Editing PC Engine SuperGrafx

{{Short description|1989 home video game console}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2008}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| title = PC Engine SuperGrafx
| logo = File:SuperGrafx logo.svg
| logo_size = 150px
| image = SuperGrafx-Console-Set.jpg
| caption = PC Engine SuperGrafx system
| manufacturer = [[NEC Home Electronics]]
| type = [[Video game console]]
| generation = [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
| releasedate = {{vgrelease|JP|8 December 1989<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pc-engine.co.uk/?section=systems|title=PC-Engine|website=www.pc-engine.co.uk}}</ref>}}
| media = [[HuCard]], [[CD-ROM²]]
| cpu = [[Hudson Soft HuC6280|Hudson Soft HuC6280A]]
| topgame = ''[[Daimakaimura]]''{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}
| predecessor = [[PC Engine]] (main system)
| successor = [[PC Engine Duo]] (updated system)
| CPUspeed = 1.79 or 7.16 MHz
| graphics = 2x [[HuC6270A]] VDC, [[HuC6202]] VPC,  [[HuC6260]] VCE
| memory = 32 KB + 128 KB
| display = 512 colors; 282 x 242, 377 x 242, 565 x 242
| sound = [[HuC6280A]]; 6 PSG channels, 5-bit depth; 6.99 kHz sample rate
}}

The {{nihongo|'''PC Engine SuperGrafx'''|PCエンジンスーパーグラフィックス|Pī Shī Enjin SūpāGurafikkusu}}, also known as simply the '''SuperGrafx''', is a [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|fourth-generation]] [[home video game console]] manufactured by [[NEC Home Electronics]] and released in Japan in 1989. It is the successor system to the [[TurboGrafx-16|PC Engine]], released two years prior. Originally known as the PC Engine 2 during production stages,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Cover Story - Next Generation Gaming|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|author=Harris, Steve|volume=1|issue=2|date=July 1989|pages=31–32}}</ref> it was purported as a true 16-bit home console, featuring improved graphics and audio capabilities over its predecessor.

The console was rushed to market, released several months before its initial intended release date in 1990, only having modest updates to the hardware. With only six retail games released that took advantage of the console's hardware updates,<ref>{{Cite web |last=McFerran |first=Damien |date=2022-11-09 |title=Analogue Pocket Now Supports NEC's PC Engine Flop, The SuperGrafx |url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2022/11/analogue-pocket-now-supports-necs-pc-engine-flop-the-supergrafx |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=Time Extension |language=en-GB}}</ref> the SuperGrafx was a commercial failure, selling only 75,000 units total. None of the hardware advancements it possessed were carried over to later PC Engine models, such as the [[TurboDuo|Duo]] & the LD-ROM² PAC for the [[LaserActive]].

==Hardware==
Compared to the PC Engine, the SuperGrafx has four times the amount of working [[RAM]] for the main [[CPU]]. Its main upgrade is an additional video chip with its own video RAM, with a priority controller chip, which allows the output of both video chips to be combined in various ways. This gives the SuperGrafx twice as many on-screen sprites as the original PC Engine and support for two independently scrolling background layers opposed to the PC Engine's single layer.[[File:PCEngine SuperGrafx with SuperCDRom2.jpg|thumb|250px|SuperGrafx with the Super CD-ROM² peripheral]]

Since the SuperGrafx was produced and marketed as an upgraded PC Engine model rather than as a new platform, it was backwards compatible with standard PC Engine [[HuCard]]s in addition to its own. However, SuperGrafx-specific HuCards were expensive compared to standard HuCards, in some cases approaching as much as $110 [[United States dollar|USD]] at retail.

The SuperGrafx is also compatible with the CD-ROM² System add-on (via the ROM² Adaptor), as well as the Super CD-ROM² add-on. No CD-ROM² format games were produced that took advantage of the SuperGrafx's added capabilities.

==Technical specifications==

===CPU===

The CPU was an 8-bit [[Hudson Soft HuC6280|HuC6280A]], a modified [[65SC02]], running at 1.79, or 7.16&nbsp;MHz (switchable by software). Features included integrated [[Bank switching|bankswitching]] hardware (driving a 21-bit external address bus from a 6502-compatible 16-bit address bus), an integrated general-purpose I/O port, a timer, block transfer instructions, and dedicated move instructions for communicating with the [[Hudson Soft HuC6270|HuC6270A]] VDC.

