS/MHz (2 parallel operations/cycle)
- Capabilities: Matrix and vector calculations, 3D point transformations, lighting calculations, fixed-point calculations,[68] faster than SH-2,[71] can use DMA to directly fetch and store vertex data, floating-point operations, geometry transformations, voxel rendering acceleration, fast coordinate transformations, lighting computations,[72] transparency calculations[16]
- Notes: Can only be programmed with assembly language, more difficult to program than SH-2[68]
VDP1
- Main article: VDP1 (Saturn).
- VDP1 @ 28.63636 MHz: Handles sprite/texture and polygon drawing,[44] color calculation and shading,[28] geometry[53]
- Versions: Sega 315‑5883 (Hitachi HD64440) Video Display Processor 1 (VDP1),[37] Sega 315‑5689 VDP1[28]
- Adjustable video clock rate: 28.63636 MHz or 26.8465875 MHz (NTSC),[46][20] 28.4375 MHz or 26.8426 MHz (PAL)[46]
- Parallel data bus structure: 3 parallel data buses (dual framebuffers, texture cache), 48-bit data bus width (16-bit per bus),[73] 171.8184 MB/s bandwidth[fn 18]
- Parallel data bus cycles: 85.90908 million bus cycles/sec[fn 19]
- Color palette: 32,768 colors (15-bit RGB) to 16,777,216 (24-bit VDP2 CRAM palette, accessible by VDP1)[74]
- Features: Alpha blending, clipping, luminance,[52] shadows,[76] transparency[77] (3 alpha levels, or 32 alpha levels using VDP2 palette),[75] per-pixel transparency[78]
- Polygon capabilities: Texture mapping,[44] lighting,[79][80] shading, wire‑frame, flat shading, Gouraud shading,[78][28][80] 15-bit color Gouraud shading,[81] 15-bit colored lighting, quad polygons, edge anti‑aliasing,[82] forward texture mapping (form of perspective correction), bilinear approximation (reduces texture warping), medium polygon accuracy (seamless polygons)[14]
- Framebuffer capabilities: Double buffering, dual 256 KB framebuffers, rotation & scaling,[52] VDP1 framebuffer can be rotated as bitmap layer by VDP2[83]
- Framebuffer resolution: 512×256, 512×512, 1024×256[84]
- Overscan resolution: 1708×263 (NTSC), 1820×313 (PAL), 852×525 (31KC), 848×562 (HDTV)[47]
- Sprite/Texture capabilities: Rotation & scaling, flipping, distortion,[44][52] warping, vertical and horizontal line scrolling, virtually unlimited color lookup tables,[53][85] System 24/32 sprite rendering system[86]
- Sprite/Texture size: 8×1 to 504×255 texels[87]
- Colors per sprite/texture in Lo-Res: 16, 64, 128, 256, and 32,768[51]
- Colors per sprite/texture in Hi-Res: 16, 64, 128, and 256[88]
- Maximum texels per scanline: 1812 (NTSC),[46] 1820 (PAL)[47]
- Maximum sprites/textures per scanline: 226 (NTSC), 227 (PAL)
- Texture cache VRAM: 512 KB[89]
- Sprite/Polygon size: 32 bytes (flat shading),[65][90] 40 bytes (Gouraud shading),[91] 64–96 bytes (shadows),[78] 72–104 bytes (shadows, Gouraud shading)
- Texture size: 4 bytes (8×1 texels, 16 colors) to 251.02 KB (504×255 texels, 32,758 colors)[90]
- Maximum sprites per frame: 16,383 (virtually unlimited),[53] 13,106 (Gouraud shading), 5461–8191 (shadows)
- Maximum polygons per frame: 16,384 (flat shading), 16,383 (texture mapping), 13,107 (Gouraud shading), 13,106 (texture mapping, Gouraud shading), 8192 (shadows), 8191 (texture mapping, shadows), 7281 (texture mapping, shadows, Gouraud shading)
- Framebuffer fillrate: 28.63636 MPixels/s (16bpp),[fn 20] 35.6465 MPixels/s (8bpp)[fn 21]
- Texture fillrate: 19 MTexels/s (504×255 textures), 14 MTexels/s (10×10 textures), 12 MTexels/s (8×8 textures)[fn 24]
- Gouraud shading: 19 MTexels/s (504×255 textures), 9 MTexels/s (10×10 textures)[fn 25]
- Polygon rendering performance: Lighting[65][fn 26]
- Texture mapping performance: Lighting[81][97]
VDP2
- Main article: VDP2 (Saturn).
- VDP2 @ 57.27272 MHz: Handles background, scroll and 3D rotation planes[45]
- VDP2 cores: 4 parallel cores (17 units), 28.63636 MHz per core[102]
- Bus control
- H/V counter & timing generator
- Scroll picture block: 8 units (Normal picture coordinate calculation, Rotation picture coordinate calculation, Pattern name control, Window control, Character control, Line picture control, VRAM control, Dot data control)
- Video process: 7 units (Color offset & shadow, Output data control, Color computing control, Color RAM, Priority control, Color RAM control, Sprite control)
- Features: Transparency (32 levels of transparency, can also be applied to VDP1 polygons/sprites),[75] shadowing, 2 windows for special calculations,[50] matrix calculations,[103] multi-texturing,[104] bump mapping,[16] color gradients
- 3D infinite planes: Can be manipulated as large polygon objects,[105] with perspective transformation[106][107] and rotation. Can have curved surface and bumps,[108] and be used for grounds, walls, ceilings, seas, skies, etc.
