Wikipedia

Sprite (computer graphics): Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Everyking (talk | contribs)
155,603 edits
m Typo fix (via WP:JWB)
 
Line 1:
{{Short description|2D bitmap displayed over a larger scene}}
The term '''sprite''' is used in [[computer graphics]] to refer to a two dimensional [[image]] or [[animation]] that is integrated into a larger scene.
{{For-multi|the technique of combining images into a single bitmap|Texture atlas|the process of drawing sprites|Pixel art|other uses|Sprite (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Broforce boss sprites 2 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Tank and rocket sprites from ''[[Broforce]]'']]
{{VG Graphics}}
 
In [[computer graphics]], a '''sprite''' is a [[Plane (mathematics)|two-dimensional]] [[bitmap]] that is integrated into a larger scene, most often in a 2D [[video game]]. Originally, the term ''sprite'' referred to fixed-sized objects composited together, by hardware, with a background.<ref name=dadgum/> Use of the term has since become more general.
Sprites were originally invented as a method of quickly compositing several images together in two-dimensional [[video game]]s using special hardware. As computer performance improved, this optimization became unnecessary and the term evolved to refer specifically to the two dimensional images themselves that were integrated into a scene. That is, figures generated by either custom hardware or by software alone were all referred to as sprites. As three-dimensional graphics became more prevalent, the term was used to describe a technique whereby flat images are seamlessly integrated into complicated three-dimensional scenes.
[[Image:SpriteExamplefromZelda.jpg|thumb|right|An example of sprite animation from the popular game [[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker]]. In this frame the brown puffs of smoke and the grass are integrated into the scene using sprites. Other objects in the frame such as the character (Link), the flower just behind his feet, and the rock walls and ground are more complicated three dimensional objects that employ [[texture mapping]]. (Notice that one sprite at the bottom of the largest puff of smoke is actually cutting into the ground, revealing its actual geometry.)]]
More often a sprite now refers to a partially transparent two dimensional animation that is mapped onto a special plane in a three dimensional scene. Unlike a [[texture mapping|texture map]], the sprite plane is always perpendicular to the axis emanating from the camera. The image can be scaled to simulate [[perspective]], it can be rotated two dimensionally, it can overlap other objects and be [[occlusion|occluded]], but it can only ever be viewed from the same angle. This [[Rendering_%28computer_graphics%29|rendering]] method is also referred to as '''billboarding'''.
 
Systems with hardware sprites include [[arcade video game]]s of the 1970s and 1980s; [[game consoles]] including as the [[Atari VCS]] (1977), [[ColecoVision]] (1982), [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] (1983), [[Sega Genesis|Genesis/Mega Drive]] (1988); and [[home computers]] such as the [[TI-99/4]] (1979), [[Atari 8-bit computers]] (1979), [[Commodore 64]] (1982), [[MSX]] (1983), [[Amiga]] (1985), and [[X68000]] (1987). Hardware varies in the number of sprites supported, the size and colors of each sprite, and special effects such as scaling or reporting pixel-precise overlap.
Sprites create an effective illusion when:
* the image inside the sprite already depicts a three dimensional object
* the animation is constantly changing or depicts rotation
* the sprite exists only for a short period of time
* the depicted object has a similar appearance from many common viewing angles (such as something spherical)
* the viewer accepts that the depicted object only has one perspective. (such as small plants or leaves)
 
Hardware composition of sprites occurs as each [[scan line]] is prepared for the video output device, such as a [[cathode-ray tube]], without involvement of the main [[Central processing unit|CPU]] and without the need for a full-screen [[frame buffer]].<ref name="dadgum"/> Sprites can be positioned or altered by setting attributes used during the hardware composition process. The number of sprites which can be displayed per scan line is often lower than the total number of sprites a system supports. For example, the Texas Instruments [[TMS9918]] chip supports 32 sprites, but only four can appear on the same scan line.
When the illusion works viewers will not notice that the sprite is flat and always faces them. Often sprites are used to depict phenomena such as fire, smoke, small objects, small plants (like blades of grass), or special symbols (like "1-Up"). The sprite illusion can be exposed in video games by quickly changing the position of the camera while keeping the sprite in the center of the view.
 
The CPUs in modern computers, video game consoles, and mobile devices are fast enough that bitmaps can be drawn into a frame buffer without special hardware assistance. Beyond that, [[GPU]]s can render vast numbers of scaled, rotated, [[anti-aliased]], partially translucent, very high resolution images in parallel with the CPU.
Sprites have also occasionally been used as a special effects tool in movies. Most notably, the creators of the fire breathing [[Balrog]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (film)|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' used sprites to simulate fire emanating from the surface of the demon. Small bursts of fire were filmed in front of a black background and made transparent using a [[luma key]]. Many bursts were then attached to the surface of the animated Balrog model and mixed with simulated smoke and heat waves to create the illusion of a monster made from fire.
 
