PlayStation 2 technical specifications

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An SCPH-10000 motherboard
An SCPH-30001 motherboard
An SCPH-39001 Motherboard
An SCPH-70001 motherboard
An SCPH-79001 motherboard

The PlayStation 2 technical specifications describe the various components of the PlayStation 2 (PS2) video game console.

Overview

The

DVD-ROM optical drive and DualShock 2
controller, provide the software and user control input.

PlayStation 2 software is distributed on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. In addition, the console can play audio CDs and DVD movies, and is

I/O processor, clocked at 36.864 MHz in PS2 mode.[1] The PS2 also supports full functionality with the original PlayStation memory cards and controllers. The PS2's DualShock 2 controller is an upgraded version of the PlayStation's DualShock with analog face, shoulder and D-pad buttons replacing the digital buttons of the original.[2] Like its predecessor, the DualShock 2 controller features force feedback
technology.

The standard PlayStation 2 memory card has an 8 MB capacity and uses Sony's MagicGate encryption. This requirement prevented the production of memory cards by third parties who did not purchase a MagicGate license. Memory cards without encryption can be used to store PlayStation game saves, but PlayStation games would be unable to read from or write to the card – such a card could only be used as a backup. There are a variety of non-Sony manufactured memory cards available for the PlayStation 2, allowing for a larger memory capacity than the standard 8 MB. However their use is unsupported and compatibility is not guaranteed. These memory cards can have up to 128 MB storage space.

The console also features

ISO image from a USB flash drive or operate a USB printer, as the machine's operating system does not include this functionality. By contrast, Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy are programmed to save screenshots to a USB mass storage device and print images on certain USB printers. A PlayStation 2 HDD can be installed via the expansion bay in the back of the console, and was required to play certain games, notably the popular Final Fantasy XI.[3]

Central processing unit

Emotion Engine CPU as found in the SCPH-7000x
The combined EE+GS+RDRAM+DRAM found in the SCPH-7900x and SCPH-9000x series
The ASIC from the SCPH-90001 (CXD2976GB) shaved down to show the EE+GS+RDRAM+DRAM silicon

Interfaces

  • I/O processor interconnection: remote procedure call over a serial link, DMA controller for bulk transfer
  • Main RDRAM memory bus. Bandwidth: 3.2 GB/s
  • Graphics interface (GIF), DMA channel that connects the EE CPU to the GS ("Graphics Synthesizer") co-processor. To draw something to the screen, one must send, using 1 of 3 data paths, render commands & assets to the GS via the GIF channel: 64-bit, 150 MHz bus, maximum theoretical bandwidth of 1.2 GB/s.[6]
  • Graphics Synthesizer
    for rendering.
  • Vector Unit Interface (VIF), consists of two DMA channels VIF0 for VPU0 and VIF1 for VPU1. Vector units and the main CPU communicate via VIF DMA channels.
  • SIF – Serial Interface or Subsystem Interface which consists of 3 DMA channels:
    • Subsystem Interface 0 (SIF0) and Subsystem Interface 1 (SIF1), used for communication between the EE main CPU and IOP co-processor. These are serial DMA channels where both CPUs can send commands and establish communication through an RPC protocol.
    • Subsystem Interface 2 (SIF2), used for backwards compatibility with PS1 games and debugging.

Performance

  • Floating point performance: 6.2 
    GFLOPS
    (single precision 32-bit floating point)
    • FPU 0.64 GFLOPS
    • VU0 2.44 GFLOPS[13][14]
    • VU1 3.08 GFLOPS (Including internal 0.64 GFLOPS EFU)
  • Tri-strip geometric transformation (VU0+VU1): 150 million vertices per second[15]
    • 3D CG geometric transformation with raw 3D perspective operations (VU0+VU1): 66–80+ million vertices per second[9]
    • 3D CG geometric transformations at peak bones/movements/effects (textures)/lights (VU0+VU1, parallel or series): 15–20 million vertices per second[15] [16] [17] [18]
    • Lighting: 38 million polygons/second
    • Fog: 36 million polygons/second
    • Curved surface generation (Bézier): 16 million polygons/second [15]
    • Image processing performance: 150 million pixels/second
    • Actual real-world polygons (per frame): range of 500–600k at 30 FPS, 250–300k at 60 FPS [17]
  • Instructions per second: 6,000 MIPS (million instructions per second)[19]

