View Full Version : 16 Bit Consoles
evilmess
10-19-2003, 12:46 PM
Am I missing any other 16 bit consoles from the list?
Primary 16 bit consoles
Philips CDi
Nintendo SNES/SFC
NEC TurboDuo
NEC TurboGrax-CD - TurboGrafx- 16 Expansion
SNK Neo Geo
SNK Neo Geo CD
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive/Mega CD
Handhelds
Atari Lynx/Lynx II
Bandai - Wonderswan
NEC TurboGrafx Express
Sega Nomad (see Genesis)
SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color
Other 16 bit consoles
Intellivision
Memorex VIS
Sega Pico
Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
RetroYoungen
10-19-2003, 12:49 PM
Unless you're counting handhelds, then you're missing the Lynx, NGPC, and probably a few others. But that looks about complete to me
evilmess
10-19-2003, 01:06 PM
Handhelds rock!
Thanks for pointing those out 8-)
badinsults
10-19-2003, 01:39 PM
The Jaguar was 64-bit. I believe the Neogeo was 24-bit, but I may be wrong.
The Intellivision was 16-bit, you can add that to your list.
Achika
10-19-2003, 02:09 PM
The Jaguar was 64-bit. I believe the Neogeo was 24-bit, but I may be wrong.
The Intellivision was 16-bit, you can add that to your list.
Not in the truest sense of this. Jaguar was actually 2 32 bit microprocessors and the Neo Geo was kinda the same way (it was 16 & 8 bit microprocessors)
FABombjoy
10-19-2003, 02:31 PM
The VIS has a 286, so it's 16-bit as well.
Gunstarhero
10-19-2003, 03:19 PM
The TG-16 and Supergrafx are 8 bit..take those off the list.
evilmess
10-19-2003, 03:23 PM
The VIS has a 286, so it's 16-bit as well.
What's a VIS?
More info please :)
FABombjoy
10-19-2003, 05:13 PM
What's a VIS?
More info please :)
The VIS (Video Information System) is a failed mostly-edutainment console released by Memorex / Radio Shack. It is commonly misrepresented as having an Intel 386. It actually has an AMD 80286.
RetroYoungen
10-19-2003, 05:21 PM
The Jaguar was 64-bit. I believe the Neogeo was 24-bit, but I may be wrong.
The Intellivision was 16-bit, you can add that to your list.
Not in the truest sense of this. Jaguar was actually 2 32 bit microprocessors and the Neo Geo was kinda the same way (it was 16 & 8 bit microprocessors)
I thought the Jaguar was a 16-bit/64-bt console. The Jerry chip (the cmaller in the set) was a 16-bit Morotolla something-or-other, while the Tom processor (not very used) was the big one, at 64-bits. Not many programmers took advantage of the Tom processor, relying then on the Jerry to make the games (hence why so many look on the same level as the SNES or Genesis).
Maybe it's just how I remember reading something on it. I could be wrong.
Atari7800
10-19-2003, 05:36 PM
Jaguar is a bit complicated, essentially two 32 bit chips plus a 16-bit chip
"Tom"
Graphics Processing Unit (processor #1)
- 32-bit RISC architecture (32/64 processor)
- 64 registers of 32 bits wide
- Has access to all 64 bits of the system bus
- Can read 64 bits of data in one instruction
Object processor (processor #2)
- 64-bit RISC architecture
- 64-bit wide registers
Blitter (processor #3)
- 64-bit RISC architecture
- 64-bit wide registers
"Jerry"
- Digital Signal Processor (processor #4)
- 32 bits (32-bit registers)
"Motorola 68000" (processor #5)
- True 16-bit chip
- Runs at 13.295MHz
- General purpose control processor
Neo-Geo is very much like the Genesis in that it uses a 16-bit CPU (the Motorola 68000 again) plus an 8-bit chip. Think of the Neo as as the Genny's souped-up, stronger, meaner older brother.
