Mapper: Difference between revisions

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(→‎iNES 1.0 mapper grid: three of the Bad mappers are known to refer to Front Fareast products)
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| [[File:Mfr icon Generic.png]] [[INES Mapper 156|156]]
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| [[File:Mfr icon Missing.png]] [[INES Mapper 157|157]]
| [[File:Mfr icon Missing.png]] [[INES Mapper 157|157]]
| [[File:Mfr icon Generic.png]] [[INES Mapper 158|158]]
| [[File:Mfr icon Tengen.png]] [[INES Mapper 158|158]]
| [[File:Mfr icon Bandai.png]] [[INES Mapper 159|159]]
| [[File:Mfr icon Bandai.png]] [[INES Mapper 159|159]]
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Revision as of 01:35, 9 October 2012

A mapper is a piece of hardware soldered to a cartridge's printed circuit board that performs address decoding, bank switching, and possibly other tasks. Some mappers can generate interrupts for timing; some Famicom games' mappers even have extra audio channels.

NES cartridges can include extra hardware which allows the use of large program and graphics ROMs and extra features. This extra hardware is usually referred to as a "mapper", as it is used primarily to map the relatively small CPU and PPU address spaces to a portion of the larger address space of the ROM(s) on the cartridge.

Mappers vary in how they translate addresses. The various CPU memory mapping schemes expand the maximum program size above the standard 32 KiB to larger powers of 2, while PPU memory mapping schemes can add new graphic features.

Most mappers fall into one of two categories: discrete logic, and ASIC based. Some discrete logic mappers are susceptible to bus conflicts. Nintendo uses the term Memory Management Controller (or MMC for short) for its ASIC mappers ("Why Game Paks Never Forget" article in Nintendo Power).

Discrete logic mappers are often referred to by the name of a board that they are commonly used in (e.g. "UNROM"). ASIC mappers are named after the ASIC (e.g. "MMC1" or "FME-7"), except in boards that use an ASIC in an unusual way (such as "TQROM", "TLSROM", or "NES-EVENT"). The emulation community generally refers to mappers by a numbering scheme that originated with the iNES emulator (e.g. "mapper 002").

