MSX is a type of home computer design that follows set rules, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was first created by Microsoft for the Japanese market and promoted together with Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corporation. Microsoft and Nishi planned the project to create common rules for different home computer makers, similar to the VHS standard for video tape machines. The first MSX computer sold to the public was the Mitsubishi ML-8000, released on October 21, 1983, which marks its official release date.

MSX systems were widely used in Japan and other countries. Different sources report varying numbers of units sold. One claims 9 million MSX computers were sold worldwide, including 7 million in Japan. Kazuhiko Nishi, the founder of ASCII Corporation, said 3 million were sold in Japan and 1 million outside Japan. Although Microsoft was involved, few MSX-based computers were made in the United States.

The meaning of the letters in MSX is not certain. In 2001, Kazuhiko Nishi said some people believed it stood for "Microsoft Extended," referring to the built-in Microsoft Extended BASIC program. Others thought it represented "Matsushita-Sony." Nishi explained the team originally called it "Machines with Software eXchangeability." In 1985, he said the name was inspired by the MX missile. In his 2020 book, he noted that the name should be three letters, like VHS. He believed "MSX" worked because it means "the next step for Microsoft" and includes the first letters of Matsushita (Panasonic) and Sony.

Before Nintendo’s Family Computer became popular, major Japanese game companies like Konami and Hudson Soft made games for the MSX platform. The first two games in the Metal Gear series were originally released for MSX hardware.

History

In the early 1980s, many home computers made in Japan, such as the NEC PC-6001 and PC-8000 series, Fujitsu's FM-7 and FM-8, and Hitachi's Basic Master, included a version of Microsoft BASIC built into the computer's memory. These computers had hardware designs and different versions of BASIC that did not work together. Other Japanese electronics companies, like Panasonic, Canon, Casio, Yamaha, Pioneer, and Sanyo, were trying to find ways to join the home computer market.

Major Japanese electronics companies began selling computers in the 1960s. Panasonic, then called Matsushita Electric Industrial, also made mainframe computers. After Japan's economy struggled following the 1964 Summer Olympics, Panasonic decided to stop making computers and focus on home appliances. This decision was successful, and Panasonic became one of the largest electronics companies. In the late 1970s, Panasonic explored new business areas outside of home appliances and saw opportunities in the growing microcomputer market. A distributor named Yamagata National told Panasonic's president, Toshihiko Yamashita, about the potential of personal computers.

Yamashita asked his vice president, Shunkichi Kisaka, to develop a personal computer. Kisaka asked Kazuyasu Maeda from Matsushita R&D Center for help. Maeda asked Nishi to assist with the project. Nishi and Maeda had met at a seminar hosted by NEC and discovered they were from the same city and university. They often discussed home computers. At the same time, Spectravideo asked Microsoft for software for their new home computer. Nishi traveled to Hong Kong to meet with Spectravideo and suggested improvements to their prototype. Spectravideo's president, Harry Fox, accepted Nishi's ideas. Nishi wanted to create a standard for home computers based on Spectravideo's machine, and Maeda supported this plan. Nishi aimed to involve Panasonic and Sony in the project. Although Sony and Panasonic were competing over videotape formats, Sony's leader, Nobuyuki Idei, agreed to cooperate because Sony's first personal computer, the SMC-70, struggled in the market. Maeda also wanted to include NEC, but NEC chose to work independently.

Nishi proposed the MSX standard to create a single industry-wide standard for home computers. Inspired by the success of VHS, a standard for video cassette recorders, many electronics companies in Japan (including GoldStar, Philips, and Spectravideo) built and promoted MSX computers. Any hardware or software with the MSX logo could work with other MSX products. The expansion cartridge format was part of the standard, meaning any MSX expansion or game cartridge would work in any MSX computer.

