PC-98
NEC's PC standard that dominated Japan
- 1982Released
- Home ComputerType
- NECDeveloper
PC-98 Specifications
- Processor
- NEC μPD8086 in the PC-9801, later V30, 80286, 386, 486 and Pentium
- Processor Speed
- 5 MHz in the PC-9801, up to 200 MHz or more in late models
- RAM
- 128 KB in the PC-9801, up to several MB in later models
- GPU
- Two NEC μPD7220 display controllers (GDC), later EGC and PEGC
- Resolution
- 640 x 400 pixels, 16 colours from 4,096 on most models
- Media
- 5.25 and 3.5 inch floppy disks, hard disks, CD-ROM
Overview
The PC-9800 series, usually called the PC-98, is a family of 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers made by NEC. The first model, the PC-9801, went on sale in Japan in October 1982, and the line continued until 2003.
The PC-98 used Intel x86 compatible processors and could run MS-DOS, but it was not compatible with the IBM PC. Its hardware was designed to display Japanese text, with a kanji character ROM and a 640 x 400 screen, at a time when IBM compatibles could not do this well.
This gave NEC a dominant position in Japan. At its peak the PC-98 held well over half of the Japanese personal computer market, and more than 18 million units were sold. Epson also made compatible machines. Its lead only faded in the 1990s, when Windows and DOS/V let ordinary PCs handle Japanese.
The PC-98 had a very large games library that was almost never released outside Japan. It includes role-playing and strategy games, adventure games and visual novels, and the first five Touhou Project games by ZUN.
Neko Project 21/W is the most complete PC-98 emulator today, but it only runs on Windows. NP2kai offers much of the same emulation on Linux, macOS and through RetroArch.
Key Features
Japanese Text
Built to display Japanese text, with a kanji character ROM.
High-Res Display
A sharp 640 x 400 screen with 16 colours from 4,096.
Market Leader
Held well over half of the Japanese personal computer market.
Japan-Only Library
A vast library of RPGs and visual novels rarely sold abroad.
