PC-8801mkIISR - MAME machine

Computer published 41 years ago:

PC-8801mkIISR © 1985 NEC Home Electronics, Ltd.

Graphics significantly upgraded with the introduction of a new V2 mode, and built-in FM synthesis using a YM2203 (OPN) chip. This model marks the repositioning of the PC-8801 as a system for hobbyists and gamers.

TRIVIA
Released in January 1985 in Japan.

In early 1985, NEC unveiled a revolutionary new model: the PC-8801mkIISR. The SR, or 'Super Revision', featured a number of improvements, including a much faster graphics subsystem offering a wider palette of colors, but the crown jewel of the SR refresh was the introduction of a brand-new sound technology for personal computers: FM synthesis.

FM synthesis is a digital synthesis technique for creating complex sounds by modifying a base waveform (the carrier) with another waveform (the modulator). Originally developed by John Chowning at Stanford University, FM synthesis technology was licensed to Yamaha, who unleashed FM synth onto the world with the legendary DX7 synthesizer in 1983. A short time later, Yamaha developed a range of 1-chip FM synth implementations suitable for mounting onto standard circuit boards. NEC chose to include one of these chips, the YM2203 (OPN), as a standard feature of the PC-8801mkIISR.

Meanwhile, FM synthesis was also beginning to be used in some of the latest arcade games, such as Marble Madness, Ghosts 'n Goblins, and Space Harrier. Compared to the earlier programmable sound generator (PSG) chips like the APU inside the Famicom or the ubiquitous AY-3-8910 chip, FM synthesis produces smooth, glassy tones which are digitally flawless, but also complex enough to avoid sounding "chippy" or "beepy". In essence, NEC brought the latest arcade-quality sound to home computers, and the difference was astounding. The other computer manufacturers rushed to catch up, and FM synth quickly became the de facto sound of Japanese computer games.

The inclusion of FM synthesis, along with the much improved graphics architecture, redefined the PC-8801 series as a computer for gamers and creative hobbyists, and secured its position as the quintessential Japanese computer of the 1980s. The PC-8801mkIISR and its successors became the primary target platform for the growing Japanese computer game industry, as well as the computer of choice for a generation of Japanese programmers, artists, and musicians.

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