MSX

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MSX

MSX was the name of a standardized home computer

Home computer

A home computer was a class of personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as accessible personal computers, more capable than video game consoles....
architecture in the 1980s. It was a Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a multinational corporation computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of computer software products for computing devices....
-led attempt to create unified standards among hardware makers, conceived by one-time Microsoft Japan

Microsoft Japan

Microsoft Japan, officially is a division of the United States-based computer technology corporation Microsoft based in Japan. The headquarters is in a skyscraper in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo....
executive Kazuhiko Nishi

Kazuhiko Nishi

worked for Microsoft during the 1980s as Vice President of the Far East operations.In 1986, Kazuhiko Nishi left Microsoft to devote himself mostly to ASCII Corporation to develop the MSX standard together with NEC executive Kazuya Watanabe....
. Despite Microsoft's involvement, MSX-based machines were seldom seen in the United States and Britain, but they were popular in other markets. Eventually 5 million MSX-based units were sold world-wide.

Nishi proposed MSX as an attempt to create a single industry standard for home computers.

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Encyclopedia

MSX was the name of a standardized home computer

Home computer

Microsoft

Microsoft Japan

Kazuhiko Nishi

VHS

The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard developed by JVC and launched in Europe and Asia in September 1976, and the United States in June 1977....
as a standard for video cassette recorders, many Japanese electronic manufacturers along with GoldStar

GoldStar

GoldStar was an electronics company established in 1958. The corporate name was changed to LG Electronics and LG Cable in 1995. LG Cable was changed to LS Cable in 2005....
, Philips

Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , usually known as Philips, is a Netherlands electronics company. It is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands....
and Spectravideo

Spectravideo

Spectravideo, or SVI, was a U.S. computer company founded in 1981 as "SpectraVision" by Harry Fox. They originally made video games for Atari 2600 and VIC-20....
built and promoted MSX computers. Any piece of hardware or software with the MSX logo on it was compatible with MSX products of other manufacturers. In particular, the expansion cartridge form and function were part of the standard; any MSX expansion or game cartridge would work in any MSX computer.

Nishi's standard consisted primarily of several off-the-shelf

Off the shelf

In finance or when buying things, off the shelf refers to products that have already been designed and made, compared to "made to measure," , which refers to products that have to be made to a special order....
parts; the main CPU was a 3.58 MHz Zilog Z80

Zilog Z80

The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed and sold by Zilog from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes....
, the graphics chip

Video Display Controller

A Video Display Controller or VDC is an integrated circuit which is the main component in a video signal generator, a device responsible for the production of a Television Composite video in a computing or game system....
a Texas Instruments TMS9918

Texas Instruments TMS9918

The TMS9918 is a Video Display Controller manuafactured by Texas Instruments....
with 16 KB

Kilobyte

Kilobyte is a unit of Computer data storage equal to either 1,024 bytes or 1,000 bytes , depending on context.It is abbreviated in a number of ways: KB, kB, K and Kbyte....
(KiB

Kibibyte

A kibibyte is a unit of information or computer storage, established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000. Its symbol is KiB....
) of dedicated VRAM, the sound and partial I/O support was provided by the AY-3-8910 chip manufactured by General Instrument

General Instrument

General Instrument was an electronics manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. The company was active until 1997, when it split into which was later acquired by Vishay Intertechnology in 2001, CommScope and NextLevel Systems ....
(GI), and an Intel 8255

Intel 8255

The Intel 8255 Programmable Peripheral Physical interface chip is a peripheral chip originally developed for the Intel 8085 microprocessor, and as such is a member of a large array of such chips, known as the Intel 8085#MCS-85 Family....
Programmable Peripheral Interface chip was used for the parallel I/O such as the keyboard. This was a choice of components that was shared by many other home computers and games consoles of the period, such as the ColecoVision

ColecoVision

The ColecoVision is Coleco' History of video game consoles home video game console and was released August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade game graphics and gaming style, the ability to play Atari 2600 video games, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware....
home computer (an emulator was later available with which MSX systems could run some of its software), and the Sega SG-1000 video game system. Most MSX systems soon started to integrate the common glue logic

Glue logic

In electronics, glue logic is the custom electronic circuitry needed to achieve compatible interfaces between two different off-the-shelf integrated circuits....
components, the Z80 CPU, the sound chip, the 8255 PIO and the Video Display Processor into a single chip, called an MSX-Engine

MSX-Engine

An MSX-ENGINE chip is a specially developed integrated circuit for home computers that are built according to the MSX specifications.Generally, such a chip combines the functions of many separate, older/simpler chips into one....
chip. This simplified a MSX system down to a MSX-Engine chip and some ROM

Read-only memory

Read-only memory is a class of computer storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Because data stored in ROM cannot be modified , it is mainly used to distribute firmware ....
and RAM chips, greatly reducing production costs. However, almost all MSX systems used a professional keyboard instead of a chiclet keyboard

Chiclet keyboard

A chiclet keyboard is slang for a computer keyboard built with an array of small, flat rectangular or lozenge-shaped rubber or plastic keys that look like erasers or pieces of chewing gum....
, driving the price up again. Consequently, these components alongside Microsoft's MSX BASIC

MSX BASIC

MSX BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language. It is an extended version of Microsoft Standard BASIC Version 4.5, and includes support for graphic, music, and various peripherals attached to MSX Personal Computers....
made the MSX a competitive, though somewhat expensive, home computer package.

