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Blitter
A blitter is a circuit, sometimes as a coprocessor or a logic block on a microprocessor, dedicated to the rapid movement and modification of data within a computer's memory. A blitter can copy large quantities of data from one memory area to another relatively quickly, and in parallel with the CPU, while freeing up the CPU's more complex capabilities for other operations. A typical use for a blitter is the movement of a bitmap, such as windows and icons in a graphical user interface or images and backgrounds in a 2D video game. The name comes from the bit blit operation of the 1973 Xerox Alto, which stands for bit-block transfer. A blit operation is more than a memory copy, because it can involve data that's not byte aligned (hence the ''bit'' in ''bit blit''), handling transparent pixels (pixels which should not overwrite the destination), and various ways of combining the source and destination data. Blitters have largely been superseded by programmable graphics process ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Graphics Processing Unit
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed for digital image processing and to accelerate computer graphics, being present either as a discrete video card or embedded on motherboards, mobile phones, personal computers, workstations, and game consoles. GPUs were later found to be useful for non-graphic calculations involving embarrassingly parallel problems due to their parallel structure. The ability of GPUs to rapidly perform vast numbers of calculations has led to their adoption in diverse fields including artificial intelligence (AI) where they excel at handling data-intensive and computationally demanding tasks. Other non-graphical uses include the training of neural networks and cryptocurrency mining. History 1970s Arcade system boards have used specialized graphics circuits since the 1970s. In early video game hardware, RAM for frame buffers was expensive, so video chips composited data together as the display was being scann ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-bit or 16/32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphics and audio compared to previous 8-bit systems. These include the Atari ST as well as the Macintosh 128K, Macintosh and Acorn Archimedes. The Amiga differs from its contemporaries through custom hardware to accelerate graphics and sound, including sprite (computer graphics), sprites, a blitter, and four channels of sample-based audio. It runs a pre-emptive multitasking operating system called AmigaOS, with a desktop environment called Workbench (AmigaOS), Workbench. The Amiga 1000, based on the Motorola 68000 microprocessor, was released in July 1985. Production problems kept it from becoming widely available until early 1986. While ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bit Blit
Bit blit (also written BITBLT, BIT BLT, BitBLT, Bit BLT, Bit Blt etc., which stands for ''bit block transfer'') is a data operation commonly used in computer graphics in which several bitmaps are combined into one using a ''boolean function''. The operation involves at least two bitmaps: a "source" (or "foreground") and a "destination" (or "background"), and possibly a third that is often called the "mask". The result may be written to a fourth bitmap, though often it replaces the destination. The pixels of each are combined using a program-selectable ''raster operation'', a bit-wise boolean formula. The most obvious raster operation overwrites the destination with the source. Others may involve AND, OR, XOR, and NOT operations. The Commodore Amiga's graphics chipset (and others) could combine three source bitmaps using any of the 256 possible 3-input boolean functions. Modern graphics software has almost completely replaced bitwise operations with more general mathematical o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bally Astrocade
The Bally Astrocade (also known as Bally Arcade and initially as Bally ABA-1000) is a second-generation home video game console A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few game ... and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway Games, Midway, at that time the videogame division of Bally Manufacturing, Bally. It was originally announced as the "Bally Home Library Computer" in October 1977 in video gaming, 1977 and initially made available for mail order in December 1977. But due to production delays, the units were first released to stores in April 1978 in video gaming, 1978 and its branding changed to "Bally Professional Arcade". It was marketed only for a limited time before Bally decided to exit the market. The rights were later picked up by a third-party company, who re-r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mindset (computer)
The Mindset is an Intel 80186-based MS-DOS personal computer. It was developed by the Mindset Corporation and released in spring 1984. Unlike other IBM PC compatibles of the time, it has custom graphics hardware supporting a 320×200 resolution with 16 simultaneous colors (chosen from a 512-shade palette) and Hardware acceleration, hardware-accelerated drawing capabilities, including a blitter, allowing it to update the screen 50 times as fast as an IBM standard color graphics adapter. The basic unit was priced at . It is conceptually similar to the more successful Amiga released over a year later. Key engineers of both the Amiga and Mindset were ex-Atari, Inc. employees. The system didn't sell well and was only on the market for about a year. This was lamented by industry commenters, who saw compatibility taking precedence over innovation. Its distinctive case remains in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York. History Roger Badertscher wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coprocessor
