The PC-9800 series, often called PC-98 or 98 (Kyū-hachi), is a group of Japanese personal computers made by NEC from 1982 to 2003. These computers used standard x86-16 and x86-32 processors but had a custom design that made them unable to work with IBM clones. Some models used NEC’s own V30 processor. NEC became a leader in Japan’s personal computer market, and by 1999, over 18 million units were sold. While NEC did not sell these computers in the West, it offered the NEC APC series, which had similar hardware to early PC-98 models.
The PC-98 was first made for business use and could run older software from the PC-8800 series. Over time, the range expanded, and by the 1990s, the computers were used in education, hobbies, and other industries. NEC attracted many companies and users, and by 1991, the PC-98 had over 60% of Japan’s personal computer market. IBM clones struggled to handle Japan’s complex writing systems, like kanji, which have thousands of characters. Japanese companies made computers with custom designs for the local market, while global companies, except Apple, had trouble overcoming language barriers, keeping the Japanese market separate.
By 1990, computer technology improved enough for IBM clones to display Japanese text using software. This allowed global companies to enter Japan’s market. The PC-98, which was not compatible with IBM systems, could still run versions of MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. However, as Windows became popular, developers no longer needed to create separate software for each platform. Cheaper computers from American companies and the rise of Windows 95 reduced demand for PC-98 systems. In 1997, NEC stopped supporting the PC-98 and released the PC98-NX series, which used standard Wintel technology based on the PC System Design Guide.
History
NEC began making mainframes in the 1950s. By 1976, NEC was the fourth-largest seller of mainframes in Japan, with 10.4% of the market. IBM had 29.6%, Fujitsu had 20.1%, and Hitachi had 15.8%. NEC did not sell products to regular consumers, and its company, New Nippon Electric (later NEC Home Electronics), had limited success with consumer items. NEC's Information Processing Group, which made mainframes and minicomputers, did not create a personal computer because it believed microprocessors lacked enough power and reliability. However, the Electronic Device Sales Division made the microprocessor evaluation kit TK-80, which became popular among hobbyists. Tomio Gotō, a developer of the TK-80, saw the growing interest in personal computers at the 1977 West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. Gotō and his manager, Kazuya Watanabe, decided to make a personal computer despite criticism from the Information Processing Group. Since the division had only a small network of electronic parts stores, they asked New Nippon Electric to sell the computers through their consumer network.
The Electronic Device Sales Division released the PC-8001 in 1979. By 1981, it controlled 40% of the Japanese personal computer market. NEC's vice president, Atsuyoshi Ōuchi, said:
In April 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 specific computer models. 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 the business computer line from the 1973 NEAC System 100. Watanabe said the computer needed Microsoft BASIC, compatibility with NEC's earlier PCs, and clear details about its expansion slot. In September 1981, Hamada asked ASCII's Kazuhiko Nishi to rewrite N88-BASIC to work on the Intel 8086 processor. Nishi said he wanted to talk with Bill Gates. Three months later, Nishi refused because Microsoft was working on GW-BASIC and did not want more versions of Microsoft BASIC. He said, "Microsoft is creating a new version of BASIC called GW-BASIC, which will be the official 16-bit version. We can provide a BASIC for you if you use the Japanese version of GW-BASIC." Hamada replied, "We want a BASIC that works with our older computers." They could not agree.
Hamada was unsure whether to make a small business computer or a personal computer because Watanabe's plan was uncertain. While visiting software companies to study applications for the PC-8001 and PC-8801, Hamada and Watanabe found that the consumer market wanted a 16-bit computer compatible with both models. Hamada decided to create two different models for different markets. In April 1982, the small business computer became the NEC System 20 model 15, which used a special 16-bit microprocessor. It was introduced as a new business computer model and was not widely noticed.
In February 1982, the software team started rewriting N88-BASIC and designing N88-BASIC(86). After finishing in March 1982, they began developing the PC-9801 (called the N-10 Project). A PC-9801 prototype was completed by July 1982. The team wrote N88-BASIC(86) from scratch, but Nishi noted that its 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's product as the license fee and that N88-BASIC(86) should show copyright notices for both Microsoft and NEC. Hamada agreed.
