Forums
- Retro »
- Turbo Graphic-16?
Paying through the nose for a used system is one way to go. However, NEC discontinued the TurboGrapx-16 about 15 years ago. In my opinion the TurboGraphx-16 and its games fall under AbandonWare. Because of this, I'd download a TurboGraphx-16 emulator and roms.
Some may argue it's stealing, but even if you paid for a used TurboGrapx-16 and games, it's not as if NEC or any game companies would receive royalties.
EBay is probably your best bet in terms of tracking down a system and games. Prepare for some wide ranging prices though. Some games can be quite cheap, while others, quite expensive.
The Japanese name of the TG-16 was the PC Engine and Japanese HuCards (what the games come on) will work in US systems with an adapter called the Kisado. The Kisado is in demand and will usually cost just as much as a game.
The CD games will work if you have a CD attachment or a combo system called the Duo (TurboDuo for the US or PC Engine Duo for Japan). There is no region lock on 99% of the CDs, though you do have to have the right system card installed in order to play.
By default the CD attachments come with System Card 2.0 (there was a 1.0 but it was Japan only). The Super System card was v3.0 and allowed more games to run. Both the 2.0 and 3.0 cards are available in US and Japan versions.
The Arcade Card was a further upgrade and came in a full version and a "Duo" version. The standard Arcade Card could run with a standard CD attachment or in a Duo, while the Arcade Card Duo would ONLY work in a Duo system. Both versions of the Arcade Card were Japan only so if you want to use them in a US system you have to have a Kisado adapter.
To Summarize:
A 2.0 card will run CD-ROM^2 games.
A 3.0 card will run Super CD-ROM^2 games.
An Arcade Card will run Arcade CD games.
I would suggest getting a Duo system, though don't expect to get it cheap. I usually see new Duos going for $200 when available. If you just want to play the HuCards then you can go for just a TG-16 base unit which usually runs about $20 used.
I'm kind of partial to the Duo because one of my favorite games ever was only released for the Duo in Japan. It was never released worldwide.
The game?
Castlevania Dracula-X: Rondo of Blood
-
MajorMike
- GamePro Staff
-
Wickerman2
- Gamer
-
MetalliCube
- Casual