The MSX standard was based on the Spectravideo SV-328 computer. It used common parts, such as a 3.58 MHz Zilog Z80 central processing unit (CPU), a Texas Instruments TMS9918 graphics chip with 16 KB of video memory, a sound and input/output chip from General Instrument, and an Intel 8255 chip for keyboard control. These components were also used in other home computers and game consoles, like the ColecoVision and Sega SG-1000. To lower costs, many MSX models used a custom chip called "MSX-Engine," which combined several functions. However, most MSX systems used professional keyboards, which made them more expensive than the original SV-328. These components, along with Microsoft's MSX BASIC, made the MSX a competitive but costly home computer.

On June 27, 1983, the MSX was officially announced at a press conference. Many companies declared their plans to produce MSX computers. These companies avoided the highly competitive U.S. home computer market, where Commodore led a price war. Only Spectravideo and Yamaha briefly sold MSX computers in the U.S. Spectravideo's MSX had little success, and Yamaha's CX5M model, designed for music equipment, was marketed more as a music tool than a standard computer.

The MSX went through four generations. The first three, MSX (1983), MSX2 (1985), and MSX2+ (1988), were 8-bit computers using the Z80 microprocessor. The MSX2+ was only sold in Japan. A new MSX3 was planned for 1990 but was delayed because of problems with a custom graphics chip designed by Yamaha. Instead, the MSX TurboR was released, using a 16-bit R800 microprocessor. However, some advanced features were disabled.

Issues with Microsoft and ASCII Corporation also caused problems. In 1986, Microsoft ended its partnership with Nishi, claiming he owed the company over $500,000. Microsoft then opened its own Japanese branch. ASCII Corporation continued to operate. Nishi made impulsive decisions and spent money freely, which led to conflicts with Microsoft. One example was when Nishi spent $1 million to build a large mechanical dinosaur in Tokyo for advertising. The split between Nishi and Microsoft was difficult, though they now occasionally speak.

In 1991, two co-founders of ASCII, Akio Gunji and Keiichiro Tsukamoto, suddenly resigned, reportedly due to disagreements over rapid expansion. Nishi said at a press conference that they could not keep up with his pace.

Like the MSX2+, the MSX TurboR was only sold in Japan. By 1990, only Panasonic was making MSX computers. Its first model, the FS-A1ST, had moderate success, but the upgraded model, the FS-A1GT, sold poorly due to its high price of 99,800 yen (about 740 USD at the time). Production of the TurboR ended in 1993 when Panasonic shifted focus to the 3DO system. The graphics chip for MSX3 was finally delivered in 1992, but the market had already moved on. Yamaha later sold a modified version of the chip for use in PC VGA graphics cards.

In Japan, South Korea, Argentina, and Brazil, the MSX was the most popular home computer in the 1980s. It was also widely used in Europe, especially in the Netherlands and Spain. In some countries, such as parts of the Arab world, the Soviet Union, and Cuba, schools used networked Yamaha MSX computers to teach informatics. A total of 9 million MSX computers were sold in Japan, making it a popular system. However, the MSX did not become a global standard because it was not widely adopted in other regions. Before the MSX's limited success in other markets became clear, U.S. company Commodore Business Machines updated its product line in the early 1980

Similar systems

The system MSX most closely resembled was the Spectravideo SV-328 home computer. Spectravideo even claimed to be "MSX compatible" in advertisements before the actual launch of MSX systems, but it was not completely compatible with it. This led to a new and short-lived kind of software cracking: converting. Since the MSX games were unplayable on the SV-328 computer, SV-328 crackers developed a method of modifying the (MSX) games to make them work on the SV-328. In most cases, this included downloading the MSX BIOS to the SV-328 from tape or floppy disk. Spectravideo later launched the SVI-728, which completely adhered to the MSX standard.

The Sega SG-1000, the Memotech MTX, the Tatung Einstein, and the ColecoVision all have many similarities with the MSX1 standard, but none are fully compatible with it. Porting games between those systems is somewhat easy, but is tricky due to the lack of RAM and differing sound hardware. Due to the former, many RAM adapters were created and sold in areas such as Taiwan to make the conversion process easier. It was also very common to port games from the ZX Spectrum to the MSX, since both have the same CPU, the Spectrum 128 had the same soundchip, and the ZX Spectrum's graphic mode could be easily emulated on the MSX's screen-2 mode.

