The NEC PC-88 - Obsolete Geek

The NEC PC-8801, a platform that has eluded me for sooo long. I finally managed to tame one and bring it into my collection! Let's take a quick look at it.

[@yuzokoshiro2631]

Thanks for talking about PC-88. This video is really amazing. I just found one thing that is incorrect. The Revolter composer is Hitoshi Sakimoto, not me. I love his works, though.

[@picc9000]

How did this comment get buried? You are a living legend!

[@McCaroni_Sup]

YOOOO YUZO KOSHIRO!!! Love your work on SoR, ActRaiser and especially Ys which is still one of my favorite game franchises to this day. It's kinda insane that your arrangement for "To Make the End of Battle" ended up arranged and then combined with an animation by Makoto Shinkai for chronicles. Absolute legends.

[@obsoletegeek]

The legend himself! I'm not worthy!

[@matthewmcgravey4808]

Thank you for your music @Yuzo Koshiro...and thank you for this video @Obsolete Geek...even though this video is old, I finally have a PC8801-MH at home.

[@The8BitGuy]

Haha.. That Super Mario game is terrible. But I think that is probably more to poor programming than hardware limitations. Many of the other games shown look much more impressive.

[@thealternativej7994]

There was a better version made by the community that had the same levels of SMBS, but it was on the original and much better NES/Famicom version.

[@Dan-TechAndMusic]

Nintendo might have specifically requested Hudson to make it terrible so people would be more convinced to get a Famicom for Super Mario Bros. since it's superior on there.

[@thealternativej7994]

Daniël's Tech & Music Channel Hmm, good theory, MatPat would probally explain it. Maybe.

[@gunma747j]

The 8-Bit Guy but I just looks like a msx game

[@Dawwwg]

Many Japanese developers - including Konami - used special development mainframes in the late 80s that allowed for relatively easy cross-platform (mainly Z80-alike) team-based development, including emulation of the target hardware (which was not always accurate !). Stuff I could only dream of - I did - as a kid doing Z80 assembly in something like ed.com and commandline compilers/linkers and no debugger :)

[@Michirin9801]

PC-88 video coverage in English? Insta-like!!

[@RedFalcon696]

Oh no, not you again! ;)

[@Michirin9801]

RedFalcon696 And where the hell have YOU been? ;3

[@Dawwwg]

INC (HL) !!!

[@rockettaco]

Old Japanese PC's rule! NEC PC88 and PC98! And also the Sharp X6800! :D

[@cortexauth4094]

@@Michirin9801 Third time seeing you in three consecutive videos

[@davecates9095]

Love seeing the older computers. They are fascinating.

[@KidpandaAG]

Man, some of the music is freaking super boss!

[@ToddsNerdCave]

Glad to see the floppy emulator getting some action in such a cool machine!

[@smugshrug]

tfw you realize this video loops seamlessly

[@uckytrike9111]

The music in these old games is just amazing. I could sit and just listen to for hours.

[@julienbraudel7109]

Thanks for the explanation with details on sound. One emblematic game of the PC-88 : Snatcher.

[@Michirin9801]

Great video mate! Just a little thing, the YM2203 also has the 3 SSG channels that the YM2608 has, so it has 6 channels in total... Gosh I really love those soundchips! Also, it's awesome that you featured Final Crisis, that's like, one of my favourite games on the system! You should also try ReFight if you can, it's by the same people who made Final Crisis, and there's also the Game Arts classics that can't be left unmentioned, like Thexder, Silpheed and Fire Hawk: Thexder 2 (this last one has an amazing soundtrack on the PC-88 that takes full advantage of the YM2608 soundchip)

[@Zeithri]

I completely agree with the comment about exploring. THe PC-88 has so many fascinating games in my opinion, and it's always fun to see how the games started out. Like Ys, Sorcerian and 46 Okunen Monogatari ( _PC98_ ).

[@JB_inks]

you pronounced zx spectrum properly! well worth subscribing to you just for that alone lol

[@obsoletegeek]

A tip of the hat to my viewers across the pond

[@EsotericArcade]

The Scheme’s music doesn’t have to hit that hard but sounds like it does so on each sound mode! I need one of these.

