Sharp X68000 Expert - Figuring out a Japanese Gaming Workstation

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you so much for watching and special thanks to Gary, Chrissy and everyone who helped me to figure out how to get the best out of this machine. Neil - RMC

[@jameslewis2635]

Hey Neil, I saw on my news feed that there is a project that lets you use a Raspberry Pi 3 as an accelerator for 68000 based computers such as the Amiga 500, 500+ and 1000. Any plans to cover that on the channel? Just thinking that it is something that could be ported to this machine as well. From what I have read it allows you to use the Pi for HDMI output, extra memory (seen as a Zorro II or III expansion) and hard disc emulation.

[@codyisrude]

it almost looks like the blueprint of what would become the PS2 devkit something else i hope you get in the cave is some debug units and devkits for consoles it would be cool to see something like a ps2 devkit running a homebrew game made by the RMC community

[@bryndal36]

That was absolutely fantastic and I will admit that it's the pot of gold of systems that I'd want. Especially since I've been unable to even get emulation for the machine working on my pc.

[@まるちゃんの溜まりtube]

日本のレトロパソコンに興味を持って頂いてうれしいです。しかし、字幕を日本語に対応していただければさらに嬉しいです。

[@AshtonCoolman]

This thing was ridiculously advanced for 1987. In 1987 my dad bought a Turbo XT(8Mhz 8088-2) for $4000 with a monitor and printer. It had EGA graphics and no sound card. the X68000 for about the same amount of money would have melted my childhood brain if I saw it.

[@MultiMidden]

The PC was dire back in the 80's (overpriced and underspec'd), it wasn't until the 90's that it started becoming competitive. Back in 1987 you could have got an Atari 1040STF + hi-res monitor + HDD + printer + software and had plenty of money leftover, that's probably why my college had a room of them for wordprocessing, DTP as well as more techie stuff like programming (still had them in '92 when I left).

[@AshtonCoolman]

@Lassi Kinnunen 81 I'm an American and I don't think we knew what Amstrads were back then. PCs ruled here. I was 5 years old in 1987 but sure to wish I had found out about Amigas in the following few years. Nobody I knew had any of the family computers that were popular in Europe and the UK.

[@fredjones100]

@@AshtonCoolman The Amstrad 1512 and 1640 were PC compatibles at an "affordable" price and launched many thousands in the UK (and some other European countries) onto the PC road who would otherwise not have been able to consider it.

[@ryanyoder7573]

In 1987 we got a Tandy 1000 HX 7.16mhz with monitor, printer and all for around 1200 dollars. I don’t know why people think PCs which were out for 6 years cost 4k in 1987. By 1990 I built my own 286 16 with 2MB RAM, VGA, and Hugh density 3.5 for under 1k.

[@AshtonCoolman]

@Lassi Kinnunen 81 I was 5 in 1987 and my oldest brother who is 19 years older than me helped my dad buy that crappy Turbo XT. I still give him a hard time about it. I would have killed to have a 20MB hard drive! Mine only had two 5.25" floppy drives. And a 286 would have been fantastic.

[@olepigeon]

15:00 - For anyone wondering, SASI (Shugart Associates System Interface) was the predecessor to SCSI (Small Computer System Interface.) The protocols were very similar, and some early SCSI hard drives can be used on a SASI controller, likewise with early SASI drives on SCSI controllers. The SCSI2SD adapter is backwards compatible with SASI, making it a suitable adapter for the X68000, early PC, and Apple II computers with SASI controllers. Incidentally, SCSI was intended to be pronounced ''sexy,'' as in ''I want all my devices fast and SCSI.'' :)

[@hudo108]

One of the most beautiful computers ever built.

[@blaskkaffe]

Like said in the video, it wouldn’t look out of place today if a new console looked like this. Or a new workstation computer, but with modern IO. Since it was never intended to be sold in europe or the us they didn’t have to follow the german workplace standards that made all othet computers beige and dull looking. They where simply not allowed to be sold if they looked good.

[@BeatemupMaster]

@@blaskkaffe Hm, never Heard for that...

[@leebumble]

5:03 I have to agree, it's got that monolithic look to it that modern consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X.

