Top 10 reasons why I HATED the Turbografx-16

DesmondThe3rd · 08/09/2010, 04:27 PM

OK Desmond, Starsoldier here or whatever the hell I'm called myself this time with a follow up to my top 10 favourites things about the Turbo... of course it's the worst. I'm still a big fan of the system don't get me wrong but here are a few things that bugged the crap out of me.
http://blip.tv/file/3975436

turbogrfxfan · 08/09/2010, 08:12 PM

you rock another great review. Id say the worst for me was none of my friends had the system so I couldnt trade games

but on the plus side I had many kick ass games that drew me to get the turbo in the first place. yeah yeah it may not of been a true sixteen bit system but to me in the end didnt matter!

Arkhan Asylum · 08/10/2010, 01:08 AM

The thing that I hated most is barely anywhere stocking used games.

ParanoiaDragon · 08/10/2010, 01:27 AM

Well, I do love Legendary Axe 2, it's much better then the first IMHO. Not that the first one sucks, but, compared to the 2nd, well, it kinda does. Ofcoarse, the 2 games only relation is that they were published by Victor in Japan, & both had the word densetsu in the names, which can translate to Legend or Legendary. The first game was Makyo Densetsu or the Legend of Evil People or something to that effect, I've never been really clear on what that would translates to. The 2nd one was Ankoku Densetsu, Legend of Darkness or Dark Legend. So, really, comparing them isn't fair, only that NEC decided to try to capitalize on LA1's sucess. Though, I feel they should've tied it in more, so that the 2 dudes in LA2 were the sons of the char's in LA1.

TR0N · 08/10/2010, 01:29 AM

I can list two thing that i hated most about it Des.

1st
Poor suport by nec for it in the u.s when it had so much for it in japan.
2nd
Not selling the (Super System Card) to retailers.

Though that's the only thing i was ever bother about it.

ParanoiaDragon · 08/10/2010, 01:32 AM

Oh & in regards to voice acting, I will give the Japanese credit, they really tried to act while speaking english, atleast, I think they tried to act. Most games, like Last Alert, Final Zone 2, Valis 3, were all voiced in Japan, by people who don't know how to speak proper english. Infact, Browning, which was never released stateside, uses the same voice actors as the US version of Last Alert & Final Zone 2! Ys 3 is a different story, as those actors just plain sucked, though, I did like Mayor Grady muh-boy!

As for the hardware, like it having short controllers & only one port, that was all Hudson of Japan, & they made the system sucessfull....but only in Japan! Seriously, thoughs were some of my biggest gripes, but, I can't blame them on the US branch. Infact, most descisions(especially when TTI came around) came directly from Japan

The system isn't 16-bit? Depends on who you ask. If it has 16-bit grafics, does that make it 16-bit? Or is it a really fricken good looking 8-bit? Infact, an 8-bitter that's sooo powerful, it actually has things it can do that the Genesis & SNES can't? I'm not answering the questions, I'm only throwing them out there. Generally speaking, I think of it as 16-bit. It came out roughly 2 years before the Mega Drive, & what...3 or 4 years before the SFC, something like that. Either way, it's impressive. Plus, some people still to this day think the Neo Geo was 24-bit, but my understanding has been for quite some time, that it too is 16-bit. Really it comes down to what generation people think of. The Turbo was from the 16-bit generation, of which, only the Neo Geo has any power over the others. The main 3 all have their strengths & weaknesses, but, outside Japan, we didn't get to see many of the Turbo's strengths

DesmondThe3rd · 08/12/2010, 12:54 PM

Quote from: ParanoiaDragon on 08/10/2010, 01:27 AMWell, I do love Legendary Axe 2, it's much better then the first IMHO. Not that the first one sucks, but, compared to the 2nd, well, it kinda does. Ofcoarse, the 2 games only relation is that they were published by Victor in Japan, & both had the word densetsu in the names, which can translate to Legend or Legendary. The first game was Makyo Densetsu or the Legend of Evil People or something to that effect, I've never been really clear on what that would translates to. The 2nd one was Ankoku Densetsu, Legend of Darkness or Dark Legend. So, really, comparing them isn't fair, only that NEC decided to try to capitalize on LA1's sucess. Though, I feel they should've tied it in more, so that the 2 dudes in LA2 were the sons of the char's in LA1.