[@benoit1335]

The sound of this platform is mind blowing!!!

[@ahe]

I love your videos, Obsolete Geek! Can’t get enough of them!

[@ValentinesEve1996]

There was a recent announcement for an official mini console for the NEC PC-8801mkIISR called the Pasocom Mini PC-8801mkIISR. It was officially announced recently in August 2024. It is going to be made by Dempa Micomsoft (the same company that made the Cyber Stick for the Sega Genesis Mini 2).

[@TheMaskarad]

YM2608 is comparable to YM2612. They both have six 4-op FM channels and are combined with another chip for PSG. The difference is the PSG chip used. YM2608 integrated a version of the YM2149 chip present in later MSX models, Atari ST and so on. YM2612 however, as it was designed to be used in a console that's backwards compatible, utilized a SN76489 chip, found in the Sega Master System and IBM PCJr. Also, 2608 can produce samples on two ADPCM channels.

[@vgtheory]

I would love to get my hands on some of these classic Japanese PCs someday. The sound on the PC-88 is amazing, especially for the time.

[@GarryGri]

I saw quite a few PC-88, and PC-98, systems in Akihabara Tokyo, but was looking for one of the Laptop versions, that I didn't see. Even a broken one for a decent price, that I could try to fix, would be nice.

[@boulderdashc6425]

I would love to see more on the PC-88 please. Thanks for the vid.

[@dashdash555]

I also have PC-8801 MA2 and fully working now. Cheers!

[@CGQuarterly]

Great video! I've never really explored the world of 8-bit home computers outside of the Apple II, and at this point I don't have the space to. But this thing looks cool for sure. What's the OS like? Is it similar to DOS? I was also curious what the controller looked like. And nice shirt!

[@Prisoner416]

Gods, I'd love to get into this and pc-98, language barrier be damned... it's hard enough to find good working computers from the Windows 98 era and before, good luck importing any from Japan. Emulation seems to be key to preserving history.

[@kolonnavidya]

Oh damn those soundtracks are awesome!

[@RichardWolfVI]

Any idea why the Japanese home computers seemed to be reluctant to support hardware sprites/scrolling? Seems to be the norm with MSX and SC-3000 as well. Gameplay really suffers, no wonder why the Famicom dominated the games scene.

[@obsoletegeek]

I can only speculate, but I suspect it's because these were originally intended to be business machines, with games being an afterthought. The games that support the better sound hardware (like The Scheme) feel a little imbalanced because the music is so good, but the graphics are just "OK"

[@obsoletegeek]

That being said, the Sharp X68000 is a beast. It supports sprites and multi-layered scrolling. It easily surpasses the Genesis/Mega Drive

[@RichardWolfVI]

Well, the X68000 cannot be considered a home computer, costing over $3000, but it was still impressive, one of my favorite designs ever.

[@Kuikkamies]

The x68k is a home computer just as any other, price does not keep it from being one. People nowadays still build and buy comps at that price range.

[@RichardWolfVI]

At the inflation rate, it would be $6000 today. Although it was marketed to the home, it was definitely a niche, high-end, product, compared to the PC-98, Amiga, ST, IIGS, and low end PCs that were marketed as 16-bit home computers as well. The only thing I concede is that there was not much software for it aside from games, so it wouldn't compete with the Macintoshes, 386 PCs and Pro Amigas of the day.

[@mekman4]

Great Stuff!

[@ZeroWalker26]

Awsome video. I my self have a love for the pc88 pc98 the FM town and the sharp love the games they have. Sadly I will have to emulate them could never with my income afford them and they are starting to become realy rare. I have just one wish all the good RPGs could be translated.

[@nekomasteryoutube3232]

Damn, would be great if there where english releases or if I knew Japanese, even for an old PC the graphics and sound for some of those games where awesome!

[@Matlockization]

Those sounds are freaky.

[@adorenu1338]

512kb of ram was a big deal for pc gaming community back then... having 1 mb of ram will make you became a god of pc gaming mastery

[@SomeBorkedAccount]

Please come back, I miss all your cool videos

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Looking forward to the next video!

