PROM that I can put into an epoxy blob (COB) to serve as the CPU, NOR flash reader and AV processor
The AV processor will just be an interfeace from the generated content to something that can be displayed on a TV.PROM is just memory. It does not serve as anything except memory?
An "AV Processor" is an extremely complex device and you need provide a lot more info on what you expect it to do!
And clarify what you mean by a "NOR flash reader" ???
Also note that you cannot output current 3D game video quality without both a very powerful CPU and a dedicated GPU.
You don't get things like that, that you can fit in a COB resin blob!
You could get all-in-one simple game ICs at one time, though those were not CPU based but totally custom logic - like integrating a TTL logic "Pong" game and variations in to a single IC.
eg. AY-3-5-8500 / 86xx / 87xx
(The 8700 Tanks one was rather good, for around 1980!)
You may be able to do something like retro game stuff with such as a PIC32MZ-DA, though it's still large and complex setup.
That has a built in video controller with 2D graphics acceleration and 2K flash. It would need additional external program memory for most applications, plus it external needs DDR RAM unless you use the version with the piggyback RAM.
The CPU is a BGA packaged device.
However, as with many MCUs and other components, there is a massive order backlog due to shutdowns from COVID-19... Mouser are predicting availability of the MCU ICs around next October...
PIC32MZ DA Family of Microcontrollers | Microchip Technology
Create state-of-the-art graphical displays with our 32-bit PIC32MZ DA family of microcontrollers (MCUs).www.microchip.com
The development kits are easier to get - a couple of months for this one, or some suppliers may have one:
And you can get this one direct from Microchip or Mouser etc.
The famicom had a 1MHz 6502 variant. Now, most 8 bit micros have more power than that.the console will have Famicom-like processing power.
What is supposed to be "Generating the content" ??The AV processor will just be an interfeace from the generated content
The generated content is the data that will be sent to the TV for processing.What is supposed to be "Generating the content" ??
If it's part of the same device and you intend to use memory-only cartridges or cards (as opposed to video-producing modules), then you need a full VGA-style graphics display system, even if only a 2D pixel array, for the image data to be store in and rasterised for each frame.
I'd strongly suggest you build a prototype using actual components and ignoring final size limits, to get a practical understanding of what is involved, before going any further, as I don't think you understand the complexity of what you are asking for.
In reality, I think the simplest and cheapest option would be one of the Raspberry Pi style CPU ICs that has a GPU and I/O etc. built in.
It's still a multi-chip system overall though.
It may be possible to create such a system in one of the high end FPGA type devices, but the cost for one device with that capability is likely $50+ unless you are buying them in tens of thousands.
(And the ICs are still waaay bigger than COB style blobs are appropriate for).
You don't appear to have considered the most basic requirements.The generated content is the data that will be sent to the TV for processing.
And were only 256 pixels wide (can't remember the height). The 2K RAM was seperate from the video memory and on one game I wrote I used black attributes on part of the screen so I could store extra variables in the screen memory.And note that old consoles like the Famicom / NES & early home computers with graphics, that had 8 bit CPUs, always had a dedicated video IC, often custom designed, to output video.
That was all a long time agoAnd were only 256 pixels wide (can't remember the height). The 2K RAM was seperate from the video memory and on one game I wrote I used black attributes on part of the screen so I could store extra variables in the screen memory.
The only "computer" I know of that used the processor (Z80) to generate the video was the sinclair ZX80 and that was black and white.
Mike.
Indeed it was. I recently wrote an app on Android and was amazed because efficiency didn't matter. I was scaling sprites, using floating point variables, cos and sin to move bullets and it still ran at 60 FPS. Things have changed a lot.That was all a long time ago
Very much so - if you look back at the Commodore Amiga and the amazing games that were available, it was because the games were written efficiently in machine code even though the computer only had 512K of memory, and ran about 8MHz. Now with multi-gigabyte memory and multi-gigahertz processors programmers are dead lazy, producing highly inefficient and slow running games.Indeed it was. I recently wrote an app on Android and was amazed because efficiency didn't matter. I was scaling sprites, using floating point variables, cos and sin to move bullets and it still ran at 60 FPS. Things have changed a lot.
I feel like I'm always saying, "in my day......."
Mike.
Not strictly true, as that used some very sneaky & ingenious hardware design like using the Z80 built-in DRAM refresh counter for display addressing, plus an external character generator and pixel serialisation etc.The only "computer" I know of that used the processor (Z80) to generate the video was the sinclair ZX80 and that was black and white.
Nice! Same guy as the PIC32MX video terminal.
The colour one does, the original B&W one still uses a PIC32 - all the source code for the BASIC interpreter is available as well.Nice! Same guy as the PIC32MX video terminal.
That does use a 480MHz ARM CPU though, not a PIC32 as in the video terminal.
There must be one that I can fit in a COB, remember those cheap TV games that only have a COB and a nor flashPROM is just memory. It does not serve as anything except memory?
An "AV Processor" is an extremely complex device and you need provide a lot more info on what you expect it to do!
And clarify what you mean by a "NOR flash reader" ???
Also note that you cannot output current 3D game video quality without both a very powerful CPU and a dedicated GPU.
You don't get things like that, that you can fit in a COB resin blob!
You could get all-in-one simple game ICs at one time, though those were not CPU based but totally custom logic - like integrating a TTL logic "Pong" game and variations in to a single IC.
eg. AY-3-5-8500 / 86xx / 87xx
(The 8700 Tanks one was rather good, for around 1980!)
You may be able to do something like retro game stuff with such as a PIC32MZ-DA, though it's still large and complex setup.
That has a built in video controller with 2D graphics acceleration and 2K flash. It would need additional external program memory for most applications, plus it external needs DDR RAM unless you use the version with the piggyback RAM.
The CPU is a BGA packaged device.
However, as with many MCUs and other components, there is a massive order backlog due to shutdowns from COVID-19... Mouser are predicting availability of the MCU ICs around next October...
PIC32MZ DA Family of Microcontrollers | Microchip Technology
Create state-of-the-art graphical displays with our 32-bit PIC32MZ DA family of microcontrollers (MCUs).www.microchip.com
The development kits are easier to get - a couple of months for this one, or some suppliers may have one:
And you can get this one direct from Microchip or Mouser etc.
Using totally custom ICs....remember those cheap TV games that only have a COB and a nor flash
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