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The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169.95. It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge–based video game console, and the first console to use a microprocessor. It was launched as the Video Entertainment System, or VES, but when [[Atari]] released their [[Atari 2600|VCS]] the next year, Fairchild renamed its machine. By 1977, the Fairchild Channel F had sold 250,000 units and was second-place behind the VCS.
In 1979To fight Atari effectively, Zircon International bought the rights to the Channel F and released Fairchild began a redesign of the re-designed console , which would later become known as the Channel F System II . When the game market slumped in the late 1970s, they decided to compete with give up on the Atari's VCSproject, and sold it to Zircon International, who released it in 1979.
Added the Second generation category.
{{Template:Infobox console
|name = [[Image:Fairchild_logo.png|230px]]|caption imagecaption = The Fairchild Channel F
|Manufacturer = Fairchild Semiconductor
|Generation = Second generation|image = [[Image:Fairchild-Channel-F.jpg|230px]]
|Release date = August 1976 (US)
|Media type = ROM cartridge}}The '''Fairchild Channel F''' is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169.95. It has the distinction of being the first programmable [[ROM cartridge]]–based video game console, and the first console to use a microprocessor. It was launched as the Video Entertainment System, or VES, but when [[Atari]] released their [[Atari 2600|VCS]] the next year, Fairchild renamed its machine. By 1977, the Fairchild Channel F had sold 250,000 units and was second-place behind the VCS.
==Technical specifications==
*CPU chip: Fairchild F8 operating at 1.79 MHz (PAL gen. 1: 2.00 MHz, PAL gen.2: 1.77 MHz)
*Input: two custom game controllers, hardwired to the console (original release) or removable (Channel F System II)
*Output: RF modulated composite video signal, cord hardwired to console
===Channel F System II===
[[File:Fairchild-Channel-F-II-Console.jpg|thumb|230px]]
The major changes were in design, with the controllers removable from the base unit instead of being wired directly into it, the storage compartment was moved to the rear of the unit, and the sound was now mixed into the TV signal so the unit no longer needed a speaker. This version also featured a simpler and more modern-looking case design.
===Various information===*The console also featured a “Hold” button, which would stop the action on screen. This was a precursor to the “Pause” function. *Fewer than 30 cartridges were ever formally released.*The original Channel F had a speaker built into the console, though it’s of poor quality. The later version instead used television audio. The Atari 2600 had better audio overall.*The controllers suffer from cheap copper wiring which can break easily and is difficult to replace.*Graphically the console was weaker than the Atari 2600, and it's visible. [[Category:Console]] [[Category:Second generation]]
