Mattel did not market its 1979 Intellivision system with bit width, although it used a 16-bit CPU. ==Legacy== In 1994, NEC released a new console, the Japan-only PC-FX, a 32-bit system with a tower-like design; it enjoyed a small but steady stream of games until 1998, when NEC finally abandoned the video games industry.
It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989.
It gained strong third-party support and outsold the Famicom at its 1987 debut, eventually becoming the Super Famicom's main rival. At least 17 distinct models of the TurboGrafx-16 were made, including portable versions and those that integrated the CD-ROM add-on. An enhanced model, the PC Engine SuperGrafx, was rushed to market in 1989.
The two companies successfully joined together to then develop the new system. The PC Engine made its debut in the Japanese market on October 30, 1987, and it was a tremendous success.
It was released in North America on May 22, 2020 and released in Europe on June 5, 2020. ==See also== List of TurboGrafx-16 games ==Notes== ==References== ==External links== PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 Architecture: A Practical Analysis 1980s toys 1990s toys CD-ROM-based consoles Discontinued products Home video game consoles Fourth-generation video game consoles NEC consoles Products introduced in 1987
The PC Engine sold 500,000 units in its first week of release. In 1988, NEC decided to expand to the American market and directed its U.S.
and Canada. The final licensed release for the PC Engine was Dead of the Brain Part 1 & 2 on June 3, 1999, on the Super CD-ROM² format. ==Add-ons== ===TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM²=== The CD-ROM² is an add-on attachment for the PC Engine that was released in Japan on December 4, 1988.
The changes were mostly cosmetic, but the RX included a new 6-button controller. ===Third-party models=== The PC-KD863G is a CRT monitor with built-in PC Engine console, released on September 27, 1988 in Japan for ¥138,000.
It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989.
The Japanese model was officially imported and distributed in France in 1989, unofficial imports had made their way to the UK by the same year, in 1990 Spain received a PAL version based on the American model known as simply TurboGrafx.
It gained strong third-party support and outsold the Famicom at its 1987 debut, eventually becoming the Super Famicom's main rival. At least 17 distinct models of the TurboGrafx-16 were made, including portable versions and those that integrated the CD-ROM add-on. An enhanced model, the PC Engine SuperGrafx, was rushed to market in 1989.
This lengthy redesign process and NEC's questions about the system's viability in the United States delayed the TurboGrafx-16's debut. The TurboGrafx-16 was eventually released in the New York City and Los Angeles test markets in late August 1989.
This model was also released in Spain and Portugal through selected retailers. From November 1989 to 1993, PC Engine consoles as well as some of its add-ons were imported from Japan by French licensed importer Sodipeng (Société de Distribution de la PC Engine, a subsidiary of Guillemot International).
It was later released as the TurboGrafx-CD in the United States in November 1989, with a remodeled interface unit in order to suit the different shape of the TurboGrafx-16 console.
By this point support for both the TurboGrafx-16 and Turbo Duo was already waning in North America; thus, no North American version of either Arcade Card was produced, though a Japanese Arcade Card can still be used on a North American console through a HuCard converter. ==Variations== Many variations and related products of the PC Engine were released. ===CoreGrafx=== The PC Engine CoreGrafx is an updated model of the PC Engine, released in Japan on December 8, 1989.
The SuperGrafx has the same expansion port as previous PC Engine consoles, but requires an adapter in order to utilize the original CD-ROM² System add-on, due to the SuperGrafx console's large size. ===Shuttle=== The PC Engine Shuttle was released in Japan on November 22, 1989 as a less expensive model of the console, retailing at ¥18,800.
However, it has no BUS expansion port, which made it incompatible with the CD-ROM² System and memory backup add-ons. The X1-Twin was the first licensed PC Engine-compatible hardware manufactured by a third-party company, released by Sharp in April 1989 for ¥99,800.
The Japanese model was officially imported and distributed in France in 1989, unofficial imports had made their way to the UK by the same year, in 1990 Spain received a PAL version based on the American model known as simply TurboGrafx.
By 1990, it was clear that the system was performing very poorly and severely edged out by Nintendo and Sega's marketing. After seeing the TurboGrafx-16 suffer in America, NEC decided to cancel their European releases.
NEC sold this stock to distributors; in the United Kingdom Telegames released the TurboGrafx in 1990 in extremely limited quantities.
The RF output used on the original PC Engine was also replaced with an A/V port for the Shuttle. ===TurboExpress=== The PC Engine GT is a portable version of the PC Engine, released in Japan on December 1, 1990 and then in the United States as the TurboExpress.
Initially, the TurboGrafx-16 sold well in the U.S., but eventually it suffered from lack of support from third-party software developers and publishers. In 1990, ACE magazine praised the console's racing game library, stating that, compared to "all the popular consoles, the PC Engine is way out in front in terms of the range and quality of its race games." Reviewing the Turbo Duo model in 1993, GamePro gave it a "thumbs down".
In the UK, the PC Engine was available as an unofficial imported machine. By March 1991, NEC claimed that it had sold 750,000 TurboGrafx-16 consoles in the United States and 500,000 CD-ROM units worldwide. In an effort to relaunch the system in the North American market, in mid-1992 NEC and Hudson Soft transferred management of the system in North America to a new joint venture called Turbo Technologies Inc.
However the North American console gaming market continued to be dominated by the Genesis and Super NES, which was released in North America in August 1991.
Fighting Street and Monster Lair were the TurboGrafx-CD launch titles; Ys Book I & II soon followed. ===Super CD-ROM²=== In 1991, NEC introduced an upgraded version of the CD-ROM² System known as the Super CD-ROM², which updates the BIOS to Version 3.0 and increases buffer RAM from 64kB to 256kB.
