TurboGrafx-16
Manufacturer	NEC
Type	Video game console
Generation	16-bit era
First available	September 1, 1989 (U.S.) (See also: PC Engine)
Media	HuCard, CD-ROM
Controller input	{{{controllers}}}
Online service
Units sold	? million
Top-selling game

For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine Image File history File links Turbografx16logo. ... A console manufacturer is a company that manufactures and distributes video game consoles. ... NEC Corporation (Jp. ... A video game console is a dedicated electronic machine designed to play video games. ... Although the history of computer and video games spans almost five decades, computer and video games themselves did not become part of the popular culture until the late 1970s. ... In the history of video games, the 16-bit era was the fourth generation of video game consoles. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to present) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government • President • Vice President Federal republic George W... The PC Engine was a video game console released by NEC, a Japanese company, in 1987. ... A HuCard is the title given to PC Engine and TurboGrafx software cards. ... The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... The PC Engine was a video game console released by NEC, a Japanese company, in 1987. ...

The TurboGrafx 16 is a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. It was the North American version of NEC's popular PC Engine video game console. A PAL version of the system also saw a very limited release in the UK and continental Europe in 1990 as "Turbografx" (sans the "16" in the title). A video game console is a dedicated electronic machine designed to play video games. ... NEC Corporation is a multi-national information technologies company headquarterd in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... The PC Engine was a video game console released by NEC, a Japanese company, in 1987. ... A video game console is a dedicated electronic machine designed to play video games. ... PAL, short for phase-alternating line, phase alternation by line or phase alternation line, is a colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to some dispute as to Europes actual borders. ... This article is about the year. ...

The TurboGrafx-16 was an eight-bit system with a 16-bit graphics chip, capable of displaying 512 colors at once. The TurboGrafx-16, unusually, used a thin memory card storage medium called a HuCard (also referred to as "TurboChip" in North America), instead of the then-standard cartridge format. "HuCard" (Hudson + Card) was derived from Hudson Soft, who co-developed the system with NEC. The cards were smaller than the size of a credit card (but slightly thicker) and thus were somewhat similar to the card format used by the Sega Master System for budget games. Unlike the Sega Master System, however, the TurboGrafx-16 used the cards exclusively. In a variety of electronic equipments, a cartridge (in video game terms, cart, game pack, or Game Pak) can be one method of programming different functionality, providing variable content, or a method by which consumables may be replenished. ... The Sega Master System (SMS for short) is an 8-bit cartridge-based gaming console that was manufactured by Sega. ...

On March 23, 2006, at the GDC Conference in California, it was announced by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata that Nintendo will offer virtual backwards compatibility of the TurboGrafx-16 with their upcoming game console, the Nintendo Revolution.[1] March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nintendo (Japanese: 任天堂, ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 ) is an international company originally founded in Japan on November 6, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards, for use in a Japanese playing card game of the same name. ... Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata Satoru Iwata (岩田聡, Iwata Satoru, born December 6, 1959) is the fourth and current president of Nintendo Company Limited beginning in 2002, succeeding to the long-standing previous president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi. ... Nintendo (Japanese: 任天堂, ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 ) is an international company originally founded in Japan on November 6, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards, for use in a Japanese playing card game of the same name. ... The Nintendo Revolution is the current codename for Nintendos fifth home video game console and the successor to the Nintendo GameCube. ...

Mascots Bonk and Zonk

Bonk, a "Cave Dude with an Attitude", was the most visible face for TG-16 and was NEC's mascot like Nintendo's Mario or Sega's Sonic. Bonk, of course, starred in a series of video games (including many of TG-16's most popular titles, such as Bonk's Adventure and its sequel, Bonk's Revenge). Later, TTi (a company jointly owned by the creators of the TG-16, NEC and Hudson) would adopt Air Zonk (a cyborg-Bonk who starred in a horizontal shooter of the same name) as the mascot for TurboDuo. Despite the recent popularity of "Johnny Turbo vs. FEKA" advertisements, Johnny Turbo was never the mascot for TurboDuo and was not featured in any TurboDuo promotional material (outside of the comic book ads, of course). While the Johnny Turbo ads are quite amusing, their significance has been overstated and is now the stuff of urban legend. Air Zonk, not Johnny Turbo, was featured on the TurboDuo console packaging, countless advertisements, countless brochures and catalogs, trade show appearances (CES, E3, etc.) Bonk in the first level of Bonks Adventure, for the TurboGrafx 16 Bonk was the large-headed, bald, caveman mascot for NECs Turbo line of consoles. ... Air Zonk - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Bonk is the localized name for TG-16's mascot. In Japan, Bonk is known as "PC-Genjin" (a play on "PC-Engine"). Similarly, Air Zonk is known as "PC Denjin Punkic Cyborg" in Japan (again, another play on PC-Engine).

