Created by Robert Jung (rjung@netcom.com), because no one else wanted to. Dedicated to ASTEROIDS, for getting me hooked in the first place
Last update: 3/25/1996 Edited for 16/32 Systems 20-01-00
This file is not maintained by, overseen by, endorsed, or otherwise associated with Atari Corp. or any of its subsidiaries. It's just a collection of questions and answers, with a few news tidbits thrown in.
This file is posted on a monthly basis to rec.games.video.atari, alt.atari-jaguar.discussion, news.answers, and rec.answers around the first of the month. The latest version of this file is also available via anonymous FTP at ftp.netcom.com in the /pub/rj/rjung directory. It is maintained by Robert Jung at rjung@netcom.com on the Internet. Send corrections, news, updates, comments, questions, or other stuff to that address. All mail is welcome!
Updates since the last publicly posted FAQ have a percent sign (%) in the first column.
A. The world's first 64-bit home console video game system. Developed after three years of research, manufactured by IBM, the Jaguar offers high-speed action, spectacular graphic effects, and CD-quality sound. The console's name was originally "Jaguar." In the middle of 1995, Atari formally changed the name to "Jaguar64." For the sake of simplicity in this document, the term "Jaguar" will be used to refer to the console.
A. The Jaguar package has a suggested retail price of $99, and contains the Jaguar itself, one controller, an AC adapter, and a television RF switch box. There are plans to re-introduce the "console and game" package in the future, but for now, you have to buy a game separately.
A. IBM has a $500 million contract with Atari Corp. to assemble, test, package, and distribute Jaguar units. Manufacturing is done at IBM's Charlotte, NC facility, and the Jaguar is IBM's first attempt at producing a consumer grade product for an outside vendor. Specifically, Jaguar circuit boards are manufactured and assembled by an IBM subcontractor; IBM cases, tests, and packages final Jaguar units; units are then sent to Atari for distribution. IBM has no known participation in the design of the Jaguar. IBM has no plans to create games for the Jaguar. As of mid-1994, Jaguar units are also manufactured by Comptronix in Colorado Springs.
A. The primary designers of the Jaguar are Martin Brennan and John Mathieson. They started their own company in 1986 called Flare 1, and designed an original multiprocessor game console. After the system was finished, Flare wanted to "evolve" the system, but needed funding for the job. Atari was contacted, believed in the idea, and agreed to participate. Atari, Brennan, and Mathieson started a new company called Flare 2 to develop the system. As Jaguar development moved along, it became apparent that the machine would leapfrog the new systems from Nintendo and Sega, so they decided to bring the machine to light. The entire process took three years, from initial design to production-ready models. The proprietary chips are manufactured by Toshiba and Motorola.
A. Physical dimensions: Size: 9.5" x 10" x 2.5"
Controls: Power on/off
Display: Programmable screen resolution. Horizontal resolution is dependent on the amount of scanline buffer space given to the "Tom" graphics processor. Maximum vertical resolution varies according to the refresh rate (NTSC or PAL). Reportedly, a stock Jaguar (without additional memory) running NTSC can display up to 576 rows of pixels. 24-bit "True Color" display with 16,777,216 colors simultaneously (additional 8 bits of supplimental graphics data support possible) Multiple-resolution, multiple-color depth objects (monochrome, 2-bit, 4-bit, 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit) can be used simultaneously
Ports: Cartridge slot/expansion port (32 bits), RF video output, Video edge connector (video/audio output) (supports NTSC and PAL; provides S-Video, Composite, RGB outputs, accessible by optional add-on connector), Two controller ports, Digital Signal Processor port (includes high-speed synchronous serial input/output)
Controllers: Eight-directional joypad, Size 6.25" x 5" x 1.6", cord 7 feet, Three fire buttons (A, B, C), Pause and Option buttons, 12-key keypad (accepts game-specific overlays)
The Jaguar has five processors, which are contained in three
chips. Two of the chips are proprietary designs, nicknamed "Tom"
and "Jerry". The third chip is a standard Motorola 68000 used as
a coprocessor. Tom and Jerry are built using an 0.5
micron silicon process. With proper programming, all five processors can run
in parallel.
- "Tom" - 750,000 transistors, 208 pins
- Graphics Processing Unit (processor #1) - 32-bit RISC
architecture (32/64 processor) - 64 registers of 32 bits wide - Has access
to all 64 bits of the system bus - Can read 64 bits of data in one instruction
- Rated at 26.591 MIPS (million instructions per second) - Runs at 26.591
MHz - 4K bytes of zero wait-state internal SRAM - Performs a wide range of
high-speed graphic effects - Programmable
- Object processor (processor #2) - 64-bit RISC architecture
- 64-bit wide registers - Programmable processor that can act as a variety
of different video architectures, such as a sprite engine, a pixel-mapped
display, a character-mapped system, and others.