- Visual effects: Water, fire, fog, heat haze, misting, reflective water surfaces[18]
- Rotation picture coordinate calculation: Geometry processing unit within Scroll picture block,[102] rotation and transformation of 3D planes,[106] manipulates 3D planes as very large polygons,[105] 24-bit fixed-point operations,[106] 28.63636 MOPS (million operations per second)
- Planes: 7 layers, 2–6 simultaneous layers (1–4 scrolling 2D backgrounds, 1–2 rotating 3D playfields, 1 back screen)[50][49][109]
- 2D scrolling backgrounds: Scrolling, parallax scrolling, single-axis 2D rotation[110]
- NBG0: 16–16,777,216 colors, tilemap (1024×1024 to 2048×2048) or bitmap (512×256 to 1024×512), column/row/line scrolling, scaling
- NBG1: 16–32,768 colors, tilemap (1024×1024 to 2048×2048) or bitmap (512×256 to 1024×512), column/row/line scrolling, scaling
- NBG2/NBG3: 16–256 colors, tilemap (1024×1024 to 2048×2048)
- 3D rotating playfields: Scrolling, scaling, dual-axis 3D rotation,[110] three-axis 3D rotation,[111] 3D infinite ground planes, perspective correct 3D rotation, can be manipulated as large polygon objects,[105] perspective transformation,[106][107] can have curved surface and bumps[108]
- RBG0: 16–16,777,216 colors, tilemap (2048×2048 to 4096×4096) or bitmap (512×256 to 512×512)
- RBG1: 16–16,777,216 colors, tilemap (2048×2048 to 4096×4096)
- Back screen: 1 plain background,[112] 1 to 240 colors (1 color/scanline)
- 2D scrolling backgrounds: Scrolling, parallax scrolling, single-axis 2D rotation[110]
- Tile capabilities: 8×8 and 16×16 tile sizes,[49] scroll plane up to 8192×8192 pixels,[113] rotating 3D infinite planes up to 4096×4096 pixels each,[109] tile compression, tile-based texture compression, tiled rendering, virtually unlimited draw distance
- Bitmap capabilities: Bitmap layers can be used as additional framebuffer[114] (with full transparency), displays VDP1 framebuffer as additional bitmap layer, can rotate VDP1 framebuffer[83]
- Color palette: 16,777,216 colors (24-bit), 32,768 colors (15-bit), 65,536 colors (15-bit with transparency)
- Bitmap fillrate:
- Tile fillrate: 251.65824–534.77376 MPixels/s[fn 37]
Resolutions
The Saturn supported the following display resolutions:[119]
Progressive
- 320×224 (Lo‑Res)
- 320×240 (Lo‑Res)
- 320×256 (Lo-Res, PAL)
- 352×224 (Lo‑Res)
- 352×240 (Lo‑Res)
- 352×256 (PAL)
- 640×224
- 640×240
- 640×256 (PAL)
- 704×224
- 704×240
- 704×256 (PAL)
Interlaced
- 320×448
- 320×512 (PAL)
- 320×480
- 352×448
- 320×480
- 352×512 (PAL)
- 640×448 (Hi‑Res)
- 640×480 (Hi‑Res)
- 640×512 (Hi‑Res, PAL)
- 704×448 (Hi‑Res)
- 704×480 (Hi‑Res)
- 704×512 (Hi‑Res, PAL)
Sound
- Main article: Saturn Custom Sound Processor.
- SCSP @ 22.58 MHz:[41][40]
- Audio channels: 32
- Sound formats: PCM, FM, MIDI, LFO
- PCM sampling: 16‑bit and 8‑bit audio depth, 44.1 kHz sampling sate (CD quality), up to 32 PCM channels
- FM synthesis: 1–4 operators per FM channel, up to 32 FM channels (1‑operator) or 8 FM channels (4‑operator)
- LFO waveforms: 4 waveform types (Sawtooth, rectangular, triangular, white noise), up to 32 LFO channels
- CD‑DA: 1 streaming CD‑DA channel (16‑bit PCM, 44.1 kHz) from CD
- Stereo audio output
Memory
- Total memory: 5–11 MB (5152 KB system, 39,408 bytes cache, 512–5120 KB cartridge, 1 MB card)
- System RAM: 4.53125 MB (4640 KB)[63][39]
- 2 MB Work RAM[fn 41]
- 1.5 MB VRAM[fn 44]
- 512 KB VDP1 texture cache VRAM[fn 45]
- 512 KB (2× 256 KB) VDP1 dual framebuffers[fn 46]
- 512 KB (512 KB) VDP2 background cache VRAM[fn 47] (tiled texture compression up to 17 MB)[fn 48]
- 512 KB Sound RAM[fn 49]
- 512 KB CD‑ROM sub‑system buffer data cache[fn 50]
- 32 KB battery backup SRAM[fn 51]
- System ROM: 512 KB BIOS[fn 52]
- Internal processor cache: 39,408 bytes (38.484375 KB)[34][28]
- Optional cartridge: 512 KB to 4.5 MB
- RAM cartridge: 512 KB to 4.5 MB
- Extended RAM Cartridge: 1 MB or 4 MB Work RAM[fn 53]
- Saturn Backup Memory: 512 KB battery backup
- Pro Action Replay: 512 KB battery backup
- Action Replay Plus: 4.5 MB
- 4 MB Work RAM[fn 54]
- 512 KB battery backup
- Saturn ROM Cartridge: 2 MB (The King of Fighters '95)
- RAM cartridge: 512 KB to 4.5 MB
- Optional MPEG Video CD Card: 1 MB (512 KB FPM RAM buffer, 512 KB MROM program)[39][20]
Configuration
System RAM buses, all connected through the SCU:[34][63][28]
- System bus[fn 41]
- SH2 (×2), SCU, SMPC <–> Work RAM,[fn 55] battery backup SRAM
- Video sub‑system buses[fn 56][44]
- Sound sub‑system bus — SCU, 68EC000, SCSP <‑> Sound RAM[fn 60]
- CD‑ROM sub‑system bus — SCU, SH1 <‑> CD‑ROM cache/buffer RAM[fn 60]
Bandwidth
Storage
Input/Output
- Main article: List of Sega Saturn accessories.
- Two 16‑bit bidirectional parallel I/O ports
- High-speed serial communications port (Both SH2 SCI channels and SCSP MIDI)
- Cartridge connector
- Internal expansion port for video decoder card
- Composite video/stereo (JP Part No: HSS-0106)
- NTSC/PAL RF (US Part No.: MK-80116, JP Part No.: HSS-0110)
- S-Video compatible (JP Part No.: HSS-0105)
- RGB compatible (JP Part No.: HSS-0109)
- EDTV compatible (optional)
Peripherals
- Main article: List of Sega Saturn accessories.