TurboGrafx-CD: Pioneering CD-ROM console

The TurboGrafx-16 was the first video game console in North America to have a CD-ROM peripheral (following the pioneering spirit of the PC-Engine CD-ROM add-on in Japan, although the FM Towns Marty was the first console to have a built-in CD-ROM). The TurboGrafx-CD debuted at a prohibitive $399.99 (and did not include a pack-in game). Monster Lair (a.k.a. Wonderboy III: Monster Lair) and Fighting Street (a.k.a. Street Fighter) were the initial TurboGrafx-CD titles. Ys Book I & II soon followed and was instantly recognized as the "must-have" TurboGrafx-CD game (and continues to be highly regarded today). The TurboGrafx-CD catalog grew at a snail's pace compared to the library of TurboChip (HuCard) titles. The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... The FM Towns Marty console, which was released by Fujitsu in Japan in 1993. ... For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx 16 was a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ... For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx 16 was a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ... For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx 16 was a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ... For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx 16 was a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ... A HuCard is the title given to PC Engine and TurboGrafx software cards. ...

The TurboGrafx-CD came packaged in a very large box, 85% of which was filled with protective styrofoam inserts. By some accounts, no other video game console (or peripheral) has been packaged in such an overkill manner. To be fair, though, the TurboGrafx-CD did come with a large plastic "carrying case" that could comfortably hold the TurboGrafx-16 base system, TurboGrafx-CD, all AC adapters, 2–3 controllers, and a few games. For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx 16 was a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ... For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx 16 was a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ... For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx 16 was a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ...

Although the TurboGrafx-CD library was relatively small, North Americans could draw from a wide range of Japanese software since there was no region protection on TG-CD / PC Engine CD-ROM software. Many mail order (and some brick-and-mortar) import stores advertised Japanese PCE CD and HuCard titles in the video game publications of the era.

NOTE: While there was no region-protection on CD games, there were several different CD formats: CD, Super CD (SCD) and, later, Arcade CD (ACD). TurboGrafx-CD, equipped with the original System Card (version 2.01), could play all Japanese and North American CD games. TurboGrafx-CD, equipped with the updated Super System Card (version 3.01), could play all Japanese and North American SCD and CD format games. The Arcade System Cards (for playing Arcade CD titles) were never released in North America.

Rivalry with Nintendo's NES and Sega's Genesis

Initially, the TurboGrafx was marketed as a direct competitor with the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and early television ads (i.e. airing on WPIX in autumn of 1989) touted TG-16's superior graphics and sound. These early television ads featured a brief montage of TG-16's launch titles: Blazing Lazers, China Warrior, Vigilante, Alien Crush, etc. Of course, TG-16 was also in direct competition with the Sega Genesis, which launched in North America shortly after TG-16 (Note: the launch dates are debatable; some sources claim that Sega beat NEC to the U.S. market; part of the confusion, perhaps, lies in the fact that TG-16 was test-marketed in major U.S. cities first, then given a national launch). The Genesis launch was accompanied by an ad campaign mocking NEC's claim that the TurboGrafx-16 was the first 16-bit console. WPIX (WB-11) is a television station in New York City. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Mega Drive/Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. ...

Another problem factor for the TG-16 were hardware limitations: while the Genesis only came with one controller, the TG-16 only had one controller port (plug-in). Players who wanted to have more than one player were required to buy the Turbo Tap, an addition which permitted five controllers to be plugged into the system, in addition to extra controllers. The Genesis only required players to buy one more controller. Another problem in the battle against the Genesis were the pack-in games (game included with purchase): The Genesis originally came with the impressive arcade translation of Altered Beast (1989), which included big, bold sprites and colors as well as impressive digital sound effects. The TG-16's initial pack-in game was Keith Courage in the Alpha Zones (1989), a modest action plaform game that did not show off the capabilities of the TG-16 in nearly the same way Altered Beast did for the Genesis (or Super Mario World later did for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)). Altered Beast (獣王記 Jūōki, literally Beast Kings Chronicle, in Japan) is a 1988 arcade game developed and manufactured by Sega. ... Super Mario World (SMW) (Japanese: スーパーマリオワールド/Suupaa Mario Waarudo/Super Mario Brothers 4: Super Mario World) was the first launch game for the Nintendo Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System game consoles. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ...