[@himselfe]

Careful with putting powered electronics in anti-static bags, they're conductive (which is how they dissipate static buildup). I've heard of people frying electronics before today because they didn't realise the bags were conductive.

[@sanches2]

These are non conductive

[@IanDunbar1]

I was under the impression that that's only the silvery looking bags, not the pink ones?

[@himselfe]

According to Wikipedia the pink bags have a coating which attracts moisture from the air to conduct any static buildup to ground. How conductive that makes them compared to the metallised bags I'm not sure (and probably varies widely by manufacturer), but I certainly wouldn't risk putting powered electronics in them. Anything that is anti-static has to be conductive to some degree, so the question is just how resistive they are.

[@marcin.ronndahl]

That bag was made out of "pink poly", a difficult-to-charge kind of plastic. It is not conductive. Had it been black or metallized, then you'd be correct.

[@c7261]

I'm more worried about the lack of air flow. Don't the pico-PSUs get a bit hot?

[@jwvdvuurst]

What a beautiful design indeed, like you said if a machine with such a design but with modern storage facilities and wifi would be launched on the market today it would still feel modern.

[@mycms99]

Nice machine! Something just feels wrong about that anti-static bag though? That doesn't look like the conductive type, but it just feels wrong to wrap a PSU in a plastic bag? Sure it's fine but it just triggered the "would I do that?" warning light.

[@craigover1873]

And the switching circuit can get a bit warm although I doubt the sharp takes much power

[@magoid]

I was thinking the same thing. There is a better way to fix the Pico-PSU inside the chassis, that one was very lazy, I'm surprised he did it actually.

[@Agamemnon2]

The X68000 is a beautiful machine, especially if we compare it to its contemporary western PCs, which were still in the grey and beige phase.

[@radical_ans]

I love that the SCSI box has a sticker that says "BOX" on it. That way I know it's a box.

[@iulianispas8634]

was intended for BRITISH that sticker

[@ShmupsBR]

Anything you need about the X68000, just give me a shout. I'm here in UK as well, and I collect those machines for a long time.

[@ShmupsBR]

@@rwsh1976 I don't use it for productivity, but I can take a look. What kind of applications are you looking for?

[@ShmupsBR]

@@rwsh1976 Yes, I remember seeing at least one good word processor and one spreadsheet program, nothing spectacular, not even close to Microsoft products, but both were pretty useful. What is definitely great is the amount of sprite editing, sound applications and C compilers you could run on it.

[@bobbyjr.9559]

How would i be able to buy one? I dont wanna use expensive ebay seller then always getting outbid on yahoo auctions are a pain lol i always wanted one! 😄

[@ShmupsBR]

@@bobbyjr.9559 I have a contact in Japan, message me, I can send you the details.

[@MickMacklerack]

Hi @ShmupsBR I've the same x68000 expert model as per the video. Do you know if the latest scsi2sd v6 works? I'm reading old forum posts that only v5 works but it's out of stock everywhere.. perhaps the ZuluSCSI will work? Also any tips on where to buy the cable for this? Thank you

[@Fularu]

Welcome to the club. I own an X68000 ACE, an X68000 XVI Compact and the allmighty X68030 ;-) You need to recap that I/O board btw, it's prone to leaking and heavy damage.

[@_techana]

I wanted X68030, but man, the prices are ouchy! What other model you suggest for me? I'm not into games; only like the form factor and like to experience with an alien computer.

[@ynotwalk7391]

ooooh, XVI Compact

[@Fularu]

@@_techana If all you want is to own the computer and not necessarily play with it, then any model will do. The original X68000 (CZ-600) is usually the cheapest, then the ACE models (either black or grey). Do note that the Keyboard and mouse are usually just as expensive as a standalone unit. I paid 40000 yen for my X68030 due to a faulty PSU that was easily repaired to be on the look out? Thing is though, with the current pandemic, prices have soared. It may be better to wait a bit for the situation to stabilize and prices to go down.

[@JJsMessyBench]

@@Fularu Is there a x68000 repair group or forum that you recommend? I just picked up a Super HD. I've already fixed up the PSU, but its still having issues.

