MSX is the name of a standard for home computers in the 1980s. MSX was conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi once a Microsoft Japan executive, now ASCII Corporation, who was attempting to create a single standard by which any company could build a compatible computer. Inspired by the success of VHS as a standard for video cassette recorders, many Japanese electronic manufacturers along with Goldstar, Philips and Spectravideo built and promoted MSX computers. Any piece of hardware or software with the MSX logo on it was compatible with MSX products of other manufacturers. In particular, the expansion cartridge form and function were part of the standard: any MSX expansion or game cartridge would work in any MSX computer.

Nishi's standard consisted primarily of several off-the-shelf parts, the main CPU was the Zilog Z80 running at 3.58MHz, graphics were provided by the Texas Instruments TMS9918 with 16 KB of dedicated VRAM in the design, and sound by the AY-3-8910 chip manufactured by General Instrument (GI). All of this alongside Microsoft's MSX BASIC configured a standard arguably superior to the competing Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 of the time, but also at a higher price point. This last factor was probably the main reason for it not to do so well outside of Japan despite all the benefits it brought to the market.

It is worth highlighting that until the appearance and great success of the Nintendo Famicom, MSX was the platform for which major Japanese game studios, including Konami and Hudson Soft among others, produced their titles. The Metal Gear and Castlevania series (originally called Vampire Killer) were born on the MSX.

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@sarnin アスキーネットで遊んでたらいつの間にかMSX-NETのSigOpになってたことはあります
juangotoh (後藤寿庵) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:10:00 -0000
@sarnin アスキーネットで遊んでたらいつの間にかMSX-NETのSigOpになってたことはあります
MSX2 ハイドライド３ スリングでガイザックに挑む！ (12:10) - ニコニコ動画 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm9149997 #nicovideo
BEEPAqua (伊藤彰司) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:42:56 -0000
MSX2 ハイドライド３ スリングでガイザックに挑む！ (12:10) - ニコニコ動画 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm9149997 #nicovideo
@sevenspotted You got MSX! I got it too! How we were nerds! More nerds than the C64 ones! :-D
Shylock74 (Alex Raccuglia) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:13:13 -0000
@sevenspotted You got MSX! I got it too! How we were nerds! More nerds than the C64 ones! :-D
MSX > Atari > Snes > N64 > PS2 > GBA > Cube > Wii > Psp > Ds > XBox360
d_ab (Aminaw) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:34:10 -0000
MSX > Atari > Snes > N64 > PS2 > GBA > Cube > Wii > Psp > Ds > XBox360
Playing Wii...missing the Xmas games with MSX when I was a little girl, it was so much fun for me!
sevenspotted (girlfromouterspace) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:03:45 -0000
Playing Wii...missing the Xmas games with MSX when I was a little girl, it was so much fun for me!
自分へのクリスマスプレゼントは、WiiのバーチャルコンソールのMSX版グラディウス2。SCCいいなぁ。スクロールはガッタガタだけど。
kurohata (黒畑喜弘) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:38:53 -0000
自分へのクリスマスプレゼントは、WiiのバーチャルコンソールのMSX版グラディウス2。SCCいいなぁ。スクロールはガッタガタだけど。

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