Power source
- AC120 volts; 60 Hz (US)
- AC240 volts; 50 Hz (EU)
- AC200 volts; 60 Hz (JP)
- 4 volt lithium battery to power non-volatile RAM and SMPC internal real-time clock
- Power Consumption: 25 W
Dimensions
US/European model:
- Width: 260 mm (10.2 in)
- Length: 230 mm (9.0 in)
- Height: 89 mm (3.2 in)
BIOS
BIOS Version | Machine | Download |
---|---|---|
1.00 | Sega Saturn (Japan) | 1.00 (Asian Saturn) (info) ("Sega Saturn BIOS (1.00) (J).zip" does not exist) |
1.00a | Sega Saturn (NA & EU) | 1.00a (NA & EU Saturn) (info) ("Sega Saturn BIOS (1.00a) (UE).zip" does not exist) |
1.003 | Sega Saturn Devkit (Japan) | 1.003 (Asian Devkit) (info) ("Sega Saturn BIOS (1.003) (J).zip" does not exist) |
1.01 | Sega Saturn (Japan), HiSaturn (Japan), V-Saturn (Japan) | 1.01 (Asian Saturn) (info) ("Sega Saturn BIOS (1.01) (J).zip" does not exist) |
1.01 (Asian HiSaturn) (info) ("HI-Saturn BIOS (1.01) (J).zip" does not exist) | ||
1.01 (Asian V-Saturn) (info) ("V-Saturn BIOS (1.01) (J).zip" does not exist) | ||
1.01a | Sega Saturn (NA & EU) | 1.01a (NA & EU Saturn) (info) ("Sega Saturn BIOS (1.01a) (UE).zip" does not exist) |
1.02 | HiSaturn (Japan) | 1.02 (JP HiSaturn) (info) ("Bios_Hi-Saturn_1.02_(J).rar" does not exist) |
1.03 | HiSaturn Navi (Japan) | 1.03 (JP HiSaturn Navi) (info) ("Bios_GameNavi_HiSaturn_1.03.rar" does not exist) |
Errata
- See VDP1 Errata
VDP1 transparency rendering quirk causes strips of pixels to be rewritten to framebuffer for 2-point (scaled) and 4-point (quadrangle) "sprites", applying the transparency effect multiple times. Rarely seen in commercial games (e.g. Robotica explosions), later titles implemented software transparency to correctly render transparent polygons (e.g. Dural in Virtua Fighter Kids).
The VDP1 supports per-pixel transparency between different polygons/sprites in the VDP1 framebuffer, or between VDP1 and VDP2 layers, but not both at the same time, with the VDP2's transparency overriding the VDP1's transparency. There are several ways to overcome this issue. The most common method used by Saturn games is to fake transparency with dithering, using a mesh that gets blended by a television's Composite or S-Video cable. Another method is using a VDP2 bitmap layer as an additional transparent framebuffer, copying transparent assets from the VDP1 framebuffer to a VDP2 bitmap framebuffer layer (e.g. the transparent polygons in Burning Rangers). Another method is software transparency, programming the CPU with software code.
Technical comparison
- Main article: Sega Saturn/Hardware comparison.
History
- Main article: History of the Sega Saturn.
Game packaging
Japanese packaging
Japanese Saturn software usually came packaged in standard jewel cases, much like music CDs. They also came with spinecards - three-fold pieces of light cardboard that hug the spine of the jewel case. These are very valuable for collectors who wish to claim a game is "complete". The spinecard also indicates that the CD is for use with a Sega Saturn console - specifically Japanese NTSC systems. There were also jewel case quad CD cases, and a variant of the single case which was slightly thicker and VERY hard to replace.
Most of the time the spinecard will have a gold and black background with the Japanese Saturn logo and lettering printed vertically. Saturn collection games will have red and white spinecard with white lettering, the Saturn Collection logo under that, and the 2,800 yen price featured prominently. Manual is included with the cover seen through the front of the jewel case. The left side of the manual will usually have a bar similar in design to the spinecard. The Japanese SEGA rating, if there is one, will be included on the manual front (usually on one of the corners). There is also the insert on the back which may feature artwork or screenshots from the game. A black bar on the bottom of the insert contains information much like the spinecard, licensing information, et cetera.
The Japanese packaging was adopted in smaller Asian markets such as South Korea and China.
North American packaging
The US used much larger jewel cases identical to the US Sega Mega-CD jewel cases, since many of these were in fact leftover Sega CD jewel cases. The US case has a white spine containing a 30 degree stripe pattern in gray, with white outlined lettering displaying the words "Sega Saturn". Oddly some US packaging seems to have taken a step backwards in terms of aesthetics - with minimal front artwork almost akin to the Sega Master System.
There are many flaws with the US packaging:
- Their sheer size made them more vulnerable to cracking.
- The mechanism that keeps the cover closed wears out quickly if the cover is opened and closed too much
- There is too much empty space inside the case. If the CD ever came off the case's spindle on its own (caused by rough handling of the case), the CD ends up being tossed around the inside of the case, causing either huge amount of scratches on the disc from careful handling of the case or shattering the disc from continued rough handling of the case.
European packaging
European cases come in two variants, both designed and engineered by Sega. One has a strong plastic design similar to the cases used with the Mega Drive and Master System (but taller, thinner and slightly more secure). The other feels far cheaper, being literally two pieces of plastic held together by a cardboard cover. Though the former was more preferred by the consumer, the latter was more common as it was cheaper to produce.
Both European cases has a solid black spine, with white lettering displaying the words "Sega Saturn". The manual slides in the case just like a normal jewel case and there is a back insert with information about the game. Like the American cases they are still too big and can lead to discs moving about and becoming scratched, though this may be to compensate for large multi-language manuals.
Some European boxes were wrapped in a transparent plastic shell after manufacture for extra security.
Brazillian packaging
Brazilian games were packaged in cardboard boxes, with a CD sleeve inside to keep the disc secure.
Emulation
The Saturn is notoriously hard to emulate due to its complex architecture (dual processors, etc.), but four notable emulators do exist:
- SSF is a highly compatible emulator, which is in continual development by a single developer.
- GiriGiri was initially based on an abandoned emulator by Sega themselves, and was considered the best until development ceased and SSF overtook it.
