Full content from the completed page crawl (media download still running)
6,654 pages: 1,289 machines, 702 software, 460 companies, 64 history, 17 articles, 59 fun. 4,336 media files so far; references to files not downloaded yet are left out. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
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Claude Opus 5.5
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---
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title: Fairchild Channel F
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categories:
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- Consoles
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origins:
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- U.S.A.
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years:
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- '1976'
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cpus:
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- Fairchild F8
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params:
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name: Channel F
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company: /companies/fairchild
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company_name: Fairchild
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specs:
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- label: NAME
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value: Channel F
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- label: MANUFACTURER
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value: Fairchild
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- label: ORIGIN
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value: U.S.A.
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- label: YEAR
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value: '1976'
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- label: END OF PRODUCTION
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value: '1978'
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- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
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value: Hockey,Tennis
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- label: KEYBOARD
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value: Two \`grip-stick' controllers attached to main unit with dedicated wires. 8 way digital movement, forward/backwards, left/right, pull knob down/pull up and twist counter-/clockwise
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- label: CPU
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value: Fairchild F8
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- label: SPEED
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value: 2 MHz
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- label: RAM
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value: 64 bytes
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- label: COLORS
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value: 8, only four different colors per line, unless black/white palette were chosen, then only these two colors on the whole line.
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- label: SOUND
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value: |-
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First models : played through the console, built-in speaker\
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System II : played through TV
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- label: I/O PORTS
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value: TV out
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- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
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value: Cartridges
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- label: OS
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value: 26 programmable cartridges with between 2 and 4 games on each.
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- label: POWER SUPPLY
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value: External power supply unit
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- label: PRICE
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value: $170 (USA, 1976)
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tabs:
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- photos
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- adverts
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- connectors
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- software
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- emulators
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- links
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- docs
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- videos
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photos:
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- title: CONTROL PANEL
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: null
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- title: INSERTING A CARTRIDGE
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: null
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- title: HOLDING THE CONTROLLER
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: null
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- title: CHANNEL F SYSTEM II
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: null
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- title: SYSTEM II WITH BOX
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: null
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- title: BOX
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subtitle: ''
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text: This is the box of the "Video Entertainment System", the first model.
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image: null
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- title: 'BOX #2'
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subtitle: ''
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text: Box of the "Channel F"
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image: null
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adverts:
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- title: PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: null
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- title: 'PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET #2'
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: null
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- title: 'PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET #3'
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: null
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- title: PROMOTIONAL PICTURE
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subtitle: ''
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text: This is a promotional picture for the Channel F System II.
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image: null
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- title: US ADVERT (1980)
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subtitle: ''
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text: taken from Popular Science (nov. 1980)
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image: null
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connectors:
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- title: FEMALE PINOUTS
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subtitle: ''
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text: |-
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Pin - Function\
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\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
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1 - Twist left\
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2 - Twist right\
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3 - Pull up\
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4 - Push down\
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5 - Right\
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6 - Up\
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7 - Down\
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8 - Left\
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9 - Common
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image: null
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emulators:
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- title: MESS
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url: http://www.mess.org
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platform: Multiplatform
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text: This famous emulator, emulates the Channel F
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links:
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- title: Channel F FAQ
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url: http://www.classicgaming.com/museum/faqs/chffaq.shtml
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text: Useful!
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- title: Fairchild Channel F information pages
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url: http://www.fndcollectables.com/CHANNEL_F_INFO/channel_f_info.html
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text: Scans, docs, screenshots and more!
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- title: Fairchild Channel F page
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url: http://www.chris-hind.co.uk/mem01.html
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text: Nice scans of the Grandstand model promo flyer
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- title: Fairchild System Gallery
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url: http://w5.nuinternet.com/s660100106/
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text: Excellent site with all cartridges, labels and much more!
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- title: Thepong.com
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url: http://www.thepong.com/
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text: This site has good pages about the Channel F & clones
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- title: Videogames.org
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url: http://videogames.org/html/ChannelFStuff/ChannelFIndex.html
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text: This page offers the original Channel F manual, and some game instructions.
