The PC-9800 series, often called PC-98 or 98 (Kyū-hachi), is a group of personal computers made by NEC in Japan from 1982 to 2003. These computers use standard x86-16 and x86-32 processors but have a special design that makes them unable to work with IBM clones. Some models used NEC’s own V30 processor. The PC-98 helped NEC become the leading company in Japan’s personal computer market, and by 1999, more than 18 million units were sold. NEC did not sell the PC-98 in the West but sold the NEC APC series, which had hardware similar to early PC-98 models.

The PC-98 was first made as a business computer that could work with older PC-8800 models. Over time, the series expanded and was used in many areas, including education and hobbies. NEC attracted many companies and users, and by 1991, the PC-98 had more than 60% of Japan’s computer market. IBM clones struggled to handle Japan’s complex writing systems, especially kanji, which has thousands of characters. Japanese companies also made computers with their own special designs for the domestic market. Most global computer companies, except Apple, had trouble with the language barrier, which kept Japan’s market separate from the rest of the world.

By 1990, computer technology improved enough to allow IBM clones to display Japanese text using software fonts. This gave global companies a chance to enter Japan’s market. The PC-98 is not compatible with IBM systems but can run versions of MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows that were adapted for Japan. However, as Windows became more popular, developers no longer needed to create separate software for each platform. Cheaper computers from American companies and the rise of Windows 95 reduced the need for PC-98 software. In 1997, NEC stopped supporting the PC-98 platform and released the PC98-NX series, which used the PC System Design Guide and followed the Wintel standard.

History

NEC began making large computers, called mainframes, in the 1950s. By 1976, NEC had the fourth highest sales of mainframes in Japan, with 10.4% of the market. IBM had the largest share (29.6%), followed by Fujitsu (20.1%) and Hitachi (15.8%). NEC did not sell products for everyday use, and its company, New Nippon Electric (later called NEC Home Electronics), had limited success with consumer goods. NEC’s Information Processing Group, which made mainframes and smaller computers, did not create a personal computer because they believed small computer chips lacked power and reliability. However, NEC’s Electronic Device Sales Division created a microprocessor test kit called the TK-80, which became popular with hobbyists. Tomio Gotō, a TK-80 developer, saw the growing interest in personal computers at a 1977 event in San Francisco. Gotō and his manager, Kazuya Watanabe, decided to make a personal computer despite criticism from the Information Processing Group. Their division had few stores to sell products, so they asked New Nippon Electric to use its consumer network to sell the computers.

In 1979, the Electronic Device Sales Division released the PC-8001. By 1981, it controlled 40% of the Japanese personal computer market. NEC’s vice president, Atsuyoshi Ōuchi, said:

In 1981, NEC decided to split its personal computer business into three groups: New Nippon Electric, the Information Processing Group, and the Electronic Devices Group. Each group focused on different types of computers. New Nippon Electric made 8-bit home computers (PC-6000 series), the Information Processing Group made 16-bit business computers, and the Electronic Devices Group made other computers, such as the PC-8000, PC-8800, and PC-100 series.

In the Information Processing Small Systems Division, Shunzō Hamada led the project, and Noboru Ozawa planned the product. The team originally wanted to make a smaller version of NEC’s business computers, which started with the 1973 NEAC System 100. Watanabe said the new computer needed Microsoft BASIC, compatibility with NEC’s earlier PCs, and open details about its expansion slots. In September 1981, Hamada asked ASCII’s Kazuhiko Nishi to update N88-BASIC to work with the Intel 8086 processor. Nishi said he wanted to speak with Bill Gates. Three months later, Nishi refused because Microsoft was working on GW-BASIC and did not want more versions of BASIC. He said, “Microsoft is creating a new 16-bit BASIC called GW-BASIC. If you use this version, we can provide it faster.” Hamada wanted a version compatible with older computers, but no agreement was reached.

Hamada struggled to decide whether to make a small business computer or a personal computer because Watanabe’s plan was uncertain. While visiting software companies to study the PC-8001 and PC-8801, Hamada and Watanabe found that the consumer market wanted a 16-bit computer compatible with both. Hamada decided to make two different plans for different markets. In April 1982, the small business computer became the NEC System 20 model 15, which used a 16-bit microprocessor. It was introduced as a new business computer model and did not gain much attention.

In February 1982, the software team started reverse engineering N88-BASIC and designing N88-BASIC(86). After finishing in March 1982, they began work on the PC-9801 (called the N-10 Project). A PC-9801 prototype was completed by July 1982. The N88-BASIC(86) code was written from scratch, but Nishi noted that the code matched Microsoft’s. It was unclear if copyright laws applied to the code. Nishi told Hamada that NEC needed to buy the same amount of Microsoft software as the license fee and that N88-BASIC(86) should show copyright for both Microsoft and NEC. Hamada agreed.

