The Fairchild Channel F (also known as Channel F) is a home video game console. The "F" in the name stands for "Fun". It was designed by Jerry Lawson and released in November 1976 by Fairchild Camera and Instrument in the United States for a price of 169.95 $. It is the first console that uses ROM cartridges and a microprocessor. By 1977, 250,000 Fairchild Channel F consoles were sold. The production ended in 1983.
Licensed versions
Many licensed versions were released in Europe. For example, the Luxor Video Entertainment System (Sweden), Adman Grandstand (United Kingdom), Saba Videoplay, Nordmende Teleplay, ITT Tele-Match Processor (Germany) and Dumont/Barco Videoplay (Italy and Belgium).
Games
26 cartridges were officially released for the Fairchild Channel F. Some cartridges have several games included. Each cartridge was sold for 19.95 $. On November 5, 2009, a homebrew game, a version of Pac-Man, was released.
List of games
Integrated with console: Hockey, Tennis
Videocart-1: Tic-Tac-Toe, Shooting Gallery, Doodle, Quadra-Doodle
Videocart-2: Desert Fox, Shooting Gallery
Videocart-3: Video Blackjack
Videocart-4: Spitfire
Videocart-5: Space War
Videocart-6: Math Quiz (Addition & Subtraction) Videocart-7: Math Quiz (Multiplication & Division) Videocart-8: Mind Reader, Nim (also referred to as Magic Numbers) Videocart-9: Drag Strip Videocart-10: Maze, Cat and Mouse 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 Videocart-27: Pac-Man (homebrew)
Technical specifications
RAM: 64 byte
VRAM: 2 kilobyte
CPU: Fairchild F8 operating at 1.79 MHz
Display resolution: 128 × 64 pixels
Colors: eight colors
Audio: 500 Hz, 1 kHz, and 1.5 kHz tones. The tones can be modulated to produce more tones. The sound is played through internal speakers build in the console, not through the television. Input: two custom game controllers, hardwired to the console
Successor
In 1979, the successor named Fairchild Channel F System II was released.