系统与基础设施copetti.org编辑精选
PlayStation 2 的架构
Architecture of the Playstation 2
2021 — 2022，它一次次回到首页
黑点是上首页（≥ 50 分）的那次投稿，空心点是没冲上去的投稿，点越大分数越高。
导读
这是 Copetti 的游戏机架构深度解析系列之一，详细拆解 PlayStation 2 的硬件设计，包括 Emotion Engine CPU、向量单元、图形合成器等各组件如何协同工作。文章面向技术读者，系统讲解这台 1999 年主机的设计取舍与实现原理。
为什么经久不衰：它把一台经典主机的复杂硬件讲得清晰透彻，兼具史料价值和计算机体系结构教学价值，多年后仍是了解 PS2 内部设计的最佳中文外文资料。
HN 评论精选
亲历者回忆 PS2 研发期间索尼与东芝之间极端保密带来的协作困难
我记得东芝最初向我们展示 R5900 处理器时，它是当时性能极强的芯片，但他们起初不能透露是为谁设计的，那时距 PS2 公开发布还有两三年。发布前的保密工作极其疯狂，东芝和索尼各自在 NDA 下向我们透露信息，却不许我们互相交流。有时我们似乎是唯一能同时看到双方的人，还得小心翼翼地绕过 NDA 来消除双方的误解——就像两家公司在河两岸各修一座桥，却不看对方修到哪。Ken Kutaragi 是位有远见的思想者和领导者，组建了一支出色的团队。这是我人生中最难忘也最辛苦的经历之一。
gumby查看英文原文
I remember when Toshiba first showed us the R5900, which was a real screamer for its time. They couldn’t tell us at first whom they were designing it for. This was perhaps 2-3 years before the PS2 was publicly announced (at, IIRC, E3) and even before it had been discussed with any 3P developers. In fact the secrecy before it was released was insane. Toshiba and Sony kept their technology very close to their chest and each would tell us stuff under NDA that prevented us from talking to the other about it. I sometimes wondered if we were the only folks who could see both sides. On a couple of occasions we had to delicately get permission / forgiveness for slightly bending NDA to make sure that some misunderstanding could be resolved (think of two companies building a bridge, owithout looking across the river to see where the other guys are aiming). Ken Kutaragi was (still is I imagine) an inspired thinker and leader and good supporter. He built a great team, some of whom are still friends. One of the great, if grueling experiences of my life.
PS2 的 EE 芯片是各种硬件优化技术的教科书，甚至能跑 Linux
PS2 是我最初对计算机工程产生兴趣的原因之一。EE 芯片堪称优化技术的集大成者：硬件解码、向量处理、VU 的 VLIW 架构，以及为让大量功能单元持续有数学任务可做而专门设计的内存带宽。我曾在 PS2 上跑过 Debian 移植版（BlackRhino GNU/Linux），因为没有硬盘和网卡，只能从 USB 1.1 闪存盘上慢速运行。虽然没走太远，但这台 1999 年的主机在 1080i 下跑 X11 完全没问题。
don-code查看英文原文
The PlayStation 2 is actually one of the original reasons I got interested in the computer engineering space. The EE chip is a sort of who's-who of optimization techniques - hardware decoding, vector processing, VLIW architecture (for the VUs), memory bandwidth tailored to keeping the huge amount of functional units busy with a constant stream of math to do. At some point I got a port of Debian (BlackRhino GNU/Linux) running on my PS2 - slowly, off a USB 1.1 thumbdrive, as I lacked the hard drive / network card adapter. Never got too far with it owing mostly to lack of the network, but in spite of being a 1999 console, it ran X11 at 1080i just fine.
PS2 及其衍生实验机 GSCube 曾被用于实时渲染电影级画面
在 Square USA 主管软件研发时（我们制作了《最终幻想：灵魂深处》和一部 Animatrix 短片），团队为 PS2 和鲜为人知的 GSCube 实验机开发过软件。GSCube 是把 16 个 GS 图形处理器装进一个箱子的机器。在 Siggraph 2000 上我们演示了电影中的一个镜头实时运行，用户可以交互式地改变角色表面材质，场景是 Aki 漂浮在零重力中，还包括一根根独立的发丝。我自己最得意的作品是把 Perlin 噪声完全在 VU1 上实现，演示了一片风中摇曳的高草。
kaveh808查看英文原文
While leading the software R&D team at Square USA (we made the "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" movie and one of the "Animatrix" shorts) our team got to develop some cool software both for the PS2 and the little known GSCube experimental machine. The GSCube was 16 GS processors in a box, and could be configured to access the frame buffer as a 4x4 tile format or as 16 layers composited in real time. For Siggraph 2000, we showed a demo of a shot from the movie running in real time, allowing the user to interactively change the surface materials of the character. The scene was Aki floating in zero gravity, and included individual hair strands. My own memorable piece of geekery involved implementing Perlin Noise entirely on the VU1, and demoing a field of tall grass blowing in the wind. Fun stuff.
补充史实：PS2 的记忆卡系统更新并非完全没用过，日本还有独占的系统更新
作者说 MagicGate 加密的系统更新实际上从未被使用，大体正确，但也有过几次：早期机型在 DVD 播放器软件定稿前发售，通过记忆卡更新过 DVD 播放器安装程序；日本还有过完整的 Browser 2.0 更新，启用了完整的 HDD 操作系统界面，而不像欧美只有简陋的 HDD 工具盘。初版薄机的主板上仍留有 40 针 ATA 接口，焊上连接器就能用，谁知道原本还能有什么用途。
Lammy查看英文原文
> Some time ago, it was discovered that the BIOS of this console could be upgraded using the Memory Card, this function was never used in practice, but neither removed (at during for most of the console’s lifespan). The author is correct that official uses for the MagicGate-encrypted system updates were few and far between, effectively "never", but there were a couple! There was a DVD Player installer/updater for early console models that shipped before that software was finalized, and in Japan there was an entire "Browser 2.0" update that enabled a full HDD OSD unlike the bare-bones HDD Utility Disc we got in US/Europe regions! https://youtu.be/dJnLJxVljGw?t=509 The first revision of slim PS2 still has the 40-pin ATA header on the motherboard, and it works if you solder on a connector, so who knows what could have been.
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