== BillboardingEtymology ==
According to Karl Guttag, one of two engineers for the 1979 [[TMS9918|Texas Instruments TMS9918]] video display processor, this use of the word ''sprite'' came from David Ackley, a manager at TI.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Guttag |first1=KArl |title=First, Be Useful (Home computers and Pico Projectors) |url=https://kguttag.com/2011/12/06/first-be-useful-home-computers-and-pico-projectors/ |website=KGOnTech |date=December 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{us patent|4243984|quote=In addition, however, the preferred form of the VDP 60 accommodates a plurality of mobile blocks or "sprites" which may be freely moved relative to the fixed display image by defining or selecting a particular column U all row V at which the upper left corner of the sprite is to be displayed.}}</ref> It was also used by [[Danny Hillis]] at Texas Instruments in the late 1970s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Johnstone |first1=Bob |title=Never Mind the Laptops: Kids, Computers, and the Transformation of Learning |date=2003 |isbn=978-0595288427 |page=108 |publisher=iUniverse |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UsWRDjcuao8C&q=daniel+hillis+sprites&pg=PA108}}</ref> The term was derived from the fact that sprites "float" on top of the background image without overwriting it, much like a ghost or [[Sprite (folklore)|mythological sprite]].
 
Some hardware manufacturers used different terms, especially before ''sprite'' became common:
Billboarding is one term used to describe the use of sprites in a 3D environment. In the same-way that a billboard is positioned to face drivers on a highway, the 3D sprite always faces the camera.
 
'''Player/Missile Graphics''' was a term used by [[Atari, Inc.]] for hardware sprites in the [[Atari 8-bit computers]] (1979) and [[Atari 5200]] console (1982).<ref name=dere>{{cite web|title=De Re Atari|url=http://www.atariarchives.org/dere/chapt04.php|date=1981|access-date=2017-08-10|archive-date=2017-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731041803/http://www.atariarchives.org/dere/chapt04.php|url-status=live}}</ref> The term reflects the use for both characters ("players") and smaller associated objects ("missiles") that share the same color. The earlier [[Atari 2600|Atari Video Computer System]] and some Atari arcade games used ''player'', ''missile'', and ''ball''.
=== Rationale ===
 
'''Stamp''' was used in some arcade hardware in the early 1980s, including ''[[Ms. Pac-Man]]''.<ref name=golson/>
There is both a performance advantage and an aesthetic advantage to using billboarding. Most 3D rendering engines can process "3D sprites" much faster than other types of 3D objects. So it is possible to gain an overall performance improvement by substituting sprites for some objects that might normally be modeled using texture mapped polygons. Aesthetically sprites might be desirable because polygons might never be able to realistically reproduce phenomenon such as fire. Sprite images of fire might provide a more attractive illusion.
 
<span id="MOB">'''Movable Object Block''', or '''MOB'''</span>, was used in [[MOS Technology]]'s graphics chip literature. [[Commodore International|Commodore]], the main user of MOS chips and the owner of MOS for most of the chip maker's lifetime, instead used the term ''sprite'' for the Commodore 64.
=== Alternative Terms ===
 
'''OBJ'''s (short for ''objects'') is used in the developer manuals for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]], and [[Game Boy]]. The region of [[Video random-access memory|video RAM]] used to store sprite attributes and coordinates is called '''OAM''' (Object Attribute Memory). This also applies to the [[Game Boy Advance]] and [[Nintendo DS]].
* '''3D Sprite''' is a term often used to refer to sprites that are essentially texture mapped 3D facets that always have their [[surface normal]] facing into the camera.
* '''Z-Sprite''' is a term often used for 3D environments that contain only sprites. The Z-parameter provides a scaling effect that creates an illusion of depth. For example in ''adventure games'' such as [[Kings Quest|Kings Quest VI]] the camera never moves, normal 2D sprites might suffice, but Z-sprites provide an extra touch.
 
