Fairchild Channel‑F / Saba
The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by the Fairchild Semiconductor company in August 1976, at a price of $ 169.95 (approximately $ 149.95). The Channel F distinguished itself from its competitors by being the first programmable game console with ROM cartridges. The system was first launched with the name Video Entertainment System (or VES), but when Atari launched the Atari VCS (Atari 2600) the following year, Fairchild changed the name of the VES.
Fairchild Channel‑F / Saba
The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by the Fairchild Semiconductor company in August 1976, at a price of $ 169.95 (approximately $ 149.95). The Channel F distinguished itself from its competitors by being the first programmable game console with ROM cartridges. The system was first launched with the name Video Entertainment System (or VES), but when Atari launched the Atari VCS (Atari 2600) the following year, Fairchild changed the name of the VES.
The Fairchild Channel F was designed by Jerry Lawson, who used the Fairchild F8 processor. This processor was invented by Robert Noyce before leaving Fairchild to start his own company called Intel. The F8 processor is a very complex system compared to other processors of its time, with more inputs and outputs than other chips. Graphically, the F8 processor is quite simple like other game consoles in the same period, but the fact that it was in color was a big step forward compared to the PONG machines like the Odyssey. The system's sound was played from an internal speaker in the game console, rather than through the TV.
The Channel F used a joystick, which is basically a large handle with a triangular "handle" on the top, which was all you could move.