System memory

Graphics processing unit

  • Parallel rendering processor with embedded DRAM "Graphics Synthesizer" (GS) clocked at 147.456 MHz
  • 279 mm² die (combined EE+GS in SCPH-7500x: 86 mm², 53.5 million transistors)
  • Dedicated connection from and to EE and VU1 via GIF
  • Programmable CRT controller (PCRTC) for output
    • Video output resolution: Variable from 256×224 to 1920×1080[27] [28]
      • NTSC (interleaved/progressive scan): 256 x 448/224, 320 x 448/224, 384 x 448/224, 512 x 448/224 or 640 x 448/224
      • PAL (interleaved/progressive scan): 256 x 512/256, 320 x 512/256, 384 x 512/256, 512 x 512/256 or 640 x 512/256
      • VESA: 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768 or 1280×1024 pixels
      • DTV: 720 x 480 (480p) or 1920 x 1080 (1080i)
  • 4 MB of embedded DRAM as video memory
    • 48 
      gigabytes per second
      peak bandwidth
      • Texture buffer bandwidth: 9.6 GB/s
      • Frame buffer bandwidth: 38.4 GB/s
  • eDRAM bus width: 2560-bit (composed of three independent buses: 1024-bit write, 1024-bit read, 512-bit read/write)
  • Pixel configuration: RGB:alpha, 24:8, 15:1; 16-, 24-, or 32-bit Z-buffer
  • Display color depth: 32-bit (RGBA: 8 bits each)
  • Pixel/Texel pipelines: 16 (unified) [21] [29] [28]
    • Raster setup & execution consists of the entire block of 16 pixel pipes being involved in every stage of drawing a frame, in parallel, being equipped to handle processing functions such as fogging, texture mapping, AA and more, cycles split between all pipes [28]
      • On their own, the 16 pipes output/process 16 pixels/cycle (1 pixel/pipe), giving a maximum throughput of 2400 megapixels/sec, at the GS's max clock speed, which includes 32bit pixels & all the systems basic alpha-blending, Z-buffering & filtering operations [28]
      • When needing to do texture mapping, the 16 pipes output/process 8 pixel/cycle & 8 texels/cycle, per each pipe, in parallel, for a maximum throughput of 1200 megapixels & 1200 megatexels [28]
      • The hardware's native fogging & AA uses additional cycles which reduces the overall throughput; but AA & fogging can be done as a post effect, using full-screen passes or sprites, and VRAM imaging operations, using then just a part of a said 2d vfx budget, as opposed to lowering the ceiling, perpetually, from the prior said textured fill-rate figure [30] [21] [9]
  • Overall pixel fillrate: 16 × 147 Mpix/s = 2.352 gigapixel/s
    • 1.2 gigapixel/s (with Z-buffer, alpha, and texture)
    • With no texture, flat shaded: 2.4 Gpix/s (75,000,000 32-pixel raster triangles)
    • With 1 full texture (diffuse map), Gouraud shaded: 1.2 Gpix/s (37,750,000 32-bit pixel raster triangles)
    • Texture fillrate: 1.2 Gtexel/s
    • Sprite drawing rate: 18.75 million/s (8×8 pixels)
    • Particle drawing rate: 150 million/s
  • Polygon drawing rate: 75 million/s (small polygon)
    • 50 million/s (48-pixel quad with Z and A)
    • 30 million/s (50-pixel triangle with Z and A)
    • 25 million/s (48-pixel quad with Z, A and T)
    • 16 million/s (75-pixel triangle with Z, A, T and fog) [28]
Graphics Synthesizer as found in SCPH-390xx

GS effects include: Dot3 bump mapping (

mipmapping, spherical harmonic lighting,[32] alpha blending, alpha test, destination alpha test, depth test, scissor test, transparency effects, framebuffer effects, post-processing effects, perspective-correct texture mapping, edge-AAx2 (poly sorting required),[9] bilinear, trilinear texture filtering, multi-pass, palletizing (6:1 ratio 4-bit; 3:1 ratio 8-bit), offscreen drawing, framebuffer mask, flat shading, Gouraud shading, cel shading, dithering, texture swizzling
.

