ProDG for PlayStation®3

Overview

SN Systems' product ProDG for PlayStation®3 consists of an advanced suite of tools for building, debugging and tuning console games. Continuous development based on customer feedback ensures we keep pace with your demands.

The following components are included:

• Debugger
• Tuner
• Target Manager
• Microsoft Visual Studio integration

Debugger

The Debugger for PlayStation®3 is an evolution of the SN Systems Debugger which is in use on current generation consoles. The Debugger allows you to view source code, disassembly, memory, registers, variables, processes/threads, TTY and the call stack. A split-pane system allows unlimited configuration of pane layout. Projects allow persistence of settings specific to each ELF. The Debugger provides comprehensive support for PPU and SPU registers, memory, instructions and opcodes.

The Debugger includes the following features (click an item for a full description):

• Full support for the processor

• Debugging multi-thread PPU applications
• Debugging multiple SPU threads simultaneously
• Dynamic SPU code loading schemes
• Auto synchronization of SPU views as threads are created

• Process view

• The process view lists all processes and threads that have been created on the target
• Processes are shown at the root of a tree and each process shows one or more PPU threads and SPU threads/groups

• Improved Windowing system

• Views can be docked/split/tabbed and locked/unlocked from the MDI for true multi-monitor support
• Fully customizable menus, toolbars and keyboard shortcuts

• Improvements to the following views

• Source/disassembly
• Breakpoints
• Call stack
• Watch/locals/autos
• Memory
• Registers

• Additional features

• Workspace pane provides simplified project navigation through project, file and function views
• Support for conditional and counted breakpoints
• Mixed mode source/disassembly pane
• Pop-up expression evaluator
• Drag and drop between panes
• User configurable pane layout, fonts and colors

Tuner

SN Systems' Tuner, developed specifically for the PlayStation®3 architecture, lets you capture and visualize program behavior so that you can eliminate conflicts and bottlenecks and cache misses in your code. Tuner runs completely in software - no special hardware required. High performance games can now be achieved with less guesswork. Tuner gives you the following features (click an item for a full description):

• PPU Thread Trace

• Shows PPU thread activity across all processes during the capture.

• PPU SYSCALL Trace

• Shows PPU syscall activity across all processes during the capture.

• Performance counters

• Supports all CBE PPU performance counters. We have also created a number of signal groups that relate to one another, so the developer can focus on certain aspects of the PPU, eg. L2 Cache Activity; LHS & Flush; Stalls; etc

• Real-time Data Capture

• The Tuner captures data in real-time while you play the game. The captured data can then be analyzed frame by frame and saved for later comparison with your optimized code. Fill/Circular buffer modes are supported.

• User Events

• User markers are designed to be placed around areas of your code to allow custom profiling/timing of logical units.

• Advanced User Interface

• Data can be viewed in the game view where all captured frames are visible and changes in frame rate are clearly displayed. Individual frames can then be selected to view the relationship between the captured events. Also on offer is a dynamic view of how the Lv2 trace buffer is being used.

• Detailed Metric Capture

• The Tuner captures: frame synchronization time (via sync function); absolute function timing (via instrumented functions); user events; thread schedule events. Tool tips are available in all views and for all traces giving useful statistics
  

• RSX performance counters

• Shows specified RSX signal activity during the capture.

• PPU PC sampling

• This gives a general overview of which functions are being called most often.

• PPU function instrumenting

• This allows you to collect absolute timing data for selected functions during the capture.

• Drivable from script

• Tuner is drivable from script. For example automated builds can start a Tuner session and capture metrics for specific code sections. These metrics can then be compared with previous results and flag the lead developer of any new performance problems.

Target Manager

• Load and run executable files
• TTY view
• Fileserving provides the target with access to the host file system
• Manages connections to multiple development hardware on your network allowing simultaneous debug sessions or sharing of development hardware
• Color-coded display of printf streams
• Target Manager SDK provides programmatic access to the functionality of Target Manager

Visual Studio integration

Integration of the above tools with Visual Studio (2003 and 2005) is achieved through Add-ins and Appwizards. The following features are supported (click an item for a full description):

• Build, edit and manage your project using the Visual Studio IDE
  

  • PlayStation®3 project AppWizards are provided for ELF files and libraries. Any feature natively available in Visual Studio is available to use in your PlayStation®3 project, for example, Source Safe controls.

• Tight integration between the IDE and the ProDG Debugger
  

  • Once built, you can run/debug your game in the ProDG debugger directly from Visual Studio via a toolbar button or the standard debugger start key (<F5> by default).
  • Breakpoints (including conditional information) are automatically transferred between the IDE and debugger, and files in the Debugger source pane can be opened in Visual Studio from within the Debugger.
  • Compiler and linker errors and warnings are output in Visual Studio format so that double-clicking on a build error in the output window opens the source file at the appropriate line in the Visual Studio editor.

• Build tool integration using GCC compiler for PPU and SPU
  

  • Toolchain command-line switches, command-line arguments for the Debugger and ELF, and fileserving paths, can all be set via a configuration dialog within Visual Studio.

• Flexible project configurations
  

  • VSI supports configuration-specific properties, for example different linker scripts could be used for debug and release builds.

• Source browsing and Intellisense
  

  • Use Visual Studio's built in source browsing and Intellisense capabilities (when editing a C/C++ source) in your PlayStation®3 project, just as you would in a Win32 build.

• Project dependencies
  

  • Full source dependency checking for C, C++ and assembler files during the build process.

Documentation

Comprehensive documentation is supplied in PDF and HTML formats. Technical articles and FAQs are available in the developer technical support zone of the website

Technical support

Technical support is provided via e-mail and telephone during normal UK business hours. We also provide support via the customer-only technical support zone of our website where the following services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

• Documentation and technical articles
  
• Downloads and updates
• FAQs
  

Minimum System requirements

• PC with Intel Pentium III (or equivalent)
• Windows XP Pro
• Network Adaptor
• 512MB of RAM
• 8MB of video memory
• 24MB of Hard Disk space
• Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation®3 development hardware
• Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation®3 software development kit (SDK)

Ordering

To order ProDG for PlayStation®3 please contact your Sony Computer Entertainment Account Manager.

NOTICE: These products are only available to Sony Computer Entertainment's licensed developers/publishers.

"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.