Nintendo 64 Architecture Dan Chianucci and Peter Muller Agenda ● Background ● Architectural Overview o Computational Units o Memory o Input and Output ● End of N64 Lifespan 2 History ● Video games in 1996 ● Features ● Notable games ● Improvements ● Influences 3 The Nintendo 64 Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 4 Overview of Components ● MIPS R4300i 64-bit processor ● MIPS Reality Coprocessor (RCP) o Reality Drawing Processor (RDP) o Reality Signal Processor (RSP) ● Memory ● I/O o Video o Audio o Controllers 5 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 6 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 7 MIPS R4300i ● 32-bit interface ● Five-stage pipeline ● 16KB instruction cache ● 8KB data cache ● 64-bit integer and floating point units ● Multiple clock rates for slower peripherals 8 MIPS R4300i Diagram Source: http://n64.icequake.net/mirror/www.white-tower.demon.co.uk/n64/ 9 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 10 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 11 Reality Coprocessor ● Handles audio and graphics o Separate hardware for each ● Used for high bandwidth algorithms ● Receives instruction from R4300i ● Connects to DACs for media output 12 Reality Coprocessor Diagram Source: http://n64.icequake.net/mirror/www.white-tower.demon.co.uk/n64/ 13 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 14 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 15 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 16 Reality Drawing Processor ● Receives input from controller ● Updates 3D matrix data in real time ● Renders updated frame in memory ● Frame rendered on screen 17 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 18 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 19 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 20 Reality Signal Processor ● R4300i converts MIDI data to waveforms ● Waves and commands get stored in memory ● RSP processes commands and waveforms ● Results get output to audio DAC 21 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 22 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 23 Memory ● Unified Memory Architecture ● Available to both CPU and RCP ● Bandwidth of 520 MB per second ● 4 MB DRAM 24 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 25 Diagram Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html 26 Input and Output Sources: http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/68-181-004-04.jpg http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/replay/conkers/conkers312-610.jpg 27 Input and Output Sources: http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110103021519/zelda/images/a/ae/The_Legend_of_Zelda_-_Majora's_Mask_Gold_Cartridge.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/64DD-Attached.jpg/250px-64DD-Attached.jpg 28 End of the N64 ● Last game: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 ● Next generation consoles: Playstation 2 (2000), Xbox (2001), Gamecube (2001) ● Impact on the next generation ● Life beyond its time o Emulation 29 Bibliography ➔ Nishiumi, Satoshi, Kazuo Koshima, and Keizo Ohta. Video Game System. Satoshi Nishiumi, Kazuo Koshima, Keizo Ohta, assignee. Patent 20010016517. Aug. 2001. Print. ➔ Simba, Satya. "Super Mario chip." Byte Dec. 1996: 59+. Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. ➔ Underwood, Ryan C. "Inside Nintendo 64." Inside Nintendo 64. N.p., 17 May 2007. Web. 03 Dec. 2014. <http://n64.icequake.net/mirror/www.white- tower.demon.co.uk/n64/>. 30 Nintendo 64 Architecture Dan Chianucci and Peter Muller.