[@Fularu]

@@JJsMessyBench The nfg forums are prety much the only english speaking group on the internet interested in the X68000. If you need help troubleshooting, it's the palce to be

[@noraretrouciech]

It’s absolutely brilliant to see you helping those technique gorgeous sculptures be saved from being forgotten!

[@parrottm76262]

Have always loved the design of that computer line. Thanks so much for featuring it on the channel.

[@RMCRetro]

My pleasure, thank you for watching it

[@philrod1]

That's a very handsome machine. You could say the two floppies are Blu-Ray drives and this is a prototype PS6

[@retrogranie8235]

I love your channel!! Great content. Greetings from Sheffield from a retro collector and lover.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you and greetings Sheffield!

[@delusionnnnn]

The physical form factor reminds me of a computer I saw in person one time, when it had already been obsolete, in about 1992. It was a Burroughs B25, which had different units, and could stack horizontally, but every B25 had at least a core unit and a floppy storage unit. It was interesting in that it effectively used emulated DOS sessions, if I recall correctly, which I may not.

[@adambourne5523]

Thank you for this! The gaming capabilities for this for the late 80s are astounding: it's truly the primogenitor of Nintendo and Sega and what they were looking to emulate for a wider audience

[@richardabkstorm9009]

That is a fantastic machine fella, and an even better video...Thank You and keep on with the excellent content!! 👍🙏

[@Fularu]

Also play Chase HQ. The Keyboard lights will "light up" when close to the enemy and act as a siren pattern (not sure of that word in english)

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

What's the Japanese word?

[@TheKayliedGamerChannel-YouTube]

@@theannoyedmrfloyd3998 sie-eren-ao? :-)

[@Fularu]

@@theannoyedmrfloyd3998 No clue, I'm french :P

[@SlavicCelery]

Warning system? Sirens are warning systems.

[@Fularu]

@@SlavicCelery Well.. yes, I wasn't sure if sirens was the proper term is all.

[@grindhousefan80]

I love that oak desk you have in the cave for displaying the pcs, makes me want one for my office to game on.

[@xmaniac99]

I wonder if there was an active demo scene on the 68K just like the Amiga and Atari in the late 80s ?

[@reddev5420]

I must have missed the episode where you introduced that Gateway CRT. It's BEAUTIFUL. I WANT ONE NOW

[@organiccold]

Amazing addition to the allready cool collection

[@DanielLopez-up6os]

This Has Been a Dream of mine for years, first propper Coverage I see of the Expert!

[@sanches2]

I'd love to have a modern computer with thos kind of design. Sharp and Panasonic devices of this period have amazing design.

[@adilsongoliveira]

She's a beauty and a great find, thanks for bring this up to us! I had a MSX in the early 90s (they were all the rage in Brazil) but something like that was a dream machine.

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

One of the all time great system designs. I'd love to get one, but until I can afford to splash out that much for a fun device, ill keep saving for a MiSTer. Great video, glad to see more eyes on these old PC systems. Great choice with Twin Bee, classic Shmup.

[@mkonji8522]

I grew up with one of these. Love these things and I've kept mine since my dad bought it new. It eventually got gifted to me after it served its usefulness.

[@iCQ_www.SPCL.tk_]

sharp was an excellent company making some wixked hardware... i had sharp watch, programmable calculator (hand held pc) and sharp msx home computer... all were so fast and super, thank u sharp and all people that worked there!

[@Robin-ie3ns]

Such an excellent video, I’ve watched it so many times as would love one of these machines 😊

[@BSM7702]

I heard about the Sharp X68000 in 2014, saw the games and was super jealous i couldn't play it, then i heard there was a sort of emulation being made, then fast forward to 2021 i now have a perfectly up and running X68000 Sharp emulator and can now play games. I know its not the actual system but its still X68000 emulation or actual hardware so I'm super happy i can play the awesome games that this system played and how it stood up to arcades back then in the 90s. Awesome time capsule system for sure.

[@vgtheory]

Love the whole aesthetic of that machine, that box. Fantastic. Consider me jealous.

[@rickylovesyou]

Now this is the good stuff! Edit: what is the game at 16:09 ? The insect shooter. I used to play this a ton when I was living in Asia and could never remember the title!

