Sega Virtua Processor

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Board of the game Virtua Racing: On the SVP in the middle there is still the thermal paste of the heat sink.

The Sega Virtua Processor ( SVP ) is a 16-bit DSP introduced in 1994 , which should support Sega 's video game console Mega Drive at the time when calculating complex 3D data. It can be seen as Sega's answer to Nintendo's Super FX chip , which has been used in various SNES games since 1993 .

processor

The SVP is a Samsung SSP1601 with Sega branding (Sega 315-5750) , in the homebrew scene it was assumed for a long time that the SVP could be an SH -DSP, since Sega in the 32X and Saturn processors of the type SH-1 and SH-2 installed.

The processor operates at 23 MHz, reaches 25 MIPS and renders the polygons in up to 16 colors. It is protected from overheating by means of a heat sink.

commitment

The first and only use for the SVP was in the mega-drive game Virtua Racing . The SVP was responsible for the calculation of the vector graphics. As an unpleasant side effect, there was an enormous increase in production costs, which resulted in the initial sales price in Germany at 199 DM (102 euros), while normal game modules were sold for 129 to 149 DM (66 to 76 euros). As a result, Virtua Racing remained the only game with SVP and Sega developed the additional 32X console. Due to incompatibility, Virtua Racing is the only game that cannot be played with the 32X, followed by a 32X version of Virtua Racing Deluxe , the content of which has been expanded and which now has its own coprocessor.

swell

  1. ↑ Data on SVP (English)
  2. ↑ Inside Virtua Racing (English)