diff --git a/src/mame/sgi/vc1.cpp b/src/mame/sgi/vc1.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1df072aabf8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mame/sgi/vc1.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,206 @@
+// license:BSD-3-Clause
+// copyright-holders:Patrick Mackinlay
+
+/*
+ * Silicon Graphics Video Controller (VC1).
+ *
+ * TODO:
+ *  - everything; this stub is only enough to pass power-on diagnostics
+ */
+
+#include "emu.h"
+#include "vc1.h"
+
+//#define VERBOSE (LOG_GENERAL)
+
+#include "logmacro.h"
+
+DEFINE_DEVICE_TYPE(SGI_VC1, sgi_vc1_device, "sgi_vc1", "SGI VC1")
+
+sgi_vc1_device::sgi_vc1_device(machine_config const &mconfig, char const *tag, device_t *owner, u32 clock)
+	: device_t(mconfig, SGI_VC1, tag, owner, clock)
+{
+}
+
+void sgi_vc1_device::device_start()
+{
+	m_ram = std::make_unique<u8[]>(0x8000); // TC55328J-35 32,768x8 CMOS STATIC RAM
+
+	save_item(NAME(m_addr));
+	save_item(NAME(m_reg));
+	save_item(NAME(m_xmap));
+
+	save_pointer(NAME(m_ram), 0x8000);
+}
+
+void sgi_vc1_device::device_reset()
+{
+	m_addr = 0;
+}
+
+enum vc1_cmd : unsigned
+{
+	REGISTER  = 0, // video timing, cursor control, display id control, xmap control
+	XMAP_MODE = 1,
+	EXT_RAM   = 2,
+	TEST      = 3, // test registers
+	ADDR_LO   = 4,
+	ADDR_HI   = 5,
+	SYS_CTRL  = 6,
+};
+
+u8 sgi_vc1_device::read(offs_t offset)
+{
+	switch (offset)
+	{
+	case REGISTER:
+		return m_reg[m_addr++];
+	case XMAP_MODE:
+		return m_xmap[m_addr++];
+	case EXT_RAM:
+		return m_ram[m_addr & 0x7fffU];
+	case TEST:
+		return 0; // vc1 revision?
+	case ADDR_LO:
+		return u8(m_addr);
+	case ADDR_HI:
+		return m_addr >> 8;
+	default:
+		LOG("read offset %d\n", offset);
+		return 0;
+	}
+}
+
+enum vc1_reg : unsigned
+{
+	// video timing generator
+	VID_EP       = 0x00,
+	VID_LC       = 0x02,
+	VID_SC       = 0x04,
+	VID_TSA      = 0x06,
+	VID_TSB      = 0x07,
+	VID_TSC      = 0x08,
+	VID_LP       = 0x09,
+	VID_LS_EP    = 0x0b,
+	VID_LR       = 0x0d,
+	VID_FC       = 0x10,
+	VID_ENABLE   = 0x14,
+
+	// cursor generator
+	CUR_EP       = 0x20,
+	CUR_XL       = 0x22,
+	CUR_YL       = 0x24,
+	CUR_MODE     = 0x26,
+	CUR_BX       = 0x27,
+	CUR_LY       = 0x28,
+	CUR_YC       = 0x2a,
+	CUR_XC       = 0x2c,
+	CUR_CC       = 0x2e,
+	CUR_RC       = 0x30,
+
+	// display id generation
+	DID_EP       = 0x40,
+	DID_END_EP   = 0x42,
+	DID_HOR_DIV  = 0x44,
+	DID_HOR_MOD  = 0x45,
+	DID_LP       = 0x46,
+	DID_LS_EP    = 0x48,
+	DID_WC       = 0x4a,
+	DID_RC       = 0x4c,
+	DID_XL       = 0x4e,
+	DID_XD5      = 0x50,
+	DID_XM5      = 0x51,
+	DID_DID      = 0x52,
+
+	// control register
+	BLKOUT_EVEN  = 0x60,
+	BLKOUT_ODD   = 0x61,
+	AUXVIDEO_MAP = 0x62,
+};
+
+static const u8 reg_mask[] =
+{
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+
+	0xff, 0xff, 0x07, 0xff, 0x0f, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0x07, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0x07, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+	0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff,
+};
+
+void sgi_vc1_device::write(offs_t offset, u8 data)
+{
+	switch (offset)
+	{
+	case REGISTER:
