The Fairchild Channel F Video Entertainment System was released in 1976 by Fairchild Semiconductor where it was designed by Jerry Lawson.
Channel F is the world's first reprogrammable video game console. By "reprogrammable" I mean that it could accept ROM cartridges that allowed the game to be changed.
Some time after Atari entered the market with the Video Computer System, Fairchild called it quits. The rights were purchased by Zircon, who continued the product line.
There are two versions of the Channel F console; the original, and the System II. Both consoles play the same games. The System II is a cosmetic update with some minor functionality changes (detachable controllers, sound from the television, a more conveniently located power switch).
In this video I unbox both the original Channel F and the System II and take a close look at both consoles and packaging. Special attention is paid to the incredible, unique controllers, which were well ahead of their time. Then, I play a few games to give you a sense of what the variety is like on the Channel F.
Channel F games played in this video are as follows:
* Hockey
* Tennis
* Shooting Gallery
* Desert Fox
* Space War
* Robot War
* Galactic Space Wars
* Lunar Lander
* Alien Invasion
* Pac-Man
Subscribe and stay tuned for in-depth reviews of even more Channel F games.
If you're interested in learning more about the television game show that Channel F was featured on, check out the channel, Barney's Army, which has several videos.
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