I think I definitely would have liked it better if the two stories were corrected in just some way but no luck.

DesmondThe3rd · 08/12/2010, 12:59 PM

Quote from: turbogrfxfan on 08/09/2010, 08:12 PMyou rock another great review. Id say the worst for me was none of my friends had the system so I couldnt trade games but on the plus side I had many kick ass games that drew me to get the turbo in the first place. yeah yeah it may not of been a true sixteen bit system but to me in the end didnt matter!

Thanks, sadly I didn't know too many people that had the system back in the day either but I still liked it too.

DragonmasterDan · 08/12/2010, 01:04 PM

I watched a bit of the hated video, just a quick note. A lot of stores sold TG16 from 89-92. Toys R us, Target, Babbages, EB Games, Software etc among many others. Once it migrated into the "Duo Era" and TTI started running it the platform became more hardcore centric, and was no longer aiming at the larger audience, that was when mass retailers started dropping it.

Added in edit: I don't think Radio Shack started carrying stuff until after TTI disbanded and the system was discontinued in the US in late Spring of 1994.

td741 · 08/12/2010, 01:21 PM

Quote from: ParanoiaDragon on 08/10/2010, 01:32 AMThe system isn't 16-bit? Depends on who you ask. If it has 16-bit grafics, does that make it 16-bit? Or is it a really fricken good looking 8-bit? Infact, an 8-bitter that's sooo powerful, it actually has things it can do that the Genesis & SNES can't?

"16-bits" in this case can largely be viewed as a marketing gimmick. The Intellivision could be considered a 16-bit system. I tend to lump consoles more into generations. Of course, that prompts another argument over how you define each generation. ;)

Ceti Alpha · 08/12/2010, 01:48 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 08/12/2010, 01:04 PMI watched a bit of the hated video, just a quick note. A lot of stores sold TG16 from 89-92. Toys R us, Target, Babbages, EB Games, Software etc among many others. Once it migrated into the "Duo Era" and TTI started running it the platform became more hardcore centric, and was no longer aiming at the larger audience, that was when mass retailers started dropping it.

Added in edit: I don't think Radio Shack started carrying stuff until after TTI disbanded and the system was discontinued in the US in late Spring of 1994.

Radio Shack was the only place I could buy TG goodness bitd. But Halifax was pretty removed back then. I remember moving from Ontario to here and I had Transformers and Voltron before kids even knew what it was in Halifax. hehe They carried it from launch, and through to the Duo/TTI days. There may have been a store that carried it for a while that I'm forgetting about.

td741 · 08/12/2010, 02:07 PM

Radio Shack did carry the TG-16 from early days in Canada. While more and more retailers started to phase it out, RS kept up fairly well along with many of the new Super CD Releases made available. With the arrival of the Duo, the only places in Ottawa to get Turbo games was Radio Shack (kept up with newer releases), CompuCenter (had new hardware but pretty much had older releases) and various game stores that sold used games and systems like Microplay.

Edit: I can't remember at which point Radio Shack stopped carrying the Turbo. I was lucky enough to take advantage of a R.S. Clearance Center nearby and take advantage of purchasing games and accessories at 3 for 1. ;)

Ceti Alpha · 08/12/2010, 02:23 PM

Oh, and hey Desmond/Starsoldier! It's avenuePad on Youtube.

ZachSpears · 08/12/2010, 02:30 PM

you have blasphemed the name of keith courage!

DragonmasterDan · 08/12/2010, 02:42 PM

Quote from: td741 on 08/12/2010, 02:07 PMRadio Shack did carry the TG-16 from early days in Canada. While more and more retailers started to phase it out, RS kept up fairly well along with many of the new Super CD Releases made available. With the arrival of the Duo, the only places in Ottawa to get Turbo games was Radio Shack (kept up with newer releases), CompuCenter (had new hardware but pretty much had older releases) and various game stores that sold used games and systems like Microplay.

