The Video Game Console Library - Fairchild Channel F

	Fairchild Channel F
	DW FACTS by Dark Watcher
	Page content, development and design by Marriott_Guy

Developer	Manufacturer	Release Date	Country(s)	Initial Price	Model Number	Game Releases	Overall Rating
Fairchild Semiconductors	Fairchild, Zircon	Aug-76	North America, Europe, Japan	$169 USD	FVE-100	26	NA
Ratings	Reviews	Pictures\Media	Specs\Manuals	Games\Emulation	Models	Clones	Links

Ratings
Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. Ratings based upon a 10 point scale (10 being excellent\very rare).
Console Design (appearance, functionality)	N\A
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile)	N\A
Controllers (design, response, feel, use)	N\A
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation)	N\A
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects)	N\A
Media (game media format, design, durability)	N\A
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging)	N\A
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library)	N\A
Innovations (technological industrial strides)	N\A
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?)	N\A
Collector Value (good collector investment?)	N\A
Games Rarity (general availability of games)	N\A
Console Rarity (general availability of a system)	N\A

Reviews

Fairchild Channel F

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 consoles success was very short.

Channel F Cartridge

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" button.

HANDS ON REVIEW

Coming soon...

Pictures & Media

Various picture\media for this console. Click pictures to enlarge.

The following pictures are courtesy of Fndcollectables.com. They have many more documents, brochures and game information so please be sure to check them out!

Brochure for the Channel F by Fairchild

The Original Brochure Cover for the Channel F

Channel F Original Brochure

Brochure for the Channel F System II by Zircon

Specs & Manuals

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

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
8-bit Fairchild FB	1.79 MHz	N\A	64 bytes \ 2 KB
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
128 x 64	Eight (8)	N\A	4 Channel Stereo, internally generated through a speaker
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
Cartridge	4 KB	26 (commercial)	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 Connection
Power Supply - External	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
Input: 120V 60 Hz Output: 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

Games & Emulation

Game screen shots\media released 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.

Fairchild Channel F Game Cartridges
Fairchild Channel F games

The complete library of games (excluding demo carts) for the Fairchild Channel F

VIDEOCART-1
Tic-Tac-Toe \ Shooting Gallery \ Doodle

$Channel F Videocart-1: Tic-Tac-Toe\Shooting Gallery\Doodle$

$Videocart-1: Tic-Tac-Toe\Shooting Gallery\Doodle Screenshot$

VIDEOCART-2
Desert Fox \ Shooting Gallery

$Channel F Videocart-2: Desert Fox \ Shooting Gallery$

$Videocart-2: Desert Fox \ Shooting Gallery Screenshot$

VIDEOCART-3
Video Blackjack

VIDEOCART-4
Spitfire

VIDEOCART-5
Space War

VIDEOCART-6
Math Quiz I - Addition & Subtraction

VIDEOCART-7
Math Quiz II - Multiplication & Division

VIDEOCART-8
Magic Numbers - Mind Reader & Nim

VIDEOCART-9
Drag Strip

VIDEOCART-10
Maze \ Jailbreak \ Trailblazer \ Cat and Mouse

$Channel F Videocart-10: Maze\Jailbreak\Trailblazer\Cat and Mouse$

$Videocart-10: Maze\Jailbreak\Trailblazer\Cat and Mouse Screenshot$

VIDEOCART-11
Backgammon \ Acey-Deucey

$Channel F Videocart-11: Backgammon\Acey-Deucey$

$Videocart-11: Backgammon\Acey-Deucey Screenshot$

VIDEOCART-12
Baseball

VIDEOCART-13
Robot War \ Torpedo Alley

$Channel F Videocart-13: Robot War\Torpedo Alley$

$Videocart-13: Robot War\Torpedo Alley Screenshot$

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

Third Party Emulators
Program	Website	Description
M.E.S.S.	http://www.mess.org	Multi-Emulator Super System is a DOS based emulator capable of running many systems including this one. It has a Windows based GUI, and should be usable by most PC systems.

Models

Additional authorized releases for this console.

Fairchild Channel F
United States (1976)

Zircon Channel F System 2
United States (1978)

The following are other officially licensed releases of the two base models shown above. Pictures courtesy of our good friend Adrian Scheel.

Grandstand Video Entertainment Computer
Great Britain (1976)

Emerson Channel F
Italy (1978)

ITT Telematch-Processor
Germany (1978)

Dumont Channel F
Italy (1978)

Ingelen Telematch Processor
Austria (1978)

Barco Challenger
Belgium (1978)

Luxor TV-Datorspel
Sweden (1978)

Normende Color Teleplay
Germany (1979)

Saba VideoPlay
Italy \ Germany (1978)

Saba VideoPlay 2
Italy \ Germany (1979)

Grandstand Video Entertainment Computer II
Great Britain (1979)

Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones).

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

Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

Name	Website	Description
Fndcollectables.com	http://www.fndcollectables.com/.../channel_f_info.html	Nice site with a number of great historical pieces on the Channel F systems and games.

visitors since 01-Apr-2008
Page last updated 03-Feb-2012

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