[@dagda825]

I'm starting my classic pc collection with an amiga 500. I'll be interested to find out how much REXX I remember. This video has me interested in hunting for nec computers. Thanks for the video!

[@TheCasualSubculturist]

PC-88... this is where many current Japanese big game companies began and formed current Galapagos syndrome in Japan game industry, mainly how Visual Novels styles of game are pretty strong even today. It's interesting piece of technology and history. Did you know many Japanese game developers started in this platform as adult game in this platform?

[@TechnologySpotlight]

Finally! Another episode.

[@DeconTheed92]

I believe Revolter was the first game noted composer Hitoshi Sakimoto worked on, as an extra trivia note. He did a lot of work on games for the various Japanese home computers- including, of course, the infamous glut of hentai/ecchi games that the PC-98 in particular became known for. Quite a humble start compared to the likes of Radiant Silvergun, to say the least! A number of other notable composers- including Kenichi Arakawa, Ryu Takumi, and the late Ryo Umemoto- also got their start in the Japanese home computer scene (and likewise, did a lot of the hentai schlock in the beginning). From what I've gathered, Yuzo Koshrio was extremely prolific during the early days- though his works for The Scheme and some of the Ys titles are the most well known, he worked on a significant number of PC-88 and PC-98 games. I'm also fairly sure, if my memory isn't failing me, that the music for at least the first Streets Of Rage title was actually written using a PC-88 (I can't recall if the same is true of SOR 2 and SOR 3, although based on all three games sharing similar-to-identical waveforms/PCM samples I'm guessing they were).

[@AndersEngerJensen]

Btw, did you know that Roland had a LAPC-N card, (similar to the LAPC-I card for the IBM PC) solely released in Japan for these NEC 88/98 computers? It gave you the full MIDI functionality and a CM-32L module. However, I believe it's next to impossible to find any of these today. There was also a thin docking-like MT-32 unit to go with the laptop version of the NEC 88. :)

[@sethpacheco3561]

Revolter's score was Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata gotta give some love to some of my favs!

[@StormcloudLive]

Pretty cool old machine, hadn't seen one before, that version of Super Mario Bros "Special" sure was... Special, I can't even imagine trying to do some of Bowsers Castle stages like that, having to run all the way to the right of the screen and being killed by a fireball just spawning in your face.

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

the console with the best music

[@AshtonCoolman]

If the PC-8800 had taken off in North America, it would have taken PC gaming to a new level years earlier. What a missed opportunity by NEC.

[@anasarkawi4331]

where are you!?! It's been 5 months you didn't post any video!?

[@AlexCBrandon]

It amazes me, just amazes me, that Yamaha had a Genesis sounding FM chip in the marketplace years before the Genesis was released. With all due respect to the AdLib the YM chip on that was far worse than the 6 channel on the PC88. This kind of stuff blows my mind.

[@julienbraudel7109]

The Yamaha YM2151 (8 voices of FM synthesis) was used on Marble Madness and other Atari arcade games like Paperboy in 1984. These are the first examples of FM synthesis in video games.

[@CiniselloShampo]

5:25 popful mail :D

[@McCaroni_Sup]

yup

[@jimwork6256]

Hope you are alright bud, haven't seen any activity in a while.

[@blankpage9277]

Dude, I just found this channel and your last video is a year old. We need moar.

[@johnsimon8457]

See, now I’m wondering if there was a rivalry in Japan between the MSX and PC-88 just like C64 and Spectrum

[@ProjectPenguinNetwork]

Where are u man ? it is been 6 months

[@mllarson]

How many ports did Popful Mail have? I have the Sega CD and Super Famicom ports, and knew about the PC-Engine port, but there's one for this system too? Too bad the anime was never produced (as far as I know, only an into video was created)....

[@Pleezath]

Ah supermarioworld one of the best games ever made

[@wattage]

Glad your machine allowed you to film it for this video. Thanks for showing the Super Mario Special game at the end. Do you have the other one you mentioned? SMB Ball? If so, show us!! :)

[@kimchee94112]

Don't remember seeing this one. At the same time was the NEC APC which had the best graphics.

