PC-98

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PC-98 is an aesthetic that originated from the NEC PC-9800 series of personal computers, which were prevalent in Japan from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. This distinctive art style, associated with visual novels and eroge (adult games) of the era, is characterized by its limited color palette, relatively high-resolution for its time, and a highly detailed anime pixel art style. Artists utilized techniques like dithering and carefully placing pixels to create the illusion of gradients and depth.

History[]

Pc-98-Ad — Old advertisement for the PC-9801 computers.

The PC-98 style's origins lie in the situation of the technology industry in Japan during the 1980s and early 1990s. Although IBM personal computers gained popularity in the West, their lack of support for the Japanese language hindered their success in the Japan. This created an opportunity for NEC's PC-9800 series (PC-98) to become the dominant personal computer platform, selling over 18 million units.^[1] These computers, with their NEC µPD7220 display controllers and 4096-color palettes, were a significant advancement from previous technology, although they had their limitations too. The limited video RAM and the necessity to display various complex Japanese characters on screen also impacted the style, most notably its dithering. It developed in parallel to Western trends (such as Pixel UI), resulting in a different visual language.

While the PC-9800 series were originally marketed towards businesses, they played a major role in video games and hobbyism. A wide range of genres were released, especially RPGs, strategy games, and visual novels, but it has become most infamous for its eroge games and their sexual scenes. It also had support for a number of Western games. This system was also the birthplace of visual novels (with the game to coin the term being Shizuku) and as well as beloved series like ZUN's Touhou Project, both of the former were released in 1996. Many of these games featured extensive dialogs due to their proprietary chip.

The PC-9800 series had competitors like the Sharp X68000 and FM Towns computers, which were more advanced.^[2] However, it remained as the most used PC in Japan until the early 1990s, when American companies began to design computers specifically for the Japanese market, and that's when the dominance of PC-98 began to decline. The last computer of the series was released in 2000.

Legacy[]

Despite the last PC-98 system being released in 2000, the platform and its software remain relevant. There is a retrocomputing scene dedicated to the preservation of the system, including PC-9800 emulation projects such as Neko Project II, or individuals who translate the games to other languages so they can be enjoyed by a broader audience. Japanese doujin circles also continue to make games for this system. Many consider it to be a "time capsule" of Japanese computing history due to the amount of software and video games that were never ported to newer platforms.

In recent decades, the PC-98 style has gained nostalgic appeal, not just for its unique visual style, but also for its representation of a specific era in Japanese popular culture. This has inspired aesthetics like Vaporwave (primarily through the use of limited color palettes)^[3] and video games like World of Horror (released in 2019) or anime shows like 16bit Sensation (broadcasting since 2016). The latter narrates the story of a woman who was transported to the past, and features a character with a deep love for the PC-98 computers who was upset about their discontinuation.

Visuals[]

The primary reason why PC-98 games had such impressive graphics for their time are the powerful specs that were included in the system.^[4] Although limited compared to modern standards, the PC-98's graphical capabilities were really advanced. The higher resolution (up to 640x400) allowed for more detailed character sprites and backgrounds than earlier 8-Bit systems. However, the limited color palette (usually ranging between 16 and 256 colors) pushed artists to employ techniques like dithering to achieve the illusion of depth or a wider range of colors. Aesthetically, the art featured on the games tends to focus on close-ups of the characters or face portraits.

PC-98 games typically featured distinct UI elements, like thick decorative borders, stylized fonts, and custom menus. A majority of games are influenced by anime and manga styles from the same decades. The PC-98 platform is also infamous for its extensive library of eroge (adult games). The depiction of sexuality and nudity in these games was sometimes presented with an artistic sensibility as well.

Music[]

The_PC-98's_awesome_stereo_FM_soundboard-_PC-9801-86_(PC-98_Paradise)_-_'90s_chiptunes_from_Japan! — The PC-98's awesome stereo FM soundboard- PC-9801-86 (PC-98 Paradise) - '90s chiptunes from Japan!

Video by the Basement Brothers showcasing the PC-9801-86 soundboard.

Similar to 8-Bit and 16-Bit, one of the most cherished aspects of PC-98 games is their music. The systems featured a variety of sound chips, with the Yamaha YM2203 (OPN) and later the YM2608 (OPNA) being the most prevalent.^[5] These chips utilized FM synthesis, a technique for generating sound by modulating the frequency of waveforms. This resulted in a really characteristic bright, clear sound, described as "bell-like" or "chime-like". Many games also used MIDI for playback, which allowed more complex sounds that couldn't be possible by only using FM synthesis. Some notable composers include Takahiro Yonemura, known for his tracks for video games like Briganty: Roots of Darkness and Emerald Dragon, as well as ZUN, the sole developer of the Touhou Project series.