The PC-8800 series are a brand of Zilog Z80-based home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 in Japan, where it became very popular. The PC-8800 series is informally called the PC-88.
NEC's American subsidiary, NEC Home Electronics (USA), marketed variations of the PC-8800 in the United States.
For its time, the PC-8801SR (V2-mode) had a high display resolution, but could only display 8 out of 512 colors simultaneously. The 640 × 400 mode was monochrome only. Its sound-producing capabilities were also more advanced than other machines of the time.
A part of software corresponds to YM2608 and ADPCM. (ex: Snatcher)
Companies that produced exclusive software for the NEC PC-8801 included Enix, Square, Sega, Nihon Falcom, Bandai, HAL Laboratory, ASCII, Pony Canyon, Technology and Entertainment Software, Wolf Team, Dempa, Champion Soft, Starcraft, Micro Cabin, PSK, and Bothtec. Certain games produced for the PC-8801 had a shared release with the MSX, such as those produced by Game Arts, ELF Corporation, and Konami. Many popular series first appeared on the NEC PC-8801, including Snatcher, Thexder, Dragon Slayer, RPG Maker, and Ys.