The HP35S I recently (shouldn't have) bought has an 8510. (The 6502 variant for the C128 )
It's kind of sad that TI, the company that invented microprocessors for calculators has to use Zilog's processor.
When did the 8-bit era end?
Thing is, the 16/32-bit Atari ST sounded just as poor as the 8-bit machines, because it used a common low-end sound chip.
So I guess some things depend on whether you view '8-bit era' merely as the CPU/chipset technology, or rather the overall 'look-and-feel' or sound rather, of such machines. Which is how hipsters apparently see things. They call something '8-bit' simply because that's how it looks or sounds. Not because it's necessarily 8-bit technology in any way.
The 16-bit x86 CPUs really blur the line there - even though they support 20 to 24-bit addressing depending on model... they have 16-bit segment and offset addressing! (Split code/data, though.) That's barely removed from bankswitching schemes (although, in fairness, more flexible than a bankswitching scheme), as it's certainly not flat addressing....
The eZ80® CPU is Zilog's next-generation Z80 processor core. It is the basis of a new
family of integrated microcontrollers and includes the following features:
Upward code-compatible from Z80 and Z180 products.
Several address-generation modes, including 24-bit linear addressing.
24-bit registers and ALU.
8-bit data path.
Single-cycle fetch.
Pipelined fetch, decode, and execute.
It was still a lot better than the PC speaker, though. (Remember, the ST came out before any PC sound cards existed.)
"8-bit" music usually refers to chiptunes: music produced by -- or made to sound like it came from -- pre-wavetable, pre-FM Synthesis sound generator chips, such as the SID, POKEY, 2A03, AY-3-8910, SN76489, etc.
Problem is, I had a C64... the Atari ST actually sounded WORSE than a C64, so choosing between an Atari ST and Amiga was VERY easy for me.
The sound on the Atari ST is so out-of-touch with the rest of the system... completely ruins the thing in my opinion.
People think the 'chip' refers to the soundchip producing it, but that's not true at all.
I suppose you could say the 8-bit era for computers technically ended in 1989 as that was the year the Commodore 128 was officially discontinued.
Alternatively you could look at the last commercial software to be released for 8-bit computers.
I know there were new games released for the C64 into the early 1990s.
I think?? that the C128 was the very LAST 8-bit mass market computer to be sold.
I think?? that the C128 was the very LAST 8-bit mass market computer to be sold.
I'm pretty sure the C64 and //e were manufactured long after that.