The debate still rages as to if the TG-16 was a true 16-bit system... it has an 8-bit cpu, but a 16-bit gpu.
In my opinion, bit counts ceased to be a measure of a system's performance with the advent of the "16-bit" systems. Indeed, the Intellivison was technically 16-bit, but it was weaker than the CV and 5200, much less the SMS and NES, all 8-bit systems.
can_dude
10-19-2003, 06:44 PM
the Casio My Seal Loopy is a 16-bit console.
also calling the intellivision a 16-bit console is missleading, true it had a 16-bit processor but it only had a 500Khz, which less than a seventh of the 8-bit colecovisions speed (3.58Mhz), making the system run at an 8-bit quality level.
evilmess
10-19-2003, 06:47 PM
Since it's my list here's how I look at it.
The list is mostly made up of 4th Generarion consoles so bye bye Intellivision but with a special notation that it's a 16 bit system and bye bye NEC TurboGrafx Express. Welcome back NEC TurboGrafx-16. And about the VIS... it seems pretty obscure to me so I'll have to do a bit more reseach on it.
Other addtions now include the Wonderswan
Ed Oscuro
10-19-2003, 07:05 PM
Hmm, here's an interesting question.
In the old days we classified consoles in terms of "bits" off the main processor -- you've got a Motorola x68000 series processor so that's 16 bit. In the newer consoles, though, don't we have a lot of 32-bit or 64-bit internal architectures and it's just the GPU that's 128-bit or whatever bit depth it is? Hmm, strangeness.
ubersaurus
10-19-2003, 08:10 PM
The VIS has a 286, so it's 16-bit as well.
What's a VIS?
More info please :)
Imagine the 7th level of hell.
Now imagine that in the shape of a video game console.
That is a VIS.
Stamp Mcfury
10-19-2003, 08:19 PM
Well there is Sega CD if that counts as its own system?
Zaxxon
10-19-2003, 08:20 PM
According to what I've read and what programmers who actually made games for the system, the Jag is 64 bit, not that that means a lot in performance terms. It doesn't need to be 64 bit through every component to be 64 bit. Nintendo claimed the N64 was the first 64 bit system but it's not true. Nintendo Power used to feed kids this stuff and they believed it cause they saw it in Nintendo Power.
dreamcaster
10-19-2003, 08:57 PM
According to what I've read and what programmers who actually made games for the system, the Jag is 64 bit, not that that means a lot in performance terms. It doesn't need to be 64 bit through every component to be 64 bit. Nintendo claimed the N64 was the first 64 bit system but it's not true. Nintendo Power used to feed kids this stuff and they believed it cause they saw it in Nintendo Power.
Admittedly, Nintendo always used the tag-line: "The first true 64-bit game console."
To me, this suggests that there were previous 64-bit consoles (Jaguar), but that the N64 was a true 64-bit console - not a couple 32's slapped together.
jonjandran
10-19-2003, 10:52 PM
You can hook up 8 Nintendos together and that doesn't give you a 64 bit machine. :roll:
The CPU has to be 64 bit or it's not a 64 bit game machine.
It may be a 64 bit sound machine but not a game machine.
And we could argue this forever , but it comes down to the games.
Try and tell me the jag games looked as good, played as fast or could begin to compete with the N64 or even the PS1 and then we'll talk.
The Unknown Gamer
10-20-2003, 10:30 AM
I knew someone who worked at Atari at the time the Jaguar was being produced. Let me tell you one thing they hated to program for it. On the one hand they had there bosses saying "Make it cheaper and work faster" and on the other they had there own sense what wasn't crap. I personally don't even know it a game of even 32X quality could ever be produced for the Jaguar. Telegames I know have tried with there own releases but still...
digitalpress
10-20-2003, 10:50 AM
I don't see...
Atari Lynx
Memorex VIS
Sega Pico
Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
... on your list!