+		if (m_addr < std::size(reg_mask))
+		{
+			m_reg[m_addr] = data & reg_mask[m_addr];
+
+			if (VERBOSE & LOG_GENERAL)
+			{
+				static const char *const reg_name[] =
+				{
+					"VID_EP", "", "VID_LC", "", "VID_SC", "", "VID_TSA", "VID_TSB",
+					"VID_TSC", "VID_LP", nullptr, "VID_LS_EP", nullptr, "VID_LR", nullptr, nullptr,
+					"VID_FC", "", nullptr, nullptr, "VID_ENABLE", "", nullptr, nullptr,
+					nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+
+					"CUR_EP", "", "CUR_XL", "", "CUR_YL", "", "CUR_MODE", "CUR_BX",
+					"CUR_LY", "", "CUR_YC", "", "CUR_XC", "", "CUR_CC", "",
+					"CUR_RC", "", nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+					nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+
+					"DID_EP", "", "DID_END_EP", "", "DID_HOR_DIV", "DID_HOR_MOD", "DID_LP", "",
+					"DID_LS_EP", "", "DID_WC", "", "DID_RC", "", "DID_XL", "",
+					"DID_XD5", "DID_XM5", "DID_DID", "", nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+					nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+
+					"BLKOUT_EVEN", "BLKOUT_ODD", "AUXVIDEO_MAP", "", nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+					nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+					nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+					nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
+				};
+
+				if (!reg_name[m_addr])
+					LOG("reg_w %s(0x%02x) data 0x%02x\n", "UNKNOWN", m_addr, m_reg[m_addr]);
+				else if (std::string(reg_name[m_addr]).empty())
+					LOG("reg_w %s(0x%02x) data 0x%04x\n", reg_name[m_addr - 1], m_addr - 1, u16(m_reg[m_addr - 1]) << 8 | m_reg[m_addr]);
+				else if ((m_addr & 1) || !std::string(reg_name[m_addr + 1]).empty())
+					LOG("reg_w %s(0x%02x) data 0x%02x\n", reg_name[m_addr], m_addr, m_reg[m_addr]);
+			}
+		}
+		else
+			LOG("write unknown register 0x%04x data 0x%02x\n", m_addr, data);
+		m_addr++;
+		break;
+	case XMAP_MODE:
+		m_xmap[m_addr++] = data;
+		break;
+	case EXT_RAM:
+		m_ram[m_addr++ & 0x7fffU] = data;
+		break;
+	case ADDR_LO:
+		m_addr = (m_addr & 0xff00U) | (data << 0);
+		break;
+	case ADDR_HI:
+		m_addr = (m_addr & 0x00ffU) | (data << 8);
+		break;
+	default:
+		LOG("write offset %d data 0x%02x\n", offset, data);
+		break;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/mame/sgi/vc1.h b/src/mame/sgi/vc1.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f20454983c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mame/sgi/vc1.h
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// license:BSD-3-Clause
+// copyright-holders:Patrick Mackinlay
+
+#ifndef MAME_SGI_VC1_H
+#define MAME_SGI_VC1_H
+
+#pragma once
+
+class sgi_vc1_device
+	: public device_t
+{
+public:
+	sgi_vc1_device(machine_config const &mconfig, char const *tag, device_t *owner, uint32_t clock);
+
+	u8 read(offs_t offset);
+	void write(offs_t offset, u8 data);
+
+protected:
+	virtual void device_start() override;
+	virtual void device_reset() override;
+
+private:
+	u16 m_addr;
+	u8 m_reg[128];
+	u8 m_xmap[128];
+
+	std::unique_ptr<u8[]> m_ram;
+};
+
+DECLARE_DEVICE_TYPE(SGI_VC1, sgi_vc1_device)
+
+#endif // MAME_SGI_VC1_H