Released in 1989, the TurboGrafx-16 was the American name for the PC Engine.
Originally marketed as a competitor for the NES, it sold well initially, but never achieved the same success the PC Engine enjoyed in Japan.
Games for the TG-16 came on credit card sized TurboChips, similar to the cards that could be used on the original Master System.
TG-16 games have a distinct style, featuring large, colourful sprites, which still hold up well today. The 16 attached to the end of the name referred to the fact it had 16 bit graphics. While the system itself was only 8 bit, the custom chips meant it was still a powerful machine and the graphics were remarkable for the time.
A CD add-on was released two years before the Mega CD, making the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 the first console capable of playing CD games. The TurboGrafx-CD received its own upgrade in the Super System Card which increased Ram to 256 KB. The Arcade Card Pro was never released outside of Japan.
The machine received a limited release in Europe, where it was known simply as the Turbografx. Very few details are available about the European version but it has been suggested that no games were ever released, leaving users with just the one game that came with the console.
We need more info about this console ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system,
please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.
Please consider donating your old computer / videogame system to Old-Computers.com or one of our partners from anywhere in the world (Europe, America, Asia, etc.).
A very underrated console for sure. There''s not a huge library of games for it, given the limited lifespan of the console. But there''s also not a lot of duds in the library, which is something that longer lasting consoles like the NES, Sega Master System and the Atari 2600 cannot say.
Saturday 4th February 2023
vidsquid
NAME
TurboGrafx-16/Turbografx
MANUFACTURER
NEC
ORIGIN
Japan
YEAR
1989 (U.S.A.), 1990 (Europe)
END OF PRODUCTION
Unknown
BUILT IN SOFTWARE / GAMES
None
CONTROLLERS
8-way d-pad, 2 buttons + Run + Select
CPU
8 bit HuC6280A
SPEED
7.16 MHz (Switchable by software to 1.79 MHz)
CO-PROCESSOR
16 bit HuC6260 Video Color Encoder, 16 bit HuC6270A Video Display Controller
RAM
8 KB
VRAM
64 KB
GRAPHIC MODES
usually 256x240, 512x240 max.
COLORS
512 palette, 482 on screen (241 background & 241 sprite)