The team believed third-party developers were important for the market. They gave 50–100 prototypes and technical information to independent companies for free.
In 1981, the Terminal Units Division of the Information Processing Group released the N5200 personal computer series, called the "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, making it distinct from other personal computers. Around the same time, 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 with a clock speed of 5 MHz, two μPD7220 display controllers (one for text, one for video), and came with 128 KB of RAM, expandable to 640 KB. Its display supported 8 colors and had a maximum resolution of 640×400 pixels.
When the PC-9801 launched in 1982, it cost 298,000 yen (about $1,200 in 19
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. Differences also exist in 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 alongside 16-bit slots. The 16-bit expansion bus was also called C-bus (Compatible Bus). The PC-9821Xf, introduced in 1994, included both C-bus and PCI slots on its motherboard, replacing the proprietary local bus slot.
Many PC-9801 models can increase system memory by installing 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 desktop 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 5.25-inch floppy drives. Each used different IRQ lines and I/O ports. Later models supported both interfaces. High-density 5.25-inch and 3.5-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 industry standards.
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. It does the opposite if the system boots from a hard drive. If the OS is installed on the hard drive, MS-DOS assigns the hard drive as drive "A:" and the floppy as drive "B:." This caused compatibility issues with Windows applications, though it could be resolved in Windows 95 by using the "/AT" switch to assign the Windows system drive to the standard "C:" drive.
The PC-98 uses various 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, respectively. The master display controller manages video timing and provides the memory address for the character generator. The character generator creates a video signal from two bytes of character code and one byte of attribute. The font ROM includes over 7,000 glyphs, including the single-byte JIS X 0201 and double-byte 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 three intensity settings. The slave display controller is set to slave mode and connects to 256 KB of planar video memory, enabling 640 × 400 pixel graphics with 16 colors from a 4096-color palette. This video RAM is divided into pages (2 pages × 4 planes × 32 KB for 640 × 400 with 16 colors), and the programmer can control which page is written to or displayed. The slave controller synchronizes with the master, allowing text to overlap graphics.
High-resolution machines (PC-98XA, XL, and PC-H98) offered an 1120 × 750 display mode, suitable 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 chip. 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-9801 models (E, F, and M) had
Epson clones
Seiko Epson produced PC-9801 clones between 1987 and 1995, along with compatible peripherals.
In the 1980s, Epson’s clones had better features, such as performance and portability, compared to NEC’s. In the early 1990s, Epson focused on selling a line of low-cost computers with small profit margins, but these did not sell well. This caused sellers to lose confidence. At the same time, NEC had strong sales in the business market, while Epson did not. Companies that made DOS/V computers began gaining sales channels and became competitors for the PC-98 and its Epson clones. In 1992, Nikkei Personal Computing magazine reported that "NEC has many opinions inside the company about the future of the PC-98, and it is unclear if the PC-98 will 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. It had a 32-bit local bus for graphics and an Intel 486SX CPU running at 20 MHz, which was faster than NEC’s flagship PC-9801FA, which used a 486SX running at 16 MHz. In January 1993, NEC launched the 98MATE to compete with Epson’s clones and DOS/V computers.
From 1992 to 1994, Epson sold about 200,000 units of PC-98 clones each year. By 1994, Epson expected only 40% growth in PC sales, even though it expected 100% growth in peripheral sales by 1995. However, Nikkei Personal Computer magazine predicted that Epson would continue making PC-98 clones for some time because NEC still held a 50% share of the Japanese PC market.
In 1990, AST Research Japan released the DualStation 386 SX/16, which was compatible with both PC-9801 and IBM PCs. However, it failed due to poor marketing.
Sharp, Sanyo, and Seikosha each developed PC-98 clones but later stopped. A Sanyo executive said, "NEC paid far more attention to its copyright than we had imagined. We decided that losing our company’s reputation would cost more than the money we could make, and we canceled the 98 compatible machine business."
