# X68000

The **X68000** was a 16-bit home computer made by [Sharp Corporation](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharp-corporation) and sold only in Japan, announced in 1986 and first marketed in March 1987. Sharp called it a "personal workstation": it combined a Motorola 68000 CPU with arcade-class graphics and sound hardware, a 65,536-color palette, and a distinctive twin-tower case, and it became the leading Japanese platform for high-fidelity arcade game ports and development in the late 1980s and early 1990s.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.retromagazine.net/download/RetroMagazine_06_eng.pdf)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announced / released | Announced 1986; first sold March 1987 (sources give March 22 and March 28 for the launch day)<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.pahoo.org/culture/numbers/year/j1987-jp.shtm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrohard/1395502.html)</sup> |
| Price | 369,000 yen for the base unit; the ACE-HD with 20 MB hard disk cost 399,800 yen<sup>[4](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrohard/1395502.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrosoft/1124469.html)</sup> |
| CPU | Hitachi HD68HC000 (CMOS Motorola 68000) at 10 MHz, with an MSM80C51 sub-CPU for keyboard scanning<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup> |
| Memory | 1 MB main RAM standard, expandable to 12 MB; 512 KB text VRAM, 512 KB graphic VRAM, 32 KB sprite VRAM<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup> |
| Graphics | 65,536-color palette; 512x512 dots with all 65,536 colors, or 768x512 in high-resolution mode; 128 sprites on screen, 32 per scanline<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup> |
| Sound | YM2151 8-channel FM stereo sound source plus MSM6258 ADPCM for voice synthesis<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup> |
| Operating system | Human68k, a single-tasking DOS-like OS developed by Sharp and Hudson Soft, with the SX-Window graphical shell<sup>[2](https://www.retromagazine.net/download/RetroMagazine_06_eng.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://github.com/JC-000/x68000-dev-guide)</sup> |
| Sales | About 130,000 units sold by 1991; 20 models in the series by 1993<sup>[3](https://www.pahoo.org/culture/numbers/year/j1987-jp.shtm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup> |

## Design and launch

Sharp unveiled the X68000 as a reference exhibit at the Electronics Show '86 in Tokyo on October 2, 1986. The demonstration showed a ray-traced animation and a version of Konami's arcade game *Gradius* running with the atmosphere of the arcade original, something contemporary personal computers and consoles could not fully reproduce, and it drew a large response.<sup>[4](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrohard/1395502.html)</sup>

The machine went on sale in March 1987 at 369,000 yen for the base unit. Japanese sources disagree on the exact launch day: the AKIBA PC Hotline retrospective gives March 22, 1987, while arcade-history.com gives March 28, 1987.<sup>[4](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrohard/1395502.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.pahoo.org/culture/numbers/year/j1987-jp.shtm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.arcade-history.com/game/104505/x68000-model-cz-600c)</sup> The Information Processing Society of Japan's Computer Museum dates the first sale to March 1987 without a day.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup>

**Twin towers.** The case used a two-tower layout nicknamed the "Manhattan shape" after its resemblance to the [World Trade Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-trade-center-1973-2001) buildings. The left tower held a 5.25-inch floppy drive with auto-load and auto-eject; the right tower's top carried three LEDs (high-resolution, timer, and power). A spring-loaded carrying handle sat between the towers, and the bundled keyboard and mouse were also unusual designs, with software-controllable LEDs on keys such as CAPS, kana, and full-width.<sup>[4](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrohard/1395502.html)</sup> The design won a 1987 Good Design Award.<sup>[3](https://www.pahoo.org/culture/numbers/year/j1987-jp.shtm)</sup>

## Hardware

The X68000 used the Hitachi HD68HC000, a CMOS version of the [Motorola 68000](https://www.edgepedia.org/motorola-68000), at 10 MHz, giving it a faster clock than the Amiga's 7.16 MHz or the [Atari ST](https://www.edgepedia.org/atari-st)'s 8 MHz.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.retromagazine.net/download/RetroMagazine_06_eng.pdf)</sup> Main memory was 1 MB standard, expandable to 12 MB, and the 68000's 16 MB address space was accessed through memory-mapped I/O.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup>

**Graphics.** Text and graphic VRAM were both bitmapped. The graphic screen could show 1024x1024 dots in 16 colors from the 65,536-color palette, or 512x512 dots with all 65,536 colors available per dot; a high-resolution mode offered 768x512. Scrolling worked in single-dot units, and a custom sprite IC defined 128 sprites of 16x16 dots each, displaying up to 32 sprites per horizontal line.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup> The graphics system was managed by custom chips: a CRTC (VINAS on the original) for display timing, a video controller (VSOP) for palette and priority, a video data selector (RESERVE) for layer compositing, and a sprite controller (CYNTHIA Jr) for sprites and background tiles.<sup>[8](https://github.com/JC-000/x68000-dev-guide/blob/master/docs/graphics.md)</sup>

**Sound.** The YM2151 provided an 8-channel FM stereo sound source over two channels and eight octaves, and the MSM6258 handled ADPCM voice synthesis. A special-purpose display allowed superimposing computer graphics on a TV screen.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup>

Storage came from two built-in 5.25-inch 2HD floppy drives (1 MB each), with an optional external hard disk (the CZ-500H or CZ-501H, 10 MB) on SASI. Interfaces included analog RGB, RS-232C, printer, joystick, and mouse ports.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup>

