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TurboGrafx-16
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the PC Engine outside North America, is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched in Japan to compete with Nintendo's Family Computer, but its delayed U.S. debut placed it against the more advanced Sega Genesis and later the Super NES.
The TurboGrafx-16 features an 8-bit CPU paired with dual 16-bit graphics processors, and supports up to 482 on-screen colors from a palette of 512. The "16" in the console’s North American branding was criticized as misleading. With dimensions of 14 by 14 by 3.5 centimetres (5.5 in × 5.5 in × 1.4 in), the PC Engine remains the smallest major home console ever released.
Games were initially released on HuCard cartridges, but the platform later supported additional formats requiring separate hardware: TurboGrafx-CD (CD-ROM² in Japan) games on compact disc, SuperGrafx games on a new console variant, and LD-ROM² games on LaserDisc via the LaserActive, a TurboGrafx-compatible system developed by Pioneer. No configuration supported all formats simultaneously. While the TurboGrafx-CD was moderately successful, the other two formats failed to gain traction. The resulting hardware fragmentation created consumer confusion.
The PC Engine was a commercial success in Japan, receiving strong third-party support and becoming the Super Famicom's main early competitor. In contrast, the TurboGrafx-16 struggled in North America due to limited marketing, a smaller game library, and its late release. In Europe, Japanese models were grey-market imported and modified for local sale, but plans for an official release were canceled following poor U.S. performance. Over 17 hardware variants were produced, including portable models and versions integrating the CD-ROM add-on. Production of the final model ended in 1994. It was succeeded by the PC-FX, released exclusively in Japan, which was a commercial failure.
The PC Engine was created as a collaborative effort between Hudson Soft, who created video game software, and NEC, a company which was dominant in the Japanese personal computer market with their PC-88 and PC-98 platforms. NEC lacked the vital experience in the video gaming industry and approached numerous video game studios for support. By pure coincidence, NEC's interest in entering the lucrative video game market coincided with Hudson's failed attempt to sell designs for then-advanced graphics chips to Nintendo; in July 1985, Hudson Soft approached and pitched them a new add-on for the Famicom that played games using their patented Bee Cards, which they had experimented with on the MSX computer. Nintendo liked this concept, as it had the ability to store full games and overwrite existing ones. However, due to the cost of the technology, and the fact that they would be required to pay royalties for each card sold, Nintendo ultimately decided to pass on Hudson Soft's proposal. This eventually led to the partnership between Hudson Soft and NEC. The two companies successfully teamed up to then develop the PC Engine.
The system made its debut in the Japanese market on October 30, 1987, and it was a tremendous success. The PC Engine had an elegant, "eye-catching" design, and it was very small compared to its rivals. The PC Engine sold 500,000 units in its first week of release.
The CD-ROM expansion was a major success for the CD-ROM format, selling 60,000 units in its first five months of release in Japan. By 1989, NEC had sold over 1.2 million consoles and more than 80,000 CD-ROM units in Japan.
In 1988, NEC decided to expand to the American market and directed its U.S. operations to develop the system for the new audience. NEC Technologies boss Keith Schaefer formed a team to test the system. They found out that there was a lack of enthusiasm in its name "PC Engine" and also felt its small size was not very suitable to American consumers who would generally prefer a larger and "futuristic" design. They decided to call the system the "TurboGrafx-16", a name representing its graphical speed and strength and its 16-bit GPU. They also completely redesigned the hardware into a large, black casing. This lengthy redesign process and NEC's questions about the system's viability in the United States delayed the TurboGrafx-16's debut.
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TurboGrafx-16
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the PC Engine outside North America, is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched in Japan to compete with Nintendo's Family Computer, but its delayed U.S. debut placed it against the more advanced Sega Genesis and later the Super NES.
The TurboGrafx-16 features an 8-bit CPU paired with dual 16-bit graphics processors, and supports up to 482 on-screen colors from a palette of 512. The "16" in the console’s North American branding was criticized as misleading. With dimensions of 14 by 14 by 3.5 centimetres (5.5 in × 5.5 in × 1.4 in), the PC Engine remains the smallest major home console ever released.
Games were initially released on HuCard cartridges, but the platform later supported additional formats requiring separate hardware: TurboGrafx-CD (CD-ROM² in Japan) games on compact disc, SuperGrafx games on a new console variant, and LD-ROM² games on LaserDisc via the LaserActive, a TurboGrafx-compatible system developed by Pioneer. No configuration supported all formats simultaneously. While the TurboGrafx-CD was moderately successful, the other two formats failed to gain traction. The resulting hardware fragmentation created consumer confusion.
The PC Engine was a commercial success in Japan, receiving strong third-party support and becoming the Super Famicom's main early competitor. In contrast, the TurboGrafx-16 struggled in North America due to limited marketing, a smaller game library, and its late release. In Europe, Japanese models were grey-market imported and modified for local sale, but plans for an official release were canceled following poor U.S. performance. Over 17 hardware variants were produced, including portable models and versions integrating the CD-ROM add-on. Production of the final model ended in 1994. It was succeeded by the PC-FX, released exclusively in Japan, which was a commercial failure.
The PC Engine was created as a collaborative effort between Hudson Soft, who created video game software, and NEC, a company which was dominant in the Japanese personal computer market with their PC-88 and PC-98 platforms. NEC lacked the vital experience in the video gaming industry and approached numerous video game studios for support. By pure coincidence, NEC's interest in entering the lucrative video game market coincided with Hudson's failed attempt to sell designs for then-advanced graphics chips to Nintendo; in July 1985, Hudson Soft approached and pitched them a new add-on for the Famicom that played games using their patented Bee Cards, which they had experimented with on the MSX computer. Nintendo liked this concept, as it had the ability to store full games and overwrite existing ones. However, due to the cost of the technology, and the fact that they would be required to pay royalties for each card sold, Nintendo ultimately decided to pass on Hudson Soft's proposal. This eventually led to the partnership between Hudson Soft and NEC. The two companies successfully teamed up to then develop the PC Engine.
The system made its debut in the Japanese market on October 30, 1987, and it was a tremendous success. The PC Engine had an elegant, "eye-catching" design, and it was very small compared to its rivals. The PC Engine sold 500,000 units in its first week of release.
The CD-ROM expansion was a major success for the CD-ROM format, selling 60,000 units in its first five months of release in Japan. By 1989, NEC had sold over 1.2 million consoles and more than 80,000 CD-ROM units in Japan.
In 1988, NEC decided to expand to the American market and directed its U.S. operations to develop the system for the new audience. NEC Technologies boss Keith Schaefer formed a team to test the system. They found out that there was a lack of enthusiasm in its name "PC Engine" and also felt its small size was not very suitable to American consumers who would generally prefer a larger and "futuristic" design. They decided to call the system the "TurboGrafx-16", a name representing its graphical speed and strength and its 16-bit GPU. They also completely redesigned the hardware into a large, black casing. This lengthy redesign process and NEC's questions about the system's viability in the United States delayed the TurboGrafx-16's debut.