Let's take a look at the components inside a PlayStation 2
console, and what their capabilities are. (Check out How Video
Game Systems Work first for a general introduction to game
consoles.) Processor: 128-bit "Emotion Engine" - Processor clock
speed: 300 MHz - Floating point unit (FPU) co-processor
operating at 6.2 gigaflops - Bus speed: 3.2 GB per second -
Original Play Station CPU core as I/O processor Graphics:
"Graphics Synthesizer" - 150 MHz - Embedded cache - 4 MB VRAM -
Resolution: 640x480 or 320x240 interlaced - Colors: 24-bit
(16,777,216) maximum, as well as 16-bit (65,536) mode - Geometry
engine:alpha channel, anti-aliasing, Bezier surfacing, Gouraud
shading, Mip mapping, perspective correction, Z-buffer - Polygon
rendering: 75 million polygons per second Audio: SPU2 (+CPU) -
Channels: 48 - Sample rate: 44.1 KHz or 48 KHz - Memory: 2 MB
RAM - Optical digital output - Supports original PlayStation CDs
- Video DVD support - Audio CD support Like the original
PlayStation, the CPU in the PS2 is a RISC