- Blitter (processor #3) - 64-bit RISC architecture
- 64-bit wide registers - Performs high-speed logical operations - Hardware
support for Z-buffering and Gouraud shading
- DRAM memory controller - 64
bits - Accesses the DRAM directly
- "Jerry" - 600,000 transistors, 144 pins
- Digital Signal Processor (processor #4 - 32 bits (32-bit
registers) - Rated at 26.6 MIPS (million instructions per second) - Runs at
26.6 MHz - Same RISC core as the Graphics Processing Unit -
Not limited to sound generation - 8K bytes of zero wait-state
internal SRAM - CD-quality sound (16-bit stereo) - Number of sound channels
limited by software - Two DACs (stereo) convert digital data to analog sound
signals - Full stereo capabilities - Wavetable synthesis, FM synthesis, FM
Sample synthesis, and AM synthesis - A clock control block, incorporating
timers, and a UART
- Joystick control
- Motorola 68000 (processor #5) - Runs at 13.295MHz - General purpose control processor - Communication is performed with a high speed 64-bit data bus, rated at 106.364 megabytes/second. The 68000 is only able to access 16 bits of this bus at a time.
The Jaguar contains two megabytes (16 megabits) of fast page-mode DRAM, in four chips with 512 K each. Game cartridges can support up to six megabytes (48 megabits) of information, and can contain an EEPROM (electrically erasable/programmable read-only memory) chip to save game information and settings. Up to 100,000 writes can be performed with the EEPROM; after that, future writes may not be saved (performance varies widely, but 100,000 is a guaranteed minimum). Depending on use, this limit should take from 10 to 50 years to reach.
The Jaguar uses 24-bit addressing, and is reportedly capable of accessing data as follows: Six megabytes cartridge ROM - Eight megabytes DRAM - Two megabytes miscellaneous/expansion
All of the processors can access the main DRAM memory area
directly. The Digital Signal Processor and the Graphics Processor can execute
code out of either their internal caches, or out of main memory. The only
limitations are that
(1) "jump" instructions in main memory have
certain restrictions; the JMP (unconditional jump) command
is longword-aligned, while the JR (jump-indexed-by-register) command must
be either word- or longword- aligned. And
(2) running out of the cache is much faster (up to four
times faster) and efficient.
Some believe that the inability to jump/branch in main
memory makes the main memory feature useless.
Swapping data between the caches and the main memory
is a quick, low overhead operation, and therefore the main memory is often
used as "swap space" for cache code. The RISC compiler now included
in the Jaguar developer's kit produces code that transparently
swaps code through the cache. This effectively lets developers write RISC
code without concern for the cache size limits.
Compressed cartridge data can be uncompressed in real-time, and ratios of up to 14:1 have been cited. In theory, a Jaguar cartridge can store up to 84 megabytes (672 megabits) of data, though actual results will vary widely (most often, images are compressed, while sound and code are not).
Compression is performed with BPEG, an enhanced JPEG image decompression mechanism. BPEG supercedes the former JagPEG algorithm, working up to 10 times faster and with more flexibility.
Other Jaguar features:
- Support for ComLynx I/O for communications with the Atari
Lynx hand-held game system and networked multiconsole games (on DSP port,
accessible by optional add-on connector). Networking of up to 32 Jaguar units
available.
- The two controller ports can be expanded to support
"dozens" of controllers
- Digital and analog interfaces
- Keyboards, mice, and light guns are possible
- Expansion port allows connection to cable TV and other
networks
- Digital Signal Processor port allows connection to
modems and digital audio peripherals (such as DAT players)
- One megabyte per second serial interface
- 9600 baud, RS-232 serial port (accessible with optional
interface)
- General-purpose I/O bits via the cartridge port
- Can accomodate future expansions of different processor
types, I/O types, video types, and memory types and/or quantities.
A. The question is hard to resolve, largely because the definition
of what constitutes an "N-bit" system has
not been set. Of the five processors in the Jaguar, only the object processor
and the blitter are "true" 64-bit components.
Because the blitter and the object processor are in the Tom chip, by extension
Tom is a 64-bit chip. The Jaguar also uses a 64-bit memory
architecture, according to Jez San of Argonaut Software. Some
say the Jaguar should be considered a 32-bit system, as that is the maximum
register size in the programmable processors (the 68000, the graphics
processor, and the DMA sound processor). Others say the Jaguar can be considered
a 64-bit system, because 64-bit components are used, and the GPU can access
64 bits of data if required. Again, the lack of an agreed-upon definition
serves to complicate the issue.
According to Jaguar designer John Mathieson, "Jaguar has a 64-bit memory interface to get a high bandwidth out of cheap DRAM. ... Where the system needs to be 64 bit then it is 64 bit, so the Object Processor, which takes data from DRAM and builds the display is 64 bit; and the blitter, which does all the 3D rendering, screen clearing, and pixel shuffling, is 64 bit.
Where the system does not need to be 64 bit, it isn't. There is no point in a 64 bit address space in a games console! 3D calculations and audio processing do not generally use 64-bit numbers, so there would be no advantage to 64 bit processors for this.