The Genesis' Japanese counterpart, the Sega Mega Drive, was less popular than the NEC console, the PC Engine. In North America, however, the situation was reversed, and the Genesis is mainly remembered there for its rivalry with the Super Nintendo, not with the TurboGrafx 16.

Both Sega and NEC released CD peripherals (Sega CD versus Turbo CD), color handhelds (Sega Game Gear versus TurboExpress), and even "TV Tuners" for their respective handheld systems. While Sega outperformed NEC in North America, both companies' peripherals and handhelds were not terribly popular overall. Three versions of Sega CD: The Mega-CD 1 and 2 and the CDX/Multi-Mega. ... The Sega Game Gear was Segas first portable gaming system. ...

In 1994, comic book-like ads featuring Johnny Turbo were published by TTi. The ads mocked Sega, in particular the Sega CD. By this point it was too little too late, the TG-16 had been defeated by the Genesis in the marketplace, which was by then dominated by the battle between the Genesis and the Super Nintendo. Johnny Turbo is a fictional character created to advertise the Turbo Duo, a hybrid Turbografx 16 and TurboGrafx CD system, in North America. ...

Variations

Several variations on the TurboGrafx were released throughout the 1990s. The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ...

TurboDuo

Main Article: TurboDuo The TurboDuo (also called Turbo Duo) is a video game console released by Turbo Technologies Incorporated and manufactured by NEC in October 1992, for the North American market. ...

In 1992 TTi (Turbo Technologies Inc.) released the TurboDuo, the North American version of the Japanese Duo. The system combined the TurboGrafx-16 and an enhanced version of the CD-ROM drive (the "Super CD-ROM²") into a single unit. The system could play audio CDs, CD+Gs, CD-ROM2 and Super CD games as well as standard HuCards. The Super System Card required for some games when using the original CD add-on as well as some of the Japanese variants of the TurboGrafx was built in to the Duo rather than requiring the card to be inserted at all times when playing CD games. The original pack-in for the Turbo Duo included the system, one control pad, an AC adapter, RCA cables, Ys book I & II a CD-ROM2 title, a Super CD disc including Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge, Gates of Thunder and a secret version of Bomberman accessible via an easter egg. The system was also packaged with one random HuCard game which varied from system to system (note: Actually, Dungeon Explorer was the original HuCard pack-in for TurboDuo, although many titles were eventually used, such as IREM's Ninja Spirit and NAMCO's Final Lap Twin and then eventually a random pick). 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The TurboDuo (also called Turbo Duo) is a video game console released by Turbo Technologies Incorporated and manufactured by NEC in October 1992, for the North American market. ...

TurboExpress

Main Article: TurboExpress TurboExpress handheld, TV tuner, games The TurboExpress or (PC Engine GT in Japan) was a portable version of the TurboGrafx, released in 1990 for $249. ...

TurboExpress handheld, TV tuner, and games

The TurboExpress was a portable version of the TurboGrafx, released in 1990 for $249.99 (the price was briefly raised to $299.99, soon dropped back to $249.99, and by 1992 it was $199.99). It was the most advanced handheld of its time and could play all the TG-16's HuCard games. Its Japanese equivalent was the PC Engine GT. It had a 2.6-inch screen, the same as the original Game Boy, and could display 64 sprites at once, 16 per scanline, in 512 colors. It had eight kilobytes of RAM. The Turbo ran its two 6502 CPUs at 3.58 MHz in parallel. The optional "TurboVision" TV tuner included RCA audio/video input, allowing the user to use TurboExpress as a video monitor. The "TurboLink" allowed two-player play. Falcon, a flight simulator, included a "head-to-head" dogfight mode that could only be accessed via TurboLink. However, very few TG-16 games offered co-op play modes especially designed with the TurboExpress in mind. Image File history File links TurboExpress handheld gaming system, TurboVision TV tuner, and HuCard games. ... Image File history File links TurboExpress handheld gaming system, TurboVision TV tuner, and HuCard games. ... This article is about the year. ... The PC Engine was a video game console released by NEC, a Japanese company, in 1987. ... The original Game Boys design set the standard for handheld gaming consoles. ... In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Intel 80486DX2 microprocessor in a ceramic PGA package A central processing unit (CPU), or sometimes simply processor, is the component in a digital computer that interprets instructions and processes data contained in software. ... MegaHertz (MHz) is the name given to one million (106) Hertz, a measure of frequency. ...

