====== Fairchild Channel F (1976) ======
===== Features =====
* CPU: Fairchild F8 1.79 MHz [NTSC], 2.22 MHz [PAL]
* RAM: 64 bytes
* Colors: 8, only four different colors per line, unless black/white palette were chosen, then only these two colors on the whole line.
* Sound: played through the console with the built-in speaker [first models], played through TV [System II]
* I/O Ports: TV out
* Controllers: Two 'grip-stick' controllers attached to main unit with dedicated wires. 8 way digital movement, forward/backwards, left/right, push knob down/pull up and twist counter-/clockwise
* Media: Cartridges
* Built In Software / Game: Hockey, Tennis
* Number of Games: 26 programmable cartridges with between 1 and 4 games on each.
===== Usage =====
MESS supports cart dumps in .bin format for channelf, using the "cartridge" (cart) device. Starting channelf without any cart would give access to the built in hockey and tennis games (at the G? prompt, 1=Hockey and 2=Tennis).
== Controls ==
Fairchild Channel F included two controllers: they are unique in their design. They kind of resemble a dynamite detonator, with a control knob at top that had 8 basic movements: up / down /left / right / twist left / twist right / pull up / pull down.
On the console, five buttons are present: a RESET button, plus four button (numbered from 1 to 4). These were used to select games (e.g. without cart, at the G? prompt: 1=Hockey, 2=Tennis) and different time durations of a game (1=2 mins, 2=5 mins, 3=10 mins, 4=20 mins). Moreover
button 1 was the TIME button
button 2 was the MODE button
button 3 was the HOLD button
button 4 was the START button
MESS controls are mapped in the following way (P1 buttons as indicated in the //Input (this system)// menu): button 1 is mapped to "P1 Start", button 2 is mapped to "P1 button 5", button 3 is mapped to "P1 button 6", button 4 is mapped to "P1 button 7".
P1 buttons 1 to 4 are reserved to PUSH DOWN, PULL UP, MOVE CLOCKWISE, MOVE COUNTERCLOCKWISE (movements you could do with the joystick, on the original hardware) respectively.
=== BIOS options ===
MESS emulates "Luxor Video Entertainment System" (Swedish version of Channel F) and "Fairchild Channel F", currently the Luxor version at the wrong speed though. Since it's a PAL system it's clocked at 2.22 MHz instead of 1.79 MHz.
You can switch between the two, changing the -bios parameter. At command line,
"-bios 0" or "-bios sl90025" = Luxor Video Entertainment System
"-bios 1" or "-bios sl31253" = Fairchild Channel F
===== History and Trivia =====
The Channel F was the first programmable video game system, having plug-in cartridges containing ROM and microprocessor code rather than dedicated circuits. Not a very popular or entertaining system, it was nonetheless important at the time for having a number of original features which were copied by later more successful systems.
Unique to the console is a 'hold' button that allowed the player freeze the game and also change either the time, the speed or both during the course of the game, without altering the score. Another feature which was used for the Hockey game was 'overtime' which allowed one minute of extra play should there be a tie-break in the score.
Detached controllers were just starting to appear on 'pong' units as opposed to having them directly on the unit itself. The Channel F controllers which were attached to the unit with dedicated wires, were gripped by the whole hand and enabled movement in all directions, including the twisting left and right for 'paddle' movement. There was no fire button, the joystick had 8 way digital movement, forward/backwards, left/right, pull knob down/pull up and twist counter-/clockwise.
Fairchild released twenty-six different cartridges for the system, with up to four games being on each cartridge. The games included sports, such as Hockey, Tennis and Baseball, educational, such as Maths Quiz, board games, such as Checkers, and shooting games, such as Space War. The cartridges had labels that contained the game instructions on them and each were given a sequential number. In this respect Fairchild started a trend in trying to boost game sales by numbering them and so appealing to consumers who wanted to complete their collection.
The Channel F console's popularity lowered when the Atari released their VCS in 1977 as the VCS had much better graphics, games and sound. Fairchild responded to the Atari VCS by changing the name of their console to the 'Fairchild Channel F' from its original name of the 'Fairchild Video Entertainment System', but this did not raise flagging sales.
In 1978, Zircon International Inc. bought the rights for the Channel F and released it as the Channel F System 2. This new system had some minor modifications : slightly different cosmetic design, sound output through TV speakers and the controller holders at the back of the unit. But this new model did not succeed either, as this time, Atari VCS, Intellivision and Odyssey2 were already on the market...
At the end, Fairchild switched their efforts to developing the Spark-16 minicomputer.
Various version of the Channel F were marketed: in Sweden the game-station was made by Luxor in two different models similar to Channel F and Channel F System II. In Germany, the system was called SABA Videoplay or Nordmende Teleplay and in the UK it's called Grandstand.
//(info from old-computers.com)//
===== Links =====
* Fairchild Channel F Information -- http://www.videogames.org/html/ChannelFStuff/ChannelFIndex.html
* Fairchild Channel F FAQ -- http://www.digitpress.com/faq/channelf.htm
* Tech Info on the F8 chip -- http://www.nyx.net/~lturner/public_html/Fairchild_F8.html
* Channel F Datasheets -- http://members.cox.net/seanandalicia/chanfinfo.html
* Sean Riddle's Home Page -- http://members.cox.net/seanriddle/chanf.html
* Fredric Blaholtz's Home Page -- http://w5.nuinternet.com/s660100106/channelf.html
* Chris's Channel F Page -- http://www.chris-hind.co.uk/mem01.html
* JC Penney television commercial for the Fairchild Channel F -- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7639213472647728205
* Channel F at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=890
Generated on Sun Jul 19 10:17:28 2009