As of version 7.0.0, a game console is defined as a piece of computing equipment of a unique architecture whose primary purpose is to play video games. An architecture consists of the ecosystem surrounding such console, in order for an architecture to be distinct, it must have a form of reasonably distinct media, and a reasonably distinct computing architecture.
Under this definition of a console, Stone considers addons such as the Sega 32X (SEGA_32X), the Famicom Disk System (NINTENDO_FDS), and the Nintendo 64DD (NINTENDO_64DD) are distinct consoles, but ignores differences between backwards-compatible revisions such as the Nintendo 3DS and the New Nintendo 3DS, despite there existing games exclusive to the New Nintendo 3DS.
This distinction was always arbitrary, and as emulators develop has become increasingly irrelevant. The original motivation behind this test was probably so that file signatures in Snowflake would not have to be burdened with having to tell apart backwards-compatible revisions, but this justification is moot when it's fairly trivial to read some lockout bytes.
As of Stone 10.0, this should be reworded to
As of version 10.0.0, a platform is defined as a marketed computing device of a unique architecture whose primary purpose is to play video games. An architecture consists of the console hardware, peripherals, and media. Unique means that the architecture contains at least one form of media that requires the described hardware, or reproductions thereof (including emulators, compositions, and hardware descriptions), for expected execution.
The implications of this change involve the following amendments to platforms
NINTENDO_DSI Nintendo DSi
NINTENDO_N3DS Nintendo New 3DS
NINTENDO_SFT Bandai SuFami Turbo
The following further amendment to platforms will be included as part of Stone 10.0
NINTENDO_STV Satellaview
FUJITSU_FMT Fujitsu FM Towns (Marty)
The addition of the Bandai SuFami Turbo will also necessitate the following language change
A Stone Platform is a unique, keyed description in UTF-8 of a conventional video game console. Each platform is given a unique, ASCII-encoded uppercase ID usually in the format LICENSOR_SHORTNAME, where SHORTNAME is be the contracted form of the game console's name.
platform_company will be split into platform_manufacturer and platform_licensor, which for most will be identical, except for some special cases.
chyyran
commented
4 years ago
As per Stone 9.0
This distinction was always arbitrary, and as emulators develop has become increasingly irrelevant. The original motivation behind this test was probably so that file signatures in Snowflake would not have to be burdened with having to tell apart backwards-compatible revisions, but this justification is moot when it's fairly trivial to read some lockout bytes.
As of Stone 10.0, this should be reworded to
The implications of this change involve the following amendments to platforms
NINTENDO_DSINintendo DSiNINTENDO_N3DSNintendo New 3DSNINTENDO_SFTBandai SuFami TurboThe following further amendment to platforms will be included as part of Stone 10.0
NINTENDO_STVSatellaviewFUJITSU_FMTFujitsu FM Towns (Marty)The addition of the Bandai SuFami Turbo will also necessitate the following language change
platform_companywill be split intoplatform_manufacturerandplatform_licensor, which for most will be identical, except for some special cases.