==History==
== Hardware Sprites ==
===Arcade video games===
In early [[video game|video gaming]], sprites were a method of integrating unrelated [[bitmap]]s so that they appear to be part of the a single bitmap on a [[computer display|screen]].
The use of sprites originated with [[arcade video game]]s. [[Nolan Bushnell]] came up with the original concept when he developed the first arcade video game, ''[[Computer Space]]'' (1971). Technical limitations made it difficult to adapt the [[early mainframe game]] ''[[Spacewar!]]'' (1962), which performed an entire [[Refresh rate|screen refresh]] for every little movement, so he came up with a solution to the problem: controlling each individual game element with a dedicated [[transistor]]. The [[rockets]] were essentially hardwired [[bitmaps]] that moved around the screen independently of the background, an important innovation for producing screen images more efficiently and providing the basis for sprite graphics.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Swalwell |first1=Melanie |last2=Wilson |first2=Jason |title=The Pleasures of Computer Gaming: Essays on Cultural History, Theory and Aesthetics |date=12 May 2015 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-0-7864-5120-3 |pages=109–10 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbW_DUV-pP4C&pg=PA110 |access-date=16 May 2021 |archive-date=16 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516025657/https://books.google.com/books?id=BbW_DUV-pP4C&pg=PA110 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
The earliest video games to represent [[player characters]] as human player sprites were arcade [[sports video games]], beginning with [[Taito]]'s ''[[TV Basketball]]'',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Colby |first1=Richard |last2=Johnson |first2=Matthew S. S. |last3=Colby |first3=Rebekah Shultz |title=The Ethics of Playing, Researching, and Teaching Games in the Writing Classroom |date=27 January 2021 |publisher=[[Springer Nature]] |isbn=978-3-030-63311-0 |page=130 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZoXEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA130 |access-date=3 May 2021 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503195104/https://books.google.com/books?id=vZoXEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA130 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/video-game-firsts.html Video Game Firsts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105041440/http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/video-game-firsts.html |date=2017-11-05 }}, The Golden Age Arcade Historian (November 22, 2013)</ref><ref>[http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=wide-flyer&db=videodb&id=4036&image=2 ''Basketball'' Flyer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708201534/http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=wide-flyer&db=videodb&id=4036&image=2 |date=2014-07-08 }} (1974), Arcade Flyer Museum</ref> released in April 1974 and licensed to [[Midway Manufacturing]] for release in North America.<ref name="Akagi">{{cite book |last1=Akagi |first1=Masumi |title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) |trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005) |date=13 October 2006 |publisher=Amusement News Agency |lang=ja |___location=Japan |isbn=978-4990251215 |pages=40-1, 51, 129 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n41/mode/2up}}</ref> Designed by [[Tomohiro Nishikado]], he wanted to move beyond simple ''[[Pong]]''-style rectangles to character graphics, by rearranging the rectangle shapes into objects that look like [[basketball]] players and [[basketball hoop]]s.<ref name="Smith">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Alexander |title=They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982 |date=19 November 2019 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-0-429-75261-2 |pages=191–95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cxy_DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT191 |access-date=16 May 2021 |archive-date=2 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502064515/https://books.google.com/books?id=Cxy_DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT191 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Nikkei">{{cite news |title=スペースインベーダー・今明かす開発秘話――開発者・西角友宏氏、タイトー・和田洋一社長対談 |trans-title=Space Invader, Development Secret Story Revealed Now―Interview With Developer Tomohiro Nishikado, Taito President Yoichi Wada |url=http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20080318/1008218/ |access-date=3 May 2021 |work=[[The Nikkei]] |date=March 21, 2008 |lang=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323064622/http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20080318/1008218/ |archive-date=March 23, 2008}}
=== Rationale ===
*{{cite web |title=Space Invaders – 30th Anniversary Developer Interview |url=http://shmuplations.com/spaceinvaders/ |website=Shmuplations}}</ref> [[Ramtek (company)|Ramtek]] released another sports video game in October 1974, ''Baseball'',<ref name="Akagi"/> which similarly displayed human-like characters.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Thorpe |first1=Nick |title=The 70s: The Genesis of an Industry |magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] |date=March 2014 |issue=127 |pages=24–7 |url=https://archive.org/details/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_127/page/26/mode/2up}}</ref>
During most of the [[1980]]s, hardware speed was in the low, single-digit [[megahertz]] and [[memory (computer)|memory]] was mere [[kilobytes]]. With these constraints video game programmers resorted to extreme measures to speed up the process of writing bitmaps onto the display. A sprite engine is [[hardwired]] into a computer or videogame system's architecture. The [[central processing unit|central processor]] can instruct the engine to fetch source images and integrate them into the main screen using [[direct memory access]] channels. (This is related to what a [[genlock]] does with video sources and to a [[playfield (computer science)|playfield]]). Calling up sprite hardware, instead of using the processor alone, greatly improved graphics performance. Because the processor is not occupied by the simple task of transfering data from one place to another, software can run faster; and because the hardware provided certain innate abilities, programs that used sprites were also smaller.
 
The [[Namco Galaxian]] [[arcade system board]], for the 1979 arcade game ''[[Galaxian]]'', displays animated, multi-colored sprites over a scrolling background.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YVTNBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA59|title=The Golden Age of Video Games: The Birth of a Multibillion Dollar Industry|first=Roberto|last=Dillon|date=19 April 2016|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781439873243|via=Google Books}}</ref> It became the basis for [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[Radar Scope]]'' and ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'' arcade hardware and [[home console]]s such as the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120505103737/http://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/making-the-famicom-a-reality/ Making the Famicom a Reality], ''Nikkei Electronics'' (September 12, 1994)</ref> According to Steve Golson from [[General Computer Corporation]], the term "stamp" was used instead of "sprite" at the time.<ref name=golson>{{cite AV media |people=Steve Golson |year=2016 |title=Classic Game Postmortem: 'Ms. Pac-Man' |medium=Conference |language=en |url=http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023366/Classic-Game-Postmortem-Ms-Pac |access-date=2017-01-26 |time=20:30 |publisher=[[Game Developers Conference]] |quote=[…] 6 moving characters, what you would call today "sprites" we called them "stamps" back then, […].}}</ref>
Separate locations in memory were used to hold the main display and the sprites, which were composited together into the display in two passes. This placed the sprites on the display without interferring with the "background" image, making them easy to move around the display. Examples of such systems include the [[Atari 8-bit]] machines (which referred to them as ''player/missile graphics'') and the [[Commodore 64]].
 
