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NEC PC-FX console with controller

PC-FX

PC-FX

No. 01523 Dec 1994

PC-FX

Manufacturer
NEC
Type
Home video game console · 32-BIT

03

Overview

Overview

A 32-bit console released by NEC Home Electronics in 1994 as the successor to the PC Engine. It specialised in full-colour, full-screen video playback, and its library focused on anime-based titles.

Name in Japan
PC-FX

04

Industrial Design

Industrial design

Its form factor resembles a tower PC and was intended to be similarly upgradeable; it received a 1994 Good Design Award.

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Technical Specifications

Technical specifications

CPU
NEC V810 @ 21.475 MHz
Memory
RAM 2 MB, VRAM 1.25 MB
Graphics
HuC6270, HuC6271; full-screen Motion JPEG video playback at 30 fps; no polygon processor
Display
256×240 to 341×240, 16.77 million colors
Bits (period term)
32-bit
Generation (Wikipedia)
5th generation

Values are from the sources below. Where sources differ, see the notes under Sources.

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Controller

Controller

A pad similar to the PC Engine Duo-RX controller, with mode A/B switches in place of rapid-fire switches.

07

Media Format

Media format

  • CD-ROM

  • CD-ROM

    Optical discs sharing the audio CD format, used for data. Sources describe the PC Engine's CD-ROM² (1988) as the first use of CD-ROM as a home console game medium.

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Launch & Context

Launch & historical context

Release (Japan)
23 Dec 1994[1]
Launch price (Japan)
¥49,800[2]
Units
290,000(shipped / sell-in · Japan · 1997-09)[2]

Lacking polygon graphics hardware, it struggled against the PlayStation and Sega Saturn; it was discontinued in February 1998 and NEC subsequently withdrew from the console business.

09

Notable Games

Notable games

No games from this platform are in the archive yet.

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Gallery

Gallery

  • NEC PC-FX console with controller

    PC-FX with controller

11

Timeline

Timeline

  1. 1994.09.09Neo Geo CDSNK
  2. 1994.11.22Sega SaturnSEGA
  3. 1994.12.03PlayStationSony
  4. 1994.12.23PC-FXNEC
  5. 1996.06.23Nintendo 64Nintendo
  6. 1998.10.21Game Boy ColorNintendo
  7. 1998.10.28Neo Geo PocketSNK

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Related Consoles

Related consoles

About NEC Home Electronics →

13

Sources

Sources

  1. [1]
    PC-FX

    Wikipedia (EN)

    ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
  2. [2]
    PC-FX

    Wikipedia (JA)

    ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
Notes on conflicting sources

Units: EN Wikipedia gives 300,000; JA Wikipedia gives 290,000 cumulative shipments by Sept 1997 (used). JA Wikipedia also claims it was the first home console with a vertical design — unsourced 'first' claim not used in captions. Model number not verified.

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Image Credits

Image credits

  • PC-FX with controller

    NEC PC-FX console with controller

    PhotoEvan-Amos

    Wikimedia Commons·Public domain