PlayStation technical specifications#Graphics processing unit (GPU)

LSI CoreWare CW33300-based core{{Cite web|url=http://patpend.net/technical/psx/LSI.htm|title=FastForward Sony Taps LSI Logic for PlayStation Video Game CPU Chip|access-date=2016-10-05|archive-date=2019-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723220136/https://patpend.net/technical/psx/LSI.htm|url-status=live}}

• MIPS R3000A-compatible 32-bit RISC CPU MIPS R3051 with 5 KB L1 cache, running at 33.8688 MHz.{{cite magazine|title=Sony's PlayStation Debuts in Japan!|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=65|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=December 1994|page=70}}
• The microprocessor was manufactured by LSI Logic Corp. with technology licensed from SGI.
• Features:
• Initial feature size (process node) was 0.5 micron (500 nm).{{cite web | url=http://patpend.net/technical/psx/LSI.htm | title=FastForward Sony Taps LSI Logic for PlayStation Video Game CPU Chip | publisher=FastForward | access-date=29 January 2014 | archive-date=23 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723220136/https://patpend.net/technical/psx/LSI.htm | url-status=live }}
• 850k – 1M transistors{{cite magazine|title=LSI Builds Custom CPU for Sony PlayStation|magazine=Microprocessor Report|issue=9|volume=8|publisher=MicroDesign Resources|date=July 11, 1994|url=https://websrv.cecs.uci.edu/~papers/mpr/MPR/ARTICLES/080902.pdf|access-date=September 17, 2024|archive-date=September 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917121534/https://websrv.cecs.uci.edu/~papers/mpr/MPR/ARTICLES/080902.pdf|url-status=live}}
• Operating performance: 30 MIPS{{cite magazine|title=Inside the PlayStation |magazine=Next Generation|issue=6|publisher=Imagine Media|date=June 1995|page=51|url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-006}}
• Bus bandwidth 132 MB/s{{cite magazine|title=Tech Specs: Sony PlayStation|magazine=Next Generation|issue=12|publisher=Imagine Media|date=December 1995|page=40}}
• One arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)
• One shifter
• CPU cache RAM:
• 4 KB instruction cache
• 1 KB data cache configured as a scratchpad{{cite book|title=Net Yaroze User Guide|publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment Inc|date=February 1997|page=14}}

Geometry Transformation Engine (GTE)

• Coprocessor that resides inside the main CPU processor, giving it additional vector math instructions used for 3D graphics, lighting, geometry, polygon and coordinate transformations{{snd}} GTE performs high-speed matrix multiplications.
• Operating performance: 66 MIPS
• Uses fixed point arithmetic, different operations used different representations[https://psx.arthus.net/sdk/Psy-Q/DOCS/TRAINING/FALL96/gte.pdf PlayStation Developer Seminar / Fall ‘96 / GTE & Advanced Graphics]
• Polygons per second (rendered in hardware):
• 90,000 with texture mapping, lighting and Gouraud shading{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}
• 180,000 with texture mapping{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.tv/playstation/hall-fame-sony-playstation/feature|title=Hall of Fame: Sony PlayStation, the games console that changed everything|author=Karl Hodge}}
• 360,000{{cite magazine|title=Sony PlayStation|magazine=GamePro|issue=72 |publisher=IDG|date=September 1994|page=20}} with flat shading

Motion Decoder (MDEC)

• Also residing within the main CPU, enables full screen, high quality FMV playback and is responsible for decompressing images and video into VRAM.
• Operating performance: 80 MIPS
• Documented device mode is to read three RLE-encoded 16×16 macroblocks, run IDCT and assemble a single 16×16 RGB macroblock.
• Output data may be transferred directly to GPU via DMA.
• It is possible to overwrite IDCT matrix and some additional parameters, however MDEC internal instruction set was never documented.
• It is directly connected to a CPU bus.

System Control Coprocessor (Cop0){{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}

• This unit is part of the CPU. Has 16 32-bit control registers.
• Modified from the original R3000A cop0 architecture, with the addition of a few registers and functions.
• Controls memory management through virtual memory technique, system interrupts, exception handling, and breakpoints.

• 2 MiB main EDO DRAM
• Additional RAM is integrated with the GPU (including a 1 MB framebuffer) and SPU (512 KB), see below for details.
• Cache RAM for CPU core and CD-ROM. See the relevant sections for details.
• Flash RAM support through the use of memory cards, see below.
• BIOS stored on 512 KB ROM

32-bit Sony GPU (designed by Toshiba){{Cite web|url=https://www.computer.org/publications/tech-news/chasing-pixels/is-it-time-to-rename-the-gpu|title=Is it Time to Rename the GPU? | IEEE Computer Society|access-date=2019-07-18|archive-date=2023-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012040246/https://www.computer.org/publications/tech-news/chasing-pixels/is-it-time-to-rename-the-gpu/|url-status=live}}