===Home systems===
In contrast, [[bit blit]]ting (short for "bit block transfer") drew sprite-like figures into the same memory as the background, with the main display hardware rendering the entire image at once. Moving a bit blit object on the screen requires several steps; the original background to be painted over must be stored, the image drawn, then when it moves the original image painted back into the blit's ___location to "repair" the display and the process repeated for the new ___location. The upside to this approach is that there is no need for custom hardware and any number of images can be composited. The downside is that, in the era of severely limited processor performance, the time needed to repair the images and redraw them was considerably more expensive than using a sprite system.
[[Signetics]] devised the first chips capable of generating sprite graphics (referred to as ''objects'' by Signetics) for home systems. The Signetics 2636 video processors were first used in the 1978 [[1292 Advanced Programmable Video System]] and later in the 1979 [[Elektor TV Games Computer]].
Sprites are rare in most video hardware today. More commonly, bit blitting is employed or more complicated rendering algorithms are used. For extreme graphics performance, [[graphics processing unit|graphics accelerators]] now have a similar role.
 
The [[Atari VCS]], released in 1977, has a hardware sprite implementation where five graphical objects can be moved independently of the game playfield. The term ''sprite'' was not in use at the time. The VCS's sprites are called ''movable objects'' in the programming manual, further identified as two ''players'', two ''missiles'', and one ''ball''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wright|first1=Steve|title=Stella Programmer's Guide|url=http://atarihq.com/danb/files/stella.pdf|date=December 3, 1979|access-date=April 14, 2016|archive-date=March 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327103553/http://atarihq.com/danb/files/stella.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> These each consist of a single row of pixels that are displayed on a [[scan line]]. To produce a two-dimensional shape, the sprite's single-row bitmap is altered by software from one scan line to the next.
=== Capabilities ===
Sprite engines were varied in their capabiliies. The various parameters included:
 
The 1979 [[Atari 8-bit computers|Atari 400 and 800]] home computers have similar, but more elaborate, circuitry capable of moving eight single-color objects per scan line: four 8-bit wide ''players'' and four 2-bit wide ''missiles''. Each is the full height of the display&mdash;a long, thin strip. [[Direct memory access|DMA]] from a table in memory automatically sets the graphics pattern registers for each scan line. Hardware registers control the horizontal position of each player and missile. Vertical motion is achieved by moving the bitmap data within a player or missile's strip. The feature was called ''player/missile graphics'' by Atari.
*collision detection (see [[Atari Lynx]])
*scaling images (The first game that used this technique to give the illusion of perspective was ''[[The Secret of Monkey Island]]''.)
*rotating images
*sprite image size
**fixed
**arbitrary (see [[Amiga]])
*transparency
 
[[Texas Instruments]] developed the [[Texas Instruments TMS9918|TMS9918]] chip with sprite support for its 1979 TI-99/4 home computer. An updated version is used in the 1981 [[TI-99/4A]].
Sprites are typically used for characters and other moving objects in video games. They have also been used for [[computer mouse|mouse]] pointers and for writing letters to the screen.
 
===In Alternative2.5D Termsand 3D games===
[[File:Anarch short gameplay.gif|thumb|Player interactions with sprites in a 2.5D game]]
For on-screen moving objects larger than one sprite's extent, sprites may sometimes be scaled and/or combined.
Sprites remained popular with the rise of [[2.5D]] games (those which recreate a 3D game space from a 2D map) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A technique called [[billboarding]] allows 2.5D games to keep onscreen sprites rotated toward the player view at all times. Some 2.5D games, such as 1993's [[Doom (1993 video game)|''Doom'']], allow the same entity to be represented by different sprites depending on its rotation relative to the viewer, furthering the illusion of 3D.
 