[@ricardojpinheiro]

I have a friend of mine who lives nearby London and had almost 10 Sharp X68000! He had a photo where his baby daughter was lying over the computer cabinets. It was very instructive to see some nifty solutions to the x68k: Booting by SCSI port (almost all x68k enthusiasts that I met, doesn't know how to do it), replacing the original power source (a PICO PSU is much better)... Amazing! But it is pretty expensive, due to its weight - shipping costs are utterly high. Great video!

[@Monster-gr8on]

Looks like it is in superb condition. Congratulation!

[@marklechman2225]

What an absolutely beautiful system. I must have one! 😁

[@blackeagle238]

This is one of my favourite machines aesthetically, along with the Fujitsu FM Towns II from the same era. Great video!

[@zero0ryn]

Not sure I would have put the pico psu into an antistatic bag which by it's very nature is conductive. Also although it uses VRM's it will still generate some heat. I'd have gone with a 3d printed bracket myself.

[@joe--cool]

I was about to type the same thing. Let's hope Neil doesn't fry this thing. Most anything other than a static bag would have been a better idea.

[@zero0ryn]

It's probably, mostly okay. I think those bags are not very conductive. It's more that a small amount of air flow would be of great benefit. Those tantalum caps don't like it hot and will often go up in a blaze of glory when they fail. Letting out not just the magic smoke but fire.

[@lupinzar]

I try not to get jealous, but this video made that very difficult. ;)

[@nickwallette6201]

You are not kidding. The X68K is one of my white whales. One of very few early micros that I actually want, and it makes up for all the rest.

[@infopackrat]

Won't the anti static bag interfere with the power supply dissipating heat?

[@VenomStryker]

I can't wait for the new cave space to be complete so that people will be able to come to visit. I would love to travel to the UK and one of the places I would definitely visit is the Cave. Can't wait to hear more!

[@TheKayliedGamerChannel-YouTube]

Wookie Hole is also a popular cave for Tourists to UK.... ;-)

[@daschewie]

The Sharp x68000 has strange 1:1 aspect ratio resolutions, but are meant to be stretched to 4:3. Changing between 15, 24, and 31hz signal can have different positioning and aspect ratios. For this reason all Sharp monitors have easy to access knobs to stretch the position the images. The x68000 community also translated the Human68k master disks to English with hdd drivers, which makes the system a little easier to use. You can find them on ebay www.ebay.com/itm/Sharp-X68000-MASTER-DISK-System-Disc-in-English-Floppy-5-25-5-1-4-NEW-SCSI-SASI-/352862709582

[@TheHighlander71]

Lovely. Definitely one of the more exotic machines. And in its original box too. A nice addition to the Cave Neil. Well done.

[@xp0079]

This is also a very rare model of X68000, Expert can't found easily now a days and price has went through the roof.

[@icanrunat3200mhz]

11:26 I used one of those blocks to create the RS232 control cable for my Pioneer LaserDisc player. Works great

[@MartinPaoloni]

What a unique and charming machine! I can't put it to words, but something in it makes it fascinating. Probably a combination of how good it looks, its tidiness inside, those fancy floppy drives and that sexy keyboard. And the games look rather nice as well. If I lived across the pond, I'd be already queuing up outside your studio to play with it!

[@drachengott95]

Absolutely amazing to see the box to this holy grail of PC's and video games. Are you planning on trying to preserve the box by repairing it or reinforcing it to keep it in the best of shape? Looks like you could use some clear drying glue to patch it up.

[@cfriedel123]

Thanks for sharing. The X68000 is such an awesome machine!

[@zuur303]

All the rage for gaming pc's is tempered glass and garish lighting, but this understated metal and retro-futuristic design with pinpoint status leds tick my boxes as well.

[@jacooosthuizen3593]

First time i see this machine but i have them on my arcade emulator! cool insight! Thanks man. such a well made machine!

[@MrButtonpresser]

That design is still fresh today, drive bays aside. Nice video.

[@MrVolksbeetle]

My goodness. The properly legendary rig that is the X68000. This and maybe a Neo Geo are as close to my own personal unobtanium as it gets. Even if I could afford the X68000, I fear my old school computer skills are are too feeble to properly operate such a mad machine. I genuinely appreciate The Cave for allowing us to vicariously enjoy the awesomeness.