Edit: I can't remember at which point Radio Shack stopped carrying the Turbo. I was lucky enough to take advantage of a R.S. Clearance Center nearby and take advantage of purchasing games and accessories at 3 for 1. ;)

Interesting, I wasn't aware Radio Shack was carrying it in Canada, I know in the US (at least at the Radio Shacks I visited, frequently having to buy archer brand RF switches and such) it wasn't sold directly in stores until after the system was dead (at least in my area), and generally had to be ordered through a catalog in the back for products beyond the basic hardware.

DragonmasterDan · 08/12/2010, 02:44 PM

Quote from: td741 on 08/12/2010, 01:21 PM"16-bits" in this case can largely be viewed as a marketing gimmick. The Intellivision could be considered a 16-bit system. I tend to lump consoles more into generations. Of course, that prompts another argument over how you define each generation. ;)

Yep, an argument can be made that compiled code for say, the Atari Jaguar is 64-bit, and the original Xbox is only 32-bit (being based on X86_, despite the original X-box being far far more powerful. Bits are a poor way to judge systems, especially when only taking into account the main processor's capabilities.

DesmondThe3rd · 08/12/2010, 05:49 PM

Quote from: TR0N on 08/10/2010, 01:29 AMI can list two thing that i hated most about it Des.

1st
Poor suport by nec for it in the u.s when it had so much for it in japan.
2nd
Not selling the (Super System Card) to retailers.

Though that's the only thing i was ever bother about it.

Yeah, the card should have been sold in stores especially since there were more Turbografx's out there then Duo's and it's so disappointing seeing all these cool Japanese games..... that never came over here!

DesmondThe3rd · 08/12/2010, 05:52 PM

Quote from: ceti alpha on 08/12/2010, 02:23 PMOh, and hey Desmond/Starsoldier! It's avenuePad on Youtube.

Hey dude, what's up!?

DragonmasterDan · 08/12/2010, 05:53 PM

Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/12/2010, 05:49 PMYeah, the card should have been sold in stores especially since there were more Turbografx's out there then Duo's and it's so disappointing seeing all these cool Japanese games..... that never came over here!

There were more TurboGrafx's in circulation, but there were SOOOOO few TG-CD add ons in circulation it makes some sense.

DesmondThe3rd · 08/13/2010, 08:43 AM

S

Quote from: Rockabilly Paradise on 08/12/2010, 02:30 PMyou have blasphemed the name of keith courage!

Sorry, I just think it's merely only a average game at best.

DesmondThe3rd · 08/13/2010, 08:54 AM

Yep, an argument can be made that compiled code for say, the Atari Jaguar is 64-bit, and the original Xbox is only 32-bit (being based on X86_, despite the original X-box being far far more powerful. Bits are a poor way to judge systems, especially when only taking into account the main processor's capabilities.[/quote]
Yeah bits are poor way to judge a system's capabilities but I think it was a dumb move that NEC slapped a '16' at the end of their machine when they knew the truth.

SuperDeadite · 08/13/2010, 09:23 AM

Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/13/2010, 08:54 AMYep, an argument can be made that compiled code for say, the Atari Jaguar is 64-bit, and the original Xbox is only 32-bit (being based on X86_, despite the original X-box being far far more powerful. Bits are a poor way to judge systems, especially when only taking into account the main processor's capabilities.

Yeah bits are poor way to judge a system's capabilities but I think it was a dumb move that NEC slapped a '16' at the end of their machine when they knew the truth.[/quote]
The PCE has an 8-bit CPU with 16-bit GPUs
The Genesis has a 16-bit CPU with an 8-bit GPU

NEC did nothing wrong at all.

DesmondThe3rd · 08/13/2010, 08:42 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 08/12/2010, 05:53 PM
Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/12/2010, 05:49 PMYeah, the card should have been sold in stores especially since there were more Turbografx's out there then Duo's and it's so disappointing seeing all these cool Japanese games..... that never came over here!
There were more TurboGrafx's in circulation, but there were SOOOOO few TG-CD add ons in circulation it makes some sense.

