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website/content/museum/msx-1.md
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yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 3eeabe9649 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
2026-10-12 07:55:22 +02:00

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---
title: MSX 1
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Japan
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- Zilog Z80A
params:
name: MSX 1
company: /companies/msx
company_name: MSX
specs:
- label: NAME
value: MSX 1
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: MSX
- label: TYPE
value: Home Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: Japan
- label: YEAR
value: '1983'
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: Microsoft Extended Basic (MSX Basic V1.0)
- label: KEYBOARD
value: At least 70 keys (including 5 F-keys with 10 functions and 4 arrow keys)
- label: CPU
value: Zilog Z80A
- label: SPEED
value: 3.58 MHz
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: 'Video chip must be compatible with the Texas Instruments TMS 9918/A or TMS 9928/A (Japan : 60 Hz) or TMS 9929/A (Europe : 50 Hz)'
- label: RAM
value: At least 8 KB (most machines had 64kB built in)
- label: VRAM
value: 16 KB
- label: ROM
value: 32 KB BASIC/BIOS ( MSX BASIC V1.0)
- label: TEXT MODES
value: |-
Mode 0 : 40 x 24\
Mode 1 : 32 x 24
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: |-
Mode 2 : 256 x 192 with 16 colors (Hires mode)\
Mode 3 : 64 x 48 with 16 colors (Multi colour mode)\
32 sprites
- label: COLORS
value: '16'
- label: SOUND
value: |-
General Instruments AY-3-8910 Programmable Sound Generator\
3 channels, 8 octaves
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Joystick socket (1 or 2), Cardridge slot (1 or 2), Tape-recorder plug (1200/2400 bauds), RGB video output, Centronics interface
- label: OS
value: MSX DOS
tabs:
- hardware
- emulators
- links
hardware:
- title: NATIONAL CF-2131
subtitle: 16 KB RAM expansion
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/national_cf2131_16k-cart.jpg
- title: CASIO OR-216 - 16 KB RAM EXPANSION
subtitle: Box
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/casio_or216_16kbramexpansion_box.jpg
- title: PHILIPS RAM EXPANSION
subtitle: ''
text: |-
RAM expansion and LOGO language cartridges.
Thanks to Daniele from Italy
image: /media/museum/hardware/philips_vg8020_cartridges_s1.jpg
- title: MEGA RAM DISK 256
subtitle: from DDX (Brazil)
text: This is the famous Megaram cartridge made in Brzail, used to play all Konami cracked Megarom games.6401999243
image: /media/museum/hardware/msx_megaram256-ddx_1.jpg
- title: PANASONIC FS-IFA1 & FW-RSU1W
subtitle: Scanner/Printer interface
text: The FS-IFA1 is the printer/scanner interface (left on the picture) and the FW-RSU1W is the handheld scanner (right on the picture). These expansions are for MSX2 systems.
image: /media/museum/hardware/msx_fs-ifa1_fw-rsu1w.jpg
- title: SONY HBI-232
subtitle: RS232c cartridge
text: Used to connect serial printers.
image: /media/museum/hardware/sony_msx_rs232c-cartridge.jpg
- title: 'YAMAHA MOUSE #1'
subtitle: ''
text: |-
This mouse was compatible with all MSX systems. It connects to the first Joystick port.
Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com**
image: /media/museum/hardware/yamaha_mouse_s2.jpg
- title: 'YAMAHA MOUSE #2'
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Brand new!
Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com**
image: /media/museum/hardware/yamaha_mouse_s1.jpg
- title: PHILIPS VW0020
subtitle: 80-col dot-matrix printer
text: |-
This printer was a rebadged version of the Seikosha GP-500.\
It was a 80-column, 50 CPS model with a 7x5 dot matrix head.\
Commodore and Atari used same hardware basis for their MPS-801 and 1029 printers.
image: /media/museum/hardware/philips_vg8020_printervw0020_s1.jpg
- title: SANYO PHC-DR II
subtitle: Side
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc-drii_side_1.jpg
- title: SANYO PHC-DR II
subtitle: Front
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc-drii_front_1.jpg
- title: SANYO DR-202
subtitle: ''
text: The ADSS system allowed to quickly search a specific program in a cassette tape and load it. Seach time for a C60 cassette was less than 1 minute.
image: /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc28_dr202tapedrive_s1.jpg
- title: NATIONAL RQ-8030
subtitle: tape-recorder
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/national_tape_rq8030.jpg
- title: BIT-CORDER
subtitle: ''
text: Cassete recorder dedicated to Hit-Bit MSX systems, though it could be used with any home computers.
image: /media/museum/hardware/sony_hb201_bitcorder_1.jpg
emulators:
- title: fMSX for MS DOS Homepage
url: http://www.komkon.org/~dekogel/fmsx.html
platform: MS DOS
text: ''
- title: BlueMSX
url: http://www.bluemsx.com/
platform: Windows
text: Excellent free MSX emulator
- title: BrMSX
url: http://www.lsi.usp.br/~ricardo/brmsx.htm
platform: Windows
text: A Bresilian MSX Emulator written in 100% assembler
- title: CompuJunk's MSX Emulator
url: http://ftp.castel.nl/msx/
platform: Windows
text: A MSX1 and MSX2 Emulator
- title: RuMSX
url: http://members.eunet.at/lexlechz/msx.html
platform: Windows
text: A MSX Emulator for Win95 and Win NT + Direct X
- title: fMSX for MAC OS Homepage
url: http://www.emulation.net/msx/index.html
platform: Apple
text: ''
- title: fMSX official Homepage
url: http://www.komkon.org/fms/fMSX
platform: Multiplatform
text: 'fMSX is a portable MSX emulator ported on : Amiga OS, Mac OS, MS DOS, OS/2, Sony Playstation, Risc OS, Towns OS, Unix / X, Win95 / NT, X68K.'
- title: openMSX - The MSX emulator that aims for perfection.
url: http://openmsx.sourceforge.net/
platform: Multiplatform
text: This new MSX emulator can reproduce, among many other MSX, MSX2and MSX2+ machines, both Panasonic Turbo-R models. Be sure to get the catapult frontend and the system roms from FUNET.
links:
- title: Baboo!
url: http://www.baboo.net/baboo.shtml
text: MSX dedicated Yahoo clone. Essential !
- title: FILE-HUNTER.COM
url: http://www.file-hunter.com/
text: Excellent! All MSX emulators, sources and utilities!
- title: FTP da MSXBr-L/MSX.Org.Br
url: http://www.caetano.eng.br/msxsoft/
text: Excellent brasilian software archive
- title: MOAI TECH
url: http://www.moai-tech.com/
text: Spanish/English website with interesting content
- title: MSX Hardware List
url: http://www.faq.msxnet.org/hardware.html
text: An impressive list of MSX hardware. The Bible !!!
- title: MSX Ressource Center
url: http://www.msx.org/
text: Essential site !
- title: Possi's Konami MSX Page
url: http://dynamo.geol.msu.ru/MSX/
text: Nice page dedicated to all Konami MSX games (roms, scans, mids, etc.)
- title: The MSX Games Box
url: http://www.msxgamesbox.com
text: All about MSX gaming (games, covers.etc.). More Fun, Less Mhz!
- title: The MSX Museum BOX
url: http://www.msxmuseumbox.com
text: More than 190 different MSX models in pictures.
- title: The ultimate MSX Faq
url: http://www.faq.msxnet.org
text: Here, you can find near all hardware pieces related to MSX.
- title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
text: The MSX home computer system
comments:
- author: Omar (Dubai, UAE)
date: Thursday 18th March 2021
text: Adding to that, my mother actually owned an MSX as a teenager. There were a lot of edutainment titles, and the MSX it seems was marketed primarily with an educational slant, and a games system and work computer second. Eventually the company (Al-Alamiah) began creating MS-DOS computers, but there''s barely any information I can find about those.
