PC-FX
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| Manufacturer | NEC |
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| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Fifth generation era |
| Retail availability | JP December 23, 1994 |
| Media | CD-ROM |
| CPU | NEC V810 |
| Predecessor | PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 |
The PC-FX is a video game console released in Japan on December 23 1994 by NEC Corporation. It is the 32-bit successor to NEC's PC Engine (known in the US as the TurboGrafx-16).
The PC-FX uses CD-ROMs as its storage medium, following on from the expansion released for its predecessor, which originally used HuCards. The game controller resembles that of the Sega Genesis in shape, only with more buttons and it virtually identical to a DUO-RX controller except for the fact that the rapid fire switches have been changed into mode A/B switches.
The PC-FX's computer-like design was unusual for consoles at the time. It stands upright like a tower computer while other contemporary consoles lay flat. Another interesting feature is its three expansion ports, as expansion ports are relatively underused in consoles and therefore their inclusion increased the price without offering a great deal to the end user. However it was one of the first consoles to feature an optional mouse which made strategy games like Farland Story FX and Power Dolls FX more accessible to play on TV.
Unlike nearly any other console (except for the 3DO), the PC-FX was also available as an internal PC card in PC-98 and DOS flavors. This PC card came with 2 CDs of software to help the user program games for the PC-FX. However, compatibility issues prevented games developed with this software from actually running on the console.
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[edit] History
The PC-FX was designed based on a new 32-bit development kit by NEC called "Iron Man". Iron Man was designed in 1992, while the PC Engine was still quite popular in Japan. It was around the time of the first running demonstration units in mid 1992 that NEC started discussing an imminent release of an Iron Man based system with its many third party developers. Many PC Engine developers seemed upset and uninterested since the PC Engine market was still growing, and as a result NEC halted work on the Iron Man and continued making modifications to the PC Engine. By 1993 the 32-bit 3DO platform was released with much developer interest and Sega and Sony let it be known that the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation would be ready for the Japanese marketplace in late 1994, and Bandai was also readying the release of their Playdia system. Now in a rush to keep the large development base that made the PC Engine so successful, NEC had to make a decision. Rather than spending the time to develop a new, more powerful platform capable of standing up to their competitors, they decided to utilize the now dated 32-bit Iron Man architecture in the PC-FX. The result was that NEC wound up with a severely underpowered system that impressed neither developers nor consumers, failed to release the 3D expansion, and ultimately led to its demise.
The shining quality of the PC-FX however was the ability to decompress 30 JPEG pictures per second while playing digitally recorded audio. This resulted in the PC-FX having superior FMV quality over all other fifth generation consoles. In fact, at times while watching the intros to games or the movies during them, it is easy to find yourself forgetting just how underpowered the PC-FX is. It wasn't until 1998 that FMV on the PlayStation really pulled ahead of the PC-FX, and even then, the PC-FX probably still has superior motion quality.
As the PC-FX struggled, NEC became far more liberal than most companies with regard to the titles that it allowed to be released for the platform in an attempt to get whatever development support they could. As a result, the PC-FX has gained quite a reputation for its abundance of hentai and dating simulation titles. It also has some standard action games and a good number of RPGs and strategy games as well, but most games require a fair amount of Japanese knowledge to play or patience. However most games feature digital speech, for nearly all the dialog or all of it, which may make it easier for those with limited Japanese knowledge to enjoy the games.
[edit] Software
There were 62 games released for the system. The launch titles were Graduation 2: Neo Generation FX, Battle Heat and Team Innocent on December 23 1994 and the final game released was First Kiss Story on April 24, 1998. The system and all titles were only released in Japan. A number of demo discs were also released with publications which allowed the user to play the disc in a CD equipped PC-Engine or the PC-FX.
There was no copy protection on any of the PC-FX games, because at the time the system was released the high price of CD-R burners and blank CDs made piracy expensive.
The PC-FX was discontinued in late 1997. At the time of the console's discontinuation, according to NEC the PC-FX had sold just under 100,000 units.[citation needed]
[edit] Emulators
Below is a list of PC-FX emulators for various platforms.
| Name | License | Status | Operating System | Version | Link |
| MagicEngine-FX | Shareware | Production / Active | Windows only | 1.1.1 / February 2008 | [1] |
| Mednafen | GNU GPL | Active | Windows, UNIX/Linux | 0.8.9 / June 2008 | [2] |
| Xe | Freeware | Active | Windows, UNIX/Linux | 2.16.0 / August 2008 | [3] |
[edit] Technical specifications
- CPU
- 32-Bit NEC V810 RISC running at 21.5 MHz, 15.5 MIPS
- CD-ROM Drive
- 2X CD-ROM, 300KB / Sec
- Memory
- 2 MB main RAM
- 1 MB shared RAM (for background generators, CD-ROM DMA, motion decoder, and ADPCM)
- 256 KB dedicated VRAM (for HuC6270 chips)
- 1 MB OS ROM
- 256 KB CD Buffer
- 32 KB back-up RAM
- Video
- Maximum On-screen colors: 16,777,000
- Resolutions: 256x240p, 320x240p, 256x480i, 320x480i
- 6 background layers
- 2 sprite layers
- 1 motion decoder layer generated from RLE-encoded or JPEG-like data
- Video out: Composite and S-Video
- Sound
- 16-Bit Stereo CD-DA
2 ADPCM channels at up to ~31.5 kHz with left/right panning
6 5-bit sample channels with left/right panning - Audio out: × 2 RCA
- Expansion Ports
- SCSI IO Expansion Slot x 1(Rear), Backup RAM - FX-BMP Card Slot x 1 (Front), 3D VPU Expansion Slot x 1 (Bottom)
- Input Devices
- FX-PAD - 6 Button Controller , FX-MOU - 2 Button Mouse
- Accessories
- FX-BMP - 128KB+ Backup RAM Card with x 2 AAA batteries, FX-SCSI - Adaptor allows a PC to use the PC-FX as a 2X SCSI CD-ROM
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Pcenginefx PC-FX World - informational resource for the PC-FX
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