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Game Cube specifications:
CPU: IBM Gekko Processor (an extension of the IBM Power PC architecture)
System Clock: 400 MHz
System Memory: High-speed RAM technology
Memory Bus Bandwidth: 3.2 GB/second Semiconductor Process 0.18 Micron Copper Technology
Graphics: Custom Chip designed by ArtX, Inc. of Palo Alto, CA
Clock Speed: 200MHz
Semiconductor Processor 0.18 Micron embedded DRAM technology
Maximum Polygon Rate: N/A
Software Medium: Proprietary DVD
Enhanced counterfeit protection
Maximum capacity: 4.7 GB
Additional Information
The combined video technology will later appear in other consumer electronic devices to be marketed under Matsushita's Panasonic brand.
Nintendo promises quick access time comparable to a silicon cartridge.
Manufacturing cost and time will be minimal.
DVD movie playback capability is planned for the future (Matsushita-branded Dolphin machines in Japan).
S3 texture compression technology.
Transform and Lighting on-board
MoSys 1T-SRAM technology delivers SRAM (sub. 10nsec. random access) performance at DRAM density.
What is 1T-SRAM?
MoSys 1T-SRAM technology (which is available in densities up to 128Mbits) uses a single transistor cell to achieve high density while maintaining the refresh-free interface and low latency random access memory access cycle time associated with traditional six-transistor SRAM cells. Embedded 1T-SRAM, as used in the Dolphin console, enables designers to get beyond the density limits of six-transistor SRAMs. It also reduces much of the circuit complexity and extra cost associated with using embedded DRAM. 1T-SRAM memories can be fabricated in either pure logic or embedded memory processes using as little as one ninth of the area of traditional six-transistor SRAM cores. In addition to the high performance and density, this technology offers dramatic power consumption savings by using under a quarter of the power of traditional SRAM memories.
How does Game Cube fare against the competition?
Not all of the system specifications for Dolphin have been made public, so it's impossible to say accurately. The following chart compares what we officially know about Nintendo's next-generation console to the competition.
Polygon Power
Game Cube: N/A. Suspected to be in the 20 million polygons per second range.
PlayStation 2: Around 20 million polygons per second
Dreamcast: Around 3 million polygons per second
Nintendo 64: Around 150,000 polygons per second
PlayStation: Around 360,000 polygons per second (lacks comparable effects)
Main Clock Speed
Game Cube: 400MHz
PlayStation 2: 300MHz
Dreamcast: 200MHz
Nintendo 64: 93.75MHz
PlayStation: 33.86MHz
Memory
Game Cube: N/A. Dolphin's graphics chip alone will feature up to 16MBs of embedded SRAM though.
PlayStation 2: 32MB Direct Rambus RAM
Dreamcast: 16MB (plus 8MB Video RAM, 2MB Sound RAM)
Nintendo 64: 4MB (+parity) Rambus D-RAM (expandable to 8MB)
PlayStation: 2MB (plus 1MB Video RAM, 512kb Sound RAM)
Memory Bus Bandwidth
Game Cube: 3.2 GB/s (Gigabytes per second)
PlayStation 2: 3.2 GB/s (Gigabytes per second)
Dreamcast: 800 MB/s (Megabytes per second)
Nintendo 64: 500 MB/s (Megabytes per second) or about 0.5 GB/s
PlayStation: 132 MB/s (Megabytes per second)
Software Format
Game Cube: Proprietary DVD, 4.7 GB capacity
PlayStation 2: Proprietary DVD, 4.7 GB capacity
Dreamcast: Propriety CD, 1 GB capacity
Nintendo 64: Cartridge, 64MB capacity (so far)
PlayStation: CD, 650 MB capacity
Polygon Power
A recent issue of Edge Magazine reported that Game Cube is capable of pushing roughly 10 million polygons per second with effects turned on. The information we have seconds these figures very closely. In alleged benchmark tests with the console, development sources have come up with the following results:
In a raw test, the system is capable of pushing 400,000 polygons at 60 frames per second (roughly 24 million polygons per second) with no effects turned on. This number should not be applied to actual gameplay environments, however, as it's merely a best case scenario polygon example and doesn't take into account proper visual effects that need to be applied.
With all major effects used, including texture filters and anti-aliasing, the Game Cube is capable of pushing approximately 150,000 polygons at 60 frames per second (roughly nine million polygons per second). This number is more accurate, and, subject to improvement as developers become more acquainted with the hardware. Not too shabby for a "toy," huh?
By comparison, developers have told us that Namco's Ridge Racer V for PlayStation2 is realistically pushing approximately 35,000 polygons at 60 frames per second, or just over two million polygons per second.
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