"Jaguar has the data shifting power of a 64 bit system, which is what matters for games, so can reasonably be considered a 64 bit system. But that doesn't mean it has to be 64 bits throughout."
For the record, the opinion of most third party developers and observers is that the Jaguar is indeed a 64-bit system. The emphasis is on the word "system"; while not every component is 64 bits, the Jaguar architecture, as a COMPLETE SYSTEM, is.
A. Again, quoting from Jaguar designer John Mathieson, "It may be the CPU in the sense that it's the centre of operation, and boot-straps the machine, and starts everything else going; however, it is not the centre of Jaguar's power. ... The 68000 is like a manager who does no real work, but tells everybody else what to do."
And...
"Atari were keen to use a 68K family device, and we looked closely at various members. We did actually build a couple of 68030 versions of the early beta developers systems, and for a while were going to use a 68020. However, this turned out too expensive. We also considered the possibility of no [Motorola 680x0 chip] at all. I always felt it was important to have some normal processor, to give developers a warm feeling when they start. The 68K is inexpensive and does that job well. I maintain that it's only there to read the joysticks."
A. The 64-bit custom graphics chip is a good general purpose RISC unit, but it has been optimized for graphics work. Developers are free to specify which processor(s) to use in a program, as desired.
A. The Jaguar is capable of doing the following visual effects:
- High-speed scrolling (Object Processor).
- Texture mapping on two- and three-dimensional objects
(GPU and Blitter).
- Morphing one object into another object (GPU).
- Scaling, rotation, distortion, and skewing of sprites
and images (Object Processor).
- Lighting and shading from single and multiple light
sources (GPU and Blitter).
- Transparency (Object Processor).
- "Rendering" up to 850 million one-bit pixels/second
(35 million 24-bit pixels/second, 26 million 32-bit pixels/second), or 50
million Goroud shaded pixels/second. "Rendering" is believed to
mean transferring a pixel from a frame buffer to the screen.
- Sprites of "unlimited" size and quantity.
Realistically, sprites can be over 1,000 pixels wide/tall, and the number
of sprites allowed is limited by processor cycles instead of a fixed value
in hardware (Object processor).
- Programmable screen resolutions, from 160 to 800 pixels
per line. The resolution can be increased even further with additional hardware
up to a reported 1350 pixels per line. One of the Jaguar modes is called "CRY
mode", which supports lighting and effects in 3D graphics. Red, green,
and blue color elements are ranged from 0 to 255, and the lighting level for
any pixel can be changed by setting one byte linearly. E.g., the relative
proportions of red, blue, and green are indicated with one byte, while a second
byte selects an overall intensity of 0 to 255. CRY allows much smoother shading
of single colors, but doesn't allow blending between colors as smoothly. Actual
graphics performance is hard to measure, as there are no industry- standard
benchmarks. Rebellion Software has claimed that the Jaguar can render "10,000
Gourard shaded, large, 65536 color, any shape polygons per second," while
still performing other tasks. Presumably this level can be increased further
with optimized programming.
A. The additional 8-bits is for programmers to implement whatever visual effects may be desired. Examples cited include Z-buffering (for polygon graphics) and an alpha channel (for transparency).
A. The following companies have been announced as official developers, licensees, or publishers for the Jaguar:
Attention to Detail (ATD), Imagitech Design, Llamasoft, Rebellion Handmade Software, Anco Software Ltd, Maxis Software, Telegames, Beyond Games Inc. Microids Tiertex Ltd, Dimension Technologies, Midnite Software Inc, Titus Eurosoft, Ocean Software Ltd, Tradewest, High Voltage Software, Rebellion Software, Trimark Interactive, Krisalis Software Ltd, Virtual Experience, U.S. Gold Ltd, Loriciel U.S.A, Silmarils, Millenium, Park Place Productions, Ubi Soft, Gremlin Software, Microprose/S., Holobyte, Accolade, Virgin Interplay, 21st Century Software Activision, Id Software, Twilight, Brainstorm 3D Games, All Systems Go, Argonaut Software, Euro-Soft, ICD Incorporated Photosurrealism, DTMC, Epic Megagames, V-Reel Productions, Sunsoft, Domark Group Ltd, Elite, Br0derbund, Williams (Midway/Williams), Rage Software, Readysoft, Spacetec, Visual Concepts, Bullfrog Productions, Imagineer, Jaleco, Sculptured Software, Williams Brothers, Accent Media Productions, Anthill Industries, Audio/Visual Magic, Bethesda Softworks, Black Scorpion Software, Visual Sciences Ltd, Steinberg Soft-und Hdw, Borta & Associates, Clearwater Software Computer Music Consulting, Cybervision, CyberWare, Delta Music Systems Inc, Pixel, Satori, Elite, E-On, EZ Score Software Inc, GameTek Inc, Genus Microprogramming, H2O Design Corp, HiSoft, Limelight, Media Inc, Manley & Associates, NMS Software Ltd, PIXIS Interactive, Rest Easy Software