- Yabause is an open-source effort to create a Saturn emulator.
- Mednafen Sega Saturn is still in an experimental stage, but already highly compatible and can play games that don't work properly with SSF or Yabause.
Software that plays files in the Saturn Sound Format, which stores audio ripped from games, does so through emulation of the audio-related code only.
Games
List of games
- Main article: List of Saturn games.
Launch titles
Japan
North America
- Clockwork Knight
- Daytona USA
- Panzer Dragoon
- Worldwide Soccer: Sega International Victory Goal Edition
- Virtua Fighter
Europe
Brazil
- Clockwork Knight
- Daytona USA
- Panzer Dragoon
- Virtua Fighter
- Worldwide Soccer: Sega International Victory Goal Edition
Magazine articles
- Main article: Sega Saturn/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Print advertisements
also published in:
- Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #77: "December 1995" (1995-xx-xx)[138]
also published in:
- CD Consoles (FR) #11: "Novembre 1995" (1995-xx-xx)[140]
also published in:
- SuperGamePower (BR) #19: "Outubro 1995" (1995-xx-xx)[142]
- Video Game (BR) #54: "Outubro 1995" (1995-xx-xx)[143]
Pamphlets
Television advertisements
JP (launch)
US (1)
US (2)
US (Who?)
US (Who? 15 second variant)
UK (launch; long)
UK (launch; short)
Artwork
External links
- Dave's Sega Saturn Page - Famous fansite that was extremely popular during the Saturn's heyday (no longer updated).
Footnotes
- ↑ [MOPS (million operations per second) MOPS (million operations per second)]
- ↑ [1 operation per cycle[32] 1 operation per cycle[32]]
- ↑ [39 cycles per divide[33] 39 cycles per divide[33]]
- ↑ [74.454536 MIPS SH-2, 85.90908 MIPS SCU, 28.63636 MIPS VDP2 74.454536 MIPS SH-2, 85.90908 MIPS SCU, 28.63636 MIPS VDP2]
- ↑ [2x SH-2 MULT: 57.27272 MOPS[54]
2x SH-2 DIVU: 1.468531 MOPS (39 cycles per divide)[55]
SCU DSP: 28.63636 MOPS (add and multiply per cycle)
VDP2: 28.63636 MOPS 2x SH-2 MULT: 57.27272 MOPS[54]
2x SH-2 DIVU: 1.468531 MOPS (39 cycles per divide)[55]
SCU DSP: 28.63636 MOPS (add and multiply per cycle)
VDP2: 28.63636 MOPS] - ↑ [2x SH-2: 57,272,720 adds/sec (1 cycle per multiply)[54]
SCU DSP: 14,318,180 multiplies/sec (1 cycle per multiply)
VDP2: 14.31818 adds/sec 2x SH-2: 57,272,720 adds/sec (1 cycle per multiply)[54]
SCU DSP: 14,318,180 multiplies/sec (1 cycle per multiply)
VDP2: 14.31818 adds/sec] - ↑ [2x SH-2: 57,272,720 multiplies/sec (1 cycle per multiply)[56]
SCU DSP: 14,318,180 multiplies/sec (1 cycle per multiply)
VDP2: 14.31818 multiplies/sec 2x SH-2: 57,272,720 multiplies/sec (1 cycle per multiply)[56]
SCU DSP: 14,318,180 multiplies/sec (1 cycle per multiply)
VDP2: 14.31818 multiplies/sec] - ↑ [2x CPU: 3,579,545 divides/sec (16 cycles per 16-bit divide)[33]
2x DIVU: 1,468,531 divides/sec (39 cycles per divide)[55] 2x CPU: 3,579,545 divides/sec (16 cycles per 16-bit divide)[33]
2x DIVU: 1,468,531 divides/sec (39 cycles per divide)[55]] - ↑ [2x SH-2 MULT: 57.27272 MOPS (million operations per second)[54]
2x SH-2 DIVU: 1.468531 MOPS (39 cycles per divide)[55]
SCU DSP: 28.63636 MOPS (add and multiply per cycle)
VDP2: 28.63636 MOPS (only for VDP2's 3D planes) 2x SH-2 MULT: 57.27272 MOPS (million operations per second)[54]
2x SH-2 DIVU: 1.468531 MOPS (39 cycles per divide)[55]
SCU DSP: 28.63636 MOPS (add and multiply per cycle)
VDP2: 28.63636 MOPS (only for VDP2's 3D planes)] - ↑ [Transformation (21 adds/multiplies),[57] projection (4 adds/multiplies)[58] and perspective division (1 divide)[59] per vertex:
- 894,886 vertices/sec: 894,886 SCU DSP transformations (14 cycles per transform,[57] 2 cycles per projection), 894,886 SH-2 DIVU divisions (1 divide per vertex)
- 573,644 vertices/sec: 14,341,100 SH-2 MULT DSP transform/projection operations (25 cycles per vertex), 573,644 SH-2 DIVU divisions (1 divide per vertex)
- 1,011,294 vertices/sec: 41,463,054 SH-2 transform/projection/divide cycles (41 cycles per vertex)
- 894,886 vertices/sec: 894,886 SCU DSP transformations (14 cycles per transform,[57] 2 cycles per projection), 894,886 SH-2 DIVU divisions (1 divide per vertex)
- 573,644 vertices/sec: 14,341,100 SH-2 MULT DSP transform/projection operations (25 cycles per vertex), 573,644 SH-2 DIVU divisions (1 divide per vertex)
- 1,011,294 vertices/sec: 41,463,054 SH-2 transform/projection/divide cycles (41 cycles per vertex)]
