CompSci//Media Arts - Ram, Rom, Video Games

CompSci//Media Arts

Computer Science 1

Hardware in Early Video Games:
Ram, Rom, Bits, & DRM

Today's Goal

Continue learning about hardware in
relation to early video game consoles.

Completed

Encryption vs Encoding
Revisit Info Theory Concept
About Control Flow
Flux

Today

Learn about RAM, ROM, & DRM

Upcoming

Quiz eventually

Ram vs Rom

As we look at today's content, they'll mentioned a variety of different hardware components. The most important today are the ROM, RAM, and Bus. The bus is pretty well explained in one of the following videos, but let's make sure you have a decent understanding of ROM and RAM before we get started.

Here's a very dated video, but the concept is still accurate.

It is important to note that RAM and ROM are not exactly opposite, and one does not replace the other.

RAM is Random Access Memory, which was an improvement from the Delay-line memory we saw in a previous video (the pressure waves through a tank of mercury in the EDSAC computer).

The RAM is like scratch paper, where your computer can hold data that it's working with. The ROM is like your computer's personality, essence, or soul if you will. It's the information that makes sure your computer knows how to be a computer. Without its ROM, your computer won't even start up; without its ROM, your computer won't even know it's a computer.

Early Video Game Cartridges

For a video game to work, it's a mix of the programmer and engineering in the game, combined with the programming and engineering in the computer (whether its a general purpose computer or a game console).

Learning about how video game cartridges work is a mix of learning about electronics, engineering, design, and programming. Let's start with probably the best-known early console that predates the Sony Playstation and even the original Nintendo; the Atari 2600 of the early 1980's. This still wasn't the first console, but it is probably the best known early console.

In this video, he'll also explain what a computer Bus is. It's important you understand this part. Make sure you're paying attention to this part especially.

inside-atari-game.mp4

Before moving on to something a little more modern... let's learn a little bit more about early cartridges in general instead of focusing on only the Atari consoles.

cartidge-middle.mp4

TASK, Part 1

What's a data bus? How many wires are needed in a data bus for an 8-bit system?
What is the range of values that can be sent across a data bus in an 8-bit system?
How did the programming go from the programmer/developer's computers onto the Atari cartridge's ROM chip?
Why can't you remove a cartridge if the game is already loaded and playing?

Enter Nintendo

I'd say Nintendo would be the start of the modern video game companies. Nintendo is important for their engineering, but also culturally for saving the video game industry in general. Prior to Nintendo, the video game industry in 1980's had shot up to great popularity, and then plummeted due to companies trying to jump on the video game bandwagon.

Let's learn more about the engineering of Nintendo's first games.

inside-nes-cartirudge.mp4

TASK, Part 2

5. Tell me about Bank Switching in the original Nintendo cartridges.

6. How did the DRM work in the original Nintendo Entertainment System?

He discussed the early DRM chip that Nintendo used in their original Nintendo Entertainment System. The concept it relies on, where you have an algorithm that transforms data, is similar to concepts we looked at previously with encryption.

It's also similar to the process used to create serial software keys, verification data hasn't been tampered with, and even checksums used to verify that data has been properly transferred or read.

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