X68000

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X68000

X68000ACE-HD
Developer	Sharp Corporation
Manufacturer	Sharp Corporation
Type	Video game console Home computer
Release date	1987
Lifespan	1987-1996
Discontinued	1996
Media	Floppy disk
Operating system	Human68k, NetBSD, OS-9
CPU	Motorola 68000 family
Memory	1 to 12 MB of RAM
Display	14" CRT 256×256 to 1024×1024 pixels 16 bits
Graphics	VINAS 1 + 2, VSOP, CYNTHIA / Jr, RESERVE
Sound	Yamaha YM2151 OKI MSM6258
Controller input	D-pad, Keyboard, Mouse
Power	100V AC 50/60 Hz
Predecessor	X1

Sharp X68000 XVI front and back

The X68000 (Japanese: エックス ろくまんはっせん, Hepburn: Ekkusu Rokuman Hassen) is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan.

The initial model has a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM, and lacks a hard drive. The final model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030 CPU, 4 MB of RAM, and optional 80 MB SCSI hard drive. RAM in these systems is expandable to 12 MB, though most games and applications do not require more than 2 MB.

The X68000 has graphics hardware similar to arcade video games of the late-1980s, with custom coprocessors supporting scrolling, tiled backgrounds, and large numbers of sprites. Sound is supplied through multiple sound chips supporting 8 channels of FM synthesis and one channel of adaptive differential pulse-code modulation audio, which are mixed down to 2 analog stereo channels via a DAC chip. As such, video gaming was a major use of the X68000.