Author Topic: Where exactly does this fall??  (Read 510 times)

WoodyXP

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Re: Where exactly does this fall??
« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2008, 11:48:04 PM »
Word life.. I like the 32X analogy.  They were both pimp, but out of reach for most consumers.  If I bought a PCE
in 1987 for $220 I wouldn't want to be spending $380 on a SuperGrafx three years later.  That just wouldn't be
practical.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2008, 11:50:00 PM by WoodyXP »

Tatsujin

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Re: Where exactly does this fall??
« Reply #16 on: August 10, 2008, 12:31:13 AM »
the really and only advantage of the SGFX was the real dual layer scrolling, which had to have be done on the PCE either via h-sync scrolling but which only allowes to scroll in different speed on horizontal scanlines (no object overlapping), therefore it isn't a real parallax scrolling of its definition, or via used sprites (huge sprites). good programmer could use a lot of above tricks to simulate excellent multilayer scrolling (winds of thunder, dracula x, magical chase etc.), but which also had sometimes some sprite flickers as a result.
but for many other not such experienced team it was kinda shuttered or they where to lazy to use the advatage of such tricks.
that why almost any cheap MD games came with parallax scrolling, while the pce don't.
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Joe Redifer

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Re: Where exactly does this fall??
« Reply #17 on: August 10, 2008, 12:09:35 PM »
SG also had double the sprites, I believe, as well as more RAM to handle them(???).  Too bad it didn't have a quicker CPU to tr00ly take advantage of what it had.  Also it did not have an optical out so it could not support Dolby Digital AC3 even though it wasn't invented yet.  That's why people didn't buy the SG.

Bonknuts

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Re: Where exactly does this fall??
« Reply #18 on: August 10, 2008, 12:53:54 PM »
 Double the sprites isn't as important than double the number of sprites per scanline - 32 sprites or 512 pixels before flicker. That's awesome. Better than the SFC limit which is better than the MD in comparison. That makes the SGX's 512x240 res mode very viable compared to the PCE. The extra BG layer is great in that not just for more complex scrolls, but like on the MD and SFC bosses can be made of a single BG layer - allowing for huge multi-screen bosses and combined with the new sprite scanline limit - some impressive stuff can be made. The second video processor (VDC) of the SGX means double the VRAM - less VRAM updates and less decompression on the fly. The extra system ram is very much useful for hucard (for decompressing graphics and keeping a buffer for them), though not as much so for SCDs. The SGX also has a method of allowing up to 112khz sample audio playback with little CPU resource (a side effect on the PCE prevents this).

 None of the games come close to showing off what the SGX can do. It's a shame they didn't include the two extra chips of the SGX (and it's audio revision) into the Duo, since it came out before.

ceti alpha

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Re: Where exactly does this fall??
« Reply #19 on: August 12, 2008, 02:19:26 AM »
Double the sprites isn't as important than double the number of sprites per scanline - 32 sprites or 512 pixels before flicker. That's awesome. Better than the SFC limit which is better than the MD in comparison. That makes the SGX's 512x240 res mode very viable compared to the PCE. The extra BG layer is great in that not just for more complex scrolls, but like on the MD and SFC bosses can be made of a single BG layer - allowing for huge multi-screen bosses and combined with the new sprite scanline limit - some impressive stuff can be made. The second video processor (VDC) of the SGX means double the VRAM - less VRAM updates and less decompression on the fly. The extra system ram is very much useful for hucard (for decompressing graphics and keeping a buffer for them), though not as much so for SCDs. The SGX also has a method of allowing up to 112khz sample audio playback with little CPU resource (a side effect on the PCE prevents this).

 None of the games come close to showing off what the SGX can do. It's a shame they didn't include the two extra chips of the SGX (and it's audio revision) into the Duo, since it came out before.

Yes, that is a shame. :(


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Tatsujin

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Re: Where exactly does this fall??
« Reply #20 on: August 12, 2008, 06:41:23 PM »
It's a shame they didn't include the two extra chips of the SGX (and it's audio revision) into the Duo, since it came out before.

may be the hardware costs would have become too expensive?
« Last Edit: August 12, 2008, 06:44:07 PM by Tatsujin »
www.pcedaisakusen.net
the home of your individual PC Engine collection!!
PCE Games coundown: 690/737 (47 to go or 93.6% clear)
PCE Shmups countdown: 111/111 (all clear!!)
Sega does what Nintendon't, but only NEC does better than both together!^^

WoodyXP

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Re: Where exactly does this fall??
« Reply #21 on: August 12, 2008, 10:11:06 PM »
the hardware costs would have become too expensive?

That's what I was thinking... the DUO started off at like $550.  An SGX DUO would have
been ridiculously priced.. maybe even beyond Neo Geo territory.  It would have been damn
sick though.