Yeah, the Turbo CD wasn't actually sold in my local TG store back in the day.

DesmondThe3rd · 08/13/2010, 08:47 PM

Quote from: SuperDeadite on 08/13/2010, 09:23 AM
Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/13/2010, 08:54 AMYep, an argument can be made that compiled code for say, the Atari Jaguar is 64-bit, and the original Xbox is only 32-bit (being based on X86_, despite the original X-box being far far more powerful. Bits are a poor way to judge systems, especially when only taking into account the main processor's capabilities.
Yeah bits are poor way to judge a system's capabilities but I think it was a dumb move that NEC slapped a '16' at the end of their machine when they knew the truth.

The PCE has an 8-bit CPU with 16-bit GPUs
The Genesis has a 16-bit CPU with an 8-bit GPU

NEC did nothing wrong at all.[/quote]I can see your point and back in the 1990's I didn't care personally but the media and some my friends annoyed the hell out of me with these facts. Us Turbo fans can see the advantages despite it's main 8-bit processor.

Ceti Alpha · 08/13/2010, 08:58 PM

To me the proof was in the pudding, and the TG had some tasty pudding.

As for the "16 in Turbografx 16, it didn't really bother me that much. The only thing that bothered me was how much bullshit hype that was being thrown around about how the Genesis was the only "true" "16 bit" system. The SNES, Genesis, and TG all had their pros and cons (some more than others...yeah, I'm talking to you SNES

), but they were all 16 bit consoles, to be sure. The "16" in the TG name wasn't a misnomer in my mind, but you could argue that it was superfluous since most people simply called it the "Turbografx" in the end anyway.

Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/12/2010, 05:52 PM
Quote from: ceti alpha on 08/12/2010, 02:23 PMOh, and hey Desmond/Starsoldier! It's avenuePad on Youtube.
Hey dude, what's up!?

Not too much. Trying to enjoy the last few weeks of summer before we have to set up our igloos for the winter.

nat · 08/13/2010, 09:29 PM

I think it depended on the market..... Here in Seattle, in the early days, TurboGrafx hardware and games were just as prevalent in stores as Genesis stuff. You could walk into any video game store and count on a selection of TG-16 titles. In the later years, after TTi took over, is when the retail outlets started clearing the stuff out.

As for the "16-bit" issue.... As Deadite pointed out, it's no more or less misleading than calling the Genesis 16-bit. How about the Genesis claiming it outputs "High Definition Graphics?" Now THERE'S some false advertising!

Ceti Alpha · 08/13/2010, 09:35 PM

Quote from: nat on 08/13/2010, 09:29 PMAs for the "16-bit" issue.... As Deadite pointed out, it's no more or less misleading than calling the Genesis 16-bit. How about the Genesis claiming it outputs "High Definition Graphics?" Now THERE'S some false advertising!

hahaha. What do you mean?! You mean my Genesis won't play Bluray?!

ParanoiaDragon · 08/13/2010, 10:28 PM

What's funny, is that I never recall seeing any TG stuff in any Radio Shacks out here, but, all the other places(Toys R Us, Babbages, even mom n' pop places) had Turbo stuff.

TR0N · 08/13/2010, 11:06 PM

Quote from: ParanoiaDragon on 08/13/2010, 10:28 PMWhat's funny, is that I never recall seeing any TG stuff in any Radio Shacks out here, but, all the other places(Toys R Us, Babbages, even mom n' pop places) had Turbo stuff.

That was usely where i usely saw the TG16&games being sold at.Either at Toy'sR'US or at Babbages,beside in Sears Catalogs.

DragonmasterDan · 08/14/2010, 10:42 AM

Quote from: ParanoiaDragon on 08/13/2010, 10:28 PMWhat's funny, is that I never recall seeing any TG stuff in any Radio Shacks out here, but, all the other places(Toys R Us, Babbages, even mom n' pop places) had Turbo stuff.

