Home Page

DW FACTS
by Dark Watcher

With so many "Pong" clones on the market at this time, the Fairchild Channel F was a breath of fresh air. The Channel F was the first programmable cartridge based video game console. It was developed by Fairchild Semiconductors and released in 1976. With only 26 games, the console's success was very short.

FACT: Not only did Fairchild Semiconductors produce the first cart based system, they were the first to use a microprocessor for use in a videogame console. Also two of their employees became co-founders of a company called "Intel"...thank your lucky Pentium. The Channel F was was also the first videogame console to utilize a pause function, via the "Hold" button on the console that would freeze the game (or even speed it up).

MODELS Officially licensed releases
Fairchild Channel F United States (1976)	Zircon Channel F System 2 United States (1978)


Barco Challenger (Belgium 1978)	Dumont Channel F (Italy 1978)	Luxor TV-Datorspel (Sweden 1978)
Grandstand VEC (Great Britain 1976)	Grandstand VEC II (Great Britain 1979)	ITT Telematch-Processor (Germany 1978)
Ingelen Telematch Processor (Austria 1978)	Saba VideoPlay 2 (Italy \ Germany 1979)	Normende Color Teleplay (Germany 1979)
Emerson Channel F (Italy 1978)	Saba VideoPlay (Italy \ Germany 1978)
Some pictures courtesy of our good friend Adrian Scheel.

Grandstand VES Technical Pictures



Pictures courtesy of Charles Lee

CLONES Non-licensed hardware releases
No clones were released for this system. This system was licensed to just about anyone who had a soldiering gun.

CONSOLE RATINGS
by Marriott_Guy

Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. A 10 point scale is utilized, with 10 being excellent. Ratings are based upon my experience with the original Fairchild Channel F and the Channel F System 2 by Zircon.

CRITERIA	RATING	NOTES & COMMENTS
Console Design	05	The design of the Channel F chassis is all about functionality. The front system buttons are large and easily accessible. The plastic housing that provides cover for the controllers is constructed of a rather thin plastic and is prone to damage.
Console Durability	06	The first model featured hardwired controllers, which are prone to damage where the wires connect at the base of the console. The System 2 had detachable controllers which are more dependable. The system itself is durable, with the exception of the smoke-amber plastic top cover which can be easily cracked.
Controllers	05	I am not a big fan of pistol-grip controllers, and the Fairchild Channel F did nothing to change my mind in this area. The rotating knob has an odd triangle shaped top which is difficult to navigate.
Graphics	07	Though the color palette is limited to 8 colors, the Channel F delivers surprisingly smooth graphics without a great deal of screen flicker.
Audio	03	The first model generated sound through an internal speaker, which as you can imagine sounds rather poor. The System 2 provided audio out to your television, which was a huge improvement.
Media	08	Being the pioneer of programmable video game cartridges, Fairchild truly embraced this new medium and was a pioneer.
Game Library	06	Though only 26 games were released for this console, the Channel F has a nice variety of genres to chose from.
Gamer Value	05	The Channel F system and games are more expensive to acquire compared to its primary competitor, the Atari 2600. Though their are some great titles within its library, it is difficult to justify the additional cost when comparable titles for the 2600 are 1/10 the cost.
Collector Value	08	Due to being the first programmable video game system that was ever released, any collector needs to have the Channel F within their arsenal of systems.

FORMAT, PACKAGING & GENERAL INFO Interesting facts on software for this system
In addition to the standard game title, Fairchild utilized a numbering system to label their game. This method would eventually be duplicated in many systems during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The boxes are constructed of a very thick cardboard and hold up remarkably well through time. The large game cartridges are also very durable, with front label graphics that mirror the design of the cover art. There were many variations in both the cartridge design as well as the boxes for games released for the Fairchild Channel F. Games were also released in Europe as VideoPlay cartridges under the Saba brand. Acquiring games is not difficult due to the durable construction of both the cartridge and the carton. Games created by Zircon are definitely the best that the system has to offer. As you can imagine, these games are rather expensive.
	Sample Game Play

Fairchild Channel F Game Cartridges


SCREENSHOTS Captured in-game images, boxes and cartridges
VIDEOCART-1 Tic-Tac-Toe \ Shooting	VIDEOCART-2 Desert Fox \ Shooting Gallery	VIDEOCART-3 Video Blackjack
VIDEOCART-4 Spitfire	VIDEOCART-5 Space War	VIDEOCART-6 Math Quiz I
VIDEOCART-7 Math Quiz II	VIDEOCART-8 Magic Numbers	VIDEOCART-9 Drag Strip
VIDEOCART-10 Maze \ Jailbreak	VIDEOCART-11 Backgammon \ Acey-Deucey	VIDEOCART-12 Baseball
VIDEOCART-13 Robot War \ Torpedo Alley	VIDEOCART-14 Sonar Search	VIDEOCART-15 Memory Match
VIDEOCART-16 Dodge-It	VIDEOCART-17 Pinball Challenge	VIDEOCART-18 Hangman
VIDEOCART-19 Checkers	VIDEOCART-20 Video Whizball	VIDEOCART-21 Bowling
VIDEOCART-22 Slot Machine	VIDEOCART-23 Galactic Space Wars	VIDEOCART-24 Pro-Football
VIDEOCART-25 Casino Poker	VIDEOCART-26 Alien Invasion

EMULATION
First and third party system emulators

MESS

MESS (Multi-Emulator Super System) is a DOS based emulator capable of running many
systems including this one. It has a Windows based GUI and is extremely user friendly.

SPECS & MANUALS
For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
Fairchild F8 (8-bit)	1.79 MHz	None	64 bytes \ 2 KB
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
128 x 64	Eight (8) colors	N\A	4 Channel Stereo (internally generated)
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
Cartridge	4 KB	26	None
Internal Storage	External \ Removable Storage	Game Controllers	Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
None	None	Pistol Controller (8-way directional)	None
Controller Ports	Network Ports	Other Ports	Audio \ Video
Two (hardwired)	None	None	RF
Power Supply - External	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
Input: AC 120V 60 Hz Output: DC 18V 12VA	None	The second version, System 2, featured audio output through the television, detachable controllers and a redesigned casing (see pictures below).
Manuals
Fairchild Channel F Owners Manual (PDF) - 1.60 MB