SILICON GRAPHICS & The 5th Gen Hardware Saga

The story of how the three main players of the fifth generation of consoles decided on their chosen hardware - for the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Sega Saturn, and how Silicon Graphics came to partner with Nintendo.
Thanks to Kyle Balda, Karl Hilton, and David Doak.
Thanks to ctrl-alt-rees for the FPU image:
/ @ctrlaltrees
#nintendo64 #playstation #segasaturn

[@RetroCrisis]

Very thorough, entertaining and informational. Pete you've put together another fantastic video! I loved it mate!

[@onaretrotip]

Thanks mate! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@SianaGearz]

Curiously, PS1 lacks floating point capability entirely. The one concession it has to 3D math is GTE, geometry transform engine, a highly specialised math vector co-processor which uses fixed point with 12-bit fractional part, so it effectively works on scaled integers. It has probably up to about 48-bit intermediates and uses 16-bit and 32-bit inputs and outputs. It's funny that SEGA allegedly asked for exclusivity? After all not much of the Dreamcast hardware ended up exclusive. While Hitachi SH-4 processor was obviously made with this or similar devices in mind, having an extensive 3D rendering specialised vector co-processor integrated, it was openly available, and NEC with PowerLogic also reused the same logic they sold to SEGA in their other endeavours. I think Hitachi processors were super aggressively priced and performed very well so it's not that SONY went with an outright cheaper one... it's just a much more streamlined system with a lot less logic overall, and high utilisation, where the chips don't end up idling and waiting for each other a lot, it really is a very smart and focused design overall. I also don't think the second SH-2 was anyhow a major issue for the Saturn, but it probably didn't help quite to an amount that they hoped it would. To be kept in mind it's also a system with a streaming DSP made by Samsung, two video chips with completely different functionality, a contested bus, and two more relatively complex dedicated processors, a 68k for the sound system and a yet third Hitachi SuperH for the optical drive, and while audio and disk subsystems were not anyhow problematic for the software developers, the total cost does mount gradually when you keep piling on these things.

[@onaretrotip]

Love comments like this from people who obviously know what they're talking about (unlike me LOL). Thank you!

[@mortenrognskog]

Back in the 1990s I worked with marketing a shared Silicon Graphics & Oracle data-solution (through DRS AS), AND marketing Nintendo 64 for the Norwegian importer of Nintendo (Unsaco AS). Was an avid gamer, and tech/computer freak (still is), interesting times :) ❤Silicon Graphics❤

[@onaretrotip]

Awesome! 😍

[@AB0BA_69]

Holy crap the animation in that advertisement for the game was frigging amazing! Thanks for the vid, bro

[@onaretrotip]

Thanks for watching!

[@GimblyGFR]

Any time I watch a video or read on this subject, I have to ask: What in the name of Sonic were Sega of Japan executives thinking???? Man, the many roads Sega did not take in the 90s and early 2000s ... Great video, Pete. Thanks for taking the time!

[@onaretrotip]

Yeah, they didn't do themselves any favours did they. Thanks!

[@phazered]

I ended up watching another video that ended up discussing Tom Kalinske's (SoA CEO) relationship with Sega of Japan (SoJ). I know there's more to the story, but from what I understand, SoJ weren't big fans of Kalinske and I think part of why they did it (aside from wanting exclusive rights) was to spite him.

[@earlusmcdivett]

Money and of course SGI was an American company. It’s kind of obvious why they didn’t.

[@SEGASaturnLad]

By accounts SOJ played dumb and let SOA discuss a next gen chip with SGI, whilst in the background they were developing the Saturn without letting SOA know and had no intention of ever taking it. These days I’d say N64 games have aged the most from this gen today. Great vid Pete 👍

[@bluetentgameroomtour-jl1jr]

Virtua Fighter hasn’t aged too well either.

[@SEGASaturnLad]

@@bluetentgameroomtour-jl1jrI’d disagree VF1 flat shade polys have a basic and timeless look. VF2 is probably the best looking 3D fighter of the 5th gen on any system.

[@onaretrotip]

The disparity between Sega of Japan and America definitely contributed to their failure in the console market. I think we can all agree that the 2D games of that era have aged the best, which the Saturn does exceptionally well.

