Fairchild Semiconductor Fairchild Channel F

There are a lot of interesting facts about Fairchild Channel F by Fairchild Semiconductor to make this console quite memorable.

The first one is that this is the first home console that used ROM Cartridges, meaning that the console doesn't have any data of the games but the cartridges have all the data that the games need. So the data are stored to a ROM chip inside the cartridge that are used from a microprocessor. Secondly, Fairchild Channel F is the first home console that used a microprocessor. Lastly, Fairchild Channel F had a strong rival, Atari 2600. Atari 2600 was initially released under the name Video Computer System (VCS) to deliberately create a confusion to the customers, since the Fairchild Channel F was initially released under the name Video Entertainment System (VES). As a result, Fairchild decided to change the name to Fairchild Channel F, although the initial name remained in use along with the new name.

Other interesting facts about Fairchild Channel F are:

• The controllers are integrated with the console, since those days the concept of portable console's accessories didn't exist.

• 26 Videocarts (along with 2 build-in games) are the main library of games for Fairchild Channel F.

• Channel F System II is the redesigned and re-released version of Fairchild Channel F by Zircon International, which bought the rights to the Channel F in 1979.