Creations, Team Infinity, Team 17 Software Ltd, Techtonics Technation Digital World, Teque London Ltd, Thrustmaster, American Laser Masters, Tengen, Eclipse, Zeppelin Games, Time/Warner Interactive Acid Software, 20th Century Fox Int, Alfaro, Corporation Ltd, B.S.A, Bando Svenska AB, Beris Bitmotion Software, Bizzare Computing, Brandlewood Computers Ltd, Cannonball Software, Celebrity Systems Inc, Condor Software Cross Products Ltd, DAP Developments, Data Design, Denton Designs Ltd, Diskimage Electro Brain Corp, Electrom, Extreme Factor 5, Flair Software Ltd, Frankenstein Software, Funcom Productions, Human Soft Ltd, JVC Musical Industries Inc, Kungariket Multimedia, Lost in Time Software, Malibu Interactive Michton Inc, Media Technology, Scandinavia Merit Industries Inc, Miracle Designs, Nebulous Games, Neon-Buttner, i-SPACE, Network 23, Software NMS Software Ltd, Odyssey Software Inc, Orion Technologies, Phobyx, Rage Software Ltd, Rainmaker Software, Riedel Software Prod, Scangames, Interactive Wave Quest Inc, 4Play, Selgus Limited, Shadowsoft Inc, Sigma Designs, Sinister Development, Soft Enterprises, Softgold Gmbh, Software 2000, Software Development Systems, Tantalus Entertainment, Hyper Image, Virtual Artistry, Inc. Springer Spaniel, Core Design, Acclaim, Electronic Arts, Level Seven, iThink, Inc. Arcade Zone, JV Enterprises, Fatal Design
Also, Time-Warner Interactive has licensed the Jaguar architecture for use in future arcade games.
A. Mark Perreira maintains the Jaguar FAC (Frequently-Asked Codes) file, which contains tricks and codes to assorted Jaguar games. He also has a World-Wide Web page devoted to Jaguar game cheats and tricks. Both the FAC file and Mark's cheats are at http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html.
A. Andrew Stefanski is maintaining a database of high scores in Jaguar games. To see the current scores, use a World-Wide Web (WWW) browser on the home page http://www.evansville.edu/~guildweb/ You can also write to Andrew at stefansk@evansville.edu to report your new scores.
A. * Bobby Tribble maintains the Internet AtariLink Directory, a database of Lynx and Jaguar owners and where they live. This allows fans of multiplayer games to write, to meet, and possibly to get together and play games. All arrangements are made by the people involved, allowing individual control of the level of privacy.
To see the listing, and for full information on how to sign up, check out Bobby's WWW page at http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~btribble/atarilink.html
For those without access to the web, Bobby can be reached by e-mail on the Internet at btribble@ocf.Berkeley.EDU.
* The Jaguar Owners Club is a group of enthusiasts based in the United Kingdom/Great Britain. Membership is open to both Jaguar owners and the Jaguar-interested. For membership information, write to:
Jaguar Owners Club, P.O. Box 27, Borehamwood, Herts. WD6 2AF
A. A double-speed CD-ROM drive is available. The CD drive has an access time of 210 milliseconds, and has a sustained data transfer rate of 352.8K per second. The CD-ROM drive features a modified data bus interface for access to the Tom and Jerry chips almost directly, allowing for a higher throughput rate on sound and graphics. Storage on a disc is approximately 790 megabytes (6,320 megabits). The CD-ROM drive plugs into the Jaguar's cartridge slot. A pass-through cartridge slot allows cartridges to be used with the CD-ROM attached. Separate memory cartridges allow Jaguar CD games to be saved for later play.
The Jaguar CD allows delivery of full-screen, full-motion video. The CinePak video decompression system has been licensed from SuperMac Technologies. It is a 7K routine in the GPU and can be included in any CD-ROM software that needs it, allowing full-screen video at 24 frames per second. Movie quality pictures can then be overlaid on the screen with computer generated graphics if the game demands it. Time-Warner has licensed a library of film clips from its movies to Atari.
The Jaguar CD has "Virtual Light Machine" built in. This program plays audio CDs and generate accompanying color and visual effects that react to the music and sounds. The user can control and select effects with the Jaguar controller. Regular audio CD playback features (volume control, track programming, etc.) are also available.
The Jaguar CD can also display CD+Graphics discs. Supplimental cartridges for Kodak PhotoCD and MPEG-1 (Motion Picture Experts Group) compression are being considered. The MPEG cartridge will reportedly include extra RAM for buffering and support the whitebook video format.
The drive is being manufactured by Philips in the United States. Its dimensions are 6.5" x 10.5" x 3.5", and it weighs 1 pound, 10 ounces. and includes the TEMPEST 2000 soundtrack audio disc, a sampler for the CD game MYST, and two CD-ROM games: VID GRID and BLUE LIGHTNING.
A. Atari Corp. and the Virtuality Group had signed a contract whereupon Virtuality would develop virtual reality hwardware and software for the Jaguar. In return, Virtuality would get the rights to port Jaguar VR games to their Virtuality arcade consoles.
