Pole Position : the first 16 bit arcade?

Regarding the original discussion... I'm not sure if I'd call Pole Position a 16-bit game. Yes, it has 2x 16-bit processors, but I believe the main program executes from the Z80, which is 8-bit. That's like calling the Sega Dreamcast a 128-bit console, because it had a 128-bit GPU (but a 32-bit CPU). The lines are sorta blurred when you start talking about something with multiple processors (and in the bit race, left up to marketing to decide how many bits the system is... I'm looking at you, Atari Jaguar).

The Z80 manages the supervisor which does the initialization, handles service mode and drives the sound. The game logic and graphics are handled by the two Z8002s.
 
Gyruss was the first arcade to have stereo sound....sinistar was the first to have stereo, but only in the sit down version.

The upright Sinistar hardware only had one D/A for audio, is there a different sound board for the sit down version?

As for Stereo, Deathrace/Destruction Derby/Demolition Derby/Alley Ralley are all "Stereo" two separate channels one for each player. There is probably earlier BW games as well.
 
The upright Sinistar hardware only had one D/A for audio, is there a different sound board for the sit down version?

As for Stereo, Deathrace/Destruction Derby/Demolition Derby/Alley Ralley are all "Stereo" two separate channels one for each player. There is probably earlier BW games as well.

And if so, couldn't the speaker panel be modified with 2 holes in the wood for 2 speakers - stereo in the upright cabinet?
 
What a buncha nerds. :D

Only on here would people be arguing about bit rates and data paths, and which processor in a game/system determines it's rating.

Y'all crack me up! :D
 
This MAY be correct as pole position uses a Motorola 68K variant processor. It's actually 32bit INTERNAL architecture but some variants had 8 or 16bit external busses. (It took multiple bus cycles to read or write data)

Pole position uses a Z8002s (shared 16-bit address/data bus), not anything 68k.
 
Yes,

I edited my post. I was thinking of Hang on. I had both of them around the same time and remember working on one of them that was 68K. It was like 12 years ago so my memory blurred the two similar playing games together. Sorry!
 
false.

The diagram clearly shows that the coin switch, coin counter, bazooka, box switches, position pot, and both speakers are all connected to 1 wire, which are magically multiplexed by the upsidedown menorah. ;)

ROFL!!

Where can I get some of these "upside down menorah" thingys? It would be great to be able to replace the entire wiring harness with 1 wire!! It could even go out of the cabinet to the AC outlet!!!
 
The upright Sinistar hardware only had one D/A for audio, is there a different sound board for the sit down version?

As for Stereo, Deathrace/Destruction Derby/Demolition Derby/Alley Ralley are all "Stereo" two separate channels one for each player. There is probably earlier BW games as well.

Sinistar isn't stereo, there is only one sound output stream. Even if the sitdown has two speakers it's not true stereo, it's just mono sound routed to two speakers.
 
I'm not sure what designates a game as 8-bit or 16 bits,
but I know the eproms were only 8-bit wide.

And I believe the data bus was also only 8-bit wide.

So unless the CPU read from two eproms at once (...which would seem unlikely),
I'm not sure if this fully qualifies as a true 16-bit game...

S.

You sir, intrigued me to look.. it seems the low 8 bits latch from the eprom into custom 10@3F, the high 8 bits into custom 10@4F, so the CPU does indeed get 16 bits at once.

I learned something new today (useless, but new).
 
I'm not sure what designates a game as 8-bit or 16 bits,
but I know the eproms were only 8-bit wide.

And I believe the data bus was also only 8-bit wide.

So unless the CPU read from two eproms at once (...which would seem unlikely),
I'm not sure if this fully qualifies as a true 16-bit game...

S.

That's exactly what they do... high byte from 1 eprom, low byte from another.
16-bit eproms were uncommon.
 

3AYOD


5 separate analog sound generators, combined into 2 different channels with separate amps.

Ambulance, motorcycle and shot on channel 1
Motor and explosions on channel 2.

Not monaural.
 
Gyruss was the first arcade to have stereo sound....sinistar was the first to have stereo, but only in the sit down version.

Pole Position cockpit not only has stereo sound, it has four channel surround sound. The test mode plays audio noises in the four distinct speakers. Two up front and two behind the seat.
 
Yup, only a 32 bit data bus.

JD

Sounds like the arguments years ago over whether Atari's Jaguar system was truly 64-bit or 32-bit. I think the general consensus was that it was a 32-bit system:
 
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