The system MSX most closely resembled was the Spectravideo SV-328

SV-328

The SV-328 was the business-targeted model of the Spectravideo range, sporting a rather crowded full-travel keyboard with numeric keypad, and no built-in joystick ....
home computer (Spectravideo even claimed to be "MSX compatible" in advertisements before the actual launch of MSX systems), but it was in fact not completely compatible with it. This led to a new and short-lived kind of software cracking

Software cracking

Software cracking is the modification of software to remove protection methods: copy protection, trial/demo version, serial number, hardware key, date checks, No-CD crack or software annoyances like nag screens and adware....
: 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

BIOS

In computing, the Basic Input/Output System , also known as the System BIOS, is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface for IBM PC Compatible computers....
to the SV-328 from tape or floppy disk. Spectravideo later launched the SV-728 which completely adhered to the MSX standard.

Before the appearance and great success of the Nintendo Famicom

Nintendo Entertainment System

The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , the Philippines, China, Vietnam and Singapore, it was released as the ....
, MSX was the platform for which major Japanese game studios, such as Konami

Konami

is a leading video game developer and video game publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, Japanese arcade cabinetss and video games....
and Hudson Soft

Hudson Soft

is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher. It was founded on May 18 1973. Initially, Hudson dealt with personal computer products, but has expanded to the development and publishing of video games, mobile content, and video game peripherals....
, produced their titles. The Metal Gear series

Metal Gear (series)

is a critically acclaimed series of stealth games created by Hideo Kojima and video game developer and video game publisher by Konami. In the series, the player takes control of a Special Forces Operative repeatedly facing off against the latest incarnation of the eponymous superweapon "Metal Gear "; a bipedal mecha with nuclear weapon launchin...
was originally written for MSX hardware.

History

In the 1980s Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
was in the midst of an economic awakening. Large Japanese electronics firms might have been successful in the early computer market had they made a concerted effort in the late 1970s. Their combined design and manufacturing power could have allowed them to produce competitive machines, but they initially ignored the home computer market and appear to have been hesitant to do business in a market where no industry standard existed.

The MSX was formally announced during a press-conference in June 27, 1983 (a date that is considered the birthday of the MSX standard) and a slew of big Japanese firms declared their plans to introduce machines. This set off a wave of panic

Yellow Peril

Yellow Peril was a color terminology for race that originated in the late nineteenth century with immigration of China laborers to various Western countries, notably the United States, and later associated with the Japanese during the mid 20th century, due to Japanese military expansion....
in the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
and UK industry resulting in instant animosity toward MSX. However, the Japanese companies avoided the intensely competitive U.S. home computer market, which was in the throes of a Commodore

Commodore International

Commodore, the commonly used name for Commodore International, was a United States electronics company based in West Chester, Pennsylvania which was a vital player in the home computer/personal computer field in the 1980s....
-led price war

Price war

Price war is a term used in business to indicate a state of intense competitive rivalry accompanied by a multi-lateral series of price reductions....
. Only Spectravideo and Yamaha briefly marketed MSX machines in the U.S. Spectravideo's MSX enjoyed very little success, and Yamaha's CX5M model, built to interface with various types of MIDI equipment, was billed more as a digital music tool than a standard personal computer.

During the 1980s Europe became the largest computer games (as opposed to console games) market in the world, and the extremely popular Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum computers dominated. By the time the MSX launched in Europe several more popular 8-bit home computers had also arrived, and it was far too late to capture the extremely crowded European 8-bit computer market.

A problem for some game software developers was that the method by which MSX-1 computers addressed their video ram (to draw a picture on the screen) could be quite slow compared to systems that gave direct access to the video memory. This, and the fact that the completely different features the MSX-1's video chip had to compensate for the slower video access were not efficiently used while porting (mostly Spectrum) software, made the MSX-1 to appear slower when running ported games. see: MSX Video access method

MSX Video access method

The first MSX computers used the Texas Instruments TMS9918 Video Display processor , which had its own 16K of video memory that was not shared with main memory....

There were also some minor compatibility issues which plagued ported Spectrum games. Such as the Toshiba HX-10 machine being unable to read certain key combinations at the same time, (preventing the Spectrum-'standard' of Q,A, O,P steering) whereas machines by other manufacturers worked fine. Later (ported) games tended to use the MSX-1 joystick port or used MSX's official arrow keys and space bar, (or offered the option to choose other keys to control the program with) which solved the problem.

A larger problem was that the designers of the MSX standard bank switching protocol did not prescribe to hardware manufacturers in which banks the cartridges, but more important the RAM, should be found. And the MSX's BIOS

BIOS

In computing, the Basic Input/Output System , also known as the System BIOS, is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface for IBM PC Compatible computers....
did not provide this information either, thus requiring programmers to implement the complex routines to "find" these resources that were published in the official documentation from Microsoft. Often programmers did not bother, (or know) and just assumed that the RAM and cartridges would be available at an (imagined) "default" bank switch location. Which then lead to problems, because such "default" locations did not really exist, and in reality some systems had their RAM or cartridge slot(s) not at the "default" location, but on another bank switch location (which was completely allowed by the MSX specification). In those cases these sloppy written programs failed to run because they only "saw" 32K of the available memory, instead of the full 64K that almost all MSX-1 machines offered.

Consequently, partly due to all these perceived problems, MSX never became the worldwide standard that its makers had envisioned, mainly because it never took off in the United States and the UK. In Japan, South Korea

South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
and Brazil, MSX was the paramount home computer system in the 1980s. It was also quite popular in Europe (except in the UK). Especially in the Netherlands and Spain

Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. Some Arab

Arab

An Arab is a person who Identity as such on linguistic or cultural grounds. The plural form, Arabs , refers to the Ethnocultural group at large....
countries and in the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
there where classes of networked Yamaha MSX2 which were used for teaching informatics

Informatics

Informatics is the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Informatics studies the structure, algorithms, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process, access and communicate information....
in school. The exact meaning of the 'MSX' abbreviation remains a matter of debate. At the time, most people seemed to agree it meant 'MicroSoft eXtended', referring to the built-in 'MicroSoft eXtended BASIC' (MSX-BASIC), specifically adapted by Microsoft for the MSX system. However, according to Kazuhiko Nishi during a visit to Tilburg in the Netherlands on the 21st of April 2001, MSX could also stand for 'Machines with Software eXchangeability'. Maybe because of aversives against the global player Microsoft, this version was welcomed by the MSX community. The MSX-DOS