As of December 1995, the status of the Jaguar VR is on indefinite hold.
Unofficial reports conflict on whether the unit has been cancelled, suspended, and/or reworked. Reasons given for the action range from Atari's needs to reassess their investments and focus on core business, to the high price of the Jaguar VR headset, to Virtuality's problems in trying to create a mass-market headset that could track head movement fast enough to avoid motion sickness after a few minutes of play.
As originally reported, the Jaguar VR package consists of two components:
(1) A lightweight headset (weighs less than one pound). It
can be adjusted for fit and works with or without glasses. Game graphics are
provided by a single 7", TFT active-matrix color LCD screen, with a resolution
of 260 by 400 pixels and up to 65,000 colors. Dual temple speakers provide
sound, and a built-in microphone allows player communication in future networked
games. A custom optical system projects a binocular image to both eyes; it
is aligned at infinity, so focus adjustment is not needed. Two degrees of
freedom (left/right and up/down) are available. Field of view is 52 degrees
horizontal by 40 degrees vertical.
(2) A tabletop-mounted tracking station. The station
senses the position of the controller and the headset with "V-Trak"
infra-red tracking.
The tracking speed is 250 Hz, with a lag time of 4 milliseconds, four times faster than Virtuality's arcade hardware. The tracker has a range of approximately 100 degrees; multiple trackers can be daisy-chained together to provide a complete 360-degree tracking range, but most Jaguar VR games will not require a full 360 degrees.
The Jaguar VR equipment is designed to be played while sitting down, so as tp avoid injuries. if a player moves out of the tracking station's range, a safety cutoff is triggered to suspend the game.
Jaguar VR games will be written for use with the regular controller, as well as a two-button "virtual gun" hand-held joystick. The licensing agreement between Atari and Virtuality permits authorized Jaguar third-party software developers to write their own VR titles.
A. Quick history lesson: Sometime in the late 1980s, Atari Corp. was doing research and development on "next generation" video game consoles. There were two systems, a 32-bit machine called the Panther, and a 64-bit machine
called the Jaguar. It is reported that work on the Jaguar was progressing better/faster than expected, so Atari abandoned the Panther to focus their energies on the Jaguar instead. Supposedly, if both machines were fully developed, the Jaguar would have followed the Panther only two years later.
Reports of development work on the Panther have been whispered since 1988; some people have erroneously mistaken those rumors to be about the Jaguar.
The Panther reportedly was considered a "32-bit" machine by Atari, though for reasons unknown. It featured three chips, consisting of a Motorola 68000 running at 16Mhz, an object processor called the Panther, and an Ensoniq sound processor called Otis, featuring 32 sound channels. The Panther could supposedly display 8,192 colors from a palette of 262,144 colors, and could display 65,535 sprites of any size simultaneously.
A. There's been a little confusion with this topic, since at least two separate machines have been called a "Jaguar II." The first was to have been an integrated Jaguar/Jaguar CD-ROM unit. That project has since been cancelled, making the point moot.
The other Jaguar II is Atari's next video-game console. It is currently still in the design phases at this moment, so solid details are hard to come by. The following information has been RUMORED, however:
* Main chipset (codename "Midsummer") being developed
by Motorola.
* Fully backwards compatable with the existing Jaguar.
Will be able to play all games and use all peripherals.
* Processing speed "two to four times faster than
the Sony PlayStation."
* Full C/C++ development package available.
At any rate, given the usual development time for new hardware, don't expect to see a Jaguar II until 1997 at the earliest. All video-game companies are always developing new hardware, and the Jaguar II is probably just Atari's equivalent to everyone else's "future works."
A. There is no difference in the Jaguar game software. A properly-written Jaguar game detects PAL or NTSC at startup and changes the playfield size and game speeds accordingly. A properly-written Jaguar game will run at the same speed on either machine. There are no regional or national market lock-outs as there are for other game consoles. The Jaguar consoles themselves are configured differently, according to the country they are sold in. The primary differences are in the video output format (NTSC or PAL) and the power adapters (110 volt or 220 volt). For example, to use an American-market Jaguar in Europe, you need a 220 volt-to-110 volt adapter (readily available) and a SCART television set to accept the Jaguar's RGB signals. Some European TV sets may also require changing the Jaguar display from a 60Hz frame rate to 50Hz.
The 50Hz/60Hz frame rate is set by soldering pads on the bottom of the Jaguar PCB. On an NTSC Jaguar, they're located on the bottom of the PCB near the controller ports. The set labelled "R140" determines between
50Hz and 60Hz. Connect the two points for 50Hz, or leave them disconnected for 60Hz, as follows:
60Hz 50Hz
o-o R135 o-o
o o R136 o o (Information courtesy of Martin Zimmer,
o o R137 o o marz@haari.mayn.sub.de)
o o R140 o-o
PAL Jaguars sold in Europe have the R140 pads connected with a zero ohm SMD resistor, which can be removed with a soldering iron. It is possible to wire a switch to the points, allowing the Jaguar to be toggled between 50Hz/60Hz. This is mainly useful for PAL Jaguars to play games at the original speed and screen resolution of the NTSC version.
