website/content/museum/sony-hit-bit-f500.md

---
title: Sony Hit-Bit F500
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- Japan
years:
- '1986'
cpus:
- Zilog Z80
params:
  name: Hit-Bit F500
  image: /media/museum/photos/sony_hb-f500_1s.jpg
  company: /companies/sony
  company_name: Sony
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Hit-Bit F500
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Sony
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Japan
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1986'
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke keyboard with numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: Zilog Z80
  - label: SPEED
    value: 3.58 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 KB
  - label: VRAM
    value: 128 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 32 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 x 26 / 40 x 24 / 32 x 24
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 64 x 48 / 256 x 192 / 256 x 212 / 512 x 212
  - label: COLORS
    value: 16 / 16 - 256 / 16 among 512 / 4 - 16 among 512
  - label: SOUND
    value: 3 channels, 7 octaves
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Joystick (2), Cardridge ports (3), Tape interface, Audio & Video output, RF videou output, SCART connector, Centronics, External drive connector, Keyboard, FDD connector
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: One 3.5'' disk-drive
  - label: OS
    value: MSX DOS
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in PSU
  tabs:
  - photos
  - emulators
  - links
  photos:
  - title: HB-F500
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/sony_hb-f500_1.jpg
  - title: 'PICTURE #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/sony_hb-f500_2.jpg
  - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/sony_hb-f500_zoom.jpg
  - title: FRONT
    subtitle: ''
    text: Two cartridge slots, one 3.5" floppy disk drive, two joystick controllers, keyboard connector.
    image: /media/museum/photos/sony_hb-f500_front.jpg
  - title: BACK
    subtitle: ''
    text: 'Many connectors here (from left to right): RF video output (with channel 3/4 switch), external drive connector, third cartridge slot (hidden, just below the drive connector), audio & video output, tape interface, SCART connector, printer interface, power cord.'
    image: /media/museum/photos/sony_hb-f500_rear.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.ping.at/lexlechz/msx.html
    platform: Windows
    text: A MSX Emulator for Win95 and Win NT + Direct X
  - title: Virtual MSX
    url: http://www.msxnet.org/vmsx/
    platform: Windows
    text: An other MSX 1 emulator for Win 95 / Win NT
  - 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: Other platform
    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: fMSX32
    url: HTTP://WWW.RETRODEV.INFO/
    platform: Other platform
    text: The excellent fMSX, but ported onto the GamePark GP32 handheld console.
  - 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: MSX Faq
    url: http://www.faq.msxnet.org
    text: Here, you can find near all hardware pieces related to MSX.
  comments:
  - author: Andre (France)
    date: Thursday 5th August 2010
    text: |-
      Hi\
      I was using some msx computers long ago, mainly for games.\
      I had a Sony Hit Bit 700 that i sold to buy a pc but was missing it so much that i bought a used Sony Hit Bit F500 F (for France I guess). I still have it and its working fine for now. It is booting on Msx Basic, but I have no manual left (if u know of some pdf file ...). I have some game cartridges too.\
      Greetings
  - author: Francisco (Spain)
    date: Saturday 1st December 2007
    text: I really don't know as I have never used one of them, I've been reading about this computer and could be a GEM version (but, I'm not sure).
  - author: Oscar (Spain)
    date: Monday 27th December 2004
    text: Maybe GEOS?
  - author: Leandro (Brazil)
    date: Friday 11th April 2003
    text: Does anyone knows the name of the GUI that came with this computer?
  related:
  - /museum/canon-v-25
  - /museum/jvc-hc-95
  - /museum/kawai-kmc-5000
  - /museum/msx-2
  - /museum/panasonic-fs-a1
  - /museum/panasonic-fs-a1f
  - /museum/sony-hit-bit-f1xd
  - /museum/sony-hit-bit-f700
  - /museum/sony-hit-bit-f9
  - /museum/sony-hit-bit-g900f
  oc_id: 281
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230529182018/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=281
    date: '2023-05-29'
---

Another member of the [MSX 2 family](/museum/msx-2/). This computer was intended to be a "semi-professional computer", with its built-in floppy disk unit, its separate keyboard and its mouse.

It used a graphical interface on top of the MSX-DOS with windows and icons (and bears a striking resemblance to the first version of GEM).

A nice computer, now if it wasn’t as expensive!

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>