[@branscombe_]

I love this topic, what a great dive into it… And not so deep that I lost interest, awesome work one trip!!! glad i subbed recently!!

[@onaretrotip]

Thank you! Just a topic that I didn't know much about and found interesting, and was always intrigued by the influence SGI had on the industry.

[@edy1361]

Very interesting. What a great vid! Really good work man, nice one.

[@onaretrotip]

Thank you very much!

[@SP95]

Thanks, I learned a lot on the importance of SGI there, I am more used to see content about SEGA and their partnership to PowerVR so this was enjoying to know more about that generation

[@onaretrotip]

Thank you!

[@davidretrogamesplayedbadly3533]

Interesting video mate, the PlayStation is still the only machine I have ever bought on its UK release day. Riiiiidge raaaaacer, felt like bringing the arcade home, as you mentioned a huge step forward.

[@onaretrotip]

Yes, it was a leap that just blew my mind the first time I played one.

[@earlusmcdivett]

I’ll never forget the first time i played Mario 64 in blockbuster. It was absolutely mind blowing for the time and you felt the future of gaming was limitless. And then came a game called Goldeneye 007. What SGI was able to cram into the N64 for under 200.00 was unbelievable.

[@onaretrotip]

Yeah, I first played Mario 64 at a mate's house, and I remember being very impressed.

[@branscombe_]

9:45 KI for arcade was remarkable , damn that ate a lot of quarters.

[@onaretrotip]

Sure did!

[@TheRampageTulk]

FPU, FLOPs, Polygons, Integers, CPS, GPU…….. WHAT THE FCK PETE!?!? What have you done to my brain!!! 🤯😂😂 Another high end class video 👏 That retro chip advert hahahaha at first I thought, why has he got an ad for health care 🤣 I had no idea the N64 was called Ultra 😮 Amazing that you got those guys to speak. Outstanding effort again 🔥

[@onaretrotip]

LOL That 3dfx ad is amazing. Yes indeed; the N64 was initially marketed as the Ultra 64 (in arcades and in magazine ads, etc).

[@TheRampageTulk]

@@onaretrotip hahaha I love it, I love retro ads! Fantastic video man. Right, I’m off to treat my migraine Pete, thanks.

[@earlusmcdivett]

Awesome video, wish it was longer!

[@onaretrotip]

Thank you very much!

[@dtape]

Super interesting history. Now I know why the PSX was 32 bit and the N64 was 64 bit

[@onaretrotip]

Thank you!

[@MatiasLikesGames]

Excellent research and great production! You got yourself a sub!

[@onaretrotip]

Thank you very much!

[@dave4shmups]

Great video on this topic!

[@onaretrotip]

Thanks dude!

[@devastator200]

I really enjoyed this video bud, definitely a period in gaming history I’m particularly fond of. Couldn’t be closer to the truth about the huge leap in graphic capabilities. It was so mind blowing back then! Credit to Sony back then though, a blessing in disguise regarding Nintendo and just simply all the right wise choices for their first ever console.

[@onaretrotip]

Thanks mate. Yeah, that generation was such a leap it absolutely blew me away at the time.

[@Svalbaz]

Really enjoyed this mate

[@onaretrotip]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@andrewkemp_]

Love your videos!

[@onaretrotip]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@user-tg6vq1kn6v]

Nice intro!

[@onaretrotip]

Thanks! Not used that one in a while :)

[@MaxAbramson3]

SoJ ignored the Kalinske team that had made SEGA the dominant game developer in the 16-bit console market. When SoA had worked out separate deals with SONY to go 50/50 on the PlayStation, SoJ turned them down. Then Kalinske thought he'd had a deal building what would turn out to become the N64, SoJ turned him down again. So Tokyo rejected a 93MHz 64-bit MIPS 4300 for a 28MHz 32-bit SuperH from HITACHI because of some backroom deal at the country club. SEGA would've had a $10,000 Silicon Graphics workstation from two years back, but instead released its own $10,000 Titan arcade board for $400... instead of the MIPS-RCP engine which only cost $40 and was twice as powerful.

[@onaretrotip]

A mistake that cost them dearly.

[@MaxAbramson3]

@@onaretrotip About $7-10 billion, by my estimates.

