This may sound like a dumb question

[xxenclavexx]

Why is it that we are barely coming into the market of 64 bit chips for home computing when old gaming systems have been using them years before? (jaguar, nintendo64)

 

[Grimmy]

The Jauar is based on a different type of Processor - RISC

While PC are a differnet type - x86

 

[xxenclavexx]

why are RISC chips not popular in the home computing realm?

 

[Grimmy]

I guess because of Marketing, mainly.

Intel/AMD + Microsoft pretty much dominate the PC market. Plus all the software- games have a wide range of selection - price.

The RISC chips are faster though, but intel makes allot of chips for less, then the makers of RISC processors.

 

[xxenclavexx]

Thanks, good answers to questions not easily addressed through a wikiped search

 

[MBrookins]

I would say it has more to do with the x86 instruction set then anything else. You would have to develop more software for everything.