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The Sharp X68000 is a 68000-based computer released only in Japan.  It was made by Sharp's consumer electronics department (think: TVs, radios) and sold in the same stores that sold TVs, rather than in computer shops.  It was not a runaway success, but several hundred thousand units were sold and the game library boasts the greatest ratio of good:crap of any computer in Japan.  [[nfg>x68k|Read more...]]

FIXME This is a WIP, should probably move these large chunks to separate pages.

==== Technical Data ====

|  CPU + Clock |Motorola 68000 @ 10MHz (X68000, Pro, Ace, Expert) \\ Motorola 68000 @ 16MHz (XVI) \\ Motorola 68030 @ 25MHz  (X68030)  |
|  ROM |128KB BIOS \\ 768KB Character Generator  (16x16, 8x16, 8x8 - JIS 1 + 2)  |
|  RAM |1-4MB stock, expandable  \\ 512KB Text VRAM  \\ 512KB Graphic VRAM  \\ 32KB Sprite VRAM  \\ 16KB Static RAM |
|  Screen Resolutions|1024x1024 Max, 256 x 256 Min  |
|  Colours|65,536 Palette.  256 Max onscreen  |
|  Sprites|16x16 pixels, 16 colours / sprite  \\ 128 sprites / screen, 16 sprites / line  |
|  Graphics Hardware|Hardware scrolling, priority control, super-impose  |
|  Sound|2ch FM Synth, 8 Octave, 8 Voice  \\ ADPCM  |
|  HDD + FDD|Varies by model, see below  |
|  Ports|See below  |
|  Expansion|2 card slots (4 on Pro models)  |
|  OS|Human68k (MS DOS-alike developed by Hudson), SX-Windows GUI  |
|  Power Input:|AC 100v, 50/60Hz  |
|  Weight|~8kg (~10kg Pro)  |
|  //Source: X68000 System Manual//  ||

==== Generic & Custom Hardware ====
The X68000 series featured some very advanced graphics hardware, co-developed by Hudson.  It totally eclipsed the Amiga, Atari ST and Macintosh computers which shared the same 68000-series CPU.  These chips allowed for virtually pixel-perfect ports of many arcade games.  

It also featured a wealth of off-the-shelf chips from a variety of manufacturers.  The X68000's Okidata ADPCM sound chip was also used in at least one other game console, and Yamaha was essentially the only soundchip manufacturer of any import back in the day.   Chips from Zilog, Motorola, Hitachi and NEC all made their way inside.   As was the norm back then every chip that had extra pins was put into service for another device. The printer controller also handled joystick input, the serial controller handled the mouse and the MFP had its fingers in nearly every input or output port available.

|  Custom Chips  |||||||||
|  |  X68000  |  Ace  |  Expert  |  Expert 2  |  Super  |  XVI  |  Pro  |  Pro 2  |
|  **Memory Controller**  |  ET  |  OHM  |  OHM2  ||||  McCOY  ||
|  **System Controller**  |  BUDDHA  |  MESSIAH  ||||  DOSA  |  SCOTCH  ||
|  **Sprite Controller**  |  CYNTHIA / Jr  |  CYNTHIA  |||||||
|  **CRT Controller**  |  VINAS 1 + 2  |  VICON  |||||||
|  **Video Controller**  |  VSOP  |  VIPS  |||||||
|  **Video Data Selector**  |  RESERVE  |  CATHY  |||||||
|  **I/O Controller**  |  SICILIAN  |  IOSC  |  IOSC-2  ||  PEDEC  ||  IOSC-2  ||
|  //Source: Outside X68000, SoftBank 1993//  |||||||||

|  Generic Chips  ||||
^  Function  ^  Part #  ^  Manufacturer  ^  Notes  ^
|  **Real Time Clock** |  RP5C15  |  Ricoh  |  |
|  **Sound:<br>FM Synth**|  YM2151  |  Yamaha  |  Paired with YM3012 DAC.  8 note, 2 channel, noise  |
|  **Sound:<br>ADPCM**|  MSM6258  |  Okidata  |  Also used in the PCFX  |
|  **FDD Control**|  72065  |  NEC  |  |
|  **HDD Control**|  MB89352A  |  Fujitsu  |  SCSI HDD Controller (Super, XVI + X68030)  |
|  **Peripheral: Serial**|  z85C30  |  Zilog  |  Dual channel Serial controller. 1 for RS232, 1 for Mouse  |
|  **Peripheral: Printer**|  8255  |  NEC  |  Printer port, joystick ports.  |
|  **DMA Control**|  HD63450  |  Hitachi  |  DMA I/O for FDD, HDD, Expansion Slots, ADPCM Audio  |
|  **MFP**|  68901  |  Motorola  |  Multi Function Peripheral controller.  Controls monitor sync, Serial port, \\ real-time clock, soft-power, FM Synth, IRQ, keyboard  |
|  **Math Co-Pro**|  MC68881  |  Motorola  |  Optional.  XVI has a socket for it, older units require an add-on board \\ (often combined with RAM expansion)  |
|  //Source: NFG Games + Inside X68000, SoftBank 1993//  ||||
		 


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Credits, external links, etc.