Nintendo 64 Architecture: Architecture of Consoles: A Practical Analysis, #8

By Rodrigo Copetti

Nintendo's goal was to give players the best graphics possible, for this it will partner with one of the biggest players in computer graphics to produce the ultimate graphics chip.

The result was a nice-looking console for the family... and a 500-page manual for the developer. Don't worry, I promise you this article will not be that long... Enjoy!

 

Architecture of Consoles: A Practical Analysis

 

Looking at the evolution of video game consoles is fascinating. While conventional PCs tend to evolve 'incrementally', new generations of consoles introduce completely new ways of working. What you see here is a series of articles that will hopefully uncover the rationale behind the latest trends in technology. They will also demonstrate why each system can't be summarised by its 'bits', megahertz, amount of RAM and whatnot.

 

This is not a developer manual, just an in depth introduction to how each system worked internally. Bear in mind that tech has gotten really complicated lately, so if you struggle to follow my latest articles, try reading the early ones first. They introduce many concepts and definitions that are constantly revisited. Basic knowledge of computing is preferable, however, I try really hard to adapt my content for wider audiences, so please don't be afraid to give it a try!

 

About this edition

 

This edition originates from the article initially published on my personal website, it's been re-styled to take advantage of the capabilities of eBook documents.

 

While identical content-wise, interactive widgets have been simplified to work with a static environment - in other words, anything that physical pages allow us :), though these will offer a link to the original article in case the reader wants to try the 'full version'. Please keep this in mind when you see references to interactivity throughout the writings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rodrigo Copetti
• Release date: Sep 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9798201690434

Book preview

1 About this edition

This edition originates from the article initially published on my personal website, it’s been re-styled to take advantage of the capabilities of PDF/eBook documents.

While identical content-wise, interactive widgets have been simplified to work with a static environment - in other words, anything that physical pages allow us, though these will offer a link to the original article in case the reader wants to try the ‘full version’. Please keep this in mind when you see references to interactivity throughout the writings.

As always, the original manuscript of the articles is available on Github to enable readers to report mistakes or propose changes. There’s also a supporting reading list available to help understand the series. The author also accepts donations to help improve the quality of current articles and upcoming ones.

1.1 Open to feedback

Last but not least, for any comments and/or issues regarding this edition of the article, please get in touch using the links provided on the About page.

2 A quick introduction

Nintendo’s goal was to give players the best graphics possible, for this it will partner with one of the biggest players in computer graphics to produce the ultimate graphics chip.

The result was a nice-looking console for the family… and a 500-page manual for the developer.

Don’t worry, I promise you this article will not be that long… Enjoy!

3 Supporting Imagery

The Nintendo 64. Released on 23/06/1996 in Japan, 29/09/1996 in America and 01/03/1997 in Europe [1]

Motherboard [1]. Showing revision ‘NUS-CPU-03’. Later ones reduced the number of chips required for AV encoding. Disk Drive connector is found on the back

Motherboard with important parts labelled.

Main architecture diagram.

4 CPU

The origins of the Nintendo 64’s main processor begin with the MIPS