Pity the poor PC of 1983-1984, earlier than EGA graphics modified all the pieces. It wasn’t the graphics powerhouse we all know at present. IBM’s machines, such because the IBM PC 5150, and their clones may need been the speak of the enterprise world, however they had been caught with text-only shows or low-definition bitmap graphics.
The utmost colour graphics decision was 320 x 200 on a CGA graphics card, with colours restricted to 4 from a hard-wired palette of 16. Even on the time, you’d have a tough time convincing somebody that this was actually the perfect graphics card you could possibly purchase. Worse, three of these colours had been cyan, brown, and magenta, and half of them had been simply lighter variations of the opposite half.
By this level, IBM’s Coloration Graphics Adaptor (CGA) commonplace was wanting embarrassing. Even house computer systems such because the Commodore 64 may show 16-color graphics, and Apple was about to launch the Apple IIc, which may hit 560 x 192 with 16 colours. IBM had launched the Monochrome Show Adaptor (MDA) commonplace, however this couldn’t dish out extra pixels, solely high-resolution mono textual content. The PC wanted a brand new graphics commonplace, and it arrived with the Enhanced Graphics Adaptor (EGA).
The primary EGA graphics card
The unique EGA card was a hefty non-obligatory add-in-card for the IBM PC/AT, utilizing the usual 8-bit ISA bus and with help constructed into the brand new mannequin’s motherboard. Earlier IBM PCs required a ROM improve to be able to help it.
It was huge, measuring over 13 inches lengthy and containing dozens of specialist large-scale integration (LSI chips), reminiscence controllers, reminiscence chips, and crystal timers to maintain all of it working in sync. It got here with 64KB of RAM on-board however might be upgraded by way of a Graphics Reminiscence Enlargement Card and an extra Reminiscence Module Equipment to as much as 192KB.
Crucially, these first EGA playing cards had been designed to work with the IBM 5154 Enhanced Coloration Show Monitor, whereas nonetheless being suitable with current CGA and MDA shows. IBM managed this through the use of the identical 9-pin D-Sub connector, and by becoming 4 DIP switches to the again of the cardboard to pick out your monitor sort.
EGA was a major improve from low-res, four-color CGA. With EGA, you could possibly go as much as 640 x 200 and even (gasp) 640 x 350. You may have 16 colours on the display without delay from a palette of 64. The place as soon as even house owners of 8-bit house computer systems would have laughed on the PC’s graphics capabilities, EGA and the 286 processor put the PC/AT again within the recreation.
You’ll be able to see within the screenshot from The Secret of Monkey Island under that 16 colours make all of the distinction, with EGA on the left and four-color CGA on the fitting.
The value of EGA
Nonetheless, EGA had one massive downside; it was prohibitively costly, even in an period when PCs had been already astronomically costly. The essential EGA card value was over $500 (round $1,400 at present), and the Reminiscence Enlargement Card value an additional $199.
Go for the total 192KB of RAM and also you had been taking a look at a complete of almost $1,000 (roughly $2,900 in at present’s cash), making a top-end EGA card far more costly than the GeForce RTX 4090 at present. What’s extra, the monitor you wanted to profit from it value an additional $850 (roughly $2,500 at present). EGA was a wealthy fanatic’s toy.
Nonetheless, whereas the preliminary card was massive and hideously advanced, the fundamental design and all of the difficult I/O stuff had been comparatively straightforward to work out. Inside a yr, a smaller firm, Chips and Applied sciences (C&T) of Milpitas, California, had designed an EGA-compatible graphics chipset.
It consolidated and shrunk IBM’s intensive line-up of chips right into a smaller quantity, which may match on a smaller, cheaper board. The primary C&T chipset launched in September 1985, and inside an additional two months, half a dozen corporations had launched EGA-compatible playing cards, together with the ATi card pictured under.
Different chip producers developed their very own clone chipsets and add-in-cards too, and by 1986, over two dozen producers had been promoting EGA clone playing cards, claiming over 40% of the early graphics add-in-card market. One, Array Expertise Inc, would change into higher referred to as ATi, and later swallowed up by AMD. When you’re on the purple staff within the ongoing GPU battle, that story begins right here.
EGA gaming
EGA additionally had a profound impression on PC gaming. After all, there have been PC video games earlier than EGA, however many had been text-based or constructed to work across the extreme limitations of CGA. With EGA, there was scope to create putting and even stunning PC video games.
This didn’t occur in a single day. The price of 286 PCs, EGA playing cards, and displays meant that it was 1987 earlier than EGA help grew to become widespread, and 1990 earlier than it hit its stride. But EGA helped to spur on the rise and improvement of the PC RPG, together with the legendary SSI ‘Gold Field’ sequence of Superior Dungeons & Dragons titles, Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge, May and Magic II, and Ultima II to Ultima V.
It additionally powered a brand new wave of better-looking graphical adventures, akin to Roberta Williams’ Kings Quest II and III, plus The Colonel’s Bequest, as you’ll be able to see within the screenshot of the latter under. EGA helped LucasArts to carry us pioneering point-and-click classics akin to Maniac Mansion and Loom in 16 colours. And whereas most video games caught to a 320 x 200 decision, some, akin to SimCity, would profit from the upper 640 x 350 choice.
What’s extra, EGA made actual motion video games on the PC a practical proposition. The likes of the Commander Eager video games proved the PC may run scrolling 2D platformers correctly. You may port over Apple II video games akin to Prince of Persia, they usually wouldn’t be a hideous, four-color mess.
And when the coder behind Commander Eager – a sure John Carmack – began work on a brand new 3D sequel to the Catacomb sequence of dungeon crawlers, he created one thing genuinely transformative. Catacomb 3-D and Catacomb: Abyss gave Carmack his first crack at a texture-mapped 3D engine, and arguably began the FPS style.
Certain, EGA had its limitations – wanting again, there’s an terrible lot of inexperienced and purple – however with care and creativity, an artist may do lots with 16 colours and start creating extra immersive recreation worlds.
The decline of EGA graphics
EGA’s time on the prime of the graphics tech tree was brief. Residence computer systems saved evolving, and in 1985, Commodore launched the Amiga, supporting 64 colours in video games and as much as 4,096 in its particular HAM mode. Even because it launched EGA, IBM was speaking a couple of new, high-end board, the IBM Skilled Graphics Controller (PGC), which may run screens at 640 x 480 with 256 colours from a complete of 4,096.
PGC was priced excessive and aimed on the skilled CAD market, but it surely helped to pave the way in which for the later VGA graphics commonplace, launched with the IBM PS/2 in 1987. VGA supported the identical most decision and as much as 256 colours at 320 x 200. This turned out to be precisely what was wanted for a brand new era of working programs, functions, and PC video games.
What prolonged EGA’s lifespan was the truth that VGA remained costly till the early Nineties, whereas EGA had developed an inexpensive set up base. Even as soon as VGA hit the mainstream, many video games remained playable in a barely grotesque 16-color EGA mode. Very like the 286 processor and the Advert-Lib sound card, EGA got here earlier than the golden age of PC gaming, however this commonplace paved the way in which for the great things that got here subsequent.
We hope you’ve loved this retrospective in regards to the days of 16-color gaming within the early days of the PC. For extra classic PC gaming content material, take a look at our function in regards to the first 3dfx Voodoo graphics card, in addition to our full information on the right way to construct a retro gaming PC, the place we take you thru all of the {hardware} you’ll want to construct a DOS gaming rig.