===Memory===
There was 32 KB of work RAM and 128 KB (64 KB per [[Hudson Soft HuC6270|HuC6270A]] VDC) Video RAM.<ref>{{cite journal |title=PC Engine SuperGrafx. |journal=[[Retro Gamer]] |date=December 18, 2020 |issue=115 |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A662788560/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b3426056 |access-date=21 May 2022}}</ref>

===Display subsystem===

The display subsystem was composed of two 16-bit [[Hudson Soft HuC6270|HuC6270A]] Video Display Controllers (VDCs), one [[HuC6202]] Video Priority Controller, and one [[HuC6260]] Video Color Encoder (VCE). The HuC6270A featured Port-based I/O similar to the TMS99xx VDP family.

The X (Horizontal) Resolution was variable, maximum of 565 pixels (programmable to 282, 377 or 565 pixels, or as 5.37mhz, 7.159mhz, and 10.76mhz pixel dot clock).<ref name="forums.magicengine.com">{{cite web|url=http://forums.magicengine.com/en/viewtopic.php?t=1798|title=MagicEngine :: View topic - Screen Dimension Test program|website=forums.magicengine.com}}</ref>  Taking into consideration [[overscan]] limitations of CRT televisions at the time, the horizontal resolutions were realistically limited to something a bit less than what the system was actually capable of.  Consequently, most game developers limited their games to either 256, 336, or 512 pixels in display width for each of the three modes.<ref name="pcenginefx.com forum">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6601.msg110493#msg110493|title=Login|website=www.pcenginefx.com}}</ref>
The Y (Vertical) Resolution was also variable, maximum of 242 (programmable in increments of 1 scanline).

[[Color depth|Color had a depth]] of [[List of monochrome and RGB color formats#9-bit RGB|9 bits]] with 512 colors available with up to 512 colors on screen (241 background and 240 [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]] colors from each of the two VDCs). There were 32 [[Palette (computing)|palettes]] in total: 16 for background tiles and 16 for sprites. Each sprite palette could have 15 colors defined, and had one transparent color index; and each background tile palette could have 15 colors defined, plus one color index whose color was a color that was shared across all background tile palettes.

128 sprites were simultaneously displayable with sizes of: 16×16, 16×32, 16×64, 32×16, 32×32, 32×64.  Each sprite can use up to 15 unique colors (one color must be reserved as transparent) via one of the 16 available sprite palettes. The dual HuC6270A VDCs are capable of displaying 2 sprite layers (1 each). Sprites could be placed either in front of or behind background tiles. Each layer can display 16 sprites or 256 sprite pixels per [[Scan line|scanline]], giving the combined sprite per scanline limit of 32 sprites or 512 sprite pixels.

Tiles were 8x8 with each background tile able to use up to 16 unique colors via one of the 16 available background palettes. The first color entry of each background palette must be the same across all background palettes.

===Audio capacity===
Six [[Wavetable Synthesis]] audio channels, programmable through the [[Hudson Soft HuC6280|HuC6280A]] CPU.
Each channel had a [[frequency]] of 111.87&nbsp;kHz for single cycle of 32 samples (while not in D/A mode) with a [[Audio bit depth|bit depth]] of 5 bits.  Each channel also was allotted 20 bytes (32×5 bits) of RAM for sample data.
The [[waveform]]s were programmable so the composers were not limited to the standard selection of waveforms ([[Square wave (waveform)|square]], [[Sine wave|sine]], [[Sawtooth wave|sawtooth]], [[Triangle wave|triangle]], etc.). But the use of standard waveforms, and semi-standard forms, such as a 25% pulse wave were used fairly often.
The first two audio channels (1 and 2) were capable of [[Low frequency oscillation|LFO]] when channel #2 was used to modulate channel #1.

Optional software enabled Direct [[Digital-to-analog converter|D/A]] which allows for sampled sound to be streamed into any of the six PSG audio channels. When a channel is in D/A mode the frequency is as fast as the CPU can stream bytes to the port, though in practicality it is limited to 6.99&nbsp;kHz when using the TIMER interrupt with its smallest loop setting (1023 cpu cycles) or 15.7&nbsp;kHz using the scanline interrupt.
There is a method that combines two channels in DDA mode to play back 8-bit, 9-bit, or 10-bit samples.
The addition of the [[CD-ROM]] peripheral adds [[Compact Disc Digital Audio|CD-DA]] sound, and a single [[Adaptive differential pulse-code modulation|ADPCM]] channel to the existing sound capabilities of the PC Engine.