• Handles display of graphics, control of framebuffer, and drawing of polygons and textures{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}
• Handles 2D graphics processing, in a similar manner to the 3D engine{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}
• RAM:{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}
• 1 MB VRAM (later models contained SGRAM) for framebuffer
• 2 KB texture cache (132{{nbsp}}MB/s memory bus bandwidth, 32-bit wide)
• 64 bytes FIFO buffer
• Features:
• Adjustable framebuffer (1024×512)
• Emulation of simultaneous backgrounds (to simulate parallax scrolling)
• Mask bit
• Texture window
• Dithering
• Clipping
• Alpha blending (4 per-texel alpha blending modes)
• Fog
• Framebuffer effects
• Transparency effects
• Render to texture
• Offscreen rendering
• Multipass rendering
• Flat or Gouraud shading and texture mapping
• No line restriction
• Colored light sourcing
• Resolutions:
• Progressive: 256×224 to 640×240 pixels
• Interlaced: 256×448 to 640×480 pixels
• Colors:
• Maximum color depth of 16,777,216 colors (24-bit true color)
• 57,344 (256×224) to 153,600 (640×240) colors on screen
• Unlimited color lookup tables (CLUTs)
• 32 levels of transparency
• All calculations are performed to 24 bit accuracy
• Texture mapping color mode:{{cite magazine |title=Sony PlayStation|magazine=Next Generation|issue=24 |publisher=Imagine Media|date=December 1996|page=50}}
• Mode 4: 4-bit CLUT (16 colors)
• Mode 8: 8-bit CLUT (256 colors)
• Mode 15: 15-bit direct (32,768 colors)
• Mode 24: 24-bit (16,777,216 colors)
• Sprite engine{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}
• 1024×512 framebuffer, 8×8 and 16×16 sprite sizes, bitmap objects{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}
• Up to 4,000 sprites on screen (at 8×8 sprite size), scaling and rotation{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/nextgen-issue-001/Next_Generation_Issue_001_January_1995#page/n47/mode/2up/|title=NEXT Generation Issue #1 January 1995|date=January 1995}}
• 256×256 maximum sprite size
• Special sprite effects:
• Rotation
• Scaling up/down
• Warping
• Transparency
• Fading
• Priority
• Vertical and horizontal line scroll
• Pixel fillrate (theoretical maximum):{{Cite web |title=GPU Rendering Timings - PlayStation Development Network |url=https://www.psxdev.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4141 |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=www.psxdev.net}}
• 66 MPixel/s flat shaded polygons
• 33 MPixel/s Gouraud shaded polygons
• 33 MPixel/s for textured polygons with optional Gourard shading
• Actual fill rate is lower due to polygon overhead or texture cache misses

16-bit Sony SPU

• Supports ADPCM sources with up to 24 channels
• Sampling rate of up to 44.1 kHz
• 512 KB RAM
• PCM audio source
• Supports MIDI sequencing
• Digital effects include:
• Pitch modulation
• Envelope
• Looping
• Digital reverb

CD-ROM drive

• 660{{nbsp}}MB maximum storage capacity, double speed (CLV) CD-ROM drive
• 2×, with a maximum data throughput of 300 KB/s (double speed), 150{{nbsp}}KB/s (normal)
• 32 KB data buffer{{cite web |title=Nocash PSXSPX Playstation Specifications - CDROM - Response/Data Queueing |url=http://problemkaputt.de/psx-spx.htm#cdromresponsedataqueueing |access-date=2023-05-21 |archive-date=2015-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022221601/http://problemkaputt.de/psx-spx.htm#cdromresponsedataqueueing |url-status=live }}
• XA Mode 2 compliant
• Audio CD play
• CD-DA (CD-Digital Audio)
• Rated for 70,000 seek operations{{Cite web|url=https://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/02/06/making-crash-bandicoot-part-5/|title=Making Crash Bandicoot – part 5|date=6 February 2011|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-date=13 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313232731/http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/02/06/making-crash-bandicoot-part-5/|url-status=live}}

Two control pads via connectors

• Expandable with multitap connector

Backup flash RAM support

• Two removable cards
• Each card has 128 KB flash memory
• OS support for File Save, Retrieve and Remove
• Some games (like "Music 2000") can use Memory Cards as main RAM, to store data for real time processing, bypassing the 2MB RAM limit.{{Citation needed|reason=Online descriptions of Music 2000 only describe writing and reading data to the Memory Card in the usual fashion|date=January 2025}}

Video and audio connectivity

• AV Multi Out (Composite video, S-Video, RGBS)
• RCA Composite video and Stereo out (SCPH-100x to 5000 only)
• RFU (SCPH-112X) DC out (SCPH-100x to 5000 only)
• S-Video out (SCPH-1000 only)

Serial and parallel ports

• Serial I/O (used for PlayStation Link Cable SCPH-100x to 900x only)
• Parallel I/O (N/A) SCPH-100x to 750x only)

Power input

• 100 V AC (NTSC-J); 120 V AC (NTSC-U/C); or 220–240 V AC (PAL)
• 7.5 V DC 2 A (PSone only)

• PlayStation 2 technical specifications
• PlayStation 3 technical specifications
• PlayStation 4 technical specifications

{{reflist|2}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/19991204164024/http://www.playstation.com:80/hardware/launchmain_hware.html The PlayStation's technical specifications on the official website]

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Technical specifications

Category:Video game hardware

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