Audio

  • Audio: "SPU1+SPU2" (SPU1 in question is the CPU clocked at 8 MHz; SPU2 is the SPU from the PS1)
    • Sound Memory: 2 MB
    • Number of voices: 48 hardware channels of ADPCM on SPU2 plus software-mixed definable, programmable channels
    • Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz (selectable)
    • PCM audio source
    • Digital effects include:
      • Pitch Modulation
      • Envelope
      • Looping
      • Digital Reverb
    • Load up to 512K of sampled waveforms
    • Supports MIDI Instruments
    • Output:
      Dolby Pro Logic II

I/O processor (IOP)

Connectivity

  • 2 proprietary PlayStation controller ports (250 kHz clock for PS1 and 500 kHz for PS2 controllers)
  • 2 proprietary Memory Card slots using MagicGate encryption (250 kHz for PS1 cards. Up to 2 MHz for PS2 cards with an average sequential read speed of 130 KB/s)
  • 2 USB 1.1 ports with an OHCI-compatible controller
  • AV Multi Out ()
  • RFU DC Out
  • S/PDIF Digital Out
  • Network Adaptor (required for HDD, SCPH-300xx to 500xx only)[33]
  • PC Card slot for Network Adaptor (PC Card type) and External Hard Disk Drive (SCPH-10000, SCPH-15000, SCPH-18000 models)[34]
  • Emotion Engine (EE) includes an on-chip Serial I/O port (SIO) used internally by the EE's kernel to output debugging and messages and to start the kernel debugger.
  • Ethernet port (Slim only)
  • i.LINK S400 (also known as FireWire 400 or IEEE 1394a) (SCPH-10000 to 3900x only)[35]
  • Infrared remote control port (SCPH-500xx and newer)[36]

^† Standard RGB mode only allows interlaced modes up to 480i (NTSC) and 576i (PAL) and progressive modes up to 240p. A display or adapter capable of sync on green (RGsB) is necessary for higher modes. Furthermore, the PS2's Macrovision copy protection isn't compatible with either RGB mode, and thus DVDs cannot be played with RGB. However, motherboard modifications have been known to bypass these issues.
^†† VGA connector is only available for progressive-scan supported games, homebrew-enabled systems, and Linux for PlayStation 2, and requires a monitor that supports RGsB, or "sync on green" signals.
^††† Contrary to popular belief, the PS2's YPBPR/component output does fully support 240p outputs, including games from the original PlayStation. However, 240p isn't part of the YPBPR standard, and thus not all TVs and HDTVs support it. Upscaling can be used as a workaround.

Optical disc drive

  • Disc Drive type: proprietary interface through a custom micro-controller + DSP chip. 24x speed CD-ROM [3.6 MB/s], 4x speed DVD-ROM [5.28 MB/s] — region-locked with copy protection.
  • Supported Disc Media: PlayStation 2 format CD-ROM, PlayStation format CD-ROM,
    DVD-RW
    compatible.

