ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mqcc.mq.OZ (Ian Farquhar) (01/15/90)
In article <1048@dialogic.UUCP> gerry@pencilbox.UUCP (Gerry Lachac) writes: > >I was most impressed with the speed. The game that comes with it is >Epyx's California Games. If you select the Skateboard Competition, >you first see a skateboard field in the distance (one of those >concrete "U" things that you go back and forth on). All of a sudden, >you zoom in on it very quickly. It is very impressive. Heck, I was >awed, and I own an amiga :-) > >I would like to know a few things about Lynx out of curiosity. > > Does anyone know the microprocessor used? > Does anyone know the resolution of the screen? If it is the machine that I think it is (ie. developed by ex-Amiga engineers including RJM), my stats on it are as follows: Processor: A 6502-series running at 4 MHz Resolution: About 180 x 180 Colors: 64 The sprite engine is apparently spectacular, and includes hardware scale and rotate functions (which actually are quite easy to do, it's all in the address generation). My source is questionable, so do not rely on these! I feel that the success of this unit depends on whether Epyx will provide developers with the information they need. I would certainly develop for it, but have no intention of reverse engineering the damn thing, something I did with another very old game console. It success also depends on marketting. The Nintendo succeeded because of good marketting - the hardware is garbage. The Sega failed because it was poorly marketted - its hardware is moderately nice (if you like Z-80's). The Amiga had wonderful hardware, but the advertising could have been managed by a drunk gorilla in a far more professional fashion. We all know what has happenned to it. Unfortunately, most game console companies (excluding Atari who were actually quite helpful to a point) do their absolute best to stop unauthorised development. Nintendo are absolutely dreadful, and Sega are almost as bad. They do not even provide service manuals to their Australian service centres! If anyone has some more concrete technical info, or details on how to obtain this, please e-mail it to me. I'd appreciate it. "A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist." Sir Humphrey Appleby (Patron Saint of Public Servants) Yes, Minister. Yes, Prime Minister. +-----------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | Ian Farquhar | Phone : (02) 805-7420 (STD) | | Microcomputer Support | (612) 805-7420 (ISD) | | Office of Computing Services | Fax : (02) 805-7433 (STD) | | Macquarie University NSW 2109 | (612) 805-7433 (ISD) | | Australia | Also : 805-7205 | +-----------------------------------+-------------------------------+ "A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist." Sir Humphrey Appleby (Patron Saint of Public Servants) Yes, Minister. Yes, Prime Minister. +-----------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | Ian Farquhar | Phone : (02) 805-7420 (STD) | | Microcomputer Support | (612) 805-7420 (ISD) | | Office of Computing Services | Fax : (02) 805-7433 (STD) | | Macquarie University NSW 2109 | (612) 805-7433 (ISD) | | Australia | Also : 805-7205 | +-----------------------------------+-------------------------------+ D
bvk@hhb.UUCP (Brett Kuehner) (01/18/90)
ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mqcc.mq.OZ (Ian Farquhar) writes: >Processor: A 6502-series running at 4 MHz >Resolution: About 180 x 180 >Colors: 64 >The sprite engine is apparently spectacular, and includes hardware scale >and rotate functions (which actually are quite easy to do, it's all in >the address generation). >My source is questionable, so do not rely on these! >I feel that the success of this unit depends on whether Epyx will >provide developers with the information they need. I would certainly >develop for it, but have no intention of reverse engineering the damn >thing, something I did with another very old game console. >If anyone has some more concrete technical info, or details on how to >obtain this, please e-mail it to me. I'd appreciate it. Hmm, I seem to have lost Leo's original post with the full specs, but I know it's 16 colors out of 4096. The development system supposedly costs around $7000, including an Amiga 2000. The ROM cartridges are encrypted, with an RSA variant (I think). Most of the system is packed into two custom chips, MIKEY (68 pin LCC) and SUZY (44 pin LCC). There are two 64Kx4 DRAMs, as well as whatever RAM and ROM might be in the 6502 (which is inside MIKEY, apparently). I'd bet on the decryption code being in ROM on the 6502. I'm trying to find out as much about the system as possible, without being a developer, so I'm hacking away with a scope. If you're interested, I've started a Lynx-Hacks mailing list, send me mail to join. Brett -- Brett Kuehner, Racal-Redac/HHB, Mawah, NJ ...!princeton!hhb!bvk bvk%hhb@princeton.EDU