Xref: utzoo comp.sys.amiga.misc:1505 comp.sys.mac.misc:9279 comp.sys.mac.games:3315 comp.sys.amiga.games:4917
Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!know!theep!wildcat!steve
From: steve@wildcat.UUCP (Steve Holland)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc,comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.games,comp.sys.amiga.games
Subject: Re:  Mac and Amiga (Games--Macintosh vs A500)
Message-ID: <steve.3816@wildcat.UUCP>
Date: 7 Mar 91 02:59:17 GMT
References: <27253@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> <1991Mar3.223546.12173@rice.edu> <23550@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Reply-To: wildcat!steve@theep.boston.ma.us
Lines: 50

>In article <23550@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccastcr@prism.gatech.EDU (Russo, Chris A.) writes:
>robbins@arcadien.rice.edu (Thomas Robbins) writes:
>[Bunch of stuff deleted]
>>However, I'm disappointed with the entertainment/sound/video. I have
>>just been shocked at seeing a friend's Amiga 500, with its mere 7MHz
>>68000, for crying out loud, BLOW AWAY my 68030 Mac with the Amiga video
>>clippings, sound/music emulation, and GAMES. (The color version of
>>Falcon put my Mac version to shame!) And he had *hundreds* of cool
>>games compared to maybe 4 comparable Mac games.
>There are no comparable Mac games.  Sadly, that's the total truth.

Yes. this is NEWS! It has been common knowledge for years. that the Amiga 
has the fastest graphics and best games around 
>>What's the deal? My friend says that it's because it has built-in
>>graphics co-processors.
>
>That's it exactly.  Its graphics coprocessor does all of the memory moves
>required to animate.  The Mac on the other hand, uses its cpu for _EACH_
>cryin' out loud memory move.

Even worse: the first Macs didn't even have a display chip or anything.
Not only did they do all graphics moves with the processor, but THE VIDEO
OUTPUT was done by the processor. The neat trick they used was to load
a word of graphics memory into a processor register, then connect one of
the data bus's lines DIRECTLY to the monitor. It outputed this word,
and then did a binary shift-right. This was repeated for each of the 16 
bits. This is what made the early Macs so SLOOOOWWWWWWWW.

>>I'm actually considering buying one of these, to supplement my mac.
>>(Heaven help me--a machine with DOS!) IS IT WORTH IT? I would use it
>>only for games, but I worry at buying a machine that's already four
>>years old, what with computer equipment being obsolete even before the
>>ink on your check is dry. And heck, it's only about the price of a good
>>modem!
Actually the A500 can be brought all the way up to 68030/25mhz capability
with currently available boards, and certain sources indicate that an 
'040 board may be on the way soon.

>Nah, buy one of the newer game systems like Genesis or Turbografx.  They're
>pretty awesome too.  Or better yet, wait until the Super Nintendo comes
>out later this year.  I think it's called Super Famicom now.  Don't despair
>too much, tho.  I bet you Apple puts a graphics coprocessor in one of their
>machines before the turn of the century.

Game machines like the Genesis and Turbografix pale in comparison.

----------->Steve Holland<-----------
Internet: wildcat!steve@alfalfa.com  | "I never let my schooling get in the
USENET:  ...!alphalpha!wildcat!steve | way of my education" -Mark Twain
<if alfalfa doesn't work, try alphalpha>