Thanks for covering the Channel F. It doesn't often get its due in the retro community. IMHO, I think the homebrew version of Centipede looks far more impressive than two player Tetris--especially given the many limitations of the system.
I've always had a soft spot for this system. I don't play it a lot but I'm glad that I have one in my collection. It's a very cool part of video game history.
Channel F is strongly underrated. I played a lot of the games for RetroAchievements and had a lot of fun with the goals added to them. Strongly recommended. The homebrew games really are great. RA sets for older systems like the F are limited enough to be extremely fun to complete too.
Brazilians weren't aware of Fairchild Channel F in its heyday, but it's been a mandatory system to be mentioned if you want to really cover the history of videogames. My very first reminiscence of it was a mention in a videogame magazine. And Jerry Lawson's importance and ethnic presence is something that I believe that's the most enduring impact of this system in the world. I can tell that people here that are African or Indigenous descendents feel stimulated to study programming and IT and feel validated by the fact of Lawson's important contribution to the creation of Fairchild Channel F. I think this is the most amazing fact out of the amazing ones mentioned in the video.
I want to add that on December 1, 2022, to celebrate what would have been his 82nd birthday, Google dedicated a Doodle to Jerry Lawson, allowing the user to make games, edit existing built-in games, and share games
Because of what? All he did was look at a prototype and tell Fairchild that it might sell. The actual heroes were Wallace Kirschner and Lawrence Haskel from Alpex Computer Corporation, who created the prototype. Lawson is hilariously overrated for his comparable tiny role in all of this, but he's black, so of course he's god, lol.
A true piece of gaming history, at the point that it deserves to be preserved into some museums of electronics. But that "...that never gets old" is quite funny to listen to, today. 😅
In the realm of Pong and Pong-like games in that era, I think the built-in Pro Hockey game easily stands heads and shoulders above the standard fare with all the movement controls you have to get a grip of in real time, it wouldn't be as unique or cool without those controllers.
I remember wanting one of these sooo badly when I was a kid to replace my old Grandstand never did get one but did end up with a 2600 😊 Happy days and great vid !
As a console collector I needed one for my collection. I don't play it that often but it is an important part of gaming history. As a German I own the SABA Videoplay version. I actually like the Pong Version and the Chess cartridge
I still have mine in its box, the plastic is getting brittle though the last time I checked on it, I think it needs to stay in its little coffin. These facts are great
@11:19 You know, I spent uncountable hours playing the biplane game on Intellivision's Triple Action cart 40 years ago... but I never knew it was a blatant rip-off until this part of the video. Amazing. Thank you for sharing!
I suspect the guys who bought the rights to the Channel F believed that Atari games were better due to better programming and had no idea it was a hardware limitation. I would bet money on that.
I had the Channel f unit with removal hand controls.I was so disappointed to learn about the keyboard pad.And space Odyssey would never have made but Been availed on the box.Hello I will quite surprise that you can play Pagman on the game unit
Great video, as always, but I cringe when someone diminishes the original Odyssey's "programming." Perhaps only jumpers but the card's bits were a program really, controlling a block on the screen, also known as a pixel. Sounds like a video game system with cartridges to me.
The games were engineered not programmed. I never dismissed the Odyssey as a cartridge based console, I merely made the point that it couldn't be programmed, unlike the Channel F. It's a very very important distinction in my opinion.
lol I was not trying to start a debate but it does seem you missed my point: programming is just a series of bits to change an outcome. And a bank of switches is also programming, primitive but still "code" that changed an "outcome" .. that's the very definition of programming if you ask me. Keep up the great work, I enjoy the content ! thanks
Great job. Great video. Rest in Peace, Uncle Jerry (I'm his nephew).
Thanks much for your comment you must be so proud of his achievements.
Thanks for covering the Channel F. It doesn't often get its due in the retro community.
IMHO, I think the homebrew version of Centipede looks far more impressive than two player Tetris--especially given the many limitations of the system.
Yep, the Centipede port is amazing!
I've always had a soft spot for this system. I don't play it a lot but I'm glad that I have one in my collection. It's a very cool part of video game history.
Channel F is strongly underrated. I played a lot of the games for RetroAchievements and had a lot of fun with the goals added to them. Strongly recommended. The homebrew games really are great. RA sets for older systems like the F are limited enough to be extremely fun to complete too.