- author: ACS
date: Monday 22nd June 2015
text: The MSX was also very popular in west asian and north african Arabian countries. It was also especially popular in gulf countries with KSA based al-Alamiah reprogramming translating the OS to Arabic. al-Alamiah also developed and published several Arabic applications and video games.
- author: Makunga
date: Thursday 30th May 2013
text: |-
Hi all.
Believe it or not, I became a fan of programming and computers after using one of those around 1985. They where hooked to black $ white CRT TV sets and the programs in MSX Basic recorded in music cassets.
That was in Cuba and were the first computers introduced at high schools along with 8086/8088 Ltels with 256 KB RAM (for the teachers). Damn, I''m so old...
- author: Roger Jowett (Ulster)
date: Thursday 28th February 2013
text: |-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v$zsjTpFR0oYQ
please help\
trying to convert 8bit video for sam coupe\
this is still not mode 3 interlaced with hmpr bit 5$6 CLUT alterations per scan line HELP we only need a DMA...\
masterdos/basic atom lite support HELP
- author: josemi (Valladolid (Spain))
date: Thursday 26th April 2012
text: |-
MSX 1 was very popular in Spain. It was sold very well in 84 $ 85, specially Sony and Philips
Most computers were sold in office material shops, nothing related to families, Philips was a really popular brand for TVs and electrical appliances, so many families bought it in the same shop that offered freezers and hair dryers. Sony was popular too and it made a big advertising campaign.
The big problem was the price, a MSX system cost the double that an "grey imported" spectrum, and that was much money for an Spanish family by that time.
- author: Marco G (Portugal)
date: Saturday 21st April 2012
text: I do own a Philips MSX. They were good machines but over here Timex TC-2068 and Sinclair 48k/128k where dominant.
- author: Kvisko (Serbia)
date: Monday 9th August 2010
text: |-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSX
Please add this photo of first MSX, since I remeber it well to be the exact copy of this computer
Best wishes to ya all from Serbia
- author: Alexei (Seattle (USA))
date: Wednesday 3rd May 2006
text: |-
It's too bad the standard didn't last. Rather than an official standard for home computers, we ended up with a de-facto standard (the PC).c
Still, MSX are cool machines.
Enrico, I'm willing to bet that there are probably even more unknown MSX system.
- author: Alberto (Madrid (Spain))
date: Tuesday 5th November 2002
text: |-
Hi Enrico, and every one who loves MSX. Certainly the meaning of "MSX" acronym is secondary, let's use these wonderful machines and enjoy! :D\
And thanks to Old-Computers webmasters for your patience ;). Best Regards.
- author: Enrico Barbisan (Italy)
date: Thursday 29th August 2002
text: |-
Kris says:
This is a Sord M5 computer\
http://bernholm.dk/computermuseum/index.php?view=sordm5
There are pictures of games and they look very much like MSX games!
My question now is: Is the Sord an MSX compatible ???
I and other say:
There are some differences, for ex slot format.
Ciao,\
Enrico
- author: Enrico Barbisan (Italy)
date: Monday 26th August 2002
text: |-
Hi,
I've found this interesting site talking about East countries homecomputers.
http://www.homecomputer.de
Maybe there are unknown MSX clones around the world. For example:
\--------\
Elektronika MC1502: MSX?\
http://www.homecomputer.de/pages/easteurope_ussr.html
http://www.homecomputer.de/images/wanted/easteurope/Elektronika_MC1502.jpg
\-------\
Toshiba style!\
http://www.homecomputer.de/images/wanted/easteurope/Bashkirya-2M.jpg
Regards,\
Enrico
- author: Enrico Barbisan (Italy)
date: Thursday 8th August 2002
text: |-
Hi Alberto,
I'm an Italian MSX user. I know that Nishi said that MSX was the acronym of: "Machine and Software Exchageability".\
I don't know if Nishi has said another thing for it. Let me know.\
Regards,\
Enrico
- author: Alberto (Madrid (Spain))
date: Wednesday 31st July 2002
text: 'Hello, I''ve been an MSX fan for many years and I''ve read several times the origin of "MSX" as "MicroSoft eXtended" acronym but, the same Mr. Nishi who founded the standard in 1983 has declared the real meaning: The first protoype of this machine was called MNX by "Matsushita-Nishi X". This word was registered and then they have to change to MSX for "Matsushita-Sony X". This information is more detailed at Kuniji Ikeda internet news page.'