[@StayCoolKeto]

*WOW this machine is amazing! Never heard of this before but wow!!! You're right this could easily be a modern design for a console! and WOW those games looked fantastic on this! totally amazed ! I well wanna have a go on this!!! Friggin awesome!* 😍🖥

[@tuppyglossop222]

I hope all of these wonderful machines don’t get trashed when the public is let loose on them. There is a reason why museums keep things in glass cases. All the hands-on exhibits I have ever seen really take a beating.

[@BottIsNotABot]

What a fantastic looking machine! I am with you Neil, it looks bang up to date. Keep the great content coming.

[@VenturiLife]

This is the craziest machine. Imagine having this in 1989.

[@andrewoyston6871]

Great video! Thank you! I love the industrial design of this machine and of computers of the period in general!

[@dlfrsilver]

Hello RMC - The Cave, can you name the screen model you used ? And also which setting you used in OSSC ? I have a X68000 XVI compact, and i'm unable to get a stable display on mine. Thanks for the hints :)

[@RUFU58]

Superb video man. Never seen one of these things before - you’re absolutely right it does look way ahead of its time - I thought it was a modern machine from the thumbnail! 👍

[@Martipar]

Gary is a god and it's always a pleasure to see him and his gear on RMC, well done Gary and Neil for showing this off.

[@karlreading3201]

Hi Neil. Great video as always, that 6800 expert looks lush. I noticed you had marble madness on the go there, a game coded by Mark Cerny. I know he’s super busy in his role as PlayStation hardware master, but if you could get him on the show for a retro tea break that would be so amazing. He’s got a rich past, I recently discovered he was a big part of the Sega Master System, amongst others (a machine I think you should give more exposure to on the cave!!). Thanks for the great videos!

[@bazza5699]

lovely looking machine.. wouldn't mind seeing some head-to-head comparisons of games on the amiga/st and x68000.. what kind of custom chip set does it have?

[@jfroco]

Great video as usual. Thank you!!! THe X68000 is incredible, congratulations. Clever use of the OSSC.

[@the5gen]

I think this was the workstation they used to develop titles for the old Japanese NEC PC Engine console (TurboGrafx in the US).

[@dandelionmoodable]

Such a beautiful computer!

[@papaquonis]

That design is surprisingly modern looking. I don't remember seeing it even in magazines back then, but it would definitely have looked pretty futuristic in the late 80s.

[@kosmosyche]

Yeah, it looks very naughty in the best sense of the term. Like, if by chance you saw it in a magazine in late 80's early 90's you'd instantly get a feeling that you could never afford it in a million years, but one can dream, right? lol

[@LusRetroSource]

Yep. Wouldn't mind having a PCnow that looked just like that. I think a company can do well by making replica cases of classic game machines and computers.

[@TheKayliedGamerChannel-YouTube]

...Commodore and Atari didn't want you knowing this existed....

[@MrDuncl]

@@TheKayliedGamerChannel-KZbin it would be very interesting to compare the prices. I suspect that Sharp looked at the price of the Amiga 500 and thought "we can't compete with that". I read inthe Commodore history book "on the edge" that in Japan Commodore sales completely dried up once Japanese computers appeared on the market for the simple reason that Japanese consumers preferred computers from the companies they were familiar with.

[@robotronuk]

I'd be a concerned how much heat that pico psu puts out under load now its enclosed in the antistatic bag from both in terms of both reducing the life span of the PSU and chance for the bag melting.

[@MacMelmac]

Fantastic design!

[@LusRetroSource]

Those arcade ports on the x68000 were breathtaking.

[@sergeleon1163]

That is a beautiful designed machine, it's looks definitely stand the test of time.

[@user-te1le7ck6b]

Always liked these machines never seen one up close but they just look so cool and the games were near enough the best ports ie final fight etc , great work as always

[@JanPospisilArt]

That keyboard looks pretty great. (and yellow Alps should also feel great, of course)

[@psychopoison]

I love X680000 YM2151 Sound chip, awesome soundtracks

[@pauljennings8432]

A nice video on what looks like a great product.