Brazilians weren't aware of Fairchild Channel F in its heyday, but it's been a mandatory system to be mentioned if you want to really cover the history of videogames. My very first reminiscence of it was a mention in a videogame magazine. And Jerry Lawson's importance and ethnic presence is something that I believe that's the most enduring impact of this system in the world. I can tell that people here that are African or Indigenous descendents feel stimulated to study programming and IT and feel validated by the fact of Lawson's important contribution to the creation of Fairchild Channel F. I think this is the most amazing fact out of the amazing ones mentioned in the video.
Oh my god! I just learned that it is THE Fairchild. A legend in music production with their amazing compressor.
My dad’s boss had a Channel F. And at that age, I thought it ran on 8-tracks. It was the last and only time I saw a Channel F. Late 1970’s.
I want to add that on December 1, 2022, to celebrate what would have been his 82nd birthday, Google dedicated a Doodle to Jerry Lawson, allowing the user to make games, edit existing built-in games, and share games
Yeah, that was awesome.
great video. Jerry Lawson is one of my heroes.
I love how he once interviewed Jobs and Wozniak and was "they didn't leave a impression" 😂.
Because of what? All he did was look at a prototype and tell Fairchild that it might sell. The actual heroes were Wallace Kirschner and Lawrence Haskel from Alpex Computer Corporation, who created the prototype. Lawson is hilariously overrated for his comparable tiny role in all of this, but he's black, so of course he's god, lol.
@timwilcox - his nephew just commented, see the pinned reply!
A true piece of gaming history, at the point that it deserves to be preserved into some museums of electronics.
But that "...that never gets old" is quite funny to listen to, today. 😅
In the realm of Pong and Pong-like games in that era, I think the built-in Pro Hockey game easily stands heads and shoulders above the standard fare with all the movement controls you have to get a grip of in real time, it wouldn't be as unique or cool without those controllers.
Awesome, love retro system history, and this is one I don't know much about (yet). Ty and please keep up the good work!
I remember wanting one of these sooo badly when I was a kid to replace my old Grandstand never did get one but did end up with a 2600 😊 Happy days and great vid !
As a console collector I needed one for my collection. I don't play it that often but it is an important part of gaming history. As a German I own the SABA Videoplay version. I actually like the Pong Version and the Chess cartridge
I know next to nothing about the Fairchild Channel F so this will be good education for me. Thank you!
The homebrew games are impressive!
Interesting video, never heard of it till I read about it in Retro Gamer, it looked like a funky machine.
Sweet! My Saturday just got better. Thanks lad!
I still have mine in its box, the plastic is getting brittle though the last time I checked on it, I think it needs to stay in its little coffin. These facts are great
@11:19 You know, I spent uncountable hours playing the biplane game on Intellivision's Triple Action cart 40 years ago... but I never knew it was a blatant rip-off until this part of the video. Amazing. Thank you for sharing!
The bi-plane game is actually a clone of the Allied Leisure arcade game Ace, so both are rip-offs!
Homebrew tetris and pacman are indeed mind blowing for the channel f😁
Yeah, considering the system didn't even have enough colors for each of the four ghosts (two of them have to share the same color) 😂
Lawson reminds me of griff from married with children
I suspect the guys who bought the rights to the Channel F believed that Atari games were better due to better programming and had no idea it was a hardware limitation. I would bet money on that.
I had the Channel f unit with removal hand controls.I was so disappointed to learn about the keyboard pad.And space Odyssey would never have made but Been availed on the box.Hello I will quite surprise that you can play Pagman on the game unit
That Powwww show is crazy
But I thought you put it on channel 3, not channel F. 😅🎮
welcome rum runner!
*STUN Runner
@@TheLairdsLair i always hear 'rum runner' 😄
Nice video! Nordmende was a German company however, not French.
Yes, but that model was distributed in France apparently.
@@TheLairdsLair Strange, but fascinating. Thanks!
Just remember who said the F stands for FUN first lol....
Don't do it, don't do it yes u did you hit upload.....the F is for FUN.....woohoo
Great video, as always, but I cringe when someone diminishes the original Odyssey's "programming." Perhaps only jumpers but the card's bits were a program really, controlling a block on the screen, also known as a pixel. Sounds like a video game system with cartridges to me.
The games were engineered not programmed. I never dismissed the Odyssey as a cartridge based console, I merely made the point that it couldn't be programmed, unlike the Channel F. It's a very very important distinction in my opinion.
lol I was not trying to start a debate but it does seem you missed my point: programming is just a series of bits to change an outcome. And a bank of switches is also programming, primitive but still "code" that changed an "outcome" .. that's the very definition of programming if you ask me. Keep up the great work, I enjoy the content ! thanks
@@EdGreenTOby this logic when I'm recapping my boards or adding a different video output I'm "programming" them to do that.