The Fairchild Channel F is the world's second cartridge-based
video game console, after the
Magnavox Odyssey (although it is the first programmable cartridge system as the Odyssey cartridges only contained jumpers and not ROM information). It was released by
Fairchild Semiconductor (though ostensibly by their parent company) in
August 1976 at the retail price of $169.95. At this point it was known as the Video Entertainment System, or VES, but when
Atari released their
VCS the next year, Fairchild quickly renamed it.
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