Fully 3D games usually present world objects as [[3D modeling|3D models]], but sprites are supported in some 3D [[game engine]]s, such as [[GoldSrc]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://the303.org/tutorials/gold_sprite.htm |title=GoldSrc Sprite Tutorial |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=the303.org |publisher= |access-date=September 26, 2024}}</ref> and [[Unreal Engine|Unreal]],<ref> {{Cite web |url=https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/how-to-import-and-use-paper-2d-sprites-in-unreal-engine |title=How to import and use Paper 2D Sprites in Unreal Engine |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=epicgames.com |publisher=Epic Games |access-date=October 31, 2024 |quote=}}</ref> and may be billboarded or locked to fixed orientations. Sprites remain useful for small details, [[Particle system|particle effects]], and other applications where the lack of a third dimension is not a major detriment.
*'''Player-Missile Graphics''' was the term used by the [[Atari 8-bit family|Atari 400/800]] to refer to sprites. The term reflected the usage for both characters ("players") and other objects ("missiles") These graphics were very narrow and of limited use.
*'''Movable Object Block''', or '''MOB''' was used in [[MOS Technology]]'s graphics chip literature (data sheets, etc). However, [[Commodore International|Commodore]], the main user of MOS chips and the owner of MOS for most of the chip maker's lifetime, applied the common term "sprite".
*On the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], and [[Game Boy]], sprites were referred to as '''OBJ'''s (short for "objects"), and the region of RAM used to store sprite attributes and coordinates was known as '''OAM''' (Object Attribute Memory). This still applies today on the [[Game Boy Advance]] and [[Nintendo DS]] handheld systems.
*'''Software sprites''' were used to refer to subroutines that used bit blitting to accomplish the same goal on systems such as the [[Atari ST]] and the [[Apple II]] whose graphics hardware had no sprite capability. (This was of course oxymoronic)
 
