1
0
Released in 1976, a full 10 months before the Atari 2600, the Fairchild Channel F is an oft overlooked but undeniably important piece of video game hardware. Many consider it to be the first “real” video game console. But what does that mean exactly? Products such as the Magnavox Odyssey and home versions of Pong had already been released. Here’s a closer look at why the Channel F is one of the most pivotal developments in gaming history.
The Earliest Television Games
In the early 1970s, the idea of playing games on your home television was a novel concept. Ralph Baer and his team at Magnavox successfully proved it could be done with the 1972 debut of the Odyssey, which featured interchangeable game cards and a total of 28 games. However, its solid state infrastructure drastically limits graphical and gameplay and capabilities. It has no way of tracking score, enforcing rules, keeping players within boundaries, etc. The games rely heavily on physical screen overlays that must be applied to the front of TV sets in to help make sense of its primitive graphics. Additionally, the game cards don’t actually hold data. Instead, they are printed circuit boards of varying configurations, which act as a set of instructions to modify the Odyssey’s internal circuitry accordingly.
In 1975, home versions of Atari’s Pong made their way to market. The tennis influenced game had recently become a coin-operated sensation, and commercial success of these new home adaptations suggested audiences were ready to start gaming on their TVs. Many of these systems, which were sold under varying names, include multiple games that can be selected using a physical switch on the machine. These, however, also rely on solid state technology and are limited to strictly to tennis-style games.
Image source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org
The Breakthrough
Enter the Fairchild Video Entertainment System (VES), later changed to the Fairchild Channel F, short for “Channel Fun”. Its initial concept and prototype were developed by Wallace Kirschner and Lawrence Haskel. The idea was pitched to Gerald (Jerry) Lawson who worked for Fairchild, a prominent semiconductor company dipping its toes into the electronic game industry. Jerry himself was a notable engineer from New York and part of the Homebrew Computer Club, a collective of tech enthusiasts with members such as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Image source: HowStuffWorks
https://www.howstuffworks.com/
What set the Channel F apart from its predecessors was its use of a microprocessor, rather than solid state circuitry. The games are actual written pieces of software, stored onto chips as ROMs, which are encased in swappable plastic cartridges. Sound familiar? One of the system’s more unique aspects, even in retrospect, is the controller design, which features a hand-gripped stick topped with a triangular knob that pivots for directional control or can pushed or pulled for additional commands. The console includes two preinstalled games, and an additional twenty-six titles were released in numbered bright yellow cartridges known as Videocarts.
Image source: Laughing Squid
http://www.laughingsquid.com
A Disappointing Launch
The console made its first public appearance in June of 1976 in the form of a non-functioning display at the Summer Consumer Electronics Showv in Chicago. It was featured the following month in a BusinessWeek article, which helped draw more public attention. It officially released to consumers in the fall of 1976 but was met with underwhelming sales. The following year, the competing Atari VCS (later known as the 2600) made its debut and dominated the home video game market for several years.
Image source: Justin Casey / Timeless Gamer
http://www.timelessgamer.net
Its Final Breaths
The console’s hardware was licensed and released under several variants throughout the mid to late 1970s, all with essentially the same internal components. After purchasing the rights to Channel F, Zircon International released the Channel F System II in 1979. While this new version boasted some modest improvements, only six games were released before it was discontinued in 1983. While it never saw commercial success of its own, the Channel F was the first to usher in a generation of consoles that brought console gaming to the mainstream.