iNES 1.0 mapper grid

Mfr icon Nintendo.png 000 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 001 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 002 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 003 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 004 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 005 Mfr icon Front.png 006 Mfr icon Rare.png 007 Mfr icon Front.png 008 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 009 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 010 Mfr icon Color Dreams.png 011 Mfr icon Generic.png 012 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 013 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 014 Mfr icon pirate.png 015
Mfr icon Bandai.png 016 Mfr icon Front.png 017 Mfr icon Jaleco.png 018 Mfr icon Namco.png 019 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 020 Mfr icon Konami.png 021 Mfr icon Konami.png 022 Mfr icon Konami.png 023 Mfr icon Konami.png 024 Mfr icon Konami.png 025 Mfr icon Konami.png 026 Mfr icon Missing.png 027 Mfr icon Missing.png 028 Mfr icon Missing.png 029 Mfr icon Missing.png 030 Mfr icon Missing.png 031
Mfr icon Irem.png 032 Mfr icon Taito.png 033 Mfr icon Irem AVE.png 034 Mfr icon Missing.png 035 Mfr icon Missing.png 036 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 037 Mfr icon Generic.png 038 Mfr icon Missing.png 039 Mfr icon Missing.png 040 Mfr icon Ntdec.png 041 Mfr icon Missing.png 042 Mfr icon Missing.png 043 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 044 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 045 Mfr icon Generic.png 046 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 047
Mfr icon Taito.png 048 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 049 Mfr icon pirate.png 050 Mfr icon pirate.png 051 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 052 Mfr icon Missing.png 053 Mfr icon Missing.png 054 Mfr icon Missing.png 055 Mfr icon Missing.png 056 Mfr icon pirate.png 057 Mfr icon Generic.png 058 Mfr icon Missing.png 059 Mfr icon pirate.png 060 Mfr icon pirate.png 061 Mfr icon pirate.png 062 Mfr icon Missing.png 063
Mfr icon Tengen.png 064 Mfr icon Irem.png 065 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 066 Mfr icon Sunsoft.png 067 Mfr icon Sunsoft.png 068 Mfr icon Sunsoft.png 069 Mfr icon Bandai.png 070 Mfr icon Codemasters.png 071 Mfr icon Jaleco.png 072 Mfr icon Konami.png 073 Mfr icon Waixing.png 074 Mfr icon Konami.png 075 Mfr icon Namco.png 076 Mfr icon Irem.png 077 Mfr icon Irem.png 078 Mfr icon AVE.png 079
Mfr icon Taito.png 080 Mfr icon Missing.png 081 Mfr icon Taito.png 082 Mfr icon Missing.png 083 Mfr icon Bad.png 084 Mfr icon Konami.png 085 Mfr icon Jaleco.png 086 Mfr icon Jaleco.png 087 Mfr icon Namco.png 088 Mfr icon Sunsoft.png 089 Mfr icon pirate.png 090 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 091 Mfr icon Jaleco.png 092 Mfr icon Sunsoft.png 093 Mfr icon Capcom.png 094 Mfr icon Namco.png 095
Mfr icon Bandai.png 096 Mfr icon Irem.png 097 Mfr icon Missing.png 098 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 099 Mfr icon Bad.png 100 Mfr icon Missing.png 101 Mfr icon Missing.png 102 Mfr icon Missing.png 103 Mfr icon Missing.png 104 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 105 Mfr icon Missing.png 106 Mfr icon Generic.png 107 Mfr icon Missing.png 108 Mfr icon Missing.png 109 Mfr icon Missing.png 110 Mfr icon Missing.png 111
Mfr icon Ntdec.png 112 Mfr icon AVE.png 113 Mfr icon Missing.png 114 Mfr icon Generic.png 115 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 116 Mfr icon Missing.png 117 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 118 Mfr icon Rare.png 119 Mfr icon Missing.png 120 Mfr icon Missing.png 121 Mfr icon Missing.png 122 Mfr icon Missing.png 123 Mfr icon Missing.png 124 Mfr icon Missing.png 125 Mfr icon Missing.png 126 Mfr icon Missing.png 127
