this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2024
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About Nintendo 64 RCP not being made by SGI (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world
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I remember one post from a lot of years ago, in some web I can not remember, about Nintendo 64 manufacture history. I remember that it said that Sillicom Graphics (SGI) had heavy issues during the design/manufacture of the N64 RCP coprocessor. Because of this, finally this chip was made by other company, not SGI.

Recently I looked for that post but could not find it. I read other posts about this history but none talks about this SGI issue thing.

Does somebody know anything about this? Maybe is just me remembering it wrong.

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[–] SL3wvmnas@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Says here SGI demoed the coprocessor to both Nintendo and Sega. Sega bowed out after their engineers found / perceived problems with the SGI design. I do not remember any behind the scenes article about the realtionship between Nintendo and SGI but having heard a lot of stories, I suspect the read would be entertaining ...

[–] farcaster@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's basically an NEC VR4300. Produced by NEC based on a MIPS R4300i.

https://n64brew.dev/wiki/VR4300

[–] IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Sorry, I was talking about the RCP, not CPU. I already fixed the OP. Thanks anyway.

[–] RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

SGI only made the RCP, Reality CoProcessor.

NEC (who sold the PC Engine, PC-FX consoles and the PC-98XX series home computers at the time) licensed the MIPS R4200 CPU designs from MTI. They then created the derivative CPU the N64 used, the MIPS VR4300i.

[–] IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

You are right about the RCP. I fixed the op. Thanks.