Software
The PC-98 was mainly used by businesses and industries in Japan from the 1980s until the mid-1990s. In September 1992, out of 16,000 PC-98 software programs, 60% were business tools (including CAD), 10% were operating systems and development tools, 10% were educational software, and the rest included graphic design, networking, word processing, and games. A 1993 report from Nikkei Personal Computing magazine stated that most home users bought PCs to complete office tasks at home. A survey of 2,000 readers found 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 important programs, was released in 1985 and later used on other computers in 1987. A Japanese version of Lotus 1-2-3, a popular 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 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 a dictionary file. This used the full space of a floppy disk that held 1.2 MB of data. In the 1980s, most computers had only two floppy drives because hard disk drives were expensive and not commonly used.
NEC offered several operating systems for the PC-98, including CP/M-86, Concurrent CP/M, MS-DOS, PC-UX, OS/2, and Windows (which was no longer supported after Windows 2000). Local 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 features creatively, despite the PC-98 being originally made for business use. Even though its hardware was less powerful than other systems like the FM Towns and X68000, the large number of users and the steady release of games—such as "dōjin" style dating simulations, role-playing games, and 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—made it the preferred platform for game developers in Japan until the rise of DOS/V clones.
Models
This is a list showing some of the PC-98 computers sold in Japan. It does not include models made between 1992 and 2000, nor does it include notebook computers, and other types of models are also not included.
Reception
In 1988, a journalist described how NEC helped create the Japanese personal computer market:
- NEC quickly met the growing need for business personal computers.
- NEC attracted many third-party suppliers and became a leader in software production and distribution.
- NEC used Microsoft's MS-DOS as the operating system for the PC-98.
Western computers had lower display quality and less memory, making them unsuitable for the Japanese market until better computers like the DOS/V were available. For example, IBM Japan sold the IBM 5550 instead of the IBM PC. Yoshihiko Hyodo, a programmer who created the text editor VZ Editor, noted two advantages of the PC-98: its kanji character storage and non-interlaced display. These features made using Japanese text and visuals more comfortable. A senior vice president of Otsuka Shokai (a computer distributor) said early users like Kao had office automation with the PC-8000, but it lacked speed and kanji support. The PC-9800 later became popular because it fixed these issues, leading many to switch to it.
Shunzo Hamada of NEC believed the PC-98's success came from working with software companies. He explained that third-party suppliers for Japanese PCs had already grown independently, but NEC helped them develop further by creating the PC-9800 series. The PC-98's large software library made it useful for many purposes, even though most users only bought a few major programs.
Ichiran Kou, a computer consultant, said IBM influenced NEC's strategy. From 1982, NEC had four personal computer lines covering a wide price range, similar to IBM's mainframes. However, NEC's computers had poor backward compatibility, which caused complaints from users and developers. After 1983, NEC expanded the PC-9801 series, and its number of models grew beyond competitors.
NEC encouraged 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 IBM compatible. Kou guessed NEC avoided making IBM-compatible PCs because the company wanted to develop its own original mainframe.
Yasuhiro Uchida, a literature professor, wrote an essay titled "Users chose the most playable PC." He said the PC-98 was an ordinary 16-bit computer, but it had many games because it focused on playability. He theorized Fujitsu did not see 16-bit computers as game platforms, and IBM JX treated games as unimportant, making personal computers less appealing. He concluded that the true value of personal computers was determined by users, not sellers.
A writer for ASCII magazine noted that the Japanese input method and video game industry grew during the PC-98 era. The PC-98's kanji character ROM allowed Japanese applications to be developed for it, which influenced the creation of Japanese input methods. Software companies that made games for the PC-98 later expanded their video game business on the Famicom platform. He believed many programmers learned computer programming on the PC-98 at that time.
In the late 1980s, competitors accused NEC of controlling the Japanese computer market. Takayoshi Shina, a founder of Sord, said the market was dominated by one company, leading to high prices and limited freedom. A software company also said the lack of compatible machines forced developers to split their resources.
Unlike IBM PCs and the Apple II, Japanese personal computers had short lifespans. NEC released a new PC-98 model each year. When the PC-9801VX01/21/41 models introduced a new BASIC interpreter with the Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC) chipset, most commercial software did not use it because it was written in C. Many developers avoided using 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."