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- title: Wikipedia - Channel F entry
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url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Channel_F
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text: Nice detailed page about the Fairchild Channel F
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docs:
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- title: FAIRCHILD CHANNEL F MANUAL
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url: http://videogames.org/html/ChannelFStuff/Docs/Channel_F_Manual
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cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vide.gif
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text: |-
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[**FAIRCHILD CHANNEL F MANUAL**](http://videogames.org/html/ChannelFStuff/Docs/Channel_F_Manual)written by Fairchild
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type of document : HTML\
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source : [Videogames.org](http://videogames.org/)
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videos:
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- title: Jerry Lawson interview, creator of the Channel F
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url: http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-2498129174652261598&hl=fr
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text: 'Length: 8 min 55 s'
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- title: Jerry Lawson interview, part 2
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url: http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=4639425208915226542&hl=fr
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text: 'Length: 15 min 28 s'
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comments:
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- author: Christian (Uk)
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date: Monday 13rd May 2019
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text: I visited a friend most hollidays who had this system...some of the games were good fun. In the uk i''m sure it was manufactured by ''Grandstand'' . My friend upgraded to a acorn electron.............
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- author: Francesco (Italia)
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date: Friday 26th April 2013
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text: |-
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Hi. I see this consolle today in a bazar. there was with 6 or 7 videocart. If it''s still work how much his value?\
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And if I''ll decide to sell it there is a market for this console?
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- author: Domido
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date: Tuesday 10th July 2012
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text: The system II was also sold in Europe under the name Saba Videoplay
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- author: crystal (United States)
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date: Sunday 16th October 2011
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text: where can i get the original first fairchild channel f....and how much is it
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- author: Wenlock (Australia)
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date: Sunday 12th June 2011
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text: A PAL version of this system was sold in Australia as Dick Smith Channel F by Dick Smith Electronics.
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- author: Micke (Sweden)
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date: Tuesday 20th March 2007
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text: Well, I have one that still works. I´ve just played Drag Strip VideoCart -9. I did the strip on 7.4 sec. Bet that if can! And sorry, my baby is not for sale. //Micke
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- author: Pablo (Mexico)
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date: Monday 5th March 2007
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text: I want one of these, how much and where ti but?
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- author: Bill Flournoy (Tempe)
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date: Sunday 1st May 2005
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text: I used to play this as a child. The blackjack was good.
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software:
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- /software/alien-invasion
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- /software/backgammon-acey-deucy
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- /software/baseball
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- /software/bowling-328
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- /software/casino-poker
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- /software/checkers
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- /software/desert-fox-shooting-gallery
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- /software/dodge-it
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- /software/drag-strip
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- /software/galactic-space-wars
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- /software/hangman
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- /software/hockey-76
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- /software/magic-numbers-mind-reader-nim
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- /software/math-quiz-i
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- /software/math-quiz-ii
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- /software/maze
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- /software/memory-match
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- /software/pinball-challenge
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- /software/pro-football
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- /software/robot-war-torpedo-alley
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- /software/slot-machine
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- /software/sonar-search
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- /software/space-war
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- /software/spitfire
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- /software/tennis-77
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- /software/tic-tac-toe-shooting-gallery-doodle-quadra-doodle
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- /software/video-blackjack
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- /software/video-whizball
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oc_id: 890
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source:
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url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230419201250/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=890
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date: '2023-04-19'
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---
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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.
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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.
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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 firebutton, the joystick had 8 way digital movement, forward/backwards, left/right, pull knob down/pull up and twist counter-/clockwise.
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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.
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The Channel F console's popularity lowered when the Atari released their [VCS](/museum/atari-vcs-2600/) 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 it's original name of the \`Fairchild Video Entertainment System', but this did not raise flagging sales.
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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](/museum/atari-vcs-2600/), [Intellivision](/museum/mattel-electronics-intellivision/) and [Odyssey²](/museum/magnavox-odyssey2/) were already on the market...
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In Sweden this console was sold as the Luxor Video Entertainment System.
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---
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**Contributors:** Abi Waddell, Fredric CJ Blaholtz, Björn Roman
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