Why is the PC Engine called the PC Engine?

[Zaxxon]

It seems to have nothing in common with IBM PC's or other home PC's. Why did they choose that name?

[TheRedEye]

To combat the upcoming, sexist Game Boy from Nintendo, they decided to name their console the Politically Correct Engine.

[chadtower]

Which was actually originally pronounced PC-jin, as in for the Politically Correct person, and the game mags just never got it right.

[digitalpress]

I consulted the very knowledgeable gang at the Turbo List and received the following reply from "Endymion":

It's called the "PC" Engine because for the Japanese, it really is a PC. The reason the Nintendo Famicom is called the FamiCOM, is because that was a shortening of the term "family computer." In other words, the Japanese have a very different idea from us as to what a "computer" is and what it should be able to do. In light of this perhaps they could see how their definition were a bit more broad and the term PC Engine came around as if to say--just the guts, what makes it work, without the keyboard, floppy drive and all the frills.

Remember that as far back as 1985 you could access online banking with console video games in Japan. So this notion doesn't seem so crazy if you consider how a console is thought of over there. This has been my understanding of the name PC Engine ever since I first learned about the console back in 1988.

[Ed Oscuro]

The only problem with THAT is there have been PCs for quite a long time in Japan--mostly the Sharp X1 line, the Sharp x68000 line (the CZ line if you want to find Japanese pages on the subject) and the MSX line. Even the FM Towns Marty, one of the first 32 bit computers! (Maybe the first, depending how it relates to the Amiga CD32.)

That reply is bad. The comments about modems only apply (as far as I know) to the Famicom, and that banking service never would have been that popular. It is also important to remember that it says Family Computer on the front of the first Famicom units -- in English! Such a move was quite obviously a business ploy and though they incorporated BASIC, it wasn't meant to be used for business applications even as much as the TI-99/4a had envisioned with their similar cartridge system that, however, had expansions.

Also note the various PC-Engine variations -- PC-Engine LT, where the LT is obviously used to denote its similarity to a Laptop. "Hey kids! This stuff is cool!" is as good an excuse as any--the similarity is purely the form factor and display method.

To be fair, video game systems in Japan were nearly on par with the consumer computers of the era in terms of processing power and the use of televisions for a display help blur the lines. That said, there's a heck of a lot of difference between a system which has an uncommon mouse accessory (sold separately) and an even more uncommon keyboard or even a printer, and one which is sold with business-oriented input systems and is useful as a word processor.

[Lost Monkey]

The only problem with THAT is there have been PCs for quite a long time in Japan--mostly the Sharp X1 line, the Sharp x68000 line (the CZ line if you want to find Japanese pages on the subject) and the MSX line. Even the FM Towns Marty, one of the first 32 bit computers! (Maybe the first, depending how it relates to the Amiga CD32.)

That reply is bad. The comments about modems only apply (as far as I know) to the Famicom, and that banking service never would have been that popular. It is also important to remember that it says Family Computer on the front of the first Famicom units -- in English! Such a move was quite obviously a business ploy and though they incorporated BASIC, it wasn't meant to be used for business applications even as much as the TI-99/4a had envisioned with their similar cartridge system that, however, had expansions.

Also note the various PC-Engine variations -- PC-Engine LT, where the LT is obviously used to denote its similarity to a Laptop. "Hey kids! This stuff is cool!" is as good an excuse as any--the similarity is purely the form factor and display method.

To be fair, video game systems in Japan were nearly on par with the consumer computers of the era in terms of processing power and the use of televisions for a display help blur the lines. That said, there's a heck of a lot of difference between a system which has an uncommon mouse accessory (sold separately) and an even more uncommon keyboard or even a printer, and one which is sold with business-oriented input systems and is useful as a word processor.

Your reply actually bolsters Endymion's post on the Turbo List. To YOU a computer must perform business applications and have mouse and keyboard. To the Japanese, the definition of computer is broad enough (or was in the 80's at least) to have included consoles.

What was the original name of the Atari 2600 again? ;)

A MAC isn't even a "PC" in western culture... LOL