GX (graphics chip)
GX is the name of the GPU that lives within the Flipper and Hollywood chips of the GameCube and Wii, designed by ArtX (now AMD).[1] It is also present in the Wii U's Latte, although this is only for compatibility with Wii games; Wii U games instead use the GX2.
Hardware capabilities
- 243 MHz graphics chip
- 3MB embedded GPU memory (eDRAM)
- 2MB dedicated to Z-buffer and framebuffer
- 1MB texture cache
- 24MB 1T-SRAM @ 486 MHz (3.9GB/s) directly accessible for textures and other video data
- Fixed function pipeline (no support for programmable vertex or pixel shaders in hardware)
- Texture Environment Unit (TEV) - capable of combining up to 8 textures in up to 16 stages or "passes"
- ~30GB/s internal bandwidth^
- ~18 million polygons/second^
- 972Mpixels/sec peak pixel fillrate
Note: ^ denotes speculation: using confirmed AMD GameCube data x 1.5, a crude but likely accurate way of calculating the Wii's results based on clock speeds and identical architecture.
Texture Environment Unit
The Texture Environment Unit (TEV) is a unique piece of hardware exclusive to the GameCube and Wii. The Wii inherited the TEV from Flipper, and the TEV is—to use an analogy from Factor 5 director Julian Eggebrecht—"like an elaborate switchboard that makes the wildest combinations of textures and materials possible."[2]
The TEV pipeline combines up to 8 textures in up to 16 stages at once. Each stage can apply a multitude of functions to the texture. This was frequently used to simulate pixel shader effects such as bump-mapping, or to perform effects such as cel shading. On the GameCube, Factor 5's Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II used the TEV for the targeting computer effect and the simulated volumetric fog.[2] In another scenario, Wave Race: Blue Storm used the TEV notably for water distortion (such as refraction) and other water effects.[citation needed] The Wii's TEV unit and TEV capabilities are no different from the GameCube's, excluding indirect performance advantages from the faster clock speeds.[citation needed]
References
- ↑ Felix Domke (2004). "Gamecube Hacking" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eggebrecht, Julian (November 14, 2001). "PGC interviews Factor 5's Julian Eggebrecht: Technically speaking" (Interview). Interviewed by Nintendo World Report (Planet GameCube). Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Unknown parameter
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