related:
- /museum/canon-v-10
- /museum/canon-v-20
- /museum/canon-v-8
- /museum/casio-mx-10-mx-101
- /museum/casio-pv-16
- /museum/casio-pv-7
- /museum/epcom-sharp-hotbit-hb-8000
- /museum/fujitsu-fm-x
- /museum/general-paxon-pct-50
- /museum/goldstar-fc-80-fc-200
- /museum/gradiente-expert-plus
- /museum/gradiente-expert-xp-800
- /museum/hitachi-ah-200
- /museum/hitachi-h1-h1e
- /museum/hitachi-h2
- /museum/mitsubishi-ml-f110-ml-f120
- /museum/mitsubishi-ml-f48-ml-f80
- /museum/mitsubishi-ml-fx1-fx2
- /museum/mitsubishi-ml-g10
- /museum/national-cf-2000
- /museum/national-cf-2700
- /museum/national-cf-3000
- /museum/national-fs-4000
- /museum/national-fs-4500
- /museum/olympia-phc-2
- /museum/panasonic-cf-2700
- /museum/philips-nms-801
- /museum/philips-vg-8000-8010
- /museum/philips-vg-8020
- /museum/philips-vg-8235
- /museum/pioneer-palcom-px-7
- /museum/sanyo-mpc-100
- /museum/sanyo-phc-28
- /museum/sanyo-phc-30
- /museum/sanyo-phc-33
- /museum/sanyo-wavy-10-mpc-10
- /museum/sanyo-wavy-23
- /museum/sanyo-wavy-3
- /museum/schneider-philips-mc-810
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-10
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-101
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-20
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-201
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-501
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-55
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-75
- /museum/spectravideo-svi-728
- /museum/toshiba-hx-10-pasopia-iq
- /museum/toshiba-hx-20-hx-21-pasopia-iq
- /museum/toshiba-hx-52
- /museum/victor-hc-6
- /museum/yamaha-cx5
- /museum/yamaha-cx5m-music-computer
- /museum/yamaha-sx-100
- /museum/yamaha-yis-303
- /museum/yamaha-yis-503-diabolik
- /museum/yashica-yc-64
- /museum/yeno-dpc-64
- /museum/yeno-mx-64
oc_id: 90
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604004104/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=90
date: '2023-06-04'
---
In the early 80's, there were a lot of home computers. A Japanese company called ASCII corporation (directed by Kay Nishi) decided to create an industry standard for home computers: MSX was born. MSX means **Machines with Software eXchangeability**. This is the true and only meaning, stop spreading the word about another explanation please.
The new standard was based on an existing computer: The Spectravideo SV 318 which can be considered as a beta version of MSX1 computers. Microsoft designed then MSX1 computers and the first version of the OS: MSX DOS 1 (which looks like early versions of MS-DOS).
Almost every Japanese and Korean computer companies made their own MSX computers (except maybe NEC). Bill Gates was then very confident about the future of the MSX standard.
Spectravideo (one of the MSX companies) made an 80 column card and adapted CP/M for the MSX.
A lot of programs (especially a lot of games from Sega, Konami, Taito, ASCII, etc.) and hardware were developed for this standard. Despite all its qualities, the MSX family didn't have great success in USA. However it was pretty well known in Europe (particularly in the Netherlands and France), in South America (Brazil specifically) and Russia (then the USSR). This standard was replaced in 1985 by [MSX 2](/museum/msx-2/).
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