==Systems with hardware sprites==
=== Notable Implementations ===
These are base hardware specs and do not include additional programming techniques, such as using [[raster interrupt]]s to repurpose sprites mid-frame.
* Many third party graphics cards offered sprite capabilities.
{{clear}}
* [[MOS Technology VIC-II]] and the [[ANTIC|Atari ANTIC]] were well-featured sprite-handling chips of the 8-bit era
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
* The [[Original Amiga chipset|Amiga custom chip set]] carried the torch on to the 16 and 32 bit systems.
|+
! System !! Sprite hardware !! Introduced!! Sprites on screen !! Sprites per scan line !! Max. [[texel (graphics)|texels]] on line !! [[texture mapping|Texture]] width !! Texture height !! Colors !! Zoom !! [[Rotation]] !! [[Collision detection]] !! <small>[[Transparency (graphic)|Transparency]]</small> !! {{Reference column heading}}
|-
| [[Amstrad CPC|Amstrad Plus]] || [[ASIC]] || 1990 || 16 || 16 || ? || 16 || 16 || 15 || {{partial|2, 4× vertical, 2, 4× horizontal}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || [[Chroma key|Color key]] ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Plus |title=Plus - CPCWiki |publisher=Cpcwiki.eu |access-date=2009-11-29 |archive-date=2011-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720154941/http://cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Plus |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Atari 2600]] || [[Television Interface Adaptor|TIA]] || 1977 || 5 || 5 || 19 || 1, 8 || 262 || 1 || {{partial|2, 4, 8× horizontal}} ||{{partial|Horizontal mirroring}} ||{{yes}} || Color key ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atariarchives.org/dev/tia/description.php |title=Television Interface Adaptor |publisher=AtariArchives.com |access-date=2011-02-06 |archive-date=2010-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825163151/http://www.atariarchives.org/dev/tia/description.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Atari 8-bit computers]] || [[CTIA and GTIA|GTIA]]/[[ANTIC]] || 1979 || 8 || 8 || 40 || 2, 8 || 128, 256 || 1 || {{partial|2× vertical, 2, 4× horizontal}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || Color key ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atarihq.com/5200/5200faq/04_02.html |title=Atari 5200 FAQ - Hardware Overview |publisher=AtariHQ.com |access-date=2011-02-06 |archive-date=2011-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514110844/http://www.atarihq.com/5200/5200faq/04_02.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Commodore 64]] || [[MOS Technology VIC-II|VIC-II]] || 1982 || 8 || 8 || 96, 192 || 12, 24 || 21 || 1, 3 || {{partial|2× integer}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || Color key ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minet.uni-jena.de/~andreasg/c64/vic_artikel/vic_article_1.htm |title=The MOS 6567/6569 video controller (VIC-II) and its application in the Commodore 64 |access-date=2006-01-08 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830024142/http://www.minet.uni-jena.de/~andreasg/c64/vic_artikel/vic_article_1.htm |archive-date=August 30, 2006 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Amiga Original Chip Set|Amiga (OCS)]] || [[Original Amiga chipset#Denise|Denise]] || 1985 || 8, can be reused horizontally per 4 pixel increments || Arbitrary, 8 unique || Arbitrary || 16 || Arbitrary || 3, 15 || {{partial|Vertical by display}} list || {{no}} || {{yes}} || Color key ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD_2.1/Hardware_Manual_guide/node00AE.html |date=1989 |title=Amiga Hardware Reference Manual 4: sprite hardware |access-date=2017-05-23 |archive-date=2017-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814170220/http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD_2.1/Hardware_Manual_guide/node00AE.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Amiga Advanced Graphics Architecture|Amiga (AGA)]] || [[Lisa (computer chip)|Lisa]] || 1992 || 8, can be reused horizontally per 2 pixel increments || Arbitrary, 8 unique || Arbitrary || 16, 32, 64 || Arbitrary || 3, 15 || {{partial|Vertical by display list}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || Color key ||
|-
| [[ColecoVision]] || [[TMS9918|TMS9918A]]||1983||32||4||64|| 8, 16||8, 16||1|| {{partial|2× integer}} ||{{no}}||{{partial}}|| Color key ||
|-
| [[TI-99/4A|TI-99/4 & 4A]] || [[TMS9918]]||1979||32||4||64|| 8, 16||8, 16||1|| {{partial|2× integer}} ||{{no}}||{{partial}}|| Color key ||
|-
| Gameduino || || 2011 || 256 || 96 || 1,536 || 16 || 16 || 255 || {{no}} || {{yes}} ||{{yes}} || Color key ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gameduino.com/ |title=Gameduino Specifications |publisher=excamera.com |access-date=2011-06-13 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213052910/https://excamera.com/sphinx/gameduino3/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Intellivision]] || STIC AY-3-8900 || 1979 || 8 || 8 || 64 || 8 || 8,16 || 1 || {{partial|2, 4, 8× vertical, 2× horizontal}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{yes}} || Color key || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.intellivision.us/index.php?title=STIC|title=STIC - Intellivision Wiki|website=wiki.intellivision.us|access-date=15 March 2018|archive-date=9 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709215702/http://wiki.intellivision.us/index.php?title=STIC|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[MSX]] ||[[TMS9918|TMS9918A]]||1983||32||4||64|| 8, 16||8, 16||1|| {{partial|2× integer}} ||{{no}}||{{partial}}|| Color key ||<ref>{{cite book |url=http://emu-docs.org/VDP%20TMS9918/Datasheets/TMS9918.pdf |title=TEXAS INSTRUMENTS 9900: TMS9918A/TMS9928AITMS9929A Video Display Processors |access-date=2011-07-05 |archive-date=2017-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814231446/https://emu-docs.org/VDP%20TMS9918/Datasheets/TMS9918.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| [[MSX#MSX2|MSX2]] || [[Yamaha V9938]] || 1986 || 32 || 8 || 128 || 8, 16 || 8,16 || 1, 3, 7, 15 per line || {{partial|2× integer}} || {{no}} || {{partial}} || Color key ||
|-
| [[MSX#MSX2.2B|MSX2+]] / [[MSX#MSX_turboR|MSX turbo R]] || [[Yamaha V9958]] || 1988 || 32 || 8 || 128 || 8,16 || 8,16 || 1, 3, 7, 15 per line || {{partial|2× integer}} || {{no}} || {{partial}} || Color key ||
|-
| [[Namco Pac-Man]]<br />(arcade) || TTL || 1980 || 6 || 6 || 96 || 16 || 16 || 3 || {{no}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{no}} || Color key || <ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DqePfdz_x6gC&pg=PA68|title=Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System|first1=Nick|last1=Montfort|first2=Ian|last2=Bogost|date=9 January 2009|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=9780262261524|via=Google Books}}</ref>
|-