A TurboExpress appeared in the movie Enemy of the State, well after the system's demise. Enemy of the State is a 1998 film written by David Marconi, directed by Tony Scott, and starring Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, and Lisa Bonet. ...

Struggles in North America

Initially, the TurboGrafx-16 sold well. However, the console suffered from a lack of third-party support from software developers and publishers in North America. In Japan the PC Engine platform received a lot of support from companies such as Konami who also produced a lot of games for the Nintendo's systems, however due to Nintendo's contracts with developers stipulating that if a game was released on the NES, it couldn't appear on any other console and Nintendo did not look positively at all on publishers who released games for other platforms by punishing them with "chip shortages" and other issues around the holiday seasons. This practice was later judged illegal, but while it was in effect, it caused many developers to pick the immensely popular NES over the upstart NEC console. As a result a catch-22 situation arose. Many publishers would only risk taking a chance on the Turbo if the system were more popular, and the system had difficulty becoming more popular since it had only a small handful of North American publishers with most of the system's publishing efforts being conducted by NEC, TTI, and Hudson Soft. A software developer is a programmer who is concerned with one or more facets of the software development process, a somewhat broader scope of computer programming. ... Konami Corporation (コナミ) TYO: 9766 (NYSE: KNM) (SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling computer and video games. ... Nes is: A municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway, see Nes, Akershus. ... Catch 22 has become a term, inspired by Joseph Hellers novel Catch-22, describing a general situation in which an individual has to accomplish two actions, both of which require that the other one be done first. ...

The TurboGrafx-16 was originally marketed by NEC Home Electronics based in Wood Dale, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. As the system gradually underperformed the duties of managing the platform were handed over to a new company formed of former NEC Home Electronics employees and former Hudson Soft employees called Turbo Technologies Incorporated (TTI), based in Los Angeles. Wood Dale is a city located in DuPage County, Illinois. ... Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Official website: http://egov. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ...

Both NEC Home Electronics and TTI had marketing issues and disputes with NEC of Japan over marketing dollars and how to focus their promotions. NEC of Japan had great success within Japan by concentrating their promotion and marketing focus on only the largest cities in the country. However, in North America the population is far more spread out and diverse and when the same philosophy was used by buying up advertisements in and having representatives to help with retail and promotion only in the largest metro areas of North America it resulted in lack of stock, and public awareness of the platform outside of major metropolitan areas. As a result the system was far more competitive and inordinately popular in certain local markets like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles while in smaller metropolitan areas the platform failed miserably.

By 1991 Sega Genesis had clearly surpassed the TurboGrafx-16, putting NEC's console in a distant fourth place in the overall video game market (Nintendo held the #2 and 3 places with the brand new SNES and aging but still potent NES). It became rather difficult for the relatively untested NEC to convince consumers who already owned a Sega or Nintendo system to give the TG-16 a chance. The biggest problem was that the titles and the vast majority of the software that made the system such a phenomenal success in Japan were almost entirely produced for the CD add-on. The TurboGrafx CD ROM peripheral was widely considered overpriced (debuting at nearly $399.00 as an add-on, eventually dropping to $149.99 when TurboDuo was launched), and the system was hard to find outside of large cities. As a result, few consumers bought the add-on CD system and the standalone TurboGrafx lacked the quality titles that made the system so popular in Japan. The Mega Drive/Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, is an 8-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and Australia. ... NEC Corporation (Jp. ... The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio CDs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ...

TTI tried to address this issue by releasing a combination system called the TurboDuo, unfortunately at $299.99 the cost of the system was still too steep for most American consumers. To try to offset this NEC included seven pack-in titles and a coupon book but it still wasn't enough to lure in much of a mainstream audience.

Many of the CD games for the Turbo platform were fantastic and innovative but the cost of the add-on system was a deterrent to buyers. Some Japanese games, such as Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, Ys 4, Far East of Eden 2 and Snatcher, never made it to North American shelves. Ys (pronounced eesse) (Japanese: イース) is a video game series, and Nihon Falcoms flagship franchise. ... Sega CD Snatcher, the first and only English version made. ...