## Software

The operating system was Human68k, a single-tasking DOS-like system developed by Sharp with [Hudson Soft](https://www.edgepedia.org/hudson-soft), the company known for *Bomberman*. It provided a DOS call interface through the 68000's F-line exception, an IOCS interface for low-level hardware access via TRAP #15, a command-line shell, and FAT12/FAT16-compatible file storage.<sup>[2](https://www.retromagazine.net/download/RetroMagazine_06_eng.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://github.com/JC-000/x68000-dev-guide)</sup> Sharp later offered SX-Window, an original window system for the X68000 and X68030, distributed as a system kit alongside Human68k.<sup>[9](https://spookbench.net/files/sharp_x68k_software/%5BOS%5D/SX-Window%203.0%20%28Sharp%29/SX-Window%203.0%20%5Bextras%5D/SX-Window%203.0%20%28Dounyuu%20Manual%29.pdf)</sup>

Development tools included the Hudson Assembler (HAS.X) and linker (HLK.X), Sharp's official C compiler (XC), and a debugger, and the machine shipped with JIS Level 1 and 2 kanji in its character generator ROM.<sup>[6](https://github.com/JC-000/x68000-dev-guide)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup>

## Games and the Capcom connection

The X68000 was positioned against dedicated game machines: Sharp aimed for the maximum performance a PC could deliver and bundled *Gradius*, a popular [Konami](https://www.edgepedia.org/konami) arcade game, with the computer.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://www.mobygames.com/game/4512/gradius/)</sup> Store demonstrations of the bundled *Gradius* running at near-arcade quality became a defining memory of the launch, and publishers such as Nihon Telenet, Masaya, Wolf Team, Arsys, Zoom, and Irem followed with ports.<sup>[5](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrosoft/1124469.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://beepgamecenter.wordpress.com/2017/03/27/monografico-x68000-historia-iii/)</sup>

**CPS-1 development.** Capcom's CP System (CPS-1) arcade board, which powered *Street Fighter II* and its contemporaries, was closely related to the X68000. According to CPS-1 developer Isuke, "the X68000 is the base of the CP system," and Capcom used the machine as a benchmark for the CPS-1 hardware design and as a game development workstation.<sup>[12](https://arcadehacker.blogspot.com/2015/05/capcom-cps1-part-2.html)</sup> This hardware kinship is why X68000 conversions of CPS-1 games, such as the 1992 *Strider* port, are described as near arcade-perfect.<sup>[13](https://www.bosnan.net/ports/strider)</sup> Konami's 1993 *Akumajou Dracula* (later released in the West as *[Castlevania Chronicles](https://www.edgepedia.org/castlevania-chronicles)*) exploited the hardware for smooth animation, with some effects running faster on the X68030 model that appeared during development.<sup>[14](https://shmuplations.com/akumajoux68000/)</sup>

## The series, 1987 to 1993

Sharp sold 20 models in the X68000 series by 1993. The ACE and ACE-HD followed in March 1988 at lower prices, the EXPERT (2 MB) in March 1989, and the PRO variants alongside them. The SUPER-HD of June 1990 introduced SCSI storage with an 81 MB drive, and the XVI of May 1991 raised the 68000 to a switchable 16 MHz with 2 MB of RAM. The CompactXVI of February 1992 shrank the machine into a single tower with 3.5-inch floppies.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrosoft/1124469.html)</sup>

The final models were the X68030 of March 1993, with a 25 MHz 68030 and 4 MB of RAM, and the X68030 Compact of May 1993.<sup>[1](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)</sup> Sharp's own history page records that the machine retains devoted fans among computer graphics users to this day.<sup>[15](https://corporate.jp.sharp/info/history/only_one/jouhou_t/jouhou_t_w26.html)</sup>

## References

1. [X68000, Computer Museum, Information Processing Society of Japan](https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0038.html)
2. [The Sharp X68000, RetroMagazine #6](https://www.retromagazine.net/download/RetroMagazine_06_eng.pdf)
3. [西暦1987年 - パソコン「X68000」発売, pahoo.org](https://www.pahoo.org/culture/numbers/year/j1987-jp.shtm)
4. [生誕35周年の「シャープ X68000」, AKIBA PC Hotline! (Impress Watch)](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrohard/1395502.html)
5. [SHARPのパーソナルワークステーション「X68000」シリーズ, AKIBA PC Hotline! (Impress Watch)](https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrosoft/1124469.html)
6. [Sharp X68000 Software Development Guide, JC-000, GitHub](https://github.com/JC-000/x68000-dev-guide)
7. [X68000 (1987), Model CZ-600C, arcade-history.com](https://www.arcade-history.com/game/104505/x68000-model-cz-600c)
8. [x68000-dev-guide/docs/graphics.md at master · jc-000/x68000-dev-guide · github](https://github.com/JC-000/x68000-dev-guide/blob/master/docs/graphics.md)
9. [SX-Window 3.0 manual, Spookbench](https://spookbench.net/files/sharp_x68k_software/%5BOS%5D/SX-Window%203.0%20%28Sharp%29/SX-Window%203.0%20%5Bextras%5D/SX-Window%203.0%20%28Dounyuu%20Manual%29.pdf)
10. [Gradius (1985), MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/4512/gradius/)
11. [Monográfico X68000: Historia (III), BEEP! Game Center](https://beepgamecenter.wordpress.com/2017/03/27/monografico-x68000-historia-iii/)
12. [Arcade Hacker: Capcom CPS1, Part 2](https://arcadehacker.blogspot.com/2015/05/capcom-cps1-part-2.html)
13. [Strider, Port Comparisons, Bosnan](https://www.bosnan.net/ports/strider)
14. [Akumajou Dracula x68000, 1993 Developer Interview, shmuplations.com](https://shmuplations.com/akumajoux68000/)
15. [パーソナルワークステーション, Sharp Only-One History](https://corporate.jp.sharp/info/history/only_one/jouhou_t/jouhou_t_w26.html)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Computing and digital systems › Computer hardware › Personal computers & laptops*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license