MSX system was one of the most popular computer systems here, in Brazil in the 80's. It was used in both professional and recreation areas (this last with more advantage until the beggining of the 90's, when the users discovered that his machines where much more than simple video-games).
In the World, the MSX was very well appreciated, because of it's technical superiority and low prices (if compared with other computers from the 80's)and the very sofisticated BASIC language,(one of the greatest BASIC interpreters ever created).
The first version (MSX 1) was launched in the beggining of the 80's. MSX was born in the mind of the Japaneses, who wanted to create a "standard" in the computer world. The Japanese company ASCII have created all the hardware, and leaved for... MICROSOFT (yes, the same Microsoft of Windows 95, MS-DOS, etc.) to create the software part, the BIOS, the BASIC, and all that could involve programation.
This version had great characteristics, if compared to other computers of the period: 16 colors, 3 sound channels (SOUND not BEEP, BEEP), 256x192 graphical resolution, and others... It was a great success in countries like Japan, Holland (until today), England, Spain (until today), Brazil (until today),Germany, old URSS, and others. In the United States it haven't much success, because of IBM, that in 1981 was intrducing his IBM-PC.
In 1985, the MSX-2 was launched in Japan and in the World, this new version had the greatest features ever created for a Home-computer: A new VDP (Video Display Processor), the Yamaha V9938, with features only available in Graphical Stations (of the period): Superimpose, 256 simultaneous colors (of a 512 colors pallete), 512x424 display resolution , Digitalization of images, and other great features.
With the success of the MSX line (that have sold, at this time, 2.000.000 of machines over the world), ASCII developed the MSX 2+, with a new VDP (Yamaha V9958) who can manage until 19268 simultaneous colors. In this version ASCII added a new sound chip to the MSX, a chip compatible with the FM synthesis, the same FM synthesis of the actual SOUND BLASTER 16 sound cards, with this sound chip, MSX acquired a 12 channel polyphony (9 FM+3 of the old PSG chip) and 63 instruments programmed in ROM plus one use-programmable instrument.
In 1990, the MSX TURBO R was launched, the first 16 Bit MSX, With 2 microprocessors: the old Z80 (8 bit) and the new R800 (16 Bit RISC). I readed in a magazine (I never saw a REAL MSX TR working) that the PC working at 29 Mhz have the same speed of the MSX TR working at 7 Mhz. The sound of the MSX was again changed: ASCII added a PCM chip for recording of sound using a microphone and a MIDI interface with 32 voice polyphony, and, of course, a graphical interface called MSX-VIEW, recorded in a ROM chip.
Today MSX is out of production by the great producers (Panasonic, Phillips, etc.), the only reason for this is the 3DO video-game, Panasonic (the last oficial producer of MSX in Japan) decided to stop making MSX's to use the production line to produce this video-game.
But the evolution of the MSX never stopped, today it uses MODENS (as fast as 28800 Bps), Hard Disks (IDE and SCSI 2), a new VDP (V9990, that can manage colors of 16 bit per pixel as fast as PC manages 256 colors), a new sound card called MOONSOUND, with WAVE TABLE synthesis and other great peripherals, and the MSX have great softwares too, some of them are as good as PC or MACINTOSH softwares. The MSX system is dead for the big manufactures, but for the users, the MSX is ALIVE and will be until the end of the world :) for the users MSX is more than a simple computer, it is a PASSION and a CHALLENGE... Ho!, the MSX is about to be a 32 Bit computer too, the projects are in test stages...
MSX was the better 8 Bit computer, the better 16 Bit computer. AND WILL BE THE BETTER 32 BIT COMPUTER TOO !!!
Please, sorry for the bad english :) ...
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