Meanwhile, the TurboExpress suffered from short battery life and a hefty price tag. Furthermore, it was fairly common for TurboExpress systems to have missing pixels in their displays, due to the fact that TFT LCD manufacturing technology was still in its infancy. A pixel (pix, 1932 abbreviation of pictures, coined by Variety headline writers + element) is one of the many tiny dots that make up the representation of a picture in a computers memory. ... Reflective twisted nematic liquid crystal display. ...

TurboGrafx-16 and TurboDuo Magazines

L.F.P. (Larry Flynt Publications) published 14 bi-monthly issues of TurboPlay Magazine (June/July 1990 – August/September 1992) dedicated to covering TG-16 and TG-CD hardware and software. It was a spin-off publication of Video Games & Computer Entertainment (VG&CE), a popular multi-platform gaming magazine of the late 1980s / early 1990s. Every issue of TurboPlay was 32 pages in length and a yearly subscription cost $9.95. An advertisement for TurboPlay was included with every TG-16 console. TurboPlay Magazine was a bi-monthly, U.S.-based video game magazine published by Larry Flynt Publications (L.F.P.) from June/July 1990 through August/September 1992. ... An example of the original artwork that went into covers of VG&CE Video Games & Computer Entertainment (abbreviated as VG&CE) was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, home consoles and arcades. ...

Sendai published four quarterly issues of TURBOFORCE magazine (September 1992 – Spring 1993). TTi had editorial control over TURBOFORCE and used it to promote the launch of the new TurboDuo console. Unlike TurboPlay and DuoWorld, TURBOFORCE was devoid of critical game reviews.

L.F.P. published three bi-monthly issues of DUOWORLD magazine (July/August 1993 – November/December 1993) before it was cancelled. DuoWorld was very similar in format to TurboPlay, but with a focus on the newly released TurboDuo console (i.e. TurboMail and TurboNews became DuoMail and DuoNews, respectively).

NEC also published a handful of newsletters (TurboEdge) and sent them to folks who sent in their TG-16 warranty cards / subscribed to TurboPlay. These newsletters were black and white, mostly text, and 4–8 pages in length.

TG-16 on TV

During TG-16's summer-autumn 1989 launch, short TV ads started to appear. This advertising campaign would expand and become more extensive in 1990 with NEC promoting Bonk as the next big thing in video games.

In addition to advertising in 1990, TG-16, TG-CD, and TurboExpress were briefly covered on PBS' Computer Chronicles (two episodes, including "Battle of the Consoles"). Later, when TurboDuo was launched, it was featured in an episode on "CD-ROM and multimedia software". Hosted by Stewart Cheifet (with co-host Gary Kildall in the 1980s), Computer Chronicles was the worlds most popular television program on personal technology during the height of the personal computer revolution. ...

Also, Video Power, a video game show (live action gameshow and cartoon) syndicated throughout the country in the early 1990s, featured footage from video games at the end of many episodes. Blazing Lazers, Legendary Axe (and perhaps other titles) made it into two episodes. Video Power rarely featured TG-16 games (focusing on NES and Genesis, instead). In addition, the Nickelodeon game show Nick Arcade featured several TG-16 games in the Video Challenge portion of the show. Nick Arcade was a game show hosted by Phil Moore that aired on the Nickelodeon television network in America from 1992 to 1993 (in the first season, the shows were taped in 1991 and aired in early 1992). ...

Legacy

Today, the system is mainly known for its much-vaunted shooting games, its competition with the Sega Genesis, and advertising flop Johnny Turbo. After the TurboGrafx died, NEC decided to concentrate on the Japanese market, where it had had much more success. In 1994, the 32-bit PC-FX was released, exclusively for Japan. Scrolling shooters are a type of video game, a subgenre of shoot em up . ... The Mega Drive/Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. ... Johnny Turbo is a fictional character created to advertise the Turbo Duo, a hybrid Turbografx 16 and TurboGrafx CD system, in North America. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The PC-FX console The PC-FX was NECs 32-bit sequel to its PC Engine (US:TurboGrafx 16). ...