A. Atari has cited several reasons for the hissing noise. Some have said that the sound is from the RF generator. The RF shield has holes in it (ostensibly to help air flow and keep the unit cool), and it is believed that the holes produce the noise.
Others say the sounds are produced by coil L29 which is responsible for the proper voltage regulation to +10.0V, together with U38. The coil's copper wire vibrates when the current through it changes abruptly, making the hiss.
There are two solutions: 1) Use plastic spray or silicone rubber glue to fix the coil's wire. 2) Replace the original Jaguar power-supply with a variable power-source, using 7.5V DC instead of 9V DC (it is not certain whether the Jaguar CD will require 9V DC, which would make this "fix" unworkable with the CD drive).
In any case, the "hissing" noise is not dangerous, but merely annoying. It is usually audible only if you put your ear next to the unit and listen closely, and is not interference in the audio output. It is roughly analogous to the buzz made by electric clocks.
Later Jaguars do not have this problem.
A. TEMPEST 2000 has hidden in it an option for a rotary controller (at the "Game Options" menu, press Pause on both controllers to activate the "Controller Type"). No plans for an official Atari rotary controller have been announced, but many TEMPEST fans have been trying to build such a controller, to give the game a feel that's close to its arcade original.
Andy Light has written instructions for taking a Jaguar joypad and an Atari 2600 Driving Controller and building a rotary controller with the parts. His instructions are condensed below. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY BEFORE ASSEMBLY -- there are some areas that are left to the whim of the builder, and advance planning is highly recommended.
ANDY LIGHT'S JAGUAR ROTARY CONTROLLER INSTRUCTIONS
Parts needed: Atari Jaguar controller, Atari 2600 Driving Controller (NOT the paddles), 13 wires, preferably of separate colors, Buttons, A board or box or shell to mount everything on/in
1. Open the driving controller by removing the two underside screws. Inside is a top-like device or a grey box with three wires coming out of it. This is the encoder. Pull the driving controller's knob off the encoder's shaft, then remove the encoder by unscrewing the nut that holds it in place. Disconnect the wires from the encoder.
2. Open the Jaguar controller. There are four screws on the bottom holding it together, behind the round rubber pads. Inside the controller are two circuit boards connected by a ribbon of wires. The bottom board is for the numeric keypad and is held by two screws. Remove the screws and take out the keypad.
3. Disconnect the wire ribbon from the keypad by melting the solder. CAREFUL! This is delicate work -- get help if you need it. Solder the thirteen wires where the ribbon connection was; do not confuse them.
4. From the left side of the board (the side that says "P2"), I've numbered the wires as follows:
1) Common 5) Button A
9) Button C 13) Down
2) Right 6) Button B
10) Pause
3) Option 7) Button B
11) Up
4) Option 8) Button C
12) Left
5. On the encoder, connect wire #1 to the center terminal, #2 to the right terminal, and #12 to the left terminal. The rotary part of the controller is now finished.
6. How to connect the other controls is up to you. I'm using arcade buttons, a thumbpad, and a switch (to toggle joypad or rotary control) mounted in an Atari 5200 track-ball controller case. You can mount a joystick, extra buttons, or other features for your own controller.
Buttons and empty control boxes are available at stores such as Radio Shack.
Wiring for the other signals are as follows:
Up - wires #1 and #11 Button A - wires #1 and #5
Down - wires #1 and #13 Button B - wires #6 and #7
Pause - wires #1 and #10 Button C - wires #8 and #9
Option - wires #3 and #4
Because wire #1 has multiple uses, you will either need to string it or split it for each destination.
7. Reassemble and mount everything according to your design. For better spin, you can glue lead fishing sinkers to the inside of the knob, and lubricate the shaft of the encoder with light oil or silicone lubricant.
That's it! Please forgive me for any mistakes in my grammar, terminology, spelling, etc. If you encounter any problems, feel free to e-mail me at
ALIGHT55@AOL.COM. Good luck!
A. The Jaguar does not have a ComLynx port per se, but has a ComLynx signal on the system bus. An expansion port add-on would make the port available, and developers have announced plans for such accessories (see below). It is possible to daisy-chain multiple Jaguars for multiplayer games into a "Jaguar network". In theory, it'd also be possible to connect Jaguars and Lynxes, though no plans for cross-system software are currently in the works.
There is also talk that the Jaguar's ComLynx signal can allow Lynxes to be used as peripherals: software can be developed to allow Lynxes to be part of a Jaguar game as "smart" controllers.
A number of networking peripherals for the Jaguar are available or have been announced. See the "Peripherals" section for details.