The team believed third-party developers were important for market growth. They gave 50–100 prototypes and technical details to independent companies for free.

In 1981, the Information Processing Group’s Terminal Units Division launched the N5200, called a “personal terminal.” It used an Intel 8086 processor and a μPD7220 display controller. Its design was similar to the PC-98, but it ran a special operating system called PTOS. NEC introduced it as an intelligent terminal or workstation. Fujitsu released the FACOM 9450 in 1981, and IBM Japan released the Multistation 5550 in 1983.

The first PC-9801 model launched in October 1982. It used an 8086 CPU running at 5 MHz, had two μPD7220 display controllers (one for text, one for video), and came with 128 KB of RAM (expandable to 640 KB). It had an 8-color display with a maximum resolution of 640×400 pixels.

When the PC-9801 launched in 1982, it cost 298,000 yen (about $1,200 in 1982). It could use PC-88 peripherals like displays and floppy drives and run software from N88-BASIC with minor changes. Buyers needed an expensive 1232 KB 8-inch floppy drive or a smaller 320 KB 5¼-inch floppy drive. The basic system could display JIS X 0201 characters, including numbers, English letters, and half-width kana. Most users added a kanji ROM board to use Japanese word processors. The PC-9801F model, released later, used an 8086-2 CPU that could run at 5 or 8 MHz. It had two 640 KB 5¼-inch floppy drives, a JIS level 1 kanji font ROM, and cost 398,000 yen (about $1,700 in 1

Hardware

The PC-98 differs from the IBM PC in several ways. For example, it uses a 16-bit C-bus (Cバス) instead of the ISA bus. Other differences include the BIOS, I/O port addressing, memory management, and graphics output. However, localized versions of MS-DOS, Unix, OS/2, or Windows can still run on PC-9801 models.

All PC-98 desktop models use a 100-pin expansion slot. This slot has 16 data lines and 24 address lines. The bus frequency is fixed at 5, 8, or 10 MHz. The PC-H98 and PC-9821A series computers use a proprietary 32-bit local bus slot along with 16-bit slots. The 16-bit expansion bus was also called C-bus (Compatible Bus). The PC-9821Xf, introduced in 1994, had C-bus slots and PCI slots on the motherboard, replacing the proprietary local bus slot.

Many PC-9801 models can increase system memory by adding expansion boards, daughterboards, or proprietary SIMMs. These models are limited to 14.6 MB of memory due to 24-bit address pins and reserved space. EMS memory boards for C-bus are also available. The PC-9821Af, introduced in 1993, used standard 72-pin SIMMs, broke the 14.6 MB limit, and supported memory up to 79.6 MB. Later models used standard SIMM or DIMM memory.

The PC-98XA (1985) and its successors, called high-resolution machines or hi-reso machines, have 768 KB of base memory. However, their I/O ports and memory addressing differ from standard PC-98 models.

Early PC-9801 models supported 1232 KB 8-inch floppy drives and/or 640 KB 5 + 1⁄4-inch floppy drives. These drives used different IRQ lines and I/O ports. Later models supported both interfaces. High-density 5 + 1⁄4-inch and 3 + 1⁄2-inch floppy disks used the same logical format and data rate as 1232 KB 8-inch floppy disks. These became a non-standard format, while formats from IBM PC/AT and PS/2 became the industry standard.

The PC-98 supports up to four floppy drives. If the system boots from a floppy drive, MS-DOS assigns letters to all floppy drives before considering hard drives. If it boots from a hard drive, it does the opposite. If the OS is installed on the hard drive, MS-DOS assigns the hard drive as "A:" and the floppy as "B:", which can cause compatibility issues with Windows applications. This can be fixed using the "/AT" switch in Windows 95's SETUP command to assign the Windows system drive to "C:".

The PC-98 uses different hard drive interfaces. Early models used SASI or ST506, while later models used SCSI or IDE drives.

A standard PC-98 has two μPD7220 display controllers (a master and a slave) with 12 KB and 256 KB of video RAM. The master display controller provides video timing and memory addresses for the character generator, which creates video signals from character codes and attributes. The font ROM includes over 7,000 glyphs, including JIS X 0201 and JIS X 0208 character sets. Early models offered the double-byte set as an option. Each character has display options like secret, blinking, reverse, underline, and intensity settings. The slave display controller connects to 256 KB of planar video memory, allowing 640 × 400 pixel graphics with 16 colors from a 4096-color palette. This memory is divided into pages, and programmers can control which page is written to or displayed. The slave controller syncs with the master, enabling text and graphics to overlap.

High-resolution machines (PC-98XA, XL, and PC-H98) offered an 1120 × 750 display mode for tasks like CAD and word processing.