| [[TurboGrafx-16]] || HuC6270A || 1987 || 64 || 16 || 256 || 16, 32 || 16, 32, 64 || 15 || {{no}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{yes}} || Color key || <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chibiakumas.com/6502/platform4.php#LessonP33|title=Learn Multi platform 6502 Assembly Programming... For Monsters! Platform Specific Series|access-date=2021-12-04|archive-date=2021-12-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204193150/https://www.chibiakumas.com/6502/platform4.php#LessonP33|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Namco Galaxian]]<br />(arcade) || TTL|| 1979 || 7 || 7 || 112 || 16 || 16 || 3 || {{no}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{no}} || Color key || <ref>{{cite web |title=Galaxian-derived video hardware |url=https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/video/galaxian.cpp |website=[[GitHub]] |publisher=[[MAME]] |access-date=October 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130235821/https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/video/galaxian.cpp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Galaxian-derived hardware |url=https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/galaxian.cpp |website=[[GitHub]] |publisher=[[MAME]] |access-date=October 23, 2018 |archive-date=September 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905051639/https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/galaxian.cpp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Galaxian hardware family |url=https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/includes/galaxian.h |website=[[GitHub]] |publisher=[[MAME]] |access-date=October 23, 2018 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224150309/https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/includes/galaxian.h |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Nintendo]] [[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]], [[Radar Scope]]<br />(arcade) || || 1979 || 128 || 16 || 256 || 16 || 16 || 3 || {{partial|Integer}} || {{no}} || {{yes}} || Color key || <ref>Nathan Altice (2015), [https://books.google.com/books?id=GVDpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 ''I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform'', pages 53 & 69] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112194623/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GVDpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |date=2016-11-12 }}, [[MIT Press]]</ref>
|-
| [[Nintendo DS#Technical specifications|Nintendo DS]] || Integrated PPU || 2004 || 128 || 128 || 1,210 || 8, 16, 32, 64 || 8, 16, 32, 64 || 65,536 || {{yes|[[Affine transformation|Affine]]}} || {{yes|[[Affine transformation|Affine]]}} || {{no}} || Color key, blending ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nocash.emubase.de/gbatek.htm#dstechnicaldata |title=Specifications |publisher=Nocash.emubase.de |access-date=2009-11-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621131721/http://nocash.emubase.de/gbatek.htm#dstechnicaldata |archive-date=2009-06-21 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Nintendo Entertainment System technical specifications|NES/Famicom]] || [[Ricoh]] [[Picture Processing Unit|RP2C0x PPU]] || 1983 || 64 || 8 || 64 || 8 || 8, 16 || 3 || {{no}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{partial}} || Color key ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nesdev.parodius.com/NESDoc.pdf |title=Microsoft Word - NESDoc.doc |access-date=2009-11-29 |archive-date=2011-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930163140/http://nesdev.parodius.com/NESDoc.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Game Boy]] || Integrated PPU || 1989 || 40 || 10 || 80 || 8 || 8, 16 || 3 || {{no}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{No}} || Color key ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.at-mix.de/gameboy.htm |title=GameBoy - Spielkonsolen Online Lexikon |publisher=At-mix.de |date=2004-06-22 |access-date=2009-11-29 |archive-date=2010-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506132321/http://www.at-mix.de/gameboy.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Game Boy Advance]] || Integrated PPU || 2001 || 128 || 128 || 1210 || 8, 16, 32, 64 || 8, 16, 32, 64 || 15, 255|| {{yes|[[Affine transformation|Affine]]}} || {{yes|[[Affine transformation|Affine]]}} || {{no}} || Color key, blending ||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nocash.emubase.de/gbatek.htm |title=Specifications |publisher=Nocash.emubase.de |access-date=2009-11-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621131721/http://nocash.emubase.de/gbatek.htm |archive-date=2009-06-21 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Master System]],<br />[[Game Gear]] || YM2602B VDP<br />(TMS9918-derived) || 1985 || 64 || 8 || 128 || 8, 16 || 8, 16 || 15 || {{partial|2× integer, 2× vertical}} || {{partial|Background tile mirroring}} || {{yes}} || Color key || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/msvdp.txt |title=Sega Master System VDP documentation |author=Charles MacDonald |access-date=2011-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318183214/http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/msvdp.txt |archive-date=2014-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smspower.org/uploads/Development/richard.txt |format=TXT |title=Sega Master System Technical Information |website=Smspower.org |access-date=2016-11-28 |archive-date=2019-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624130810/http://www.smspower.org/uploads/Development/richard.txt |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Sega Genesis|Genesis / Mega Drive]] || YM7101 VDP<br />(SMS VDP-derived) || 1988 || 80 || 20 || 320 || 8, 16, 24, 32 || 8, 16, 24, 32 || 15 || {{no}} || {{Partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{Yes}} || Color key || <ref>{{cite web |url=http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jfrohwei/sega/genesis.html |title=Sega Programming FAQ October 18, 1995, Sixth Edition - Final |access-date=2015-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050122094914/http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jfrohwei/sega/genesis.html |archive-date=January 22, 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Staff |first=Polygon |url=http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa |title=How Sega built the Genesis |publisher=Polygon |date=2015-02-03 |access-date=2016-11-28 |archive-date=2015-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103090922/http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Sega OutRun]] (arcade) || || 1986 || 128 || 128 || 1600 || 8 to 512 || 8 to 256 || 15 || {{yes|[[Anisotropic]]}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{yes}} || Alpha || <ref>{{cite web |url=http://system16.com/hardware.php?id=697 |title=Sega Out Run Hardware (Sega) |publisher=System 16 |date=2016-03-31 |access-date=2016-11-28 |archive-date=2016-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128203655/http://system16.com/hardware.php?id=697 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/segaorun.c|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141121130850/https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/segaorun.c|url-status=dead|title=mame/segaorun.c at master · mamedev/mame · GitHub|date=21 November 2014|archive-date=21 November 2014|website=github.com|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://emustatus.rainemu.com/games/outrun.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010227042525/http://emustatus.rainemu.com/games/outrun.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2001-02-27 |title=Out Run |date=2001-02-27 |access-date=2016-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=697