[@thawedcrumpet1682]

Hi there, loved the video, but had to ask, do you have a list of the music you used in the background? It's possibly obvious game music, but a lot of sounded like demoscene tracker music and I was interested! Thanks!

[@onaretrotip]

Thanks! Apart from the outro, all the music is from Jazz Jackrabbit 2.

[@michaelgutierrez8072]

You didn't go over the Saturn VDP1 and VDP2, or how it used quads instead of triangles. Sure the two SH1 could be used for polygons, and some games did just that. Sonic R is a good example of the technical wizardry demanded to get the most out of the Saturn, even if I didn't really care for that game myself. SGI originally approached Tom Kalinske of SEGA USA, but SEGA of Japan shot the idea down in favor of their overly complex monstrosity. Also the second SH1 processor was only added after SEGA learned about the specs for the PlayStation's CPU. The SH1 allowed for a dual CPU configuration so it was just kinda tacked on.

[@onaretrotip]

Yeah, obviously I glossed over the Saturn's hardware very quickly there, as it wasn't the point of the video really, and TBH I don't understand it LOL

[@redfive1300]

Is that the background music for Jazz Jackrabbit 2?

[@onaretrotip]

Yes!!! You're the first to spot that.

[@Varangian_af_Scaniae]

Ohh man the 3dfx ad starting at 4:19 is so rad. I so miss the world 15+ years ago when something like that ad could be made, when we were allowed to have fun! Today everything is so sterile, corporate and boring.

[@onaretrotip]

So great isn't it.

[@godofwar2k6reborn]

I dunno. Most early 3D games looked worse than most 2D games. I think the biggest jump was from the PS1 to PS2. Gorgeous cgi cutscenes, voice acting became standards, etc. Compare FF 7 to FF 10. Or compare RE 1 on PS1 to its gorgeous remake in 2001 on the Gamecube.

[@onaretrotip]

Oh definitely, 2D games have aged far better than 3D ganes, but I'd stick by my personal opinion of that being the biggest jump. Going from 16-bit to games like WipeOut was nuts to me. But as I said in the vid, it's arguable, and there's certainly a good case for the PS1 to PS2 era.

[@cachorrofilosofico]

At the time 3d was THE FUTURE. Indeed, it aged very bad, but at the time my eyes deceived me and the whole world.

[@onaretrotip]

​@@cachorrofilosofico Agreed!

[@earlusmcdivett]

I completely disagree. Were you alive in 1996? Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Waverace, just a name a few are still incredible games today. And when they debuted, they were absolutely mind blowing.

[@Fellipe2k5]

14:09 What? Most thirds ran better on PSX. And many N64 games ran less than 10fps

[@onaretrotip]

Ha, I knew that comment would drive people nuts. Even considered removing that in the edit, but thought nah, let's enjoy ourselves 😂

[@Fellipe2k5]

@@onaretrotip 👀

[@RetroGamePlayers]

Project Reality! Look I love the n64, but even implying that they were gonna make games that look like anything T2 or Jurrasic Park is just LOL

[@onaretrotip]

Hahaha. What do you mean? T2 and Superman 64 look identical.

[@blaah4490]

N64 games haven't aged any better than Playstation games. Many Playstation games are still being played and have been remastered to new generation of consoles, like Spyro The Dragon series, Crash Bandicoot games, Metal Gear Solid etc. Most of the old 3D games haven't aged well and it has nothing to do with the hardware.

[@onaretrotip]

LOL Yup!

[@overwatch761]

All the people commenting on how bad early 3D was and how we should've stayed 2D for longer, weren't around in that era. While 2D games can now be said to look 'aesthetically' better by Gen Z today who have no experience of the exciting development of technology, in the 90s 3D was far more exciting and visually stunning. We all played 2D games to death, by the mid 90s complex pixel art and FX was standard, expected, completely unimpressive and boring - Tomb Raider, Ridge Racer, Super Mario 64 now these games made jaws drop.

[@onaretrotip]

At first I thought you meant commenting here, but you mean in general? Yes, 2D was yesterday's news back then, we wanted 3D! Funny how a lot of the games that flopped back then are regarded much more fondly now (like Symphony of the Night, etc). Sure, 2D has aged better, but we weren't interested in that when all these new 3D games came in.