There is a niche collector's market for TurboGrafx games and Japanese imports, mainly centered around the system's many arcade ports of shooters. Spurring this interest is the fact that Turbo ports from the arcade tended to be closer to the original than Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive or NES versions, in terms of graphics and sound. Hudson Soft also released some shooters which were exclusive to the Turbo, such as Air Zonk, Gate of Thunder, Soldier Blade, Super Star Soldier, Star Parodia (Japan). The most famous North American shooter is probably Blazing Lazers (Gunhead in Japan) and was featured in all of the early television ads. Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... In computer science, porting is the adaptation of a piece of software so that it will function in a different computing environment to that for which it was originally written. ... The Mega Drive/Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. ... Original Sega Mega Drive (PAL version) Sega Mega Drive (Japanese: メガドライブ Mega Doraibu) is a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in 1988. ... Nes is: A municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway, see Nes, Akershus. ... Hudson Soft is a Japanese publisher and developer, founded on May 18, 1973. ... Air Zonk - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

After the demise of TTi, Turbo Zone Direct (TZD), mail-order company, became the de facto source for new TG-16 / DUO hardware, accessories and software.

The brief "Johnny Turbo" series of advertisements have become part of gaming's pop culture. Many folks without direct experience with TG-16 consoles or its games have heard of the infamous "Johnny Turbo".

Many TurboGrafx games will be available for download on the Nintendo Revolution's Virtual Console download service, according to Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata. Not all games will be available; only some titles (mostly a "best hits" approach) will be selected. The number of games selected is still unknown. [2]

Technical Specifications

• CPU: 8-bit HuC6280A, a modified 65C02 running at 3.58 or 7.16 MHz (switchable by software). Features integrated bankswitching hardware (driving a 21-bit external address bus from a 6502-compatible 16-bit address bus), an integrated general-purpose I/O port, a timer, block transfer instructions, and dedicated move instructions for communicating with the HuC6270A VDC.
• GPU: A dual graphics processor setup. One 16-bit HuC6260 Video Color Encoder (VCE), and one 16-bit HuC6270A Video Display Controller (VDC). The HuC6270A featured Port-based I/O similar to the TMS99xx VDP family.
• Resolution:
  • X (Horizontal) Resolution: variable, maximum of 512 (programmable in increments of 8 pixels)
  • Y (Vertical) Resolution: variable, maximum of 240 (programmable in increments of 8 pixels)
  • The vast majority of TurboGrafx-16 games use 256×224, though some games, such as Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective did use 512×224. Chris Covell's 'High-Resolution Slideshow' uses 512×240.
• Color:
  • Depth: 9 bit
  • Colors available: 512
  • Colors onscreen: Maximum of 481 (241 background, 240 sprite)
  • Palettes: Maximum of 32 (16 for background tiles, 16 for sprites)
  • Colors per palette: Maximum of 16
• Sprites:
  • Simultaneously displayable: 64
  • Sizes: 16×16, 16×32, 32×16, 32×32, 32×64
  • Palette: Each sprite can use up to 15 unique colors (one color must be reserved as transparent) via one of the 16 available sprite palettes.
  • Layers: The HuC6270A VDC was capable of displaying one sprite layer. Sprites could be placed either in front of or behind background tiles.
• Tiles:
  • Size: 8×8
  • Palette: Each background tile can use up to 16 unique colors via one of the 16 available background palettes. The first color entry of each background palette must be the same across all background palettes.
  • Layers: The HuC6270A VDC was capable of displaying one background layer.
• Memory:
  • Work RAM: 8KB
  • Video RAM: 64KB
• Audio capacity:
  • 6 PSG audio channels, programmable through the HuC6280A CPU.
  • The addition of the CD-ROM peripheral adds CD-DA sound, and a single ADPCM channel to the existing sound capabilities of the TurboGrafx-16.
• Game Media:
  • TurboChip (HuCard in Japan and North America): A thin, card-like game media. The largest Japanese HuCard games were up to 20Mbit in size.
  • CD: The TurboGrafx-16 was the first home video game console to offer a CD-ROM accessory.
  • With only one exception, the SuperGrafx, all TurboGrafx-16 hardware could play the entire TurboChip library, and every CD system could play all the CD games - with the right system card.