For enterprising engineers who wish to build a ComLynx cable for two Jaguars, the schematics are available from jonin@netcom.com
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Publications:
| Die Hard Game Fan
18612 Ventura Blvd. Tarzana, CA 91356
|
General video-gaming magazine with some Jaguar coverage. |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly
1920 Highland Avenue, Suite 222, Lombard, IL 60148 |
General video-gaming magazine with some Jaguar coverage. Not recommended; very biased/slanted, with reports of plagiarizing other sources without credit. |
| EGM^2
1920 Highland Avenue, Suite 222, Lombard, IL 60148 |
"Sister" magazine to Electronic Gaming Monthly (above). Some duplication of material between the two publications |
| GamePro General
951 Mariner's Island Blvd. San Mateo, CA 91202 |
video-gaming magazine with some Jaguar coverage. |
| Instant Replay Newsletter
7570 South Manor Avenue, Oak Creek, WI 53154 |
devoted to the Jaguar, with news and reviews. Write to Frank Eva for more information. |
| Jaguar's Edge
P.O. Box 660291, Sacramento, CA 95866-0291 |
The Color, glossy magazine devoted to the Jaguar. Bi-monthly publication. |
| Video Games General
9171 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 |
video-gaming magazine with some Jaguar coverage. |
| Wild Cat
Phil Patton "fanzine." 131 Dake Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95062 |
A one-man, home-made Atari video gaming. Covers all Atari consoles and computers. |
Internet/USENET newsgroups and services:
- Atari Explorer Online Magazine
A bi-weekly electronic magazine covering news on Atari
computers and video game systems. Subscriptions are available through the
Internet; send electronic mail to stzmagazine-request@virginia.edu.
Also see the section on Internet FTP sites.
- Intelligent Gamer On-line
A bi-weekly electronic magazine which covers computer
and console gaming in general, including a fair amount of Atari coverage.
Can be found on the World-Wide Web at http://www.utiweb.com/~igonline/.
- rec.games.video.atari
USENET newsgroup. Contains news for all Atari video-game
systems.
Jaguar electronic mailing list:
To subscribe, send e-mail to listserv@bucknell.edu. In the text of the letter, have a line that reads "subscribe jaguar <first-name> <last-name>" where <first-name> and <last-name> are your first name and last name, respectively. Once you are on the list, send messages to jaguar@bucknell.edu; everyone on the list will receive a copy of your message.
There is also a UK-specific Jaguar mailing list. To subscribe, send e-mail to mxserv@bolton.ac.uk. In the text of the letter, have a line that reads "subscribe jag-uk-l". For further information, write to jw4@BOLTON.AC.UK for details.
World-Wide Web Pages
General-purpose Atari/Jaguar Web pages:
http://www2.ecst.csuchico.edu/~jschlich/
http://www.redsun.net/jaguar/
http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html
http://dcpu1.cs.york.ac.uk:6666/~andrew/jaguar/
http://rzserv2.fh-lueneburg.de:8080/Jaguar/
Atari Corp.'s official Web page is also an access point to their Jagwire network. Netscape is highly recommended, as the page uses a lot of Netscape extensions to good effect:
http://www.atari.com/
Atari Explorer On-Line has a web page, containing
screen shots, back issues, and other news and information.
http://www.ior.com/~fkeylard/aeo.htm
Beyond Games has a web page devoted to news about
their existing Jaguar games, and progress reports on their latest works:
http://www.intele.net/~answers/bg/bghome.html
Hyper Image has a web page devoted to progress reports
on their latest Jaguar games in development:
http://www.hyperimage.com/
Llamasoft has a web page which contains updates
on upcoming Jaguar projects, as well as ruminations on lovely llamas, hot
music CDs, and other musings from Jeff Minter:
Internet FTP sites:
- ftp.netcom.com
/pub/rj/rjung ---- Contains
the latest version of this FAQ file.
/pub/vi/vidgames/faqs ---- Frequently-asked question files for a variety of home games and consoles, arcade titles, and other video-gaming information. Includes the latest version of this FAQ file.
- ftp.rahul.net ---- /pub/wilsont/AEO Includes the latest copies of Atari Explorer Online Magazine.
Internet TELNET site:
- Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG
freenet-in-{a,b,c}.cwru.edu or 129.22.8.51 or nextsun.INS.CWRU.edu
Access via modem at (216) 368-3888.
You can log on as visitor to explore the system and apply for a Free-Net account online. At the opening menu, enter "2" to log in as a visitor. At the next menu, enter "2" again to explore the system. You will then read an opening disclaimer and a login bulletin, then be sent to the main menu. Once inside, type "go atari". Follow the menus to read discussions, reviews, news, and information. In order to post messages and send e-mail, you need a Free-Net account. Apply for a Free-Net account by entering "1" at the second menu instead of "2".
BBS:
- CATScan (209) 239-1552, 300/1200/2400/9600/14400
bps. Single line.
The BBS is completely dedicated to Atari products and Atari
video game consoles. Includes screen shots, press releases, pictures, and
other files. Run by Don Thomas of Atari Corp.
- Video Game Information Service. (201)
509-7324, 300/1200/2400/9600/14400 bps. Multiple lines
Located in West Orange, New Jersy (USA). The BBS is completely
dedicated to video gaming, and maintains files of cheats and reviews for all
game systems. Carries video-game-related conferences from other
computer networks, including Fidonet, Worldnet, and Globalnet.