[@lucaspam]

more of the pc-88 and 98, please!

[@carterhanke3528]

is it strange that i'm 13 and im into this kind of tech (i'm a complete nerd, owning a raspberry pi and being able to program in 10 languages, plus i used to own a IBM Aptiva and a Windows XP

[@obsoletegeek]

Keep it up! I used to pick up computers off of the side of the road when I was a kid, just to learn how they work. Mostly 8088 and 286-based systems being thrown out in those days. You're developing skills that will drive your success, and you'll enjoy it, too!

[@jujukawa8049]

nah, it's not ;) I am 4 years older than you but I have no programming skills, I just love old tech. Never let the history die.

[@IHPICKUP]

The Obsolete Geek Are you going to start uploading soon?

[@flamespearmusic9358]

i am 12 and also a complete nerd i have built and repaired multiple computers.i also own a gateway 450 with a pentium 3

[@IHPICKUP]

DHL GAMING Worry about school bro. But that is cool! Good Luck!

[@darktetsuya]

wow yeah the FM synth on that machine is something else! the six channel versions almost sounded like an entirely different song! Sadly I think Super Mario Bros. Special was the worst off of the Nintendo licensed games... at least Punch-Ball Mario Bros. was neat and added some new mechanics. (as well as Mario Bros. Special which added a whole bunch of new levels not seen anywhere else!!) but that was a great video and hope to see more on the PC88 games!

[@TheDormonid]

dude I love your channel and the fact that you are into racing too specially that senna hat you have! I noticed an amazingly amazing mini cabinet box you have in your place. where did you get it ? is it a sega cabinet or okbaby from wenche?

[@SwedishEmpire1700]

You'll need a ABC 80 to, if you are into early 80's compting.

[@Xlfdll]

Nice video for an introduction! In my opinion, there are a lot to talk about regarding Japan's old PC platforms, actually. I especially like the music on these platforms. Also, the history of these platforms is actually interesting as well, considering about Japan's society at that time. Of course, it is kind of sad that you have to know Japanese if you want to dig deeper on these topics :(

[@Moonchild1607]

I enjoy your videos. You have to be a nerd to like it! :D

[@brandong.1857]

Non scrolling SMB what a pain! The death animation is really fast though

[@pinfarmer]

I want to play some turbo 16 now.

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

Isn't this sounds lovely?

[@willjleighton]

This thing's sound reminds me of the Sega Mega Drive!

[@lamarrdijey660]

willjleighton That's because both systems used a Yamaha YM2xxx sound chip.

[@danielgallagher5431]

Epic Video man!

[@fabriceducouret5631]

Where can I find all these soundtracks, and also thank you so much for this video

[@xaGe__]

I'm curious as to when you say they died, what actually happened? Did you ever find out what was wrong? or is there no way to really tell easily?

[@davshan8482]

I need more great games from these japanese companies NOW

[@PartyDude_19]

My only question is why are all of the pixels of the games and graphical applications interlaced

[@spookerredmenace3950]

i'm here bc of Lazy game review and his box opening video

[@maders0405]

What happened? Did you abandon KZbin? I miss having your videos

[@BertGrink]

Holy crap man, that Yamaha YM2608 delivers some sweet sounds! There are some chinese sellers on ebay who offer those, but is it safe to buy one of those? i mean, i have read many times about the risk of getting a fake chip. Opinions?

[@canesvenatici9588]

How much did you spend for it? It's crazy expensive on Ebay.

[@kinjour]

I kinda like the 8-bit tracks more then the 16 for some reason.

[@raafmaat]

there was no 8 or 16 bit tracks, it was 3 or 6 channel sound chip ;) but yeah, obviously with the 3 track chip they squeezed the full potential out of it while the 6 channel tracks seem to be lacking

[@Alianger]

What is the bitrate of psg and fm waveforms?