- ↑ [8 vertices per cube (6 quad polygons)[60] 8 vertices per cube (6 quad polygons)[60]]
- ↑ [8 transformations (168 adds/multiplies), 6 surface normals (72 multiplies, 36 adds),[61] 6 light sources (72 adds/multiplies),[62] 8 projections (32 adds/multiplies) and 8 perspective divisions (24 divides)[58] per cube with 8 vertices and 6 quad polygons:
- 52,640 cubes/sec: 52,640 SCU DSP cubes (112 transform cycles, 72 surface normal cycles, 72 light source cycles,[62] 16 projection cycles), 1,263,360 SH-2 DIVU divisions (24 divides per cube)
- 8548 cubes/sec: 2,940,512 SH-2 MULT DSP transform/projection operations (347 cycles per cube), 205,152 SH-2 DIVU divisions (24 divides per cube)
- 72,614 cubes/sec: 52,862,992 SH-2 transform/projection/divide cycles (728 cycles per cube)
- 52,640 cubes/sec: 52,640 SCU DSP cubes (112 transform cycles, 72 surface normal cycles, 72 light source cycles,[62] 16 projection cycles), 1,263,360 SH-2 DIVU divisions (24 divides per cube)
- 8548 cubes/sec: 2,940,512 SH-2 MULT DSP transform/projection operations (347 cycles per cube), 205,152 SH-2 DIVU divisions (24 divides per cube)
- 72,614 cubes/sec: 52,862,992 SH-2 transform/projection/divide cycles (728 cycles per cube)]
- ↑ [8 transformations (168 adds/multiplies), 8 surface normals (96 multiplies, 48 adds), 8 light sources (96 adds/multiplies), 8 projections (32 adds/multiplies) and 8 perspective divisions (24 divides) per cube with 8 vertices and 6 quad polygons:
- 44,744 cubes/sec: 44,744 SCU DSP cubes (112 transform cycles, 96 surface normal cycles, 96 light source cycles, 16 projection cycles), 1,073,856 SH-2 DIVU divisions (24 divides per cube)
- 16,444 cubes/sec: 7,235,360 SH-2 MULT DSP transform/projection operations (440 cycles per cube), 394,675 SH-2 DIVU divisions (8 divides per cube)
- 58,942 cubes/sec: 48,568,208 SH-2 transform/projection/divide cycles (824 cycles per cube)
- 44,744 cubes/sec: 44,744 SCU DSP cubes (112 transform cycles, 96 surface normal cycles, 96 light source cycles, 16 projection cycles), 1,073,856 SH-2 DIVU divisions (24 divides per cube)
- 16,444 cubes/sec: 7,235,360 SH-2 MULT DSP transform/projection operations (440 cycles per cube), 394,675 SH-2 DIVU divisions (8 divides per cube)
- 58,942 cubes/sec: 48,568,208 SH-2 transform/projection/divide cycles (824 cycles per cube)]
- ↑ [Multiplexed (57.27272 MB/s VDP1, 57.27272 MB/s VDP2), 16-bit per VDP, 28.63636 MHz[63][64]
- Maximum VDP1 polygon transfer: 1,789,772 polygons/sec (57.272704 MB/s, 32 bytes per polygon)[65]
- Maximum VDP1 polygon transfer: 1,789,772 polygons/sec (57.272704 MB/s, 32 bytes per polygon)[65]]
- ↑ [8-bit, 28.63636 MHz[64] 8-bit, 28.63636 MHz[64]]
- ↑ VDP1: 28.63636 MPixels/s (15-bit color), 35.6465 MPixels/s (8-bit color)
VDP2: 26.8426–28.63636 MPixels/s (24-bit color), 53.6852–57.27272 MPixels/s (15-bit color), 107.3704–114.54544 MPixels/s (8-bit color), 214.7408–229.09088 MPixels/s (4-bit color) - ↑ [VDP1: 28.63636–35.6465 MPixels/s
VDP2: 251.65824–534.77376 MPixels/s VDP1: 28.63636–35.6465 MPixels/s
VDP2: 251.65824–534.77376 MPixels/s] - ↑ [57.27272 MB/s per bus 57.27272 MB/s per bus]
- ↑ [28.63636 MHz texture cache, 28.63636 MHz draw/render framebuffer, 28.63636 MHz display/erase framebuffer[48] 28.63636 MHz texture cache, 28.63636 MHz draw/render framebuffer, 28.63636 MHz display/erase framebuffer[48]]
- ↑ [1 cycle per pixel[46][92][47] 1 cycle per pixel[46][92][47]]
- ↑ [28.63636 MPixels/s draw, 14.418 MPixels/s erase/write[93][94] 28.63636 MPixels/s draw, 14.418 MPixels/s erase/write[93][94]]
- ↑ [164,576 Gouraud-shaded 10×10 polygons/sec: 57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 248 cycles overhead per polygon (16 cycles command table fetch,[95] 232 cycles Gouraud shading),[96] 348 cycles per polygon (100 cycles drawing per 100-pixel polygon)[97] 164,576 Gouraud-shaded 10×10 polygons/sec: 57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 248 cycles overhead per polygon (16 cycles command table fetch,[95] 232 cycles Gouraud shading),[96] 348 cycles per polygon (100 cycles drawing per 100-pixel polygon)[97]]
- ↑ [Takes six times longer when using VDP1's RGB mode.[78] When using VDP2 palette mode, the VDP1 draws shadowed/translucent objects at full speed. Takes six times longer when using VDP1's RGB mode.[78] When using VDP2 palette mode, the VDP1 draws shadowed/translucent objects at full speed.]
