Channel F



"Channel F is here and now."

Fairchild's Video Entertainment System, later renamed Channel F, is notable as the very first game console to use a microprocessor (earlier machines used discrete logic), the F8, which was able to handle player vs. computer matches, and ROM cartridges, almost a whole year before the Atari 2600 came out. However, it was not very successful, and only 26 "Videocarts" were officially released for it. Each Videocart was a bright yellow cartridge which was numbered and sometimes contained more than one game. It should also be noted that Jerry Lawson, designer for the Channel F, is considered the first major african-american figure in the video game industry.