The PC-9801U (optional) and VM used a custom chipset called GRCG (GRaphic CharGer) to access planar memory in parallel. The PC-9801VX introduced a blitter chip called EGC (Enhanced Graphic Charger), which supported raster operations and bit shifting.

In 1993, NEC released a 2D Windows accelerator card for PC-98 called the Window Accelerator Board, using an S3 86C928. Video cards for C-bus, local bus, and PCI are also available from other manufacturers. DirectX 7.0a is the last officially supported version for PC-98.

The first generation of PC-9801s (E, F, and M models) had only an internal buzzer. Later models, like the PC-9801U2, used a programmable interval timer to change sound frequency, similar to a PC speaker. The PC-8801mkIISR home computer (1985) had a Yamaha YM2203 FM synthesizer, an Atari joystick port, and BASIC sound commands. The optional PC-9801-26 sound card used these features, though it was later integrated into the motherboard. It was replaced by the PC-9801-26K to support the 80286 CPU, becoming the most common sound card for in-game music.

The PC-9801-26K was succeeded by the PC-9801-73 (1991) and PC-9801-86 (1993), which used YM2608 FM synthesis and added CD-quality PCM playback. The PC-9801-86 had backward compatibility with the 26K card but had issues with Windows due to poor drivers and lack of DMA support, causing popping and clicking sounds. Later models used Crystal Semiconductor’s Windows Sound System codec, but this was incompatible with older cards. The PC-9801-118 (1995) had YMF297 (a hybrid of YM2608 and YMF262) and WSS audio, though its PCM playback was not compatible with the 86 card.

Roland released a music production kit for PC-98, including the MT-32 synthesizer, a MIDI interface card, and MIDI editing software. Creative Labs developed a C-bus version of the Sound Blaster 16.

The first PC-9801 model had the same keyboard layout as the PC-8801 but added a conversion key (XFER) and five function keys. Later models had minor changes, such as NFER, 15 function keys, LED indicators, and replaced CAPS and Kana alternate switches.

A bus mouse and interface card kit was introduced for PC-98

Epson clones

Seiko Epson made PC-9801 clones [jp] from 1987 to 1995, along with devices that worked with these computers.

In the 1980s, Epson’s clones had better features than NEC’s, such as faster speed and easier portability. In the early 1990s, Epson created a line of low-cost computers with small profits, but they did not sell well. This caused resellers to lose confidence. NEC sold many computers to businesses, but Epson did not. Companies that made DOS/V computers began selling their products through new channels and became competitors to the PC-98 and Epson clones. In 1992, Nikkei Personal Computing magazine reported that NEC had different opinions about the future of the PC-98 and questioned whether it would remain the standard in Japan. The decline of 98-compatible machines might lead to the decline of the PC-98 itself.

In May 1992, Epson released the PC-486GR, a high-performance computer with a 32-bit bus for graphics and an Intel 486SX CPU running at 20 MHz. This was faster than NEC’s top model, the PC-9801FA, which had a 486SX CPU running at 16 MHz. In January 1993, NEC introduced the 98MATE to compete with Epson’s clones and DOS/V computers.

Between 1992 and 1994, Epson sold about 200,000 PC-98 clones each year. By 1994, Epson expected only 40% growth in computer sales, even though it expected 100% growth in peripheral sales by 1995. However, Nikkei Personal Computer magazine believed Epson would keep making PC-98 clones for some time because NEC still held 50% of the Japanese PC market.

In 1990, AST Research Japan released the DualStation 386 SX/16, which worked with both PC-9801 and IBM PC systems. However, it failed due to poor marketing.

Sharp, Sanyo, and Seikosha also made PC-98 clones, but all stopped production. A Sanyo executive said, “NEC focused more on protecting its copyrights than we expected. We decided that losing our company’s reputation would cost more than the profits from 98-compatible machines, so we ended the business.”

Software

The PC-98 was mainly used by businesses and industries in Japan from the 1980s to the mid-1990s. In September 1992, out of 16,000 PC-98 software applications, 60% were business tools, such as computer-aided design (CAD) programs. Ten percent were operating systems and development tools, 10% were educational software, and the rest included graphic design, networking, word processing, and games. A 1993 report by Nikkei Personal Computing magazine stated that most home users bought PCs to do office work at home. A survey of 1,227 readers showed that 82% used their PCs for word processing, 72% for spreadsheets, 47% for databases, and 43% for games.

Ichitaro, a Japanese word processor for the PC-98 and one of its most popular programs, was released in 1985. It was later made available on other computers in 1987. A Japanese version of Lotus 1-2-3, a spreadsheet program, was also first released for the PC-98 in 1986. By 1991, 1 million copies of all Ichitaro versions and 500,000 copies of Lotus 1-2-3 had been sold.