MSX-DOS

MSX-DOS is a Disk operating system developed by Microsoft for the 8-bit home computer standard MSX, and is a cross between MS-DOS rev 1.0 and CP/M....
disk operating system had file system

File system

In computing, a file system is a method for store and organize computer files and the data they contain to make it easy to find and access them....
compatibility with CP/M

CP/M

CP/M is an operating system originally created for Intel 8080/Intel 8085 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research. Initially confined to single tasking on 8-bit processors and no more than 64 kilobytes of memory, later versions of CP/M added multi-user variations, and were migrated to 16-bit processors....
and was similar to MS-DOS

MS-DOS

MS-DOS is an operating system commercialized by Microsoft. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems and was the main operating system for personal computers during the 1980s....
. In this way, Microsoft could promote MSX for home use while promoting MS-DOS

MS-DOS

Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....
s in office environments.

MSX spawned four generations: MSX (1983), MSX2 (1986), MSX2+ (1988) and MSXturboR (1990). The first three were 8-bit computers based on the Z80 microprocessor

Microprocessor

A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a central processing unit on a single integrated circuit . The first microprocessors emerged in the early 1970s and were used for electronic calculators, using Binary-coded decimal arithmetic on 4-bit Word ....
, while the MSXturboR was based on an enhanced Zilog Z800

Zilog Z800

The Zilog Z800 was a 16-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog to be released in 1985. It was instruction compatible with their existing Zilog Z80, and differed primarily in having on chip cache and MMU for a 16 MB address range, and also a huge number of new more orthogonal instructions and addressing modes....
known as the R800. The MSXturboR was introduced in 1990 but was unsuccessful due to a lack of support and the rise in popularity of the by then well-established IBM PC Compatible

IBM PC compatible

IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM Personal Computer, IBM Personal Computer XT, and IBM Personal Computer/AT....
market. Production of the Turbo R ended in 1995.

In total, 5 million MSX computers were sold, which made it relatively popular but not the global standard it was intended to be. For a comparison with rival 8-bit computers, the Commodore 64

Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer released by Commodore International in August, 1982, at a price of United States dollar595. Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore MAX Machine, the C64 features 64 kilobytes of Random-access memory with sound and graphics performance that were superior to IBM-compatible computers of tha...
sold 17 million units worldwide in its lifetime, the Apple II sold 6 million units, the Amstrad CPC

Amstrad CPC

The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad during the 1980s and early 1990s. "CPC" stands for 'Colour Personal Computer', although it was possible to purchase a CPC with a Green screen display as well as with the standard colour screen ....
sold 3 million units, and the Tandy TRS-80

TRS-80

TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The line won popularity with hobbyists, home users, and small-businesses....
sold 250,000 units.

In the 80's, Sakhr Computers (Developed by Al Alamyyeh a Kuwaiti

Kuwaiti

Kuwaiti may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Kuwait* A person from Kuwait, or of Kuwaiti descent. For information about the Kuwaiti people, see Demographics of Kuwait and Culture of Kuwait....
company), started the production line of the first Arabian version of MSX computers. They started with a Yamaha AX100, but produced a few more models including an MSX2 and MSX2+ models. One of the most popular and affordable models was Sakhr MSX AX170. They were also the first to Arabize BASIC and LOGO for MSX.

Many MSX computers were used during 80's in Eastern European (former communist block) countries as a perfect tool for subtitling pirated films on VHS, or BETAMAX cassettes. The MSX computers were used for their simplicity and its ability to display prepared titles in real time as superimpose text on mastering tapes.

MSX Revival

In 2001, Kazuhiko Nishi initiated a 'MSX Revival' around an official MSX emulator
Emulator

An emulator duplicates the functions of one system using a different system, so that the second system behaves like the first system. This focus on exact reproduction of external behavior is in contrast to some other forms of computer simulation, which can concern an abstract model of the system being simulated....
called . This is the only official MSX emulator. All MSX copyright
Copyright

Copyright is a form of intellectual property which gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation; after which time the work is said to enter the public domain....
s are maintained by the .
In 2004 Dutch company announced they had become the representatives of MSX Association in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, being the English contact for any questions regarding the MSX trademarks and copyrights (licensing).
On October 17, 2006, Bazix launched , a website selling MSX games (translated to English if necessary), with a selection of 14 games. In Japan, game sales began earlier, through . WOOMB.Net is the English counterpart of this (and other) Japanese services offered by .
D4 Enterprise also announced (in August 2006) the launch of a new MSX2 compatible system called the , a system based on an Altera
Altera

Altera Corporation are a major manufacturer of high-end PLDs . Altera's main products are the Cyclone and Stratix series of FPGAs , the MAX series of CPLDs , the Hardcopy series of structured ASICs and the Quartus II software....
Cyclone EP1C12Q240C8 FPGA. The "one chip-MSX
1chipMSX

The One chip MSX, or 1chipMSX as the D4 Enterprise distributional name for the ESE MSX System 3, is a Home computer remakes of an MSX home computer that uses a single FPGA to implement all the electronics of an MSX-2, including the Yamaha YM2413 and Konami Sound Cartridge audio extensions....
" is similar in concept to the C-One
C-One

The C-One is a single-board computer designed by Jeri Ellsworth, a self-taught designer, and Jens Sch?nfeld from Individual Computers, who manufactured the boards themselves....
, a Commodore 64
Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer released by Commodore International in August, 1982, at a price of United States dollar595. Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore MAX Machine, the C64 features 64 kilobytes of Random-access memory with sound and graphics performance that were superior to IBM-compatible computers of tha...
clone also build on the basis of a single FPGA chip. The new MSX system is housed in a box made out 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 the audio extensions MSX-MUSIC
Yamaha YM2413