[@BertGrink]

Alianger That's a hard question; you see, those methods of sound generation aren't usually measured in bit rates. FM synthesis is not a thing i am very familiar with, but PSG is, as i have an old 8-bit ZX Spectrum which has a GI AY-3-8912. The way you program those PSGs is that you send some values to the PSG which determine the frequency and volume of each channel, and an overall envelope pattern, the PSG then makes those frequencies, volumes, and envelopes until it receives new data. Bitrate, on the other hand, refers (mostly? only? not entirely sure) to sampled sounds such as CD/DVD audio and of course MP3 and wav files.

[@BlackDragon-xn2ww]

Wow now this is one I never heard of but it is Japan so it most likely never was sold in the USA not that I remember but it is a powerful computer from the games shown on it .

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Cool, Thanks.

[@KatouMegumiosu]

I heard of PC-98 only because of the guy named ZUN.

[@kamiboy]

I am curious, what broke on the other PC88 system that you bought, and what model were they? Every Japanese system from the 80's has its documented failure points, but the that old gal is a complete unknown.

[@obsoletegeek]

The first one, a PC-88VA, I bought from California as non-working. The price was worth taking the gamble, but it didn't pay off. It's now on display at the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, TX. The second one (seen here in my garage) is a PC-8801MH. I bought it as working from South Carolina. It worked great for a few hours, then it would only boot to garbage on the screen. I replaced all of the RAM, the Z80, reflowed the surface mounted chips. No bueno. The third and final PC-8801MA2 (used for this review) I bought from Japan as working. It miraculously survived shipping and has been rock solid so far. It took me well over a year and a lot of money to get a working setup. It's a platform I've been wanting to cover for a long time. If the third one showed up DOA I was going to give up on it!

[@organiccold]

we want more new videos hehe

[@henbobaggins]

I played a rare PC-88 game on my channel called produce...

[@mathprodigy]

just subd love your stuff! do you have a vid on the GameCube attachment lets you play online? talk about obscure!

[@Retrokid1998]

What region do you live in and do you use a voltage adapter

[@Alianger]

Did it use 2x YM2203 sound chips at all? I thought it was one, but have read 2 on occasion.

[@FD-ze1xg]

Hello everuone!! I am looking for the basic manule in English. Can you help me ? thank you very much

[@lisvit3887]

why no more videos?

[@WelcometoVideoCity]

Come back man.

[@kamiboy]

Finally!

[@eeejokesno]

Hey! You have the same TV as me!

[@Duke_Togo_G13]

Are you still making videos or is this channel now obsolete?

[@drsquash2003]

no dislikes, and rightfully so

[@technicalmachine1671]

I was hoping it was the Jaguar

[@pedroneves2701]

You don't publish more vídeos????

[@mkonji8522]

Can I buy your broken pc-8801s? I sold mine a couple of years ago but still held onto the games. I wouldn't mind repairing them. we could even work something else out if your interested. LMK! Thanks

[@retro8263]

When new video?

[@pablopereyra5837]

How is the name of the game of the flying witch please?

[@hokman1]

how about the pc-9821? is that also good for gaming? i have a note98 na7 but i don't know how to get it working. seems to be missing harddrive but it does have floppy and cd-rom.

[@thuggeegaming659]

I've been trying to get The Scheme to work using a NEC core in Retroarch, but I can't get it to work. Is this possible or should I try another emulator?

[@mstcrow5429]

You mean home pc, not personal computer, right?

[@galvanizeddreamer2051]

Well, PC stands for personal computer, so it's right either way. Unless I am being an idiot.

[@mstcrow5429]

Galvanized Dreamer Home PC generally meant a typically 8-bit system that was cheaper and less "professional" than business oriented machines, PC being IBM PC, IBM-compatible PC, to just PC. Macs are PCs, but saying so would confuse most people.

[@galvanizeddreamer2051]

mstcrow5429 Ok, that makes sense.

[@undeadsoup]

The Japanese in the thumbnail is "series"

[@preservationera9768]

It's "Punch Ball Mario Bros.", not "Mario Bros. Punch Ball", you forgot Mario Bros. Special (which is the best of the three), and SMBS just takes a little getting used to. Actually, all three do. Just give it time. And don't get me started on Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushuu...

[@benjaminbuljevic7977]

Im early and ive never played anything over 1000 times