Fairchild Channel F
The Fairchild Channel F, short for "Channel Fun", is a video game console, the first to be based on a microprocessor and to use ROM cartridges instead of having games built-in. It was released by Fairchild Camera and Instrument in November 1976 across North America at a retail price of US$169.95 (equivalent to $910 in 2023). It was launched as the "Video Entertainment System", but when Atari released its Video Computer System the next year, Fairchild rebranded their machine as "Channel F" while keeping the Video Entertainment System descriptor.
Channel F and its two controllers | |
| Also known as | Fairchild Video Entertainment System |
|---|---|
| Developer | Gerald "Jerry" Lawson |
| Manufacturer | Fairchild Camera and Instrument |
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Second |
| Release date | |
| Lifespan | 1976 –1983 |
| Introductory price | US$169.95 (equivalent to $910 in 2023) |
| Discontinued | 1983 |
| Units sold | c. 310,000 (as of 1979) |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | Fairchild F8 |
| Memory | 64 bytes RAM 2 KB video buffer |
| Display | circa 104 × 60 pixels (of 128 x 64 VRAM) |
| Controller input | Joystick/digital paddle, JetStik (has added fire button) |
The Fairchild Channel F achieved only about 350,000 units before Fairchild sold the technology to Zircon International in 1979, trailing well behind the VCS. The system was discontinued in 1983.
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