|title=Out Run Hardware (Sega)
|publisher=System 16
|access-date=2009-11-29
|archive-date=2016-11-28
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128203655/http://system16.com/hardware.php?id=697
|url-status=live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coinop.org/kb_dl.aspx/KB/faqs/faq-sega%20outrun.html |title=Version 0.3 - 7th February 1998 |website=Coinop.org |access-date=2016-11-28 |archive-date=2016-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514060702/http://www.coinop.org/kb_dl.aspx/KB/faqs/faq-sega%20outrun.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://imame4all.googlecode.com/svn-history/r146/Reloaded/trunk/src/mame/video/segaic16.c
|title=Sega 16-bit common hardware
|access-date=2016-02-09
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125144902/http://imame4all.googlecode.com/svn-history/r146/Reloaded/trunk/src/mame/video/segaic16.c
|archive-date=2016-01-25
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/loftech.txt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318183606/http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/txt/loftech.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-03-18 |format=TXT |title=Sega "X-Board" hardware notes |access-date=2016-11-28}}</ref>
|-
| [[X68000]] || Cynthia jr. (original), Cynthia (later models) || 1987 || 128 || 32 || 512 || 16 || 16 || 15 || {{partial|2× integer}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{partial}} || Color key || <ref>{{cite web |url=http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html |title=X68000-Computer Museum |website=Museum.ipsj.or.jp |access-date=2016-11-28 |archive-date=2014-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002234300/http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mess/video/x68k.c|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141121130816/https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mess/video/x68k.c|url-status=dead|title=mame/x68k.c at master · mamedev/mame · GitHub|date=21 November 2014|archive-date=21 November 2014|website=github.com|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Yoshida|first=Koichi|url=http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/postmortem.html|title=超連射68K 開発後記|website=Yosshin's web page|date=12 September 2001|access-date=2016-11-28|lang=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512090239/http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/postmortem.html|archive-date=12 May 2019|url-status=live}} ([http://shmuplations.com/chorensha68k/ Translation] by Shmuplations. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702153846/http://shmuplations.com/chorensha68k/|date=2019-07-02}}).</ref>
|-
| [[Neo Geo (console)#Display|Neo Geo]] || LSPC2-A2 || 1990 || 384 || 96 || 1536 || 16 || 16 to 512 || 15 || {{partial|Sprite shrinking}} || {{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{partial}} || Color key || <ref>{{cite web |url=http://furrtek.free.fr/noclass/neogeo/mvstech.txt |format=TXT |title=Neo-Geo MVS Hardware Notes |website=Furrtek.free.fr |access-date=2016-11-28 |archive-date=2018-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916101030/http://furrtek.free.fr/noclass/neogeo/mvstech.txt |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://furrtek.free.fr/noclass/neogeo/NeoGeoPM.pdf |title=Neo-Geo Programming Manual |website=Furrtek.free.fr |access-date=2016-11-28 |archive-date=2016-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206012848/http://furrtek.free.fr/noclass/neogeo/NeoGeoPM.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neo-geo.com/wiki/index.php?title=Neo-Geo_Big_List_of_Debug_Dipswitches |title=Big List of Debug Dipswitches |publisher=Neo-Geo |date=2014-07-09 |access-date=2016-11-28 |archive-date=2016-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128134201/http://www.neo-geo.com/wiki/index.php?title=Neo-Geo_Big_List_of_Debug_Dipswitches |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System technical specifications|Super NES / Super Famicom]] || S-PPU1, S-PPU2 || 1990 || 128 || 34 || 256|| 8, 16, 32, 64 || 8, 16, 32, 64 || 15 ||{{No}} ||{{partial|Horizontal and vertical mirroring}} || {{No}} || Color key, averaging || <ref>{{cite web|title= snes sprite engine design guide|date=30 March 2021 |url=https://megacatstudios.com/blogs/retro-development/snes-sprite-engine-design-guidelines|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204193150/https://megacatstudios.com/blogs/retro-development/snes-sprite-engine-design-guidelines |archive-date=2021-12-04 }}</ref>
|- class="sortbottom"
! System !! Sprite hardware !! Introduced !! Sprites on screen !! Sprites on line !! Max. [[texel (graphics)|texels]] on line !! [[texture mapping|Texture]] width !! Texture height !! Colors !! Hardware zoom !! [[Rotation]] !! [[Collision detection]] !! <small>[[Transparency (graphic)|Transparency]]</small> !! Source
|}
 
== ExternalSee linksalso ==
* [[2.5D]]
*[http://www.gsarchives.net Game Sprite Archives]
*[http://tsgk.captainn.net The Shy Guy Kingdom]
*[http://sprites.planet-megaman.com Sprites Inc.]
 
== References ==
[[Category:Computer graphics]]
{{Reflist|refs=
[[Category:Computer game design]]
<ref name=dadgum>{{cite web |last1=Hague |first1=James |title=Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist? |url=https://prog21.dadgum.com/181.html |website=Programming in the 21st Century |access-date=2019-09-02 |archive-date=2018-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423173142/http://prog21.dadgum.com/181.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
 
[[de{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprite (ComputergrafikComputer Graphics)]]}}
[[Category:Computer graphics]]
[[es:sprite (videojuegos)]]
[[frCategory:SpriteVideo (jeugame vidéo)design]]
[[Category:Video game development]]
[[it:Sprite (informatica)]]
[[fi:Sprite-grafiikka]]
[[ru:Спрайт (комп.графика)]]
[[sv:Sprite]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(computer_graphics)"