The YM2413, also called OPLL, is a cost-reduced sound chip manufactured by Yamaha Corporation and based on their Yamaha YM3812 . To make the chip cheaper to manufacture, many of the internal registers were removed....
and SCC+
Konami Sound Cartridge

The Konami Sound Cartridge is supplied with the MSXvideo games Snatcher and Super Deform Snatcher. Sometimesit is known as the SCC+. It includes a slightly improved Konami SCC sound chip...
. A SD/MMC-flashcard
Memory card

A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state electronic flash memory data storage device used with digital cameras, Personal Digital Assistant and Mobile computers, telephones, music players, video game consoles, and other electronics....
can be used as an external storage medium, emulating a disk drive
Disk storage

Disk storage is a general category of a computer storage mechanisms, in which data is recorded on planar, round and rotating surfaces . A disk drive is a peripheral device used to record and retrieve information....
and can be used to boot MSX-DOS
MSX-DOS

MSX-DOS is a Disk operating system developed by Microsoft for the 8-bit home computer standard MSX, and is a cross between MS-DOS rev 1.0 and CP/M....
. Due to its VHDL programmable hardware it is possible to give the device new hardware extensions simply by running a reconfiguration program under MSX-DOS. The "one chip-MSX" also has two USB connectors that can be used after adding some supporting VHDL code.
In 2006 Nintendo of Japan
Nintendo

is a global company located in Kyoto, Japan founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
posted on its Virtual Console
Virtual console

In computing, some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux and BSD, feature a virtual console ? a conceptual combination of the keyboard and the display for a user interface....
webpage that MSX games will be available for Wii
Wii

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a History of video game consoles console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3....
's Virtual Console emulator. In February 2007, it was confirmed again and announced that the games would cost 700 Wii Points
Wii Points

Nintendo Points is a currency that Nintendo uses for its Wii and Nintendo DSi consoles through the Wii Shop Channel and/or the DSi Shop, respectively....
and will become available in the middle of 2007 (for Japan only, at least initially).
On the 7th of June 2008, the reported that the MSX trademark had moved from MSX Association to the MSX Licensing Corporation, referring to a Benelux trademark register page of MSX, which indeed names the MSX Licensing Corporation as entitled entity till 28-10-2013. At that time the that they linked to as source, had a text saying 'We are planning to revitalize MSX, the innovative computer platform.' on it. However, the website was later changed to contain only the logo of , and a link to ITNY & Partners English and Japanese websites and has no mention of the MSX Licensing Corporation at all. According to the , Nishi is ITNY's managing director.
On the 26th of June 2008, reported on their website's frontpage that they are no longer the representative of , due to being unable to achieve their goals of "bringing about the commercial MSX Revival beyond the Japanese borders" and "the transfer of the MSX trademark from MSX Association to MSX Licensing Corporation" and "no outlook on any progress in the Western One Chip MSX project any time soon". As a result of this, WOOMB.Net is taken offline as well, with its website redirecting to the Bazix website, till "a solution free of MSX Association's contributions has been completed". According to their post, they will cooperate with and the MSX Licensing Corporation "in one or more retro gaming related projects".
On the 4th of July 2008, 's , which states to be the "only official contact place for MSX Association in Europe", reports that the MSX trademark and copyright has been under the MSX Licensing Corporation holding ever since 1983. It explains that MSX Association, chaired by Dr. Kazuhiko Nishi
Kazuhiko Nishi

worked for Microsoft during the 1980s as Vice President of the Far East operations.In 1986, Kazuhiko Nishi left Microsoft to devote himself mostly to ASCII Corporation to develop the MSX standard together with NEC executive Kazuya Watanabe....
is the operational division of MSX Licensing Corporation which manages the trademarks, logo and copyrights for MSX.
According to the same article, D4 Enterprise "refuse to pay royalties to MSX Association for the use of ESE Artists' Factory's work in 1chipMSX and the software licenses in Project Egg", thus they deal with Kazuhiko Nishi 'directly' through the MSX Licensing Corporation.
The article mentions as well the ESE MSX System 3, on which the 1chipMSX (also known as One Chip MSX or OCM) is based.
On the 5th of July 2008, the MSX Association's Europe website posted an announcement reporting that is selling the 1chipMSX illegally. In the same post it is stated that Bazix no longer is their representative in Europe, due to Bazix cutting off their relationship.

Franchises established on the MSX
The most popular and famous MSX games were written by Japanese software-house Konami
Konami

is a leading video game developer and video game publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, Japanese arcade cabinetss and video games....
and several popular video game franchises were established on the MSX:
Bomberman
Bomberman

Bomberman is a computer strategy game, maze-based computer and Media franchise originally developed by Hudson Soft. The original game was published in 1983 in video gaming and new games in the series are still being published to this day....
Eggerland
Eggerland series

The Eggerland series consists of several computer puzzle game developed by HAL Laboratory. Its first release was in 1985 for MSX computer systems....
Metal Gear
Metal Gear (series)

is a critically acclaimed series of stealth games created by Hideo Kojima and video game developer and video game publisher by Konami. In the series, the player takes control of a Special Forces Operative repeatedly facing off against the latest incarnation of the eponymous superweapon "Metal Gear "; a bipedal mecha with nuclear weapon launchin...
Parodius
Parodius

or just Parodius, is a Shoot 'em up#Scrolling shooters video game developed by Konami for the MSX computer and was released in Japan. The game is notable for being the first title in the Parodius series, although it is often confused with Parodius Da! -Shinwa kara Owarai e- in that respect....
Puyo Puyo
Puyo Puyo

is a computer puzzle game made in 1991 by Compile for MSX2. Since its creation using characters from . It was created by Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani, the founder of Compile, who was inspired by certain elements from the Tetris and Dr....