Many Roland S-series audio/music digital sampler/synthesizer keyboards and rack module units are based on the MSX operating system. This includes the earlier 12-bit sample resolution models S-50, S-330, S-550, W-30, and later 16-bit sample resolution models S-770, S-750, SP-700, and S-760. Most of these models included (or could be expanded with) color video outputs to display monitors, as well as MSX-compatible mouse ports.

Localization

By default, MSX computers use a pre-set character set and a specific method for handling keyboard signals. While MSX systems work well with software at the firmware (BIOS) level, small differences in hardware can cause problems if the BIOS from another computer is used. This might lead to incorrect keyboard signals and improper keyboard function in software.

In 2011, AGE Labs created a firmware update called the Language Pack to allow each MSX model to support multiple language settings. In the GR8BIT kit from AGE Labs, the Language Pack is installed by default, replacing the Kanji-ROM. This update lets users choose between Japanese, Russian, International, and Portuguese settings when starting the machine. It also allows users to change language settings during operation using a new BASIC command called LANG. The selected language setting is saved in an unused memory area of the computer's clock (RTC NVRAM).

Developments for MSX

The SCC chip was created by the Japanese video game company Konami in February 1986. At that time, Konami's development teams were working on the MSX, Famicom, and arcade games. Before the SCC chip was made, Konami used a sound generator called the PSG, which could only produce three types of sounds. Because the MSX system had no sound ports, Konami's sound designer, Kazuhiko Uehara, used the cartridge slot of the MSX as an extra way to create sound. After sharing this idea with Konami's president, Kagemasa Kozuki, the company began working with Toshiba to develop the SCC chip.

Before the SCC chip was made, Konami was unhappy because the MSX system could not create the same quality of sound as Nintendo's Famicom, even though both systems were from the same generation of consoles. The SCC chip added five new sound channels that could be turned on or off using a special bit of data, in addition to the three channels already provided by the PSG. This allowed for more complex and detailed sound production. The chip also had a feature called independent memory mapping.

The SCC chip was first designed for a game called F-1 Spirit, but because of scheduling changes, another game called Nemesis 2 was released first. Nemesis 2 became the first video game to use the SCC chip. In the November 1987 issue of the Konami Software Club newsletter, the SCC chip was officially named the Konami Large Scale Integration Sound Creative Chip. Between 1987 and 1989, fifteen MSX games used the SCC chip, including Nemesis 2, F-1 Spirit, The Way to Formula 1, Salamander, Parodius, King's Valley II, Contra, Nemesis 3: The Eve of Destruction, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Space Manbow, and Quarth.

Games

Several popular video game series began on the MSX platform:

• Antarctic Adventure and Penguin Adventure
• Aleste and Zanac (Zanac was created and released at the same time as the original FDS version)
• Bomberman
• Eggerland
• Metal Gear
• Parodius
• Puyo Puyo (released at the same time as the FDS version)

Other games had different versions or new games on the MSX, including titles that were only available on this system or changed versions of games from other formats:

• Castlevania (called Vampire Killer in Europe)
• Contra
• Dragon Quest
• Dragon Slayer
• Final Fantasy
• Gradius (Nemesis)
• R-Type
• Wizardry
• Xak
• Xevious: Fardraut Saga

Legacy

In 2001, Kazuhiko Nishi started a revival of the MSX by using an official emulator named MSXPLAYer. This is the only official MSX emulator because all MSX copyrights are managed by the MSX Association. In 2004, a Dutch company named Bazix became the European representative of the MSX Association. Bazix acted as the main contact for questions about MSX trademarks, copyrights, and licensing in Europe. On October 17, 2006, Bazix launched WOOMB.Net, a website selling MSX games in English and other languages, offering 14 games. In Japan, game sales began earlier through a project called Project EGG. WOOMB.Net was the English version of this and other Japanese services provided by D4 Enterprise. In August 2006, D4 Enterprise announced the launch of a new MSX2-compatible system called the "one chip-MSX." This system uses an Altera Cyclone EP1C12Q240C8 FPGA chip. The "one chip-MSX" is similar to the C-One, a Commodore 64 clone also built using a single FPGA chip. The new MSX system is housed in a box made of transparent blue plastic and can be used with a standard monitor (or TV) and a PC keyboard. It has two MSX cartridge slots and supports audio extensions like MSX-MUSIC and SCC+. An SD/MMC-flashcard can be used as an external storage device, acting as a disk drive and allowing the system to boot MSX-DOS. Because of its VHDL programmable hardware, the device can be updated with new features by running a reconfiguration program under MSX-DOS. The "one chip-MSX" also includes two USB connectors, which can be used after adding supporting VHDL code.

