Because of this, these computers grouped 8 x 8 pixels into “tiles” or “characters” and used those repeatedly when they needed them, greatly reducing the amount of memory required. Back then, there was almost never enough memory to store an entire frame of video, nor were the CPUs of the time anywhere near fast enough to fill such a framebuffer. All of this effectively means that pixel data needs be sent at the same time as when the pixels are being lit up, which is why this type of graphics is often dubbed “racing the beam”.Īnother thing to understand about the 1980s is that 64 kB was a lot of memory. The beam scans from left to right then top to bottom, giving each pixel a small fraction of a second of time. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions work by precisely bombarding a phosphor layer with electrons, which excites the phosphor, which then releases visible light. Buckle in, because we’re “racing the beam” with systems like the NES, Commodore 64, and many other classics from the 1980s.Īnd to understand the 1980’s, it’s important to understand how the televisions of the time worked.
got those glorious pixely pixels onto the screen. Have you ever wondered how the graphics in your favorite video games worked? This is the start of a series on game graphics, and what better place to start than how exactly the original Mario Bros.