Others got various installments on the MSX, including some titles unique to the system or largely reworked versions of games on other formats:
Aleste
Aleste

is the first game in the Aleste series of shoot 'em up video games. Developed by the Japanese developer Compile and released in 1988, it has been seen on the MSX and Sega Master System....
Castlevania
Castlevania

Castlevania is a video game video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986 with the release of for the Famicom Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX platform on October 30....
(as Vampire Killer
Vampire Killer

Vampire Killer is a computer game for the MSX2 home computer, produced by Konami and released in Japan, Europe and Brazil. Its original Japanese language title is ....
)
Contra
Contra series

The series is a line of Shoot 'em up#Run and gun video games created by Konami in 1987. While originally arcade games, the series gained its popularity base from its console releases, especially the titles created for the Nintendo Entertainment System....
Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest

, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until the 2005 release of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, is a series of console role-playing game created by Yuji Horii and published by Square Enix ....
Dragon Slayer
Dragon Slayer

is a computer role-playing game published in 1984 by Falcom on the NEC PC-8801 and Fujitsu FM-7 computer systems, giving rise to a series of sequels, most of the them created by Falcom and a few by other companies....
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy (video game)

is a console role-playing game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and published in Japan by Square Co. in 1987, and published in North America by Nintendo in 1990....
Golvellius
Golvellius

Golvellius is an action adventure game for the Japanese MSX home computer system that plays much like The Legend of Zelda. It was developed by Compile and released in 1987....
Gradius
Gradius

The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985 in video gaming, is a series of Shoot 'em up#Scrolling shooters video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms....
(Nemesis)
Wizardry
Wizardry

Wizardry is a series of computer role-playing games, developed by Sir-Tech, that were popular in the 1980s. Originally made for the Apple II, they were later ported to other platforms....
Xak
Ys
Ys (video game)

is a Japanese computer role-playing game and console role-playing game series, and Falcom corporation's flagship franchise. It started on the NEC PC-8801 in 1987....
Zanac
Zanac

Zanac is an video arcade-style shoot 'em up video game designed by Compile and published in Japan by Pony Canyon and in North America by Fujisankei Communications International....

Manufacturers of MSX computers

MSX: Spectravideo
Spectravideo

Spectravideo, or SVI, was a U.S. computer company founded in 1981 as "SpectraVision" by Harry Fox. They originally made video games for Atari 2600 and VIC-20....
, Philips
Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , usually known as Philips, is a Netherlands electronics company. It is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands....
, Al Alamia, Sony
Sony

is a multinational corporation list of conglomerates corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding US$99.1 billion ....
, Sanyo
Sanyo

is a major Japanese electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 324 offices and plants worldwide, together employing more than 11,000 employees....
, Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi

The , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese Conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy....
, Toshiba
Toshiba

is a multinational corporation list of conglomerates manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company's main business is in Infrastructure, Consumer Products, and Electronic devices and components....
, Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd.

is a multinational corporation specializing in high-technology and services headquartered in Marunouchi Itchome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies....
, National
National (brand)

National was a brand used by Panasonic Corporation to sell home appliances, personal appliances, and industrial appliances and was the first name used by Konosuke Matsushita electric firm to sell his battery-powered bicycle lamps, hoping that they would be a product used by all of Japan, hence the name "National"....
, Panasonic
Panasonic

Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation Under this brand the company sells Plasma display and LCD display panels, DVD recorders and players, Blu-ray Disc players, camcorders, telephones, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, shavers, projectors, digital cameras, batteries, lapto...
, Canon
Canon Inc.

is a Japanese multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, Photocopying and computer printers....
, Casio
Casio

is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing corporation founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its calculators, sound reproduction equipment, Personal digital assistants, cameras, musical instruments, and watches....
, Pioneer
Pioneer Corporation

is a multinational corporation that specializes in digital entertainment products, based in Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded in 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and Loudspeaker repair shop....
, Fujitsu General
Fujitsu

is a Japanese company specializing in semiconductors, air conditioners, computers , telecommunications, and Service , and is headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Tokyo....
, Yamaha, Yashica-Kyocera
Kyocera

is a Japanese company based in Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan. The company was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori. It manufactures ceramics and printing-related devices, as well as a comprehensive line of imaging products....
, GoldStar
GoldStar

GoldStar was an electronics company established in 1958. The corporate name was changed to LG Electronics and LG Cable in 1995. LG Cable was changed to LS Cable in 2005....
, Samsung/Fenner, Daewoo/Yeno
Daewoo

Daewoo was a major South Korean chaebol . It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999....
, Gradiente
Gradiente

Gradiente is a Brazilian consumer electronics company based in S?o Paulo. The company designs and markets many product lines, including video , audio, home theater, high end acoustics, office and mobile stereo, and wireless....
, Sharp
Sharp Corporation

is a Japanese electronics manufacturer, founded in 1912.It takes its name from one of its founder's first inventions, the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil, which was invented by Tokuji Hayakawa in 1915....
/Epcom, Talent.
MSX2: Philips
Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , usually known as Philips, is a Netherlands electronics company. It is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands....
, Sony
Sony

is a multinational corporation list of conglomerates corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding US$99.1 billion ....
, Sanyo
Sanyo

is a major Japanese electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 324 offices and plants worldwide, together employing more than 11,000 employees....
, Samsung, Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi

The , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese Conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy....
, Victor
Victor

Victor may refer to:...
(a.k.a. JVC
JVC

, usually referred to as JVC, is an international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927....
), National
National (brand)