In 2011, AGE Labs introduced GR8BIT, a do-it-yourself kit for building an MSX computer. The kit, licensed by the MSX Licensing Corporation, is designed for people who want to learn about computer hardware. It includes all the parts needed to assemble a working MSX2-compatible computer, except for an ATX chassis, power supply, floppy drive, hard disk, PS/2 keyboard, and monitor.

Some members of a Korean forum who created Zemmix Neo developed a new MSX-compatible system called Mini IQ3000 Cutie. This system has features similar to Daewoo Electronics' MSX2 model, the IQ-2000. It is based on the 1ChipMSX but includes special features like a "Scan Line Generator," which improves video quality, and "Multi Language Support," allowing it to display two languages. By default, the system uses the Korean version of MSX with Korean fonts, but pressing the "del" key during startup switches it to Japanese mode. Even though the default is Korean, the system uses a Japanese font allocation table and displays Japanese characters when running Japanese software.

In 2019, a group of fans created the MSX Mini Replica. This is a 1:2 scale model of the Philips VG-8020 computer, compatible with software from the MSX, MSX2, MSX2+, and TurboR generations. It includes two USB ports, an HDMI video output, and uses the same internal hardware as the C64 Mini. Adding a peripheral called MSX Player allows it to run original games on ROM cartridges.

The MSXVR is a computer released in 2020 that works with the MSX family of computers. Like the latest Zemmix game consoles, it uses a Raspberry Pi card with extra circuitry to connect original MSX peripherals.

In 2022, Nishi announced an official revival of the MSX computer standard called MSX3, which would be available in multiple configurations, including an upgrade cartridge for existing MSX computers. Later, in 2023, after a successful crowdfunding campaign, a small IoT device resembling a Game Boy with a keyboard, named MSX0, was introduced. This device was designed for IoT uses and would work with the base MSX3 unit. Plans also included a supercomputer called the MSX Turbo X 128, based on cluster technology. The project was stopped after Nishi's bankruptcy.

Peripherals

The keyboard is a separate device that can connect to a computer using different types of connections. Multiplexed keyboards use a special method that allows sending and receiving information through the same wires, which reduces the number of wires needed. Non-multiplexed keyboards are usually used for internal keyboards and some external models, like the Panasonic CF-3300. Multiplexed keyboards are often used for external models, such as the Yamaha YIS805.

The keyboard is arranged in a grid with up to 11 input lines and 8 output lines, allowing for up to 88 keys (including control, number, and letter keys). Each line is checked regularly to determine if a key is pressed. The speed of these checks depends on how often the system interrupts the process. This setup avoids a problem found in older keyboards, where pressing more than three keys at once could cause incorrect input or prevent the system from detecting all pressed keys.

Because the keyboard checks are controlled by system interrupts, one way to troubleshoot an MSX computer that shows no image (assuming it has power) is to press the CAPS key. If the LED on the key does not light up, the issue may be more serious than just a display problem, such as a faulty video cable or connection.

In 2009, Kamil Karimov created an adapter board to connect a PS/2 keyboard to the multiplexed keyboard interface of an MSX computer. The special software on the board was designed for use with Daewoo CPC machines.

In 2011, AGE Labs added a PS/2 keyboard controller to its GR8BIT DIY computer. This controller uses a microcontroller from Microchip and converts PS/2 signals directly into MSX keyboard signals. This makes the controller compatible with many MSX systems and different language settings.