A recolored version of the model, known as the PC Engine CoreGrafx II, was released on June 21, 1991.
It also has a TV tuner adapter as well as a two-player link cable. === LT === The PC Engine LT is a model of the console in a laptop form, released on December 13, 1991 in Japan, retailing at ¥99,800.
The North American version, the TurboDuo, was launched in October 1992. Two updated variants were released in Japan: the PC Engine Duo-R on March 25, 1993, and the PC Engine Duo-RX on June 25, 1994.
This model was also released in Spain and Portugal through selected retailers. From November 1989 to 1993, PC Engine consoles as well as some of its add-ons were imported from Japan by French licensed importer Sodipeng (Société de Distribution de la PC Engine, a subsidiary of Guillemot International).
Sodipeng went bankrupt in 1993.
The North American version, the TurboDuo, was launched in October 1992. Two updated variants were released in Japan: the PC Engine Duo-R on March 25, 1993, and the PC Engine Duo-RX on June 25, 1994.
Cosmic Fantasy 2 was an RPG ported from Japan to the United States that earned Electronic Gaming Magazine RPG of the year in 1993.
Initially, the TurboGrafx-16 sold well in the U.S., but eventually it suffered from lack of support from third-party software developers and publishers. In 1990, ACE magazine praised the console's racing game library, stating that, compared to "all the popular consoles, the PC Engine is way out in front in terms of the range and quality of its race games." Reviewing the Turbo Duo model in 1993, GamePro gave it a "thumbs down".
It failed to catch on - only six titles were released that took advantage of the added power and it was quickly discontinued. The entire series was discontinued in 1994.
In May 1994 Turbo Technologies announced that it was dropping support for the Duo, though it would continue to offer repairs for existing units and provide ongoing software releases through independent companies in the U.S.
PC Engine owners who did not already own the original CD-ROM² add-on could instead opt for the Super-CD-ROM² unit, an updated version of the add-on released on December 13, which combines the CD-ROM drive, interface unit and Super System Card into one device. ===Arcade Card=== On March 12, 1994, NEC introduced a third upgrade known as the , which increases the amount of onboard RAM of the Super CD-ROM² System to 2MB.
The North American version, the TurboDuo, was launched in October 1992. Two updated variants were released in Japan: the PC Engine Duo-R on March 25, 1993, and the PC Engine Duo-RX on June 25, 1994.
Mattel did not market its 1979 Intellivision system with bit width, although it used a 16-bit CPU. ==Legacy== In 1994, NEC released a new console, the Japan-only PC-FX, a 32-bit system with a tower-like design; it enjoyed a small but steady stream of games until 1998, when NEC finally abandoned the video games industry.
Mattel did not market its 1979 Intellivision system with bit width, although it used a 16-bit CPU. ==Legacy== In 1994, NEC released a new console, the Japan-only PC-FX, a 32-bit system with a tower-like design; it enjoyed a small but steady stream of games until 1998, when NEC finally abandoned the video games industry.
and Canada. The final licensed release for the PC Engine was Dead of the Brain Part 1 & 2 on June 3, 1999, on the Super CD-ROM² format. ==Add-ons== ===TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM²=== The CD-ROM² is an add-on attachment for the PC Engine that was released in Japan on December 4, 1988.
In 2009, the TurboGrafx-16 was ranked the 13th greatest video game console of all time by IGN, citing "a solid catalog of games worth playing," but also a lack of third party support and the absence of a second controller port. The controversy over bit width marketing strategy reappeared with the advent of the Atari Jaguar console.
In 2011, ten TurboGrafx-16 games were released on the PlayStation Network for play on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable in the North American region. In 2010 Hudson released an iPhone application entitled "TurboGrafx-16 GameBox" which allowed users to buy and play a number of select Turbo Grafx games via in-app purchases. In 2016, rapper Kanye West's 8th solo album was initially announced to be titled "Turbo Grafx 16".
In 2011, ten TurboGrafx-16 games were released on the PlayStation Network for play on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable in the North American region. In 2010 Hudson released an iPhone application entitled "TurboGrafx-16 GameBox" which allowed users to buy and play a number of select Turbo Grafx games via in-app purchases. In 2016, rapper Kanye West's 8th solo album was initially announced to be titled "Turbo Grafx 16".
It's the first release of official hardware of the TurboGrafx-16 family since the closure of Hudson Soft in 2012.
In 2011, ten TurboGrafx-16 games were released on the PlayStation Network for play on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable in the North American region. In 2010 Hudson released an iPhone application entitled "TurboGrafx-16 GameBox" which allowed users to buy and play a number of select Turbo Grafx games via in-app purchases. In 2016, rapper Kanye West's 8th solo album was initially announced to be titled "Turbo Grafx 16".
The title, however, was later changed to Ye. In 2019, Konami announced at E3 2019 the TurboGrafx-16 Mini, a dedicated console featuring many built-in games.
On March 6, 2020, Konami announced that the TurboGrafx-16 Mini and its peripheral accessories will be delayed indefinitely from its previous March 19, 2020, launch date due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China.
It was released in North America on May 22, 2020 and released in Europe on June 5, 2020. ==See also== List of TurboGrafx-16 games ==Notes== ==References== ==External links== PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 Architecture: A Practical Analysis 1980s toys 1990s toys CD-ROM-based consoles Discontinued products Home video game consoles Fourth-generation video game consoles NEC consoles Products introduced in 1987
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