National was a brand used by Panasonic Corporation to sell home appliances, personal appliances, and industrial appliances and was the first name used by Konosuke Matsushita electric firm to sell his battery-powered bicycle lamps, hoping that they would be a product used by all of Japan, hence the name "National"....
, Panasonic
Panasonic

Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation Under this brand the company sells Plasma display and LCD display panels, DVD recorders and players, Blu-ray Disc players, camcorders, telephones, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, shavers, projectors, digital cameras, batteries, lapto...
, Canon, Yamaha, ACVS, DDX, Daewoo/Yeno
Daewoo

Daewoo was a major South Korean chaebol . It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999....
, Talent.
MSX2+: Sony
Sony

is a multinational corporation list of conglomerates corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding US$99.1 billion ....
, Sanyo
Sanyo

is a major Japanese electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 324 offices and plants worldwide, together employing more than 11,000 employees....
, Panasonic
Panasonic

Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation Under this brand the company sells Plasma display and LCD display panels, DVD recorders and players, Blu-ray Disc players, camcorders, telephones, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, shavers, projectors, digital cameras, batteries, lapto...
, ACVS, DDX.
MSXturboR: Panasonic
Panasonic

Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation Under this brand the company sells Plasma display and LCD display panels, DVD recorders and players, Blu-ray Disc players, camcorders, telephones, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, shavers, projectors, digital cameras, batteries, lapto...
.

System specs

MSX

* Processor: Zilog Z80
Zilog Z80

The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed and sold by Zilog from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes....
A running at 3.58 MHz
ROM
Read-only memory

Read-only memory is a class of computer storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Because data stored in ROM cannot be modified , it is mainly used to distribute firmware ....
: 32 KB
BIOS
BIOS

In computing, the Basic Input/Output System , also known as the System BIOS, is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface for IBM PC Compatible computers....
(16 KB)
MSX BASIC
MSX BASIC

MSX BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language. It is an extended version of Microsoft Standard BASIC Version 4.5, and includes support for graphic, music, and various peripherals attached to MSX Personal Computers....
V1.0 (16 KB)
RAM: 8 KB minimum, most machines provided either 32K or 64K, machines with 128 KB exist
Video Display Processor
Video Display Controller

A Video Display Controller or VDC is an integrated circuit which is the main component in a video signal generator, a device responsible for the production of a Television Composite video in a computing or game system....
: Texas Instruments TMS9918
Texas Instruments TMS9918

The TMS9918 is a Video Display Controller manuafactured by Texas Instruments....
family
Video RAM: 16 KB
Text modes: 40×24 and 32×24
Resolution: 256×192 (16 colours)
Sprites: 32, 1 colour, max 4 per horizontal line
Sound chip: General Instrument AY-3-8910
General Instrument AY-3-8910

The AY-3-8910 is a 3-voice Programmable Sound Generator designed by General Instrument, initially for use with their 16-bit or one of the PIC1650 series of 8-bit microcomputers....
(PSG)

MSX2

Processor: Zilog Z80
Zilog Z80

The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed and sold by Zilog from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes....
A running at 3.58 MHz
ROM
Read-only memory

Read-only memory is a class of computer storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Because data stored in ROM cannot be modified , it is mainly used to distribute firmware ....
: 48 KB
BIOS
BIOS

In computing, the Basic Input/Output System , also known as the System BIOS, is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface for IBM PC Compatible computers....
+ Extended BIOS (32 KB)
MSX BASIC
MSX BASIC

MSX BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language. It is an extended version of Microsoft Standard BASIC Version 4.5, and includes support for graphic, music, and various peripherals attached to MSX Personal Computers....
V2.0 or V2.1 (16 KB)
DiskROM (16 KB) (optional, common)
MSX-Audio BIOS (32 KB) (optional, no machines are known with this BIOS built in)
RAM: 64 KB minimum, commonly 128 KB in Europe, 64 KB on Japanese computers, machines with up to 512 KB were made
Memory map
Memory map

In computer science, a memory map is a structure of data that indicates how Main memory is laid out. It contains the information regarding the size of total memory, and may also provide other details specific to the architecture....
ped (4 MB
Megabyte

Megabyte is a SI prefix-multiple of the unit byte for digital information computer storage or transmission and is equal to 106 bytes....
(MiB
Mebibyte

The Mebibyte is a standards-based binary prefix of the byte, a unit of Computer data storage. Mebibyte is abbreviated MiB.The unit prefix mebi was defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission in December 1998....
)/slot max) (optional)* Video Display Processor: Yamaha V9938
Yamaha V9938

The Yamaha V9938 is a Video Display Controller used in the Geneve 9640 enhanced TI-99/4A clone, as well as MSX 1980s home computers .The Yamaha V9938, also known as MSX-Video or VDP , is the successor of the Texas Instruments TMS9918 ....
(a.k.a. MSX-Video) Supports all MSX video modes plus:
Increased video RAM: 128 KB (sometimes 64 KB or 192 KB)
New text mode: 80×24
New video modes without the attribute clash
Attribute clash

Attribute clash was a display artifact caused by limitations in the graphics circuitry of a number of early colour 8-bit home computers — most notably the Sinclair Research ZX Spectrum....
of MSX 1, (a problem shared by several other home computers of the era). See the picture on the right showing an example of the attribute clash of MSX 1.
New resolutions: 512×212 (16 colours out of 512) and 256×212 (256 colours)
More and more advanced sprites: 32, 16 colours, max 8 per horizontal line
Hardware acceleration
Hardware acceleration

In computing, hardware acceleration is the use of hardware to perform some function faster than is possible in software running on the general purpose Central processing unit....
for copy, line, fill, etc.
Interlacing
Interlace

Interlaced scan refers to one of two common methods for "painting" a video image on an electronic display screen by scanning or displaying each line or row of pixels....
to double vertical resolution
A vertical scroll register
Sound chip: Yamaha YM2149
General Instrument AY-3-8910