- ↑ [Drawing process is asynchronous,[95] commands/textures read from texture cache and pixels/texels written to rendering framebuffer in parallel (57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec),[98] 148 textured 504×255 polygons/sec (386,905 parallel cycles per polygon), 136,363 textured 10×10 polygons/sec (420 parallel cycles per polygon), 189,644 textured 8×8 polygons/sec (302 parallel cycles per polygon)[96] Drawing process is asynchronous,[95] commands/textures read from texture cache and pixels/texels written to rendering framebuffer in parallel (57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec),[98] 148 textured 504×255 polygons/sec (386,905 parallel cycles per polygon), 136,363 textured 10×10 polygons/sec (420 parallel cycles per polygon), 189,644 textured 8×8 polygons/sec (302 parallel cycles per polygon)[96]]
- ↑ [57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 147 textured 504×255 polygons/sec (387,137 parallel cycles per polygon), 87,841 textured 10×10 polygons/sec (652 parallel cycles per polygon)[96][97] 57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 147 textured 504×255 polygons/sec (387,137 parallel cycles per polygon), 87,841 textured 10×10 polygons/sec (652 parallel cycles per polygon)[96][97]]
- ↑ [Flat shading: 16 cycles per polygon in 28.63636 MHz texture cache,[95] 1 cycle per pixel in 28.63636 MHz framebuffer Flat shading: 16 cycles per polygon in 28.63636 MHz texture cache,[95] 1 cycle per pixel in 28.63636 MHz framebuffer]
- ↑ [57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 248 cycles overhead per polygon (16 cycles command table fetch,[95] 232 cycles Gouraud shading),[96] 32 cycles drawing per 32-pixel polygon[97] 57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 248 cycles overhead per polygon (16 cycles command table fetch,[95] 232 cycles Gouraud shading),[96] 32 cycles drawing per 32-pixel polygon[97]]
- ↑ [57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 171 parallel cycles per polygon[96] 57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 171 parallel cycles per polygon[96]]
- ↑ [200,000 texture-mapped polygons/sec,[99][53] 57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 285 parallel cycles per polygon[96] 200,000 texture-mapped polygons/sec,[99][53] 57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 285 parallel cycles per polygon[96]]
- ↑ [57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 403 parallel cycles per polygon[96][97] 57.27272 million parallel bus cycles/sec, 403 parallel cycles per polygon[96][97]]
- ↑ [4 system cycles per per display pixel,[20] 8 VDP2 memory cycles per lo-res display pixel, 4 VDP2 memory cycles per hi-res display pixel,[100] VDP2 memory clock twice as high as system clock, 16-bit access per memory cycle[101] 4 system cycles per per display pixel,[20] 8 VDP2 memory cycles per lo-res display pixel, 4 VDP2 memory cycles per hi-res display pixel,[100] VDP2 memory clock twice as high as system clock, 16-bit access per memory cycle[101]]
- ↑ [2 memory cycles per pixel (8 memory cycles per 4 pixels)[100][117] 2 memory cycles per pixel (8 memory cycles per 4 pixels)[100][117]]
- ↑ [1 pixel per memory cycle (4 pixels per 4 memory cycles)[100][117] 1 pixel per memory cycle (4 pixels per 4 memory cycles)[100][117]]
- ↑ [2 pixels per memory cycle (4 pixels per 2 memory cycles)[100][117] 2 pixels per memory cycle (4 pixels per 2 memory cycles)[100][117]]
- ↑ [4 pixels per memory cycle[100][117] 4 pixels per memory cycle[100][117]]
- ↑ [2 memory cycles per pixel (8 memory cycles per 4 pixels)[100][117] 2 memory cycles per pixel (8 memory cycles per 4 pixels)[100][117]]
- ↑ [4096×4096 texel texture, 1024×1024 texel texture, 30 frames per second[118] 4096×4096 texel texture, 1024×1024 texel texture, 30 frames per second[118]]
- ↑ [1024×1024 to 2048×2048 pixel tilemaps 1024×1024 to 2048×2048 pixel tilemaps]
- ↑ [4x 128×128 tiles[109] 4x 128×128 tiles[109]]
- ↑ [2048×2048 to 4096×4096 texel textures 2048×2048 to 4096×4096 texel textures]
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 [32‑bit, 28.63636 MHz 32‑bit, 28.63636 MHz]
- ↑ [28.63636 MHz, 34 ns[120][121][122] 28.63636 MHz, 34 ns[120][121][122]]
- ↑ [22.222222 MHz, 45 ns cycles, 70 ns access[123][124][125] 22.222222 MHz, 45 ns cycles, 70 ns access[123][124][125]]
- ↑ [SDRAM, 80-bit SDRAM, 80-bit]
- ↑ [16‑bit, 28.63636 MHz, 34 ns[120][121][122] 16‑bit, 28.63636 MHz, 34 ns[120][121][122]]
- ↑ [32‑bit, 28.63636 MHz (2x 16-bit), 34 ns[126][122] 32‑bit, 28.63636 MHz (2x 16-bit), 34 ns[126][122]]
- ↑ [32‑bit (2x 16-bit), 57.27272 MHz, 17 ns,[126][122] 4 system cycles per per display pixel,[20] 8 VDP2 memory cycles per lo-res display pixel, 4 VDP2 memory cycles per hi-res display pixel,[100] VDP2 memory clock twice as high as system clock, 16-bit access per memory cycle[101] 32‑bit (2x 16-bit), 57.27272 MHz, 17 ns,[126][122] 4 system cycles per per display pixel,[20] 8 VDP2 memory cycles per lo-res display pixel, 4 VDP2 memory cycles per hi-res display pixel,[100] VDP2 memory clock twice as high as system clock, 16-bit access per memory cycle[101]]
- ↑ [17 MB textures (4096×4096 and 1024×1024 texels, 8-bit palettes) compressed in 512 KB VDP2 memory 17 MB textures (4096×4096 and 1024×1024 texels, 8-bit palettes) compressed in 512 KB VDP2 memory]
- ↑ [FPM DRAM, 16‑bit, 20 MHz, 50 ns cycles, 70 ns access[127][128] FPM DRAM, 16‑bit, 20 MHz, 50 ns cycles, 70 ns access[127][128]]
- ↑ [FPM DRAM, 16‑bit, 20 MHz, 50 ns cycles, 80 ns access[129][125] FPM DRAM, 16‑bit, 20 MHz, 50 ns cycles, 80 ns access[129][125]]
- ↑ NVRAM, 8‑bit, 10 MHz, 100 ns[130][131]
- ↑ MROM/EPROM, 16‑bit, 10 MHz[37][132]
- ↑ [FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 22.222222 MHz, 45 ns cycles, 70 ns access[133][134] FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 22.222222 MHz, 45 ns cycles, 70 ns access[133][134]]
- ↑ [FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 25 MHz, 40 ns cycles, 60 ns access[63][135][136] FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 25 MHz, 40 ns cycles, 60 ns access[63][135][136]]