See also

References

  1. ^ Stuart, Keith (12 December 2013). "PS4 and Xbox One: so why aren't they backwards compatible?". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Dual Shock 2 Review". IGN. September 27, 2001. Archived from the original on 2011-05-15. Retrieved February 7, 2011. The biggest difference between the Dual Shock 2 and the original… all of the buttons and even the digital pad offer analog support. This means that the d-pad, the four face buttons and the four shift buttons are all pressure-sensitive and have 255 degrees of sensitivity. It is also worth noting that the Dual Shock 2 is a bit lighter than the original Dual Shock because it appears to have less in the way of gears for the vibration function of the controller.
  3. ^ "Final Fantasy XI Review for PlayStation 2 – GameSpot". Uk.gamespot.com. March 23, 2004. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  4. ^ Keith Diefendorff. "Sony's Emotionally Charged Chip". Microprocessor Report, Volume 13, Number 5, April 19, 1999. Microdesign Resources.
  5. ^ . Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  6. ^ Sony Interactive Entertainment sie.com[dead link]
  7. ^ "ソニー、65nm対応の半導体設備を導入。3年間で2,000億円の投資". pc.watch.impress.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2016-08-13.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Tapping into the power of PS2" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2010. See bits on ps2's TnL & data setup. Also, look to pages 25 & 26 for a comparison of the ps2 to a PC architecture & memory setup, showing ps2 is based more around fast streaming of assets, as well as page 42 for a simple FSAA example.
  9. ^ "Emotion". Kim L. Vu. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  10. ^ "Aaron D Lanterman" (PDF). users.ece.gatech.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-10-24.
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2016-02-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Vector Unit Architecture for Emotion Synthesis". Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  13. ^ "Designing and Programming the Emotion Engine" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  14. ^ a b c "Inside the Playstation 2". philvaz.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  15. ^ Malice PS2 Q&A See second question.
  16. ^ a b Amon Ra Prototype
  17. ^ Coding Secrets/Game Hut See Coding Secrets video on PS2's poly count and particle effects.
  18. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-09-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ Reaching for the Limits of PS2 Performance See pages 15 & 18, also, for an example of the default setup including sending textures, stored into main RAM at load up, to the GS, via the GIF.
  20. ^ a b c d e f PS2 Optimizations See pages 11-13 about texture syncing & transfer methods, an example of the PS2's setup. Also, see pg.29 for fill-rate for 4 passes, per second, likely at the standard PAL or NTSC rates of 50 Hz or 60 Hz, along with more evidence about using full-screen passes to implement bump mapping, with an example for alternative fogging being shown on pg.31.
  21. ^ MDK2 Armageddon Chat Transcript "DavidBioWare What we've found since then is that the PS2 has enough bus bandwidth to transfer each texture from main memory to video memory as it's needed. That's on the order to 100s of Mb per second. We hadn't anticipated that the PS2 had that kind of brute horsepower on its bus. No other machine I've used does, including any PC or the Dreamcast. We had to reorient our thinking after that. :) So now we have almost more texture memory than we know what to do with."
  22. ^ a b Sony's Emotionally Charged Chip See pages 1, 2 & 4
  23. ^ a b PS2 Dev Wiki - IOP
  24. ^ Introducing PS2 to PC programmers See pg.10 for IOP/SPU2 block
  25. ^ PS2 Dev Wiki - SPU2
  26. ^ "GS Mode Selector: Development & Feedback". psx-scene.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-03.
  27. ^
    Sony Computer Entertainment
    , 2001. See chapter/section 5.1.2 for ps2's output resolutions. Also, see chapter 1.2, specifically the diagram of pg.16 & "Pixel Pipeline" of pg.17, as well as chapter 3.1, namely Rasterizing (DDA) of pg.37, showing all the pixel pipes are involved in doing these operations, in parallel, including texture mapping. Lastly, look at pg.18 for GS performance figures.
  28. ^ GS User's Manual Supplement. See chapter 1.4 about texturing via the DRAM & pixel engines.
  29. ^ Using the Z Buffer for Visual and Special Effects
  30. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-05-16. Retrieved 2016-01-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. ^ "Practical Implementation of SH Lighting and HDR Rendering". slidegur.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-09.
  32. ^ "Model numbers for PlayStation 2 and PS2 accessories". Archived from the original on 2010-03-16.
  33. ^ "Model numbers for PlayStation 2 and PS2 accessories". Archived from the original on 2010-03-16.
  34. ^ "PlayStation 2 SCPH-39001 Instruction manual". Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  35. ^ "SCEI Launches PlayStation 2 New Model SCPH-50000" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2013-12-16.