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History
Mahjong has long been one of Japan’s most popular traditional games, and by the early 1980s electronic and arcade versions of the game were already appearing. Data East released its own two-player arcade Mahjong title (DS Telejan) around this period. In 1982 the Japan Mail Service (not to be confused with the official Japan Postal Service), a catalogue-based mail-order company, began advertising a dedicated home Mahjong console called the Microcomputer Mahjong (マイコン麻雀).
Very little information exists about the system’s development. It is widely assumed that the hardware was designed and manufactured by a third-party company, with Japan Mail Service acting solely as the publisher and distributor. The console is also sometimes referred to as eMuCom Mahjong in enthusiast circles
Release
The first model, which seems to be the most common, is white with the drawing of a few Mahjong tiles and the word Microcomputer Mahjong written on it. A month later, a gray version with no marking and in a slightly different mold was advertised. The advertisement did mention that the system sold extremely well since its release. While this is obviously a marketing ploy, this could also hint that the initial lot sold quicker than expected and that the company had to improvise to make new one quicker.
The Microcomputer Mahjong was available exclusively through mail order. Advertisements and order forms appeared in magazines dated November and December 1982. Buyers could pay the full ¥48,000 up front or spread the cost over 10 monthly instalments of ¥4,980 (totalling ¥49,800). An optional 12-inch monitor was also offered for ¥38,000 (or ¥3,980 per month over 10 months, totalling ¥39,800). The order forms mention a special introductory price, suggesting the regular price may have been higher later.
Two colour variants of the console are known: a white model (the more common version) featuring illustrations of Mahjong tiles and the system name, and a grey model. Hardware is believed to be identical between the two.
Demise
The system had an extremely short commercial life. In 1983 the Japanese home-console market exploded with the near-simultaneous release of seven major systems (the so-called Japanese Console War ). Several of these new machines—including the My Vision (Nichibutsu), SG-1000 (Sega), Pyuta Jr. (Tomy), PV-1000 (Casio), and Famicom (Nintendo)—offered Mahjong titles. Combined with the Microcomputer Mahjong’s high price and limited distribution, this competition quickly rendered the dedicated mail-order console obsolete.
Technical Specifications
- CPU: Zilog Z80 (Z8400A or Sharp LH0080A equivalent)
- Clock: 11.0592 MHz crystal (CPU typically run at a divided rate)
- ROM: 16 KB program ROM (4 × 2732) + 2 KB tile ROM (2716)
- RAM: 1 KB work RAM + 1 KB VRAM
- Display: Monochrome (1 bpp), approximately 256 × 192 resolution
- Sound: 1-bit DAC
- Controls: Dedicated Mahjong keypad (19 buttons)
- PCB label: IFVC-3224A
The system is now extremely rare. It has been emulated in MAME under the name “Micom Mahjong.”