===Software media===
The SuperGrafx is backwards compatible with all standard PC Engine [[HuCard]]-format games in addition to its own. The labels on SuperGrafx HuCards were upside-down relative to standard HuCards; A standard HuCard will read upside down on a SuperGrafx, while its own are right-side-up. The SuperGrafx is also compatible with the CD-ROM² and Super CD-ROM² System add-ons, allowing it to play any CD-ROM² format game with the required System Card. No SuperGrafx-specific CD-ROM² titles were produced.

==Peripherals==
[[File:NEC-PC-Engine-SuperGrafx-Controller.jpg|thumb|A SuperGrafx branded controller]]

The SuperGrafx is compatible with all standard PC Engine input devices, such as the TurboPad and the Multitap.

The ROM² Adaptor (RAU-30) was an adapter released in Japan on 20 April 1990<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pc-engine.co.uk/?section=accessories|title=PC-Engine|website=www.pc-engine.co.uk}}</ref> that allows the SuperGrafx unit to be connected into the CD-ROM² System Interface Unit. This was not required for the later Super CD-ROM² System add-on.

Power Console (PI-PD7)<ref name=powerconsolechirashi>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/gamesmasa/58960124.html|title=PC Engine SuperGrafx promotional pamphlet|language=Japanese|website=ゲーム広告資料館 [Game Advertisement Museum]}}</ref> was an unreleased cockpit-sized controller that attaches onto the SuperGrafx unit itself, connecting via the expansion port on the front side. The peripheral would have added numerous control options such as an eight-way joystick, four action buttons, [[Yoke (aeronautics)|a flight yoke]] with two triggers (one on each handle), a throttle lever, a [[jog dial]], three mode switches, an LCD panel, an LED indicator, four additional controller ports and a numerical keypad. The Power Console was scheduled to be released in Spring 1990 with a suggested retail price of 59,800 yen, but was never released due to its high production cost and the poor sales of the SuperGrafx itself.<ref name=famitsu19891110>{{cite journal|title=PCエンジンSG周辺機器早くも登場!!|trans-title=New PC Engine SG peripheral coming soon!|journal=Famicom Tsūshin|date=11 October 1989|volume=4|issue=23|language=Japanese|url=http://sayonarafamitsu.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-294.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gepachika.exblog.jp/4466088/|title=PC-ENGINE最終兵器|trans-title=The PC Engine's Ultimate Weapon|website=ゲームパッド地下秘密 [The Underground Secrets of the Gamepad]}}</ref>

==Software==
{{see|List of PC Engine games}}
There were only five SuperGrafx-specific HuCards produced.
*''[[1941: Counter Attack]]''
*''[[Aldynes]]''
*''[[Battle Ace]]''
*''[[Ghouls'n Ghosts|Daimakaimura]]''
*''[[Madö King Granzört]]''

In addition to these fives games, [[NEC Avenue]] also released ''[[Darius (video game)#Home conversions|Darius Plus]]'' as a standard PC Engine HuCard that offered slight enhancements when played on a SuperGrafx console. As such, it was the only commercially-released HuCard game to carry the PC-SG mark.<ref name=super_pcefan_vol1>{{cite magazine|title=スーパーPCエンジンファン|trans-title=Super PC Engine Fan|language=Japanese|volume=1|publisher=Tokuma Shoten Intermedia|date=15 January 1994}}</ref> A special version of ''Darius Plus'', titled ''Darius Alpha'', was also released as a sweepstakes giveaway, which was limited to 800 copies that were distributed on a weekly basis from 21 September through 16 November 1990.<ref name=dariuspluschirashi>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/gamesmasa/62328044.html|title=ダライアスプラス ( ゲーム ) - ゲーム広告資料館 - Yahoo!ブログ|language=Japanese}}</ref>

Many of the games that were announced for the PC Engine SuperGrafx were either canceled or repurposed into other formats. One notable example was the PC Engine port of ''[[Strider (1989 arcade game)|Strider Hiryu]]'', which was initially announced as a SuperGrafx title, but was ultimately released as an Arcade CD-ROM² disc.<ref name=edge9407>{{cite magazine|title=Prescreen|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|date=July 1994|page=38}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.pcenginefx.com/ pcenginefx] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822190447/http://www.pcenginefx.com/ |date=22 August 2018 }} - Enthusiast-run site for NEC video game consoles.

{{NEC video game consoles}}

[[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]]
[[Category:NEC consoles]]
[[Category:TurboGrafx-16]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1989]]
[[Category:Home video game consoles]]
[[Category:65xx-based video game consoles]]