PC-98 software typically ran from program and data disks labeled as Disk 0 and 1, or A and B. For example, the system disk for Ichitaro included a version of MS-DOS, main programs, an input method editor (ATOK), and its dictionary file. It used the full space of a 1.2 MB floppy disk. In the 1980s, most computers had only two floppy drives because hard disk drives (HDDs) were expensive and not commonly used.

NEC provided several operating systems for the PC-98, including CP/M-86, Concurrent CP/M, MS-DOS, PC-UX, OS/2, and Windows (which stopped being used after Windows 2000). Localized versions of NetWare and FreeBSD were also available.

The PC-98 had many games designed specifically for it. These games often used the system’s limitations creatively, even though the PC-98 was originally made for business use. Despite having less powerful hardware than the FM Towns and X68000 systems, the PC-98 remained popular among Japanese game developers because of its large user base and steady supply of games. These included "dōjin" style dating simulations and role-playing games, as well as titles like Policenauts, YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World, early Touhou Project games, Koutetsu no Kishi, Mayonaka no Tantei Nightwalker, MechWarrior, Rusty, Hiōden: Mamono-tachi tono Chikai, Shūjin e no Pert-em-Hru, Corpse Party, Slayers, and J.B. Harold Murder Club. This popularity continued until the rise of DOS/V clones.

Models

This is not a complete list of PC-98 models sold in Japan. It does not include models made between 1992 and 2000, notebook computers, or other types of models.

Reception

In 1988, a journalist described how NEC helped create the market for personal computers in Japan. NEC acted quickly to meet the growing need for business computers. NEC attracted many software companies and became a major force in making and selling software. NEC used Microsoft's MS-DOS as the operating system for the PC-98.

Western computers struggled in Japan because they had limited support for Japanese text and features like display quality and memory. These computers could not compete in Japan until newer models, such as the DOS/V system, were introduced. For example, IBM Japan sold the IBM 5550 instead of the IBM PC. A programmer named Yoshihiko Hyodo noted that the PC-98 had two important features: memory for Japanese characters (kanji) and a non-interlaced monitor. These features made using the computer more comfortable for Japanese users. A senior vice president from Otsuka Shokai (a computer distributor) recalled that early users, like Kao, used the PC-8000 for office tasks, but it lacked speed and kanji support. When the PC-9800 was released, it was much better, and users and distributors quickly switched to it.

Shunzo Hamada of NEC said the main reason for the PC-98's success was NEC's ability to work with software companies. He explained that Japanese software companies had grown independently, but NEC helped them develop further by supporting them directly when creating the PC-9800 series. The large number of software programs available for the PC-98 made it a versatile choice for buyers, even though most users only purchased a few major programs.

Ichiran Kou, a computer consultant, noted that IBM influenced NEC's strategies. From 1982 to 1983, NEC had four personal computer lines covering a wide price range, similar to IBM's mainframe business. However, NEC's computers had poor backward compatibility, which caused problems for users and developers. After changing its strategy in 1983, NEC expanded the PC-9801 series, offering more models than its competitors.

NEC supported third-party developers, like IBM did for the IBM PC. The PC-98's hardware was similar to the IBM PC, but it was not fully compatible with IBM systems. Kou suggested that NEC avoided making IBM-compatible computers because it wanted to develop its own original technology.

Yasuhiro Uchida, a literature professor, wrote that users chose the PC-98 because it was fun to use. He said the PC-98 was a standard 16-bit computer, but it had many games because it focused on playability. He noted that Fujitsu and IBM JX did not treat 16-bit computers as game platforms, which made their systems less appealing. He concluded that the true value of personal computers was determined by users, not sellers.

A writer for the ASCII magazine stated that the PC-98 era helped develop Japanese input methods and the video game industry. The PC-98's kanji character ROM allowed Japanese software to be created for it, which in turn influenced how Japanese input methods were designed. Software companies that made games for the PC-98 later expanded their work to the Famicom platform. The writer believed that many programmers learned to code on the PC-98 during this time.

In the late 1980s, competitors accused NEC of controlling the Japanese computer market. Takayoshi Shina, a founder of Sord, said, "The Japanese PC market is suffocating because one company dominates it. There is no freedom. This is why prices are 3–4 times higher than in America. We need the era of clone computers to match international prices." A software company also said, "Although Japan has few top engineers, the more incompatible machines there are, the more development resources are split."

Unlike IBM PCs and the Apple II, Japanese personal computers had short lifespans. NEC released a new PC-98 model every year. When the PC-9801VX01/21/41 models introduced a new BASIC interpreter that supported the Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC) chipset, most commercial software did not use it because it was written in C. Many developers avoided the EGC because they wanted their software to work on different platforms. A software developer said, "Using the special EGC goes against the trend. I don't want to use it if new machines come out so frequently."