Pointless PC-FX musings

[elmer]

Now that I've gone through the SDK docs, all that I can say is ... what a strange machine!

Not in terms of how the technical capabilities are implemented, but more in the lost opportunity.

If they had included the 3D chip that's in the PC-FX GA boards, then it could have been an interesting follow-up to the PCE. Possibly a little under-powered compared to the competition, but it could have been a real competitor with the right software.

Without it ... it's a severe disappointment. More of a 4.5th generation machine than a 5th generation machine.

I'd describe it as the combination of a SuperGrafx, a SuperNES and a VCD.

It was crazy for NEC to release it at the same time as the PS1 and Saturn.

As it is ... I'm having a hard time at the moment thinking of a game that I'd want to write for it that wouldn't just end up being a SuperGrafx game with an unnecessary extra layer of foreground and background parallax.

[SamIAm]

One concept that I always liked to imagine was a Mario 1-style scrolling platformer - the key factor being that it scrolls in only one direction - with streamed FMV backgrounds.

[NecroPhile]

As it is ... I'm having a hard time at the moment thinking of a game that I'd want to write for it that wouldn't just end up being a SuperGrafx game with an unnecessary extra layer of foreground and background parallax.

The same could be said about the SGX: any game made for it would just be a PCE game with more unnecessary sprites and background layers.  Silly, no?  Even if you didn't use the FMV abilities, every other technical spec (color palette, load times, ram, etc.) is better on the FX.

[elmer]

One concept that I always liked to imagine was a Mario 1-style scrolling platformer - the key factor being that it scrolls in only one direction - with streamed FMV backgrounds.

Yes, streamed FMV backgrounds are the obvious "killer" feature that really couldn't have been done before.

I can image a silpheed-lost-planet style shooter with detailed pre-rendered backgrounds, and possibly even some branching FMV for huge boss fights.

Unfortunately, that would be prohibitively expensive to make, especially as a homebrew game today.

[BlueBMW]

So the PC-FX could have been like the Laseractive?

[elmer]

The same could be said about the SGX: any game made for it would just be a PCE game with more unnecessary sprites and background layers.  Silly, no?  Even if you didn't use the FMV abilities, every other technical spec (color palette, load times, ram, etc.) is better on the FX.

True ... but I'd argue that once you go beyond a certain point, everything else is just visual gravy and doesn't change/improve the gameplay.

Although the PCE is full of really excellent games that I love and, through clever programming tricks, simulates a credible parallax layer in various games, I'd still say that the SGX's 2nd video chip and true 2nd layer really does allow a major qualitative difference in certain game designs.

For instance ... there's the thread here talking about Stryder and it's 'sequel' Osman.

I'm not seeing anything in the Osman playthough video that shouldn't be possible on the SGX (and easy on the PC-FX) ... but I'd hate to try to do it on the PCE.

But once you've got that 2nd layer and so true foreground/background ... the differences become less significant.

Yes, the extra power is good ... but the next really useful step forward is a bitmapped layer and fast distorted blitting ... as the PC-FX's 3D chip would have allowed (if it had been included as standard), or as provided on the Saturn and PS1.

Beyond that we get into real polygonal 3D ... but I can't stand the poor 3D on the 5th-gen console machines. IMHO anyone really wanting 3D during those years was playing on a PC with a 3DFX Voodoo card!

[elmer]

So the PC-FX could have been like the Laseractive?

Haha ... yes ... good point!

I always forget about the Laseractive for some reason.

I've not seen how much control the PCE really has over the Laseractive's video playback ... it may be the case that the PC-FX's in-memory buffering of the video data would allow for some effects not possible on the Laseractive ... but I'm just wildly speculating on that.

[BlueBMW]

It seems like the Laser active games can control the video playback or even pull up individual frames.  Games like rocket coaster vary the playback speed even.  Other than that though it's all just graphics laid on top of the video.

[EvilEvoIX]

The more I read about this system, the more confused I am about it's target market I become.  It's a 32BIT FMV Machine.

[NecroPhile]

The target market is obviously the same as the other 32bit machines, they just gambled (and lost) on FMV being more popular and versatile than real 3D.

[elmer]

The more I read about this system, the more confused I am about it's target market I become.  It's a 32BIT FMV Machine.

I can understand how you'd see that ... but it's a very, very capable 32-bit 2D machine, and that's still it's core.

But, as Necromancer says,  it does look like they bet that FMV games would be popular enough that they could sell it that way and then sell the 3D chip as an add-on later.

Unfortunately for them, the FMV fad passed even quicker than the recent 3DTV debacle ... and their competitors shipped with 3D-capability as standard.