page_title: MSX
section_title: Impact
hierarchical_section_title: MSX / History / Impact
caption_attribution_description: Brazilian Z80 MSX computer from the 1980s.
context_page_description: MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice-president at Microsoft and director at ASCII Corporation. Microsoft and Nishi conceived the project as an attempt to create unified standards among various home computing system manufacturers of the period, in the same fashion as the VHS standard for home video tape machines.
  MSX systems were popular in Japan and several other countries. Sony was the primary manufacturer of MSX systems at the time of release, and throughout most of the products lifespan, producing more units than any other manufacturer. Eventually 5 million MSX-based units were sold in Japan alone. Despite Microsoft's involvement, few MSX-based machines were released in the United States.
  The meaning of the letters M-S-X remains a matter of debate. In 2001, Kazuhiko Nishi recalled that many assumed it was derived from "Microsoft extended", referring to the built-in Microsoft Extended BASIC. Others believed it stood for "Matsushita-Sony".
context_section_description: In Japan, South Korea, Argentina, and Brazil, MSX was the paramount home computer system of the 1980s. It was also quite popular in continental Europe, especially in the Netherlands and Spain. In the UK on the other hand, its most popular and affordable model is the Toshiba HX-10P and it is the only MSX computer to be commonly seen available around in the entire nation while France and Italy enjoyed very moderate success. While the Philips VG-8020 computer had much impact in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Belgium. In France, the Canon V-20 was the most affordable, but it didn't have as much success or impact like the Amstrad CPC and the Thomson TO7/MO5 series of computers did. Classrooms full of networked Yamaha MSX were used for teaching informatics in schools in some Arab countries, the Soviet Union, and Cuba, where they were wildly popular in all government education schools and centers. However, because MSX never took off in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Denmark, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, South Africa, India and Portugal, it never became the worldwide standard that its makers had envisioned. Before MSX's lack of success in these markets became apparent, US manufacturer Commodore Business Machines overhauled its product line in the early 1980s and introduced models such as the Plus/4 and Commodore 16 that were intended to better compete with the features of MSX computers.
  As the Cuban government moved to modernize their studies of computer systems in 1985, Higher Pedagogical Institutes and some schools of Pre-University Education were supplied with Toshiba and Panasonic MSX systems with resident MSX Basic language, popularly known as "Intelligent keyboards". Once they proved useful, the Minister of Education continued the process installing similar systems throughout all Secondary (Junior High) centers and finalized it in Elementary schools, adult education institutions and newly nationwide formed “Computer and Electronic Youth Clubs” in 1987. Forming the Computer Clubs allowed the Cuban government to interest and educate the common citizen in computer subjects, since selling these systems, or any other personal private computer, to the public, was banned. (see: Censorship in Cuba ) 
  In the 1980s, Sakhr (صخر) Computers (Developed by Al Alamiah, a Kuwaiti company), started the production of the first Arabic version of MSX computers. They started producing a Yamaha AX100 and a few other models, including MSX2 and MSX2+. The most popular and affordable model within Arab States of the Persian Gulf was the Sakhr MSX AX170. They were also the first to Arabise BASIC and the MSX LOGO.
  Al-Alamiah produced other common models, including AX100, AX123, AX150, AX170, AH200, AX200, AX230, AX235, AX250, AX330, AX350-I, AX350-II, AX355, AX370, AX500, AX550, AX660, and AX990. The only MSX console with a Famicom game slot in the MSX computer is AX330. The user can switch between MSX and Famicom modes by pressing a button on the back of the computer. The other variants, which are compatible with the Sega Mega Drive, are the AX660 and AX990. Sega Master System PAL cartridges are playable with AX660, and AX990 if both the TV Game Computer Cartridge Converter and Master System Converter are attached at the same time, connecting the Sega Master System cartridge to the game inlet in the computer. Attaching only the Master System Converter to play Sega Master Cartridges on the AX660, or AX990 is not possible because of the inlet depth and the physical shape of the Master System Converter that prevent the converter from being attached correctly to the AX660 and AX990 computers.
  Many MSX computers were used during the 1980s in the former Eastern Bloc countries as a tool for subtitling pirated films on VHS, or Betamax cassettes. The MSX computers were used for their simplicity and ability to display prepared titles in real time as superimposed text on mastering tapes.
  The MSX arrived in Argentina in late 1984. The most popular model wa
caption: The Hotbit, developed by Sharp's Epcom home computer division, was a hit in Brazil
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