Debuting in 1985, the MSX was soon upgraded in terms of specs. With now at least 64kb of main ram and more video ram, the MSX2 showed a fair amount of graphical finesse. Once again, Konami would lead the pack in terms of developers.
For fans of the Metal Gear series, the MSX2 was famously home to Metal Gear 1 (1987) and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990). Emulated versions of these games have appeared on many consoles and in many Metal Gear collections. Vastly different from their NES/Famicom counterparts, most fans consider the MSX2 versions of the games vastly superior to the ports on Nintendo's hardware. Other Konami releases of this time include an alternate version of Akamajou Dracula (Vampire Killer), Salamander (aka LifeForce), Ganbare Goemon, and Nemesis 3, part of the long-running Gradius series. Complete copies of many Konami releases are highly sought-after today. Metal Gear 2 complete can cost upwards of $600-800 for a complete copy. For MSX collectors, the Konami MSX games represent the utmost in what the platform had to offer.
As the 1980s rolled along, floppy disks became the standard for most home computers. Many MSX2 models incorporated the FDD drives that were becoming commonplace on most computers of the time. Being a 3.5" drive, you can copy games to disk today if you have a 3.5" and some knowledge of DOS. However, finding a working FDD from a 30-year old computer can be a challenge. Despite the advent of the MSX FDD, most commercial games continued to be released on ROM cartridges. Many Japanese tech giants continued to produce MSX2 models. Today, the most common MSX2 models are from Sony and Panasonic.
Around this time, South Korean giant Daewoo released some MSX and MSX2 models under the Zemmix brand. These stripped-down MSX and MSX2 models eliminated the keyboard and FDD to simply play carts. These models are extremely rare nowadays and are rarely seen on the open market.
Far too many write off the MSX and MSX2 as Konami dominated. In fact, several other publishers were active developing for the platform. Enix contributed Dragon Quest 1 and 2, modified from the Famicom versions. Enix rival Squaresoft contributed King's Knight, Aliens (yes, based on the James Cameron movie), and even a port of the first Final Fantasy. Falcom would contribute ports of the first three games of the Ys series. For fans of RPGs, the system was full of them, at least if you could understand Japanese. For fans of shooters, Aleste 2 and Aleste Gaiden would make their way to the MSX2 platform. Few Western-developed games would make it to the system, despite its popularity in Europe and Brazil.
As the 1980s drew to a closer, the curtain began to draw to a close on the MSX standard. In the early 1990s, MSX2+ machines started to appeared. While not a drastic upgrade, the MSX2+ machines allowed some games to perform quicker and better. For example, the Konami shooter "Space Manbow" (pictured below) allowed for scrolling if you had a MSX2+. Scrolling was absent for most MSX2 games as the hardware struggled with this feature. Despite some hardware performance upgrades, the machines did not sell terribly well and were only made in Japan by a few companies.
By the early 1990s, the home console market had taken a massive bite out of the Japanese home computer market. On top on that, NEC remained the dominant force in Japan with its 16-bit computers such as the PC-9801. The MSX standard would see its swan-song in the form of the MSX Turbo R model.
The MSX Turbo R added a 16-bit processor to assist the aging Zilog Z-80. When activated (by switch), older games often ran much smoother and better on the Turbo R hardware. The machines are quite rare nowadays as they were only made by Panasonic. By 1994/95, MSX produced effectively ceased to be viable and production ended.
As Sony moved on to the Playstation, Panasonic to the 3D0, and the world moved towards Windows-based computers, the MSX would get lumped in the swirling vortex of 1980s computer standards. However, unlike the Amstrad, Commodore 64, etc, the MSX did have a somewhat limited global base. Despite any success in North America, the machine has a solid hobbyist community today. New games and software are frequently released for the MSX.
In 2006, D4 publisher released a single-board version of the MSX called the MSX1chip. Adding SD and USB support, the system even plays original MSX carts. Like the C64, the MSX inspires a lot of nostalgia for the golden era of home computing. A curiosity in the West, but a massive part of Japanese computing and therefore gaming history.
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