- Star-Linx BBS (602) 464-4817, 300-14,400
bps
It's located in Mesa, Arizona (USA), and has complete access
to the USENET rec.games.video.* hierarchy. There is also a data store
containing a wide variety of Jaguar-related reviews, articles,
pictures, and other information.
On-line services:
- America On-Line
The PC Games/Video Games discussion group has areas
devoted to the Atari Lynx and the Atari Jaguar consoles. Use the keyword PC
GAMES, then go to the Video Games discussion board. From there, select Atari
Discussion, then the console of your choice.
- GEnie
A dedicated/expanded Jaguar roundtable has been established.
Type M475;1 to reach it. For assistance regarding the roundtable, send
e-mail to JAGUAR$ on GEnie.
Registered developers can join the Independent Association
of Jaguar Developers (IAJD) on the GEnie computer network. Membership in the
IAJD is limited to Jaguar developers registered with Atari Corp. To apply
for membership, send e-mail to ENTRY$ on GEnie.
- CompuServe
The Atari Gaming Forum features multiple message sections
and multiple libraries devoted to the Jaguar where players, industry representatives,
and magazine writers and editors exchange information and commentary. There
are several file libraries offering news, screenshots, and video clips. An
assortment of message sections provide current Jaguar information and discussions.
Atari has designated the Atari Gaming Forum as the official site for Jaguar
support for users and Jag developers on CompuServe. Many Atari personnel,
including developer and technical support, customer service, numerous vice
presidents and Sam Tramiel himself frequent the forum on a regular basis.
For video game designers and developers, there is a private message section
and file library offering updates of Jaguar development tools. To access the
Atari Gaming Forum, type GO JAGUAR.
There is some secondary support for the Atari Jaguar in the Video Games Forum, which can be accessed by typing GO VIDGAM.
A. Jaguar game development environments exist for the Atari TT030 computer or an IBM PC/compatible. Art development can be performed on any machine, whether a low-end Apple Macintosh or commercial rendering software such as SoftImage. Wavefront's "GameWare" is the official 2D/3D graphics development system; Atari itself uses GameWare for in-company development, and registered third-party Jaguar developers can buy GameWare licenses at special discount prices.
Estimated price for a developer's package is $9,000 for the TT030 setup, and $7,500 for the PC/compatible platform. The package includes a Jaguar development unit, documentation, and development/debugging software.
The Jaguar has modified boot firmware to run the development board (the "Alpine board"), and it has a cable coming out to provide signals to the Alpine board that are not normally present via the cartridge connector.
CD-ROM developement packages (including the cartridge development kit) is ranged at about $8,000, and should be upgradeable from the card-only kit.
Software routines packaged with the system include a multi-channel polyphonic FM/Wavetable synth; JPEG decompression; video set-up; drawing primitives; 3D rendering with gourad shading, texture mapping, and camera manipulation. GCC is the primary 68000 C compiler; support for other languages is not available from Atari, but developers are free to use whatever tools they may prefer. The development toolkit currently runs under DOS, TOS, or Linux. Work is also proceeding on a Linux development system using the GNU tools.
The centerpiece of the TT030 deveopment platform is DB, an assembly-language level debugging tool. The Jaguar and the TT030 are connected with a parallel cable, and software can be debugged interactively without interfering with the Jaguar's screen display. DB supports the use of scripts and aliases, which simplifies the use of complex or common functions.
Support for the development packages is primarily provided by Brainstorm (Atari France), who work closely with Atari Corp.
Atari grants final code approval, but does not see the need to "censor" games. Every game is given one man-month of compatibility and quality testing before it is approved. Atari offers technical support via FAX, mail, electronic mail and voice. Atari allows developers to source their own cartridges, documentation and shells if desired. Jaguar software is encrypted with a proprietary key, thus preventing unauthorized developers from releasing Jaguar software.
Interested developers should contact Bill Rehbock at (408) 745-2088.
Include: Company name, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and brief company/personal background relating to software development. Due to the high volume of inquires, information kits are prioritized according to background (SNES/Genesis/Computer) of previous titles developed. Atari will approve developers only if they are convinced that the developer is serious about releasing software. After the non-disclosure agreement is signed, an approved developer can get the technical specs alone for $300.
Cross Products (SNASM) offers an alternative Jaguar Development system. It comes with a multiwindowed debugger, assemblers, compilers, and SCSI support, for approximately $3,700. The package allows for full screen, source level debugging of multiple processors, in C or assembler. This is only software for the IBM PC; the Jaguar development hardware (Alpine board, modified Jaguar, etc.) must be purchased separately from Atari, for a price of $5,500.
Cross Products can be reached at
Cross Products, 23 The Calls, Leeds, LS2 7EH, England
Telephone: 0113 242 9814
FAX: 0113 242 6163
BBS: 0113 234 0420
Internet e-Mail: cross@cix.compulink.co.uk