Basics:
- Fairchild Channel F aka Fairchild Video Entertainment System
- Release Date: 08/1976
- Discontinued: 1978
- Manufacturer: Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation
- Creator: Jerry Lawson
- Type: Type: ROM Cartridge Based Console
Originally Packaged With:
- Main Console Unit
- 2 x 8-Way Game Controllers
- A/C Adaptor
- TV/Video Game Switch Box with VHF Y-connectors and cord.
- Two built-in games: Tennis and Hockey
Tech Stuff:
- Colors: Eight colors with four colors maximum per line
- Resolution: 102 × 64 pixels
- Ram: 64 bytes
- CPU: Fairchild F8 at 1.79 MHz
History:
Throughout the '60s the Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation had battled Texas Instruments for control of the integrated circuit (IC) market, but by the early '70s, the 10 year struggle had taken its toll on the corporation that started in 1920 as Fairchild Aviation, the second largest commercial airplane manufacturer.
After an industry war that caused Fairchild's value to plummet, the corporation made one final play to recapture the marketplace with the development of their Fairchild F8 8-bit microprocessor, in direct competition to Texas Instrument's own 8008 8-bit microprocessor. To debut the capabilities of their new technology, Chief Hardware Engineer and head of Fairchild's immerging video game division, Jerry Lawson designed the first home game console to utilize interchangeable ROM based cartridges.
In 1976 the Fairchild Video Entertainment System (Fairchild VES) launched to instant success thanks to aggressive marketing and promotions campaign. While consumers were already use to the Pong clones that had flooded the market by the mid-'70s, the Fairchild VES was unlike anything they had seen before. With the exception of the first version of the Magnavox Odyssey, every subsequent home video game system were dedicated consoles with numerous variations of Pong integrated into the system.
While Fairchild didn't have an exclusive deal with any specific retailer, their biggest support came from J.C. Penny who highly touted and advertised the system, even having in-store demo events schedules to show off the new system and technology to the public and offered discounts for those who traded in their old game consoles.
One year after the Fairchild VES launched, Atari finally unveiled their own, more powerful, ROM based cartridge system, the Atari Video Computer System (aka Atari VCS). With the Atari's household name brand power, stronger graphics capabilities, and an even more aggressive marketing campaign, the Atari VCS quickly dominated the market, pushing the Fairchild to the outskirts.
