CPS-3
Encyclopedia
The or CPS-3 is an arcade system board
that was first used by Capcom
in 1996 with the arcade game Red Earth. It was the second successor to the CP System arcade hardware, following the CP System II. It would be the last proprietary system board Capcom would produce before moving to the more common Taito Type X
system boards used in Japan.
and the SH-2
CPU with integrated decryption logic, with the per-game key stored in battery-backed SRAM. When the CP System III board is first powered on, the contents of the CD are flashed onto a bank of SIMM
s on the motherboard, where it is executed. The program code is then decrypted at run time via the security cartridge. The security cartridge is sensitive to any sort of tampering, which will result in the decryption key being erased and the cartridge being rendered useless. Games become unplayable when the battery inside the security cartridge dies.
The CP System III was only capable of 2D graphics at a time when most games were being developed with 3D hardware in mind.
In June 2007, the encryption method was reverse-engineered by Andreas Naive, making emulation
possible.
Arcade system board
An arcade system board is a dedicated computer system created for the purpose of running video arcade games. Arcade system boards typically consist of a main system board with any number of supporting boards...
that was first used by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
in 1996 with the arcade game Red Earth. It was the second successor to the CP System arcade hardware, following the CP System II. It would be the last proprietary system board Capcom would produce before moving to the more common Taito Type X
Taito Type X
The Taito Type X is an arcade system board released by Taito Corporation in 2004. Based on commodity PC hardware architecture, Type X is not a specification for a single set of hardware, but rather a modular platform supporting multiple hardware configurations with different levels of graphical...
system boards used in Japan.
History
The CP System III is the latest arcade system board designed by Capcom. It features a security mechanism; games are supplied on a CD, which contains the encrypted game contents, and a security cartridge containing the game BIOSBIOS
In IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface....
and the SH-2
SuperH
SuperH is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by Hitachi. It is implemented by microcontrollers and microprocessors for embedded systems....
CPU with integrated decryption logic, with the per-game key stored in battery-backed SRAM. When the CP System III board is first powered on, the contents of the CD are flashed onto a bank of SIMM
SIMM
A SIMM, or single in-line memory module, is a type of memory module containing random access memory used in computers from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. It differs from a dual in-line memory module , the most predominant form of memory module today, in that the contacts on a SIMM are redundant...
s on the motherboard, where it is executed. The program code is then decrypted at run time via the security cartridge. The security cartridge is sensitive to any sort of tampering, which will result in the decryption key being erased and the cartridge being rendered useless. Games become unplayable when the battery inside the security cartridge dies.
The CP System III was only capable of 2D graphics at a time when most games were being developed with 3D hardware in mind.
In June 2007, the encryption method was reverse-engineered by Andreas Naive, making emulation
Video game console emulator
A video game console emulator is a program that allows a computer or modern console to emulate a different video game console's behavior. Emulators are most often used to play older video games on personal computers and modern video game consoles, but they are also used to play games translated...
possible.
Specifications
- Main CPU: HitachiHitachi, Ltd.is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...
HD6417099 (SH-2SuperHSuperH is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by Hitachi. It is implemented by microcontrollers and microprocessors for embedded systems....
) at 25 MHz - Storage:
- SCSISCSISmall Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
CD-ROM drive - RAMRam-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
(variable amount) - Flash ROM: 8 x 16 MiBMIBMIB may refer to any of several concepts:* Master of International Business, a postgraduate business degree* Melayu Islam Beraja, the adopted national philosophy of Brunei* Motion induced blindness, a visual illusion in peripheral vision...
- SCSI
- Sound chip: 16-channel 8-bit sample player, stereo
- Maximum number of colors: 32768 (15 bit colour, 555 RGB)
- Palette size: 131072 pens
- Colors per tile (backgrounds / sprites): 64 (6 bits per pixel) or 256 (8 bits per pixel), selectable
- Colors per tile (text overlay): 16 (4 bits per pixel)
- Maximum number of objects: 1024, with hardware scaling
- Scroll faces: 4 regular + 1 text overlay 'score screen' layer
- Scroll features: Horizontal & vertical scrolling, linescroll, linezoom
- Framebuffer zooming
- Color blending effects
- Hardware RLE decompression of 6 bpp and 8 bpp graphics through DMA
- Resolution, pixels: 384×224 (standard mode) / 496×224 (widescreen mode)
- Known games on this hardware: 6
List of games
| Release date | Developer | English title | Japanese title | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-11-21 | Capcom Capcom is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its... |
Red Earth | Warzard (ウォーザード) |
Head-to-Head Fighting Game Fighting game Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as... |
| 1997-02-04 | Capcom | Street Fighter III: New Generation Street Fighter III is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping... |
Street Fighter III (ストリートファイターIII) |
Head-to-Head Fighting Game |
| 1997-09-30 | Capcom | Street Fighter III 2nd Impact: Giant Attack Street Fighter III is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping... |
Street Fighter III 2nd Impact (ストリートファイターIII 2nd Impact) |
Head-to-Head Fighting Game |
| 1998-12-02 | Capcom | JoJo's Venture JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (video game) is the commonly given name to any one of the versions and ports of a fighting game developed by Capcom based on the Japanese manga of the same title. The games were developed by the same team who are responsible for the Street Fighter III series.... |
JoJo no Kimyōna Bōken (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険) |
Head-to-Head Fighting Game |
| 1999-05-12 | Capcom | Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future Street Fighter III is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping... |
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike (ストリートファイターIII 3rd Strike) |
Head-to-Head Fighting Game |
| 1999-09-13 | Capcom | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (video game) is the commonly given name to any one of the versions and ports of a fighting game developed by Capcom based on the Japanese manga of the same title. The games were developed by the same team who are responsible for the Street Fighter III series.... |
JoJo no Kimyōna Bōken Miraie no Isan (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 未来への遺産) |
Head-to-Head Fighting Game |