The AY-3-8910 is a 3-voice Programmable Sound Generator designed by General Instrument, initially for use with their 16-bit or one of the PIC1650 series of 8-bit microcomputers....
(PSG)
Clock chip: Ricoh RP5C01 (or compatible)
3.5" Floppy disk drive is common

MSX2+

Only officially released in Japan (available in Europe and Brazil via upgrades)
Processor: Zilog Z80 compatible running at 3.58 MHz or more (5.37 MHz versions were available)
ROM: 64 KB
BIOS + Extended BIOS (32 KB)
MSX BASIC
MSX BASIC

MSX BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language. It is an extended version of Microsoft Standard BASIC Version 4.5, and includes support for graphic, music, and various peripherals attached to MSX Personal Computers....
V3.0 (16 KB)
DiskROM (16 KB) (optional, very common)
Kun-BASIC (16 KB) (optional)
Kanji ROM (optional)
RAM: commonly 64 KB (on Japanese computers)
Memory mapped (4 MB/slot max)
Video Display Processor: Yamaha V9958
Yamaha V9958

The Yamaha V9958 is a Video Display Controller used in MSX 1980s home computers. More specifically, the "TIM" upgrade to the TI-99/4A, MSX2plus and MSX turbo R....
(aka MSX-Video) All of MSX2's specifications plus:
The video RAM now always is 128 KB
a new 256×212 video mode with 19268 colors
a horizontal scroll register
Sound chip: Yamaha YM2149 (PSG)
Optional sound chip: Yamaha YM2413 (OPLL)
Yamaha YM2413

The YM2413, also called OPLL, is a cost-reduced sound chip manufactured by Yamaha Corporation and based on their Yamaha YM3812 . To make the chip cheaper to manufacture, many of the internal registers were removed....
(MSX-Music)
Clock chip RP5C01
3.5" Floppy disk drive is very common

MSXturboR

Only released in Japan
Processor: R800 and Zilog Z80A compatible
R800 running at 7.16 MHz (instructions use about 4x less clock ticks than the Z80, so often quoted as 28.6 MHz when comparing with the Z80)
Zilog Z80A compatible (embedded in the T9769C MSX-Engine
MSX-Engine

An MSX-ENGINE chip is a specially developed integrated circuit for home computers that are built according to the MSX specifications.Generally, such a chip combines the functions of many separate, older/simpler chips into one....
) running at 3.58 MHz for backwards compatibility
ROM: 96 KB
BIOS + Extended BIOS (48 KB)
MSX BASIC
MSX BASIC

MSX BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language. It is an extended version of Microsoft Standard BASIC Version 4.5, and includes support for graphic, music, and various peripherals attached to MSX Personal Computers....
V4.0 (16 KB)
DiskROM (16 KB)
Kun-BASIC (16 KB)
Kanji ROM (256 KB)
Firmware (4 MB)
RAM: 256 KB (FS-A1ST) or 512 KB (FS-A1GT)
Memory mapped (4 MB/slot max)
Additionally 16 KB (FS-A1ST) or 32 KB (FS-A1GT) of SRAM
Static random access memory

Static random access memory is a type of semiconductor memory where the word static indicates that, unlike dynamic random access memory, it does not need to be periodically memory refresh, as SRAM uses bistable latch to store each bit....
(battery-powered)
Video Display Processor: Yamaha V9958
Yamaha V9958

The Yamaha V9958 is a Video Display Controller used in MSX 1980s home computers. More specifically, the "TIM" upgrade to the TI-99/4A, MSX2plus and MSX turbo R....
(aka MSX-Video) so the same possibilities as MSX2+
Sound chip: Yamaha YM2149 (PSG)
Sound chip: Yamaha YM2413 (OPLL)
Yamaha YM2413

The YM2413, also called OPLL, is a cost-reduced sound chip manufactured by Yamaha Corporation and based on their Yamaha YM3812 . To make the chip cheaper to manufacture, many of the internal registers were removed....
(MSX-Music)
Sound chip: PCM
Pulse-code modulation

Pulse-code modulation is a digital representation of an analog Signalling where the magnitude of the signal is sampling regularly at uniform intervals, then Quantization to a series of symbols in a numeric code....
8-bit single channel (no DMA), 16 kHz max using BIOS routines.
Microphone built-in
Sound chip: MIDI in/out (FS-A1GT only)
Clock chip
3.5" Floppy disk drive

Peripherals

Floppy disk drives
MSX systems generally did not have a built-in disk drive, so games were published mainly on cartridge and cassette tape. Floppy disk
Floppy disk

A floppy disk is a data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangle plastic shell....
drives were available for MSX however, in the form of a cartridge containing the disk interface electronics and a BIOS extension ROM (the floppy disk drive interface), connected to an external case with the drive. In South-America, many of these systems used a 5¼" floppy disk drives, but in Europe, mostly the 3.5" drives were popular.

Later in the 1980s the MSX2 was released, which systems often (but not always) included a built-in 3.5" disk drive, and consequently the popular media for games and other software shifted to floppy disks.

The MSX 3.5" floppy disks are directly compatible with MS-DOS (although some details like file undeletion
Undeletion

Undeletion is a feature for restoring computer files which have been removed from a file system by file deletion. Deleted data can be recovered on many file systems, but not all file systems provide an undeletion feature....
and boot sector
Boot sector

A boot sector is a disk_sector of a hard disk, floppy disk, or similar data storage device that contains code for booting computer programs stored in other parts of the disk....
code were different). Like MS-DOS 1, MSX disks (formatted) under MSX-DOS 1 have no support for subdirectories.