- ↑ [2× SDRAM, 2× FPM DRAM 2× SDRAM, 2× FPM DRAM]
- ↑ [80-bit 80-bit]
- ↑ [16-bit, 28.63636 MHz 16-bit, 28.63636 MHz]
- ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 [SDRAM, 16-bit, 28.63636 MHz SDRAM, 16-bit, 28.63636 MHz]
- ↑ [2x SDRAM, 32-bit (2x 16-bit),[45] 57.27272 MHz (2x 28.63636 MHz), 4 system cycles per per display pixel,[20] 8 VDP2 memory cycles per lo-res display pixel, 4 VDP2 memory cycles per hi-res display pixel,[100] VDP2 memory clock twice as high as system clock, 16-bit access per memory cycle[101] 2x SDRAM, 32-bit (2x 16-bit),[45] 57.27272 MHz (2x 28.63636 MHz), 4 system cycles per per display pixel,[20] 8 VDP2 memory cycles per lo-res display pixel, 4 VDP2 memory cycles per hi-res display pixel,[100] VDP2 memory clock twice as high as system clock, 16-bit access per memory cycle[101]]
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 [FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 28.63636 MHz FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 28.63636 MHz]
- ↑ [7 buses, 144-bit bus width 7 buses, 144-bit bus width]
- ↑ [114.54544 MB/s SDRAM, 88.888888 MB/s FPM DRAM 114.54544 MB/s SDRAM, 88.888888 MB/s FPM DRAM]
- ↑ [8‑bit, 10 MHz 8‑bit, 10 MHz]
- ↑ [SDRAM, 4 buses, 80-bit bus width, 28.63636 MHz SDRAM, 4 buses, 80-bit bus width, 28.63636 MHz]
- ↑ [114.54544 MB/s framebuffers, 57.27272 MB/s texture cache, 48-bit bus width 114.54544 MB/s framebuffers, 57.27272 MB/s texture cache, 48-bit bus width]
- ↑ [32-bit bus width, 57.27272 MHz (2x 28.63636 MHz), 4 system cycles per per display pixel,[20] 8 VDP2 memory cycles per lo-res display pixel, 4 VDP2 memory cycles per hi-res display pixel,[100] VDP2 memory clock twice as high as system clock, 16-bit access per memory cycle[101] 32-bit bus width, 57.27272 MHz (2x 28.63636 MHz), 4 system cycles per per display pixel,[20] 8 VDP2 memory cycles per lo-res display pixel, 4 VDP2 memory cycles per hi-res display pixel,[100] VDP2 memory clock twice as high as system clock, 16-bit access per memory cycle[101]]
- ↑ [534.77376 megapixels/sec fillrate, 8-bit palettes 534.77376 megapixels/sec fillrate, 8-bit palettes]
- ↑ 68.0 68.1 [FPM DRAM, 16‑bit, 20 MHz FPM DRAM, 16‑bit, 20 MHz]
- ↑ [114.54544 MB/s per SH2 114.54544 MB/s per SH2]
- ↑ [32‑bit, 20 MHz 32‑bit, 20 MHz]
- ↑ [171.81816 MB/s for 3 buses, 114.54544 MB/s for 1 bus 171.81816 MB/s for 3 buses, 114.54544 MB/s for 1 bus]
- ↑ [2 MB/s RAM, 5 MB/s ROM 2 MB/s RAM, 5 MB/s ROM]
- ↑ [16‑bit, 11.29 MHz 16‑bit, 11.29 MHz]
- ↑ [24‑bit, 22.58 MHz 24‑bit, 22.58 MHz]
- ↑ [171.81816 MB/s VDP1, 114.54544 MB/s VDP2 color RAM cache 171.81816 MB/s VDP1, 114.54544 MB/s VDP2 color RAM cache]
- ↑ [16‑bit, 10 MHz 16‑bit, 10 MHz]
- ↑ [FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 22.222222 MHz FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 22.222222 MHz]
- ↑ [FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 25 MHz FPM DRAM, 16-bit, 25 MHz]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 File:CVG UK 164.pdf, page 7
- ↑ File:CVG UK 165.pdf, page 30
- ↑ File:AcaoGames BR 091.pdf, page 10
- ↑ File:VideoGame BR 54.pdf, page 36
- ↑ File:ConsolesMicro FR 01.pdf, page 13
- ↑ File:SegaMagazin DE 21.pdf, page 6
- ↑ File:HobbyConsolas ES 046.pdf, page 28
- ↑ File:HobbyConsolas ES 050.pdf, page 26
- ↑ History of the Sega Saturn/Decline and legacy
- ↑ File:SegaSaturn94JPCatalog.pdf
- ↑ File:Edge UK 024.pdf, page 9
- ↑ File:Hyper AU 003.pdf, page 8
- ↑ Technology That Defines the Next Generation: The Sega Saturn White Paper
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sega Saturn 3D Capabilities
- ↑ File:SSM UK 24.pdf, page 25
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Pure Entertainment Interview
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Jason Gosling (Core Design) Interview (Edge)
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 File:Edge UK 030.pdf, page 99
- ↑ File:MAXIMUM UK 06.pdf, page 127
- ↑ 20.00 20.01 20.02 20.03 20.04 20.05 20.06 20.07 20.08 20.09 20.10 20.11 Sega Saturn hardware notes (2004-04-27)
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 File:Hitachi SuperH Programming Manual.pdf
- ↑ File:SH7604 Hardware Manual.pdf
- ↑ File:SH-2A.pdf, page 2
- ↑ SH7040, SH7041, SH7042, SH7043, SH7044, SH7045, Renesas
- ↑ File:Hitachi SuperH Programming Manual.pdf, page 390
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 File:SH7604 Hardware Manual.pdf, page 3
- ↑ File:SH7604 Hardware Manual.pdf, page 219
- ↑ 28.00 28.01 28.02 28.03 28.04 28.05 28.06 28.07 28.08 28.09 28.10 28.11 28.12 28.13 File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 File:SH7604 Hardware Manual.pdf, page 22
- ↑ File:ST-103-R1-040194.pdf, page 23
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 File:SH7604 Hardware Manual.pdf, page 303
- ↑ File:Hitachi SuperH Programming Manual.pdf, page 31
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 File:Hitachi SuperH Programming Manual.pdf, page 155
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 34.5 34.6 34.7 File:ST-103-R1-040194.pdf
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 File:ST-097-R5-072694.pdf
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 File:ST-TECH.pdf, page 157
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 37.6 37.7 Sega Saturn (MAME)
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 File:HD40491 datasheet.pdf
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 12
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 File:ST-077-R2-052594.pdf
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 42
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Sega Saturn FAQ (January 8, 2000)
- ↑ Obsolete Microprocessors
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 46.4 46.5 46.6 46.7 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 52
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 64
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 6
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 24
