#Amiga CD 32!
6 messages in this thread
It was launched here in the UK last Friday (15th July) to quite a good
reception. I don't know the exact details but I'd be safe in saying it's
basically a 1200 with CD ROM drive and CD audio. A new piece of hardware has
also been added – something called Chunky Graphics. The Amiga uses video planes
which are great for some programs but not for others, namly 3D flight sim type
games. Plotting a single pixel involves accessing 8 separate memory locations
in 265 colour mode which is *very* inefficient. The IBM PC uses byte per pixel
which means plotting pixels (which make up lines, which make up polygons) is
far faster, even considering the awful IBM video standard. Chunky mode allows
Amiga programs to use byte per pixel modes. I'm not sure whether this is a new
video mode or some hardware translates a byte write into 8 pixel writes to the
video planes.
Rob.
It's hardware translation to bit-planes, not new modes.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Dale,
is it the same thing that some of the new super nintendo games have
(there's a new game out with 'Star …' something or other in the title
which does it's 3D graphics using some kind of hardware engine built into
the games card…)
// Chris coming in from Germany
\X/ on AutoPilot 1.051……….
Yes I read about it in Electronic Gaming Monthly. The game (and the chip)
was compiled on an Amiga. You they use the Amiga to compile the code. It
can't execute it though because its 65816 code (the same processer as was
in an Apple IIGS :0).
/\/\ I C |-| /-\ E |_ /\/\ /-\ S T
Always on autopilot
Rob,
thanks for the info. I think the "Chunky mode" is what they here call
"32-Bit-Grafikbeschleuniger" (32 bit graphic accelerator).
How much does it cost in the UK?
Juergen
Could somebody expand on this Chunky Mode? (Dale?) I remember when the
AGA chipset was first announced that there was a mode that alot of people
were hoping the Amiga would implement to make it easier to port over IBM
gfx applications, or something to that effect. Is this Chunky Mode?
Just a curious power user…
And stretching this just a bit farther (to the extent of possibly
revealing my complete naivete), could this chunky mode eliminate the crawl
WB goes through when you're navigating through a lot of open windows? I
think alot of you know what I'm talking about.
Miguel ——– AP, AP, and away!