Intel 80486DX2 microprocessor in a ceramic PGA package A central processing unit (CPU), or sometimes simply processor, is the component in a digital computer that interprets instructions and processes data contained in software. ... The HuC6280 8-bit microprocessor is Japanese company Hudson Softs improved version of the WDC 65C02 CPU. The most notable product using the HuC6280 is NECs TurboGrafx 16 video game console. ... The 65C02 Microprocessor is a slightly upgraded version of the popular and venerable 6502 microprocessor. ... HuC6270 is a Video Display Controller (VDC) developed and manufactured by Hudson Soft. ... It has been suggested that Video Display Processor be merged into this article or section. ... HuC6270 is a Video Display Controller (VDC) developed and manufactured by Hudson Soft. ... HuC6270 is a Video Display Controller (VDC) developed and manufactured by Hudson Soft. ... HuC6270 is a Video Display Controller (VDC) developed and manufactured by Hudson Soft. ... HuC6270 is a Video Display Controller (VDC) developed and manufactured by Hudson Soft. ... The HuC6280 8-bit microprocessor is Japanese company Hudson Softs improved version of the WDC 65C02 CPU. The most notable product using the HuC6280 is NECs TurboGrafx 16 video game console. ... Intel 80486DX2 microprocessor in a ceramic PGA package A central processing unit (CPU), or sometimes simply processor, is the component in a digital computer that interprets instructions and processes data contained in software. ... The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... A HuCard is the title given to PC Engine and TurboGrafx software cards. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit České Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... The SuperGrafx video game console is an upgraded version of NECs popular PC Engine system. ...

Screenshot gallery

1943 Kai Capcom - 1991 Image File history File links 1943kai_tg16. ... I dont know wtf 1943 Kai is!!1 Tell me. ... Capcom (カプコン in Japanese) TYO: 9697 is a leading Japanese developer and publisher of computer and video games. ...	Ai-cho Aniki Masiya - Image File history File links Ai-Cho_Aniki_02. ...	Air Zonk Hudson Soft - 1992 Image File history File links Airzonk_02. ... Air Zonk - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Hudson Soft is a Japanese publisher and developer, founded on May 18, 1973. ...	Bomberman '94 Hudson Soft - 1993 Image File history File links Bomberman_94_02. ... Hudson Soft is a Japanese publisher and developer, founded on May 18, 1973. ...
Parodious Da! Konami - 1990 Image File history File links Parodiusda_pce. ... Konami Corporation (コナミ) TYO: 9766 (NYSE: KNM) (SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling computer and video games. ...	Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood Konami - 1993 Image File history File links Drac_x2. ... Konami Corporation (コナミ) TYO: 9766 (NYSE: KNM) (SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling computer and video games. ...	Gates of Thunder Hudson Soft - 1992 Image File history File links Gates_of_Thunder_02. ... Hudson Soft is a Japanese publisher and developer, founded on May 18, 1973. ...	Keith Courage in Alpha Zone Hudson Soft - 1988 Image File history File links Keith_Courage_02. ... Hudson Soft is a Japanese publisher and developer, founded on May 18, 1973. ...
Parasol Stars Taito - 1991 Image File history File links Parasol_tg16. ... Parasol Stars is a video game by Taito released in 1991. ... Taito may mean: Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware. ...	Operation Wolf Taito - 1991 Image File history File links TG16_opwolf. ... Operation Wolf is a one-player shooter arcade game by Taito made in 1987. ... Taito may mean: Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware. ...	Schibbin Man 3 Masiya - 1992 Image File history File links Schbibin_Man_3_06. ...	Splatterhouse Namco Image File history File links Splatterhouse_tg16. ... Splatterhouse is a sidescrolling beat em up arcade game, released by Namco in 1988. ... Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ...
Ys I and II Hudson Soft - 1989 Image File history File links Ys_intro. ... Hudson Soft is a Japanese publisher and developer, founded on May 18, 1973. ...

See also

• List of Turbo CD games
• List of TurboGrafx-16 games
• Bonk (former mascot)
• Johnny Turbo