Mfr icon Missing.png 128 Mfr icon Missing.png 129 Mfr icon Missing.png 130 Mfr icon Missing.png 131 Mfr icon Missing.png 132 Mfr icon Sachen.png 133 Mfr icon Missing.png 134 Mfr icon Missing.png 135 Mfr icon Sachen.png 136 Mfr icon Sachen.png 137 Mfr icon Sachen.png 138 Mfr icon Sachen.png 139 Mfr icon Jaleco.png 140 Mfr icon Sachen.png 141 Mfr icon Missing.png 142 Mfr icon Sachen.png 143
Mfr icon AGCI.png 144 Mfr icon Sachen.png 145 Mfr icon Sachen.png 146 Mfr icon Sachen.png 147 Mfr icon Sachen.png 148 Mfr icon Sachen.png 149 Mfr icon Sachen.png 150 Mfr icon Missing.png 151 Mfr icon Bandai.png 152 Mfr icon Bandai.png 153 Mfr icon Namco.png 154 Mfr icon Missing.png 155 Mfr icon Generic.png 156 Mfr icon Missing.png 157 Mfr icon Tengen.png 158 Mfr icon Bandai.png 159
Mfr icon Missing.png 160 Mfr icon Missing.png 161 Mfr icon Missing.png 162 Mfr icon Generic.png 163 Mfr icon Waixing.png 164 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 165 Mfr icon Subor.png 166 Mfr icon Subor.png 167 Mfr icon Racermate.png 168 Mfr icon Missing.png 169 Mfr icon Missing.png 170 Mfr icon Missing.png 171 Mfr icon Missing.png 172 Mfr icon Missing.png 173 Mfr icon pirate.png 174 Mfr icon Missing.png 175
Mfr icon Waixing.png 176 Mfr icon Missing.png 177 Mfr icon Waixing.png 178 Mfr icon Missing.png 179 Mfr icon Nichibutsu.png 180 Mfr icon Missing.png 181 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 182 Mfr icon pirate.png 183 Mfr icon Sunsoft.png 184 Mfr icon Nintendo.png 185 Mfr icon Missing.png 186 Mfr icon Missing.png 187 Mfr icon Missing.png 188 Mfr icon Generic.png 189 Mfr icon Missing.png 190 Mfr icon Waixing.png 191
Mfr icon Waixing.png 192 Mfr icon Ntdec.png 193 Mfr icon Waixing.png 194 Mfr icon Waixing.png 195 Mfr icon Missing.png 196 Mfr icon Missing.png 197 Mfr icon Waixing.png 198 Mfr icon Waixing.png 199 Mfr icon pirate.png 200 Mfr icon pirate.png 201 Mfr icon Missing.png 202 Mfr icon pirate.png 203 Mfr icon Missing.png 204 Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png 205 Mfr icon Namco.png 206 Mfr icon Taito.png 207
Mfr icon Missing.png 208 Mfr icon pirate.png 209 Mfr icon Namco.png 210 Mfr icon Missing.png 211 Mfr icon Missing.png 212 Mfr icon Missing.png 213 Mfr icon Missing.png 214 Mfr icon Missing.png 215 Mfr icon Missing.png 216 Mfr icon Missing.png 217 Mfr icon Generic.png 218 Mfr icon Missing.png 219 Mfr icon Missing.png 220 Mfr icon Missing.png 221 Mfr icon Missing.png 222 Mfr icon Waixing.png 223
Mfr icon Waixing.png 224 Mfr icon pirate.png 225 Mfr icon pirate.png 226 Mfr icon Generic.png 227 Mfr icon Active.png 228 Mfr icon Missing.png 229 Mfr icon pirate.png 230 Mfr icon pirate.png 231 Mfr icon Codemasters.png 232 Mfr icon pirate.png 233 Mfr icon AVE.png 234 Mfr icon Missing.png 235 Mfr icon Missing.png 236 Mfr icon Missing.png 237 Mfr icon Missing.png 238 Mfr icon Missing.png 239
Mfr icon Generic.png 240 Mfr icon Generic.png 241 Mfr icon Waixing.png 242 Mfr icon Sachen.png 243 Mfr icon Missing.png 244 Mfr icon Waixing.png 245 Mfr icon Generic.png 246 Mfr icon Missing.png 247 Mfr icon Bad.png 248 Mfr icon Waixing.png 249 Mfr icon Missing.png 250 Mfr icon Missing.png 251 Mfr icon Waixing.png 252 Mfr icon Missing.png 253 Mfr icon Missing.png 254 Mfr icon Missing.png 255

Most icons next to mapper numbers refer to publishers. Nintendo-made boards with numerous publishers get the Nintendo icon; Nintendo-made boards dominated by one publisher get that publisher's icon. Other icons refer to status:

  • Mfr icon Bad.png This mapper is "bad": it was used for something other than an actual cartridge. Some are mapper hacks designed for early disk-based copiers. Others are duplicate mappers that were assigned by mistake.
  • Mfr icon Pirate MMC3.png "Pirate MMC3" mappers. Many are used for unauthorized demakes of 16-bit fighting games.
  • Mfr icon pirate.png Mappers used primarily by illegally copied games, usually multicarts, sometimes single-game mapper hacks.
  • Mfr icon Generic.png Mappers for which we have some information but no identified manufacturer.
  • Mfr icon Missing.png Mappers that are not yet documented on this wiki. Do not assume undocumented mappers are currently unassigned; consult other sources.

See also

External links