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 STV VDP2 (MAME)
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 18
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 STV VDP1 (MAME)
- ↑ 53.0 53.1 53.2 53.3 53.4 53.5 53.6 File:NextGeneration US 24.pdf, page 64
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 File:SH7604 Hardware Manual.pdf, page 51
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 File:Hitachi SuperH Programming Manual.pdf, page 308
- ↑ File:SH7604 Hardware Manual.pdf, page 36
- ↑ 57.0 57.1 File:ST-240-A-SP1-052295.pdf, page 8
- ↑ 58.0 58.1 Design of Digital Systems and Devices (page 97)
- ↑ 3D Polygon Rendering Pipeline (page 50)
- ↑ File:ST-237-R1-051795.pdf, page 51
- ↑ Design of Digital Systems and Devices (page 95)
- ↑ 62.0 62.1 [Sega DTS, March 1996, DSP Demo Sega DTS, March 1996, DSP Demo]
- ↑ 63.0 63.1 63.2 63.3 File:13-APR-94.pdf, page 8
- ↑ 64.0 64.1 File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 14
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 40
- ↑ File:ST-103-R1-040194.pdf, page 17
- ↑ 67.0 67.1 File:ST-097-R5-072694.pdf, page 93
- ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 File:ST-TECH.pdf, page 149
- ↑ File:ST-TECH.pdf, page 152
- ↑ File:ST-103-R1-040194.pdf, page 25
- ↑ File:ST-TECH.pdf, page 163
- ↑ The State of Sega Saturn Homebrew
- ↑ File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 34
- ↑ File:TUTORIAL.pdf, page 11
- ↑ 75.0 75.1 75.2 File:ST-TECH.pdf, page 147
- ↑ File:ST-TECH.pdf, page 135
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 34
- ↑ 78.0 78.1 78.2 78.3 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 110
- ↑ File:ST-238-R1-051795.pdf
- ↑ 80.0 80.1 File:ST-238-R1-051795.pdf, page 232
- ↑ 81.0 81.1 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 41
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 24
- ↑ 83.0 83.1 File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 177
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 149
- ↑ Sega Saturn Tech Specs
- ↑ Sega System 24 Hardware Notes (2013-06-16)
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 119
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 29
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 81
- ↑ 90.0 90.1 File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 75
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 39
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 35
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 65
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 61
- ↑ 95.0 95.1 95.2 95.3 File:TUTORIAL.pdf, page 15
- ↑ 96.0 96.1 96.2 96.3 96.4 96.5 96.6 File:TUTORIAL.pdf, page 8
- ↑ 97.0 97.1 97.2 97.3 97.4 Saturn VDP1 hardware notes (2003-05-17)
- ↑ File:ST-013-R3-061694.pdf, page 44
- ↑ 99.0 99.1 File:SegaVisions US 24.pdf, page 14
- ↑ 100.0 100.1 100.2 100.3 100.4 100.5 100.6 100.7 100.8 File:ST-TECH.pdf, page 142
- ↑ 101.0 101.1 101.2 101.3 File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 162
- ↑ 102.0 102.1 File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 38
- ↑ File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 163
- ↑ Sonic R
- ↑ 105.0 105.1 105.2 File:TUTORIAL.pdf, page 223
- ↑ 106.0 106.1 106.2 106.3 File:ST-TECH.pdf, page 165
- ↑ 107.0 107.1 [Mass Destruction, developer note Mass Destruction, developer note]
- ↑ 108.0 108.1 [Sega DTS, March 1996, Coefficient Table Madness Demo Sega DTS, March 1996, Coefficient Table Madness Demo]
- ↑ 109.0 109.1 109.2 File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 132
- ↑ 110.0 110.1 File:13-APR-94.pdf, page 12
- ↑ [Sega DTS, March 1996, Dual Rotating Background Demos Sega DTS, March 1996, Dual Rotating Background Demos]
- ↑ File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 23
- ↑ File:13-APR-94.pdf, page 28
- ↑ File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 54
- ↑ File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 79
- ↑ File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 360
- ↑ 117.0 117.1 117.2 117.3 117.4 File:ST-058-R2-060194.pdf, page 49
- ↑ Sega Saturn interesting finds
- ↑ File:ST-103-R1-040194.pdf, page 39
- ↑ 120.0 120.1 File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 26
- ↑ 121.0 121.1 File:HM5241605 datasheet.pdf
- ↑ 122.0 122.1 122.2 122.3 File:UPD4504161 datasheet.pdf
- ↑ File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 51
- ↑ File:TC514260B datasheet.pdf
- ↑ 125.0 125.1 File:HM514260 datasheet.pdf
- ↑ 126.0 126.1 File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 37
- ↑ File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 46
- ↑ File:HM514270D datasheet.pdf
- ↑ File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 55
- ↑ File:Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn (PAL) - 013-1 - June 1995.pdf, page 32
- ↑ File:SRM20256L datasheet.pdf
- ↑ File:TC574200D datasheet.pdf
- ↑ 「セガサターン拡張RAMカートリッジ 回路図」
- ↑ File:HM514260C datasheet.pdf
- ↑ Sega Saturn Memory Cartridge Interface
- ↑ File:KM48C2100A datasheet.pdf
- ↑ File:SuperGamePower BR 019.pdf, page 10
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 64
- ↑ GamePro, "June 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 22
- ↑ CD Consoles, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 89
- ↑ Hyper, "July 1995" (AU; 1995-xx-xx), page 11
- ↑ SuperGamePower, "Outubro 1995" (BR; 1995-xx-xx), page 20
- ↑ Video Game, "Outubro 1995" (BR; 1995-xx-xx), page 2
Sega Home Video Game Systems | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 |
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SG-1000 | SG-1000 II | Mega Drive | Mega Drive II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
SC-3000 | Mega-CD | Mega-CD II | Genesis 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sega Mark III | 32X | Dreamcast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Master System | Master System II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AI Computer | Game Gear | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saturn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pico | Beena |