A coprocessor is a computer processor used to supplement the functions of the primary processor (the CPU). Operations performed by the coprocessor may be floating-point arithmetic, graphics, signal processing, string processing, cryptography or I/O interfacing with peripheral devices. By offloading processor-intensive tasks from the main processor, coprocessors can accelerate system performance. Coprocessors allow a line of computers to be customized, so that customers who do not need the extra performance do not need to pay for it. Functionality Coprocessors vary in their degree of autonomy. Some (such as FPUs) rely on direct control via coprocessor instructions, embedded in the CPU's instruction stream. Others are independent processors in their own right, capable of working asynchronously; they are still not optimized for general-purpose code, or they are incapable of it due to a limited instruction set focused on accelerating specific tasks. It is common for these to b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TMS34010
The TMS34010, developed by Texas Instruments and released in 1986, was the first programmable graphics processor integrated circuit. While specialized graphics hardware existed earlier, such as blitters, the TMS34010 chip is a microprocessor which includes graphics-oriented instructions, making it a combination of a CPU and what would later be called a GPU. The chip was heavily used in arcade video games from the late 1980s through the mid 1990s, primarily from Atari Games and Midway Games. It was first used in '' NARC'' in 1988, then other games including '' Hard Drivin''', '' Smash TV'', ''Mortal Kombat'', and ''NBA Jam''. It was also part of computer workstation video accelerator boards in the 1990s. TI later released the TMS34020 with an emphasis on 3D rendering. History The design of the TMS34010 was led by Karl Guttag, who previously worked on the TMS9918 video display controller first used in the TI-99/4A. Development took place at TI facilities in Bedford (UK) an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Narc (video Game)
''Narc'' (stylized as ''NARC'') is a 1988 run and gun arcade video game designed by Eugene Jarvis for Williams Electronics and programmed by George Petro, Todd Allen, and Eugene Jarvis, with art by Jack Haeger, John Newcomer, and Lin Young. It was one of the first ultra-violent video games and a frequent target of parental criticism of the video game industry. The object is to arrest and kill drug offenders, confiscate their money and drugs, and defeat "Mr. Big". It was the first game in the newly restarted Williams Electronics coin-op video game division. Shortly before its release, Williams acquired the video and pinball divisions of Bally/Midway. ''Narc'' was ported to the Commodore 64, Atari ST, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and NES. In 2005, the franchise was re-launched with a new game for the Xbox and PS2, which was released on March 22, 2005. A GameCube version of said game was planned, but was ultimately scrapped. Gameplay The game's main characters are Max ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2084
2084 may refer to: * 2084 is a number in the 2000–2999 range Time * 2084 CE (year), MMLXXXIV, the year ''A.D. 2084'' * 2084 BC (year), the year ''2084 BCE'' Places * 2084 Okayama, Asteroid #2084, also called ''Okayama'' * Farm to Market Road 2084, Texas Road ''2084'', in the U.S.A. People * Tom Tom MMLXXXIV (musician), a music arranger who worked on the 2002 Liam Hayes album ''Fed'' (album) Entertainment works/titles * '' Robotron: 2084'', a 1982 video game in the Robotron series of videogames * '' 2084: The End of the World'', a 2015 French-language novel by Boualem Sansal * ''2084'' (film), a 1984 science fiction film * ''2084'', a comics work by Goran Parlov Goran Parlov (born March 24, 1967) is a Croatian comic book artist. Early life Goran Parlov graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb, Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1991 and soon moved to Italy. Career Parlov began drawi ... Other uses * SMPTE ST 2084, standard #2084 from SMTPE, also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hard Drivin'
''Hard Drivin'' is a sim racing arcade video game developed by Atari Games in 1989. Players test drive a sports car on courses that emphasize stunts and speed. It features one of the first 3D polygon driving environments via a simulator cabinet with a haptic vibrating steering wheel and a custom rendering architecture. Gameplay Players drive a sports car in a first-person perspective, navigating one to two laps around a stunt track for their best time while avoiding hazards such as vehicles and obstacles. If scoring in the top 10 during certain modes, the player races against the computer-controlled Phantom Photon car. A manual transmission mode includes a clutch pedal and the possibility of stalling the car, along with a vibrating haptic vibrating steering wheel. The player's driving progress is tracked by invisible waypoints, denoted by flags on the course map when the game ends due to time running out. Passing the waypoint half-way through the track grants the player ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smash TV
''Smash TV'' is a 1990 arcade video game created by Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell for Williams Electronics Games. It is a twin-stick shooter in the same vein as 1982's '' Robotron: 2084'', which was co-created by Jarvis. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Genesis, Master System, and Game Gear versions are titled ''Super Smash TV''. The game takes place in a dystopian television game show in the then-future year of 1999. One or two contestants shoot waves of attackers while collecting money, prizes, and temporary power-ups. After an arena has been cleared of adversaries, the contestants choose an exit, each leading to another room. One room contains an end-of-level boss. With two players, the game is cooperative, but at the end of the level the player who collected the most cash and prizes receives an extra reward. The arcade game has a high difficulty and leans on being able to pay to continue. A bonus feature was added after release allowing players to collect keys th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
