Author: Steve (edsiapl02.eds.net)
Date: 01-16-2007 14:42
That whould truly have been an awsume mode (back in the day) but I don't think it can be done straight up.
Even if:
80x192=15360 15360*4=61440/8192 = 7.5K of RAM which is <= the 8K display buffer limit of the GTIA.
And the 160x96/2 mode is half of that - true.. mathamatically, an 80*192*4 is also 7.5K for RAM and SHOULD be possible,,,,, but its not that simple.
Even if the mode is small enough for the display buffer, the video output system is not fast enought to rasterize that much data.
In other words, the ANTIC chip can do it, but the GTIA cannot.
Not unless you use a custom half screen display list mode. (which I have seen done before.) It looks Great! but it leaves you wishing it could be done full screen.
Personally though, I beleave that if the right programmer had put his mind to it it could have been done by interlacing the output.... This could have even been supported by the OS and could have been one of MANY nice thinge that Atari should have used to fill in the 4K "hole" in the OS.
Its a shame that Atari went cheap and didnt expand the chipset when thaey came out with the XLs. HONESTLY the 4K hole on the OS area should have had 80col support additional graphics modes and Hard drive support placed into it as a MININUM!...
And the Antic/GTIA should have been upgraded to support it but instead we got the nearly useless F%$#^& "Self Test".....Sigh, what could have been.
Steve
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