MSX-Audio

Yamaha Y8950
Yamaha Y8950

Yamaha Y8950 is a sound chip, produced in 1984. This model was used in MSX-Audio Cartridge for MSX personal computer.This chip was introduced in three cardridge models:...
, also known as:
Panasonic: MSX-Audio (standard name)
Philips: Music Module (no MSX-Audio BIOS)
Toshiba: MSX FM-synthesizer Unit (no sample RAM, no MSX-Audio BIOS)
9 channels FM or 6 channels FM + 5 drums
ADPCM record and play
32 KB of sample RAM, which can be upgraded to 256 KB

MSX-Music

Yamaha YM2413 (OPLL)
Yamaha YM2413

The YM2413, also called OPLL, is a cost-reduced sound chip manufactured by Yamaha Corporation and based on their Yamaha YM3812 . To make the chip cheaper to manufacture, many of the internal registers were removed....
, also known as:
MSX-Music (standard name)
Panasonic
Panasonic

Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation Under this brand the company sells Plasma display and LCD display panels, DVD recorders and players, Blu-ray Disc players, camcorders, telephones, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, shavers, projectors, digital cameras, batteries, lapto...
: FM-PAC
Zemina
Zemina

File:Zeminalogo.pngZemina is a South Korean software maker that primarily made games for the Zemmix, but because it is an MSX computer made to look and be played like a game console, they work on other MSX computers as well....
: Music Box
Checkmark: FM-Stereo-Pak
9 channels FM or 6 channels FM + 5 drums
15 pre-set instruments, 1 custom
Built-in in many MSX2+ computers and the MSXturboR

Emulation
MSX computers are one of the most emulated platforms today, (see List of computer system emulators
List of computer system emulators

This article lists software and hardware that emulator computing platforms....
) with versions for almost any platform, including mobile phones. Most MSX emulators are or were based on the code of the pioneer fMSX
FMSX

fMSX is a portable MSX MSX#Emulators written by Marat Fayzullin, one of the pioneers of modern computer emulation. It is one of the earliest MSX emulators, and is also the most portinged....
, () a portable MSX emulator by Marat Fayzullin. fMSX source code license isn't free
Free software

Free Software or software libre is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with minimal restrictions only to ensure that further recipients can also do these things and to prevent consumer-facing hardware...
and many emulators removed Fayzullin's Z80 emulation code entirely in later versions to avoid legal problems.

The official MSX emulator is MSXPLAYer () (Japanese site) produced by the (Japanese site), of which MSX standard inventor Kazuhiko Nishi
Kazuhiko Nishi

worked for Microsoft during the 1980s as Vice President of the Far East operations.In 1986, Kazuhiko Nishi left Microsoft to devote himself mostly to ASCII Corporation to develop the MSX standard together with NEC executive Kazuya Watanabe....
is president.

MSX is also emulated in the Nintendo
Nintendo

is a global company located in Kyoto, Japan founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a History of video game consoles console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3....
's Virtual Console
Virtual console

In computing, some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux and BSD, feature a virtual console ? a conceptual combination of the keyboard and the display for a user interface....
, with games available for download officially (in Japan only, but it was also announced that North America will get MSX games someday too. It's unknown if Europe will receive MSX support).

See also

History of computing hardware
History of computing hardware

The history of computing hardware encompasses computer hardware, its Computer architecture, and its impact on Computer software.The elements of computing hardware have undergone significant improvement over their history....
List of MSX compatible computers
List of MSX compatible computers

This is a List of MSX compatible home computers and game computers....
List of MSX games
List of MSX games

This is the list of MSX games....

Zemmix
Zemmix

Zemmix, trade mark and brand name of South Korean electronics company Daewoo The brand name Zemmix is no longer in use.Under the name Zemmix Daewoo released a series of Video game console compatible with the MSX standards....
MSX compatible console
Video game console

A video game console is an game development that produces a video signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game. The term "video game console" is used to distinguish a machine designed for consumers to buy and use solely for playing video games from a personal computer, which has many other functions, or arcade machi...
Canon T90
Canon T90

The Canon T90, introduced in 1986, was the top of the line in Canon Inc.'s Canon T series of 135 film Single-lens reflex cameras. It was the last professional-level manual-focus camera from Canon, and the last professional camera to use the Canon FD lens mount....
- this advanced SLR camera
Camera

A camera is a device that records images, either as a still photograph or as moving images known as videos or movies. The term comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism of projecting images where an entire room functioned as a real-time imaging system; the modern camera evolved from the camera obscura....
had an optional Data Memory Back storing shot data on photos taken. It interfaced only with the MSX, probably because Canon Inc.
Canon Inc.

is a Japanese multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, Photocopying and computer printers....
sold an MSX computer.
SymbOS
SymbOS

SymbOS is a free multitasking operating system for Zilog Z80-based 8-bit computer systems. At present it is available for the Amstrad CPC series of computers, as well as for all MSX models starting from the MSX2 standard and for most Amstrad PCW models....
- A free multitasking
Computer multitasking

In computing, multitasking is a method by which multiple tasks, also known as Computer process, share common processing resources such as a Central processing unit....
operating system
Operating system

An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
for Z80 based 8-bit computer systems supporting the MSX2, MSX2+ and MSXturboR.

External links

— Current owner of the MSX trademark, Japanese distributor of MSXPlayer and the 1chipMSX.
— States to be the only official contact place for MSX Association in Europe.
— Japanese distributor of re-released MSX games.
— Partner of D4 Enterprise and former partner of MSX Association for business outside Japan.
Main English language MSX site
— A server exclusively dedicated to MSX. Many important MSX Web Sites are freely hosted on the MSX-ALL Web Servers.
— A website containing interviews, MSX game conversions, like Tutankham, Montezuma´s Revenge and Pepper II, labels, covers and a lot of material for MSX.

— Unofficial page of the employees of the ESE Artists' Factory, which develops the ESE MSX System 3, also distributed as the 1chipMSX.