History of video games/Platforms/PC-FX

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  The NEC PC-FX with controller attached.

History

Development

NEC had previously attempted to enter the home console market with the TurboGrafx-16 line of consoles.

Launch

The PC-FX was launched on the 23rd of December, 1994.

The PC-FX GA expansion card was made to allow the PC-FX games to be played on personal computers running the DOS/V operating system and a free ISA expansion slot.

The final game for the PC-FX was released in 1998.

Legacy

The PC-FX is primarily remembered as a console that excelled in 2D and FMV performance, in an era dominated by demand for 3D gaming. Compared to other consoles of the era, the Japan focused library of games stands out. While many games for the system have aged poorly, they represent design trends that would shortly thereafter fall out of favor, making them an important window into 1990's game design trends. The system is also remembered for it's highly unusual industrial design.

Technology

Compute

The PC-FX uses a 32-bit RISC NEC V810 CPU clocked at 21.5 megahertz. The PC-FX had a performance of 20 million instructions per second (MIPS).

The PC-FX has 3.25 megabytes (26 megabits) of RAM, split between 2 megabytes of system RAM, and 1.25 megabytes of Video RAM.

Co-Processors

The PC-FX had a number of subsystems designed to show video streams and other features without taxing the CPU.

The most unusual chip, was the Huc6273 3D Accelerator chip, which was found only on the PC-FX GA and not on the PC-FX. Though underutilized, this chip allowed computers with a PC-FX GA to run some real time 3D software that would not be easily possible on a standard PC-FX console.

Hardware

The PC-FX CD-ROM drive is a 2x speed drive. The console could be linked with a PC-9800 computer via a special SCSI adapter to allow it to use the CD-ROM drive of the PC-FX, a useful feature in an time where such drives were quite expensive.

The system contained 32 kilobytes of battery backed RAM for long term save game storage and could also accept a memory card in the form of the 128 kilobyte FX-BMP. The PC-FX GA emulated this hardware and stored save game data standard floppy disks, hard disks, or other DOS/V accessible storage instead.

The system is noted for being hard to assemble.

Notable games

1994

Team Innocent: The Point of No Return

Team Innocent was a launch title for the PC-FX that used an animated intro screen and sprites on predrawn backgrounds.

1995

Kishin Dōji Zenki FX: Vajra Fight

A beat em up well know for its artful 2D presentation. The game made good use of environmental storytelling in background details as well. The gameplay is well regarded, but the game is notably short, especially for the era in which it was released.

Read more about Kishin Dōji Zenki FX: Vajra Fight on Wikipedia.

Gallery

Console

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PC-FXGA

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  A PC-FX GA (PC-9800 C-BUS formfactor) expansion card for computers.
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  V810 CPU used on the PC-FXGA.
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  HuC6230 sound chip used on the PC-FXGA.
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  HuC6261 image encoder chip used on the PC-FXGA.
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  HuC6271 Motion JPEG decoder chip used on the PC-FXGA.
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  HuC6272 memory controller used on the PC-FXGA.
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  HuC6273 3D chip used on the PC-FXGA (But not the regular PC-FX console).

Controllers & Accessories

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  FX-BMP
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  FX-MOU

Internals

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  An aftermarket modchip has been installed on this motherboard.
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External Resources

• Video Game Kraken - PC-FX page about the history of the console.
• Old Computers Museum - PC-FX Page with console history.
• LGR Oddware episode - On the PC-FX GA.