[@NJRoadfan]

Such a weird machine being a brand new platform in 1987 but still using 5.25" disks. Granted they are 1.2MB HD floppies. I guess Sharp didn't access to early 3.5" HD drives during development. Its also weird that it was only technically equipped with SASI despite SCSI-1 being certified in 1986.

[@justincartwright5885]

You are not wrong, lovely design that could more than pass as a modern machine. Those floppy drive slots would make for nice vertical disc players.

[@communalnoodle1356]

Quick one - did the original PSU have a fan? If so, I'd be tempted to install one, in older systems it wasn't just for cooling the PSU.

[@MrDuncl]

Good point. The original idea of the ATX case design was that one fan in the PSU could cool the whole computer.

[@bobbus_74]

What an absolutely beautiful machine. Very jealous right now.

[@Ghostviperz]

Incredible video so hungry for information on this very few in English thank you

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

Never heard of it, I was torn between it being modern with twin dvds or antique 5 1/4. Was surprised with the answer.

[@FinalBaton]

That machine is so crazy powerful for the time of release... insane. and able to move large amounts of sprites via hardware, which really sets it apart from other computers. it really is a powerful computer + a state of the art arcade board, all into one.

[@KieronWray]

fascinating as always, great vid thanks :)

[@Geardos1]

You need to show off the amazing music these pump out, great system and vid

[@ctiborkoza8944]

Sharp X68000 Expert ,The amazing machine of its time was very revolutionary and also expensive

[@Weeabruh]

Wonderful work here. This was fantastic to watch. I’d love to get my hands on a Sharp X68000 one day!

[@RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS77]

I kind of chuckled at that fat word processor manual. Life has gotten easier

[@MrDuncl]

My "user manual" for Microsoft Office these days is Google Search :-)

[@lordofduct]

super jelly, would love one of these congrats!

[@Horos_de_Vega]

Art. A piece of art ❤️

[@pacocyborg]

You can also mod a Megadrive pad to turn it into MSX/X68000 controller, it's quite easy to do it :) congrats on getting such a beautiful machine!

[@Neodestro]

yep for street fighter games for x68000

[@TheKayliedGamerChannel-YouTube]

Old school pad hacks :D

[@MrDuncl]

I might be wrong but I thought MSX used the standard Atari joystick pinout / connector.

[@Yuushiboy]

This reminds me of my Sharp MZ2000 that was only sold in Japan. It has its boot system on a cassette but its also older. Wish it worked though ^^

[@davebarnes2601]

What beautiful machine I would so love one! =) Time less design. You lucky man =)

[@FloatingFatMan]

I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get to hear the audio this machine is capable of... Any chance of seeing some more gameplay WITH audio?

[@TheKayliedGamerChannel-YouTube]

@@tuff_lover lol! 🤭

[@cubeflinger]

Hear hear (lol)

[@ordinosaurs]

18:02 : I've had a whole old new stock box of those Memorex 5"1/4 diskette fail on me. I had stored them carefully, still shrink wrapped, and when I needed one, all the disks in the box spat out errors endlessly when I tried to format them. And it wasn't the drive, I tested some other brands that luckily didn't exhibit the same symptoms. Beware.

[@reptilez13]

Still my Holy Grail. I collect consoles half for aesthetics, and the x68000s are just... Amazing. So head of their time.

[@VitorMach]

If I ever get into collecting vintage computers, I'll definitely go for a Sharp X68000 with a Roland MT-32.

[@yandyyay]

beautiful, i never even knew such a machine existed.

[@CastleFamilyThe]

Most people didn’t until the early 2000s when retro gaming started to kick off, and websites of these weird Japanese machines started to appear

[@cannfoddr]

You might want to consider a RAScsi for the HD - I think it was originally developed in Japan for the X6800 and has been subsequently ported to english

[@OldPoi77]

That might be the nicest looking retro computer I have seen i would love one of those.

[@Stoney3K]

Wait a minute, if it's got a regular PicoPSU, that means it's got an ATX compatible power supply connector, like, 10 years before it was released? Or is it some kind of specific PicoPSU for the Sharp system? Or did someone cobble up an adapter cable to plug into the main board? You might be able to fit a standard SFX form factor power supply in the existing bay, which would then plug into that extender cable.