The MSX standard requires at least one cartridge slot, and most models have two. These slots are interchangeable, so inserting a cartridge into either slot usually works the same. The connector for these slots is a 50-pin edge connector with a 2.54 mm spacing. These slots allow many types of devices to connect to the computer.

Standard game cartridges are about the size of an audio cassette, known as "Konami size." Despite being more expensive, this format was popular because it was reliable and easy to use.

In 1985, Hudson Soft introduced the Bee Card, a small, credit card-sized alternative to ROM cartridges. However, it was not successful and few games were released in this format.

AGE Labs provides source files for creating MSX cartridges using EAGLE software.

Early MSX models did not include a built-in disk drive, so software was initially distributed on cartridges and cassette tapes.

Mitsumi QuickDisks were introduced in 1984 as a special feature for MSX computers but were quickly replaced by standard floppy disk drives. Only a few games used this format.

Sony created a battery-powered RAM cartridge called the HBI-55 "data cartridge" in 1984 for some MSX systems. This device could store programs or data instead of using cassette tapes. Some Yamaha music software was also compatible with this cartridge.

Traditional floppy disk drives became available for MSX in 1984, either built-in or as a cartridge with a disk interface and a BIOS extension. In South America, many systems used 5.25-inch floppy drives, while in Europe, 3.5-inch drives were more common. In Japan, some MSX1 systems, like the Panasonic CF-3300, included a built-in 3.5-inch drive. In Europe, Philips MSX2 models like the NMS 8230 and NMS-8250 often had 3.5-inch floppy drives with 360 or 720 KB capacity.

In 1985, the MSX2 was released, and many of these systems included a built-in 3.5-inch floppy drive. As a result, floppy disks became the preferred storage medium for games and software.

The MSX-DOS operating system was compatible with CP/M but used the same file system as MS-DOS. Its commands were similar to early versions of MS-DOS. This allowed Microsoft to promote MSX for home use while promoting MS-DOS for office computers.

MSX 3.5-inch floppy disks work with MS-DOS but had some differences in features like file recovery and boot code. MSX-DOS 1 did not support subdirectories.

In September 2012, AGE Labs added support for 1.44MB 3.5-inch floppy disks. These disks had two configurations: Standard (1 sector per cluster, 9 FAT sectors) and Compatible (4 sectors per cluster, 3 FAT sectors).

• Yamaha Y8950 (commercially sold as Panasonic: MSX-Audio FS-CA1, Philips: Music Module NMS-1205, Toshiba: MSX FM-synthesizer Unit HX-MU900)
• 9 FM channels or 6 FM channels + 5 drums, compatible with YM3526
• ADPCM recording and playback with hardware support
• Can be upgraded to 256 KB of SampleRAM

• Yamaha YM2413 (OPLL), also known as MSX-Music (Panasonic: FM-PAC, Zemina: Music Box, Checkmark: FM-Stereo-Pak, DDX: FMX, Tecnobytes: FM Sound Stereo)
• 9 FM channels or 6 FM channels + 5 drums
• 15 preset instruments and 1 custom instrument
• Built-in on most MSX2+ systems and standard on MSX TurboR computers

Emulation

Today, MSX computers are recreated on many devices. Early versions of MSX emulators used code from fMSX, a portable emulator created by Marat Fayzullin. Later, some emulators removed Fayzullin’s Z80 code to avoid legal issues because fMSX was not free software at first. Later, the fMSX source code became free for non-profit use, but a license was still needed for commercial use. On December 31, 2013, the Windows version of fMSX 3.7 was released and made free for all users.

The official MSX emulator, MSXPLAYer (in Japanese), is developed by the MSX Association. Kazuhiko Nishi, the inventor of the MSX standard, is the president of this organization.

As of version 0.146.u, MESS supports 90% of all MSX versions.

In February 2007, Nintendo of Japan announced that MSX games would be available on the Wii’s Virtual Console emulator. The games cost 700 Wii Points and were expected to be released in mid-2007. They later became available on the Wii U on December 25, 2013. In total, 13 MSX games, mostly from Konami, were released for the Wii, and one game was released for the Wii U in Japan only.