This is a list of video game consoles by the era they appeared in. ... This article deals with the history of the first generation video game consoles. ... The Magnavox Odyssey is the first home video game console, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years. ... PONG was a video game based on ping-pong, released by Atari on November 29, 1972. ... The Telstar is a video game console produced by Coleco which first went on sale in 1976. ... This article deals with the history of the second generation video game consoles. ... The Fairchild Channel F The Fairchild Channel F is the worlds first cartridge-based video game console. ... The Atari 2600, released in 1977, is the first successful video game console to use plug-in cartridges instead of having one or more games built in. ... Philips Videopac G7000 shown playing Pickaxe Pete The Magnavox Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey, and also by many other names, is a video game console released in 1978. ... The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1980; development of the console began in 1978 (less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the legendary Atari 2600 aka the Atari VCS). ... The Atari 5200 is a video game console introduced in 1982 by Atari. ... The Colecovision is Colecos third generation video game console, released in August 1982. ... The Vectrex is an 8-bit video game console developed by General Consumer Electric (GCE) and later bought by Milton Bradley Company. ... The SG-1000, which stands for Sega Game 1000, is a cartridge-based video game console manufactured by Sega. ... In the history of video games, the 8-bit era was the third generation of video game consoles, but the first after the video game crash of 1983 and considered by some to be the first modern era of console gaming. ... The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, is an 8-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and Australia. ... The Sega Master System (SMS for short) is an 8-bit cartridge-based gaming console that was manufactured by Sega. ... The Atari 7800 is a video game console released by Atari in 1986 (a test market occurred in June 1984). ... In the history of video games, the 16-bit era was the fourth generation of video game consoles. ... The PC Engine was a video game console released by NEC, a Japanese company, in 1987. ... The Sega Mega Drive was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... The original Neo-Geo console was greatly advanced for its time. ... CD-i or Compact Disc Interactive is the name of an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by Royal Philips Electronics N.V. CD-i also refers to the multimedia Compact Disc standard utilized by the CD-i console, also known as Green Book, which was co-developed by... In the history of computer and video games, the 32-bit / 64-bit era was the fifth generation of video game consoles. ... 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (most commonly referred to as the 3DO) was a line of video game consoles released in 1993 and 1994 by Panasonic, Sanyo and Goldstar. ... The Atari Jaguar is a video game console introduced in November 1993 as a powerful next generation platform. ... The Sega Saturn (Japanese: セガサターン, Sega Saturn), is a video game console of the 32-bit era. ... The PlayStation is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... The PC-FX console The PC-FX was NECs 32-bit sequel to its PC Engine (US:TurboGrafx 16). ... The Nintendo 64, commonly called the N64, is Nintendos third home video game console. ... The sixth-generation era (sometimes inaccurately referred to as the 128-bit era; see section below) refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at the turn of the 21st century. ... The Sega Dreamcast (Japanese: ドリームキャスト; code-named Blackbelt, Dural and Katana during development) was Segas last video game console. ... The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the Sixth generation era—the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ... The Microsoft Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console first released on November 15, 2001 in North America and Puerto Rico , then released on February 22, 2002 in Japan, and on March 14, 2002 in Europe. ... The seventh generation era is a video game era in the history of computer and video games that began towards the end of 2004, but is not set to really take off until late 2006 with the release of new video game consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony, the three... Xbox 360 The Xbox 360, known during development as the Xenon, Xbox 2 or the Xbox Next, is the successor to Microsofts original Xbox video game console. ... The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is Sonys seventh generation era video game console in the PlayStation series. ... The Nintendo Revolution is the current codename for Nintendos fifth home video game console and the successor to the Nintendo GameCube. ... This is a list of games for the NEC TurboGrafx CD, an add-on CD-ROM peripheral for the TurboGrafx-16 video game system, organised alphabetically by name. ... This is a list of games for the NEC TurboGrafx-16 video game system, organised alphabetically by name. ... Bonk in the first level of Bonks Adventure, for the TurboGrafx 16 Bonk was the large-headed, bald, caveman mascot for NECs Turbo line of consoles. ... Johnny Turbo is a fictional character created to advertise the Turbo Duo, a hybrid Turbografx 16 and TurboGrafx CD system, in North America. ...

External links

• TurboGrafx-16.com - Institute For Advanced Turbo Gaming Studies : features a comprehensive overview of all TurboGrafx systems developed for the American home consumer electronics market, extensive TurboGrafx history, a growing library of web resources including eBay auction tools, a small TurboGrafx web store featuring a few select items, general information regarding the Japanese PC Engine variant systems, multimedia downloads, TurboGrafx propaganda and documentation along with a growing list of over 300 pages of cheats and codes featured on the Tricknology 101 page.
• Pcenginefx.com - website for TurboGrafx-16's Japanese counterpart systems including PC Engine and PC-FX. Includes downloads, feature articles, reviews and even an 8-minute television series entitled PcenginefxTV.
• Turbo2k.net - On the web since 1999, Turbo2k features: exclusive game reviews and recommendations, hardware information, screenshots, downloads, editorials, and a constantly updated news blog highlighting TurboGrafx 16 news from around the world.