I remember buying games at Target, Toys R us ,Electronic Boutique, Babbages, Child World during the systems initial lifepsan.

ZachSpears · 08/15/2010, 06:15 AM

Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/13/2010, 08:43 AMS
Quote from: Rockabilly Paradise on 08/12/2010, 02:30 PMyou have blasphemed the name of keith courage!
Sorry, I just think it's merely only a average game at best.

yeah but not keith himself! just because they made a shitty game about him doesn't mean he deosn't kick major ass! lol i'm thinking about doing a live action movie of keith courage and calling it ALPHA ZONES. i know it was an anime or whatever but i don't care. look for it to hit youtube in the next few months!

Colossus1574 · 08/17/2010, 12:57 AM

Des: you're 10 things are all legit reasons! Man....box to box....the artwork was just so consistenly shitty! They all look like they were done by 3rd rate artists who got hired for cheap....it's pretty sad when Magical Dinosaur Tour has better art then Dungeon Explorer.....blame the marketing dept again!

Anyways, my annoyance probably was that the core machine just required too much add-ons to compete with the SNES and Genesis bases systems. We needed things like the Booster but more importantly the CDrom to get the better stand-out titles (extra $200 investment...for a teenager??? that's alot of paper routes my friend!) And like u mentioned, just to play a simple 2 player game (which the Turbo lacked in the 1st place) we needed to throw in another $35 for the Tap? arghs.....

Tatsujin · 08/17/2010, 01:10 AM

I will watch that after coming home. LOL. I could list 101 things hating about the TG-16

DesmondThe3rd · 08/17/2010, 11:32 PM

Quote from: Colossus1574 on 08/17/2010, 12:57 AMDes: you're 10 things are all legit reasons! Man....box to box....the artwork was just so consistenly shitty! They all look like they were done by 3rd rate artists who got hired for cheap....it's pretty sad when Magical Dinosaur Tour has better art then Dungeon Explorer.....blame the marketing dept again!

Anyways, my annoyance probably was that the core machine just required too much add-ons to compete with the SNES and Genesis bases systems. We needed things like the Booster but more importantly the CDrom to get the better stand-out titles (extra $200 investment...for a teenager??? that's alot of paper routes my friend!) And like u mentioned, just to play a simple 2 player game (which the Turbo lacked in the 1st place) we needed to throw in another $35 for the Tap? arghs.....

Ohya, it wasn't easy to talk my parents into getting me both the Turbo Tap and another Controller back then for a gift. I knew there was no way in hell I would get a Turbo CD especially with our weak Canadian dollar back then.

Ceti Alpha · 08/18/2010, 09:56 AM

Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/17/2010, 11:32 PM
Quote from: Colossus1574 on 08/17/2010, 12:57 AMDes: you're 10 things are all legit reasons! Man....box to box....the artwork was just so consistenly shitty! They all look like they were done by 3rd rate artists who got hired for cheap....it's pretty sad when Magical Dinosaur Tour has better art then Dungeon Explorer.....blame the marketing dept again!

Anyways, my annoyance probably was that the core machine just required too much add-ons to compete with the SNES and Genesis bases systems. We needed things like the Booster but more importantly the CDrom to get the better stand-out titles (extra $200 investment...for a teenager??? that's alot of paper routes my friend!) And like u mentioned, just to play a simple 2 player game (which the Turbo lacked in the 1st place) we needed to throw in another $35 for the Tap? arghs.....
Ohya, it wasn't easy to talk my parents into getting me both the Turbo Tap and another Controller back then for a gift. I knew there was no way in hell I would get a Turbo CD especially with our weak Canadian dollar back then.

Yeah, the CDROM was pretty much unattainable unless you had parents willing to shell out the dough. I can't remember if Radio Shack here even had clearance on the Duos.

ParanoiaDragon · 08/19/2010, 08:09 AM

Well, I don't know about ya'll, but, I just saved up for the CD Rom, & got it when the price dropped to $150, I don't recall how long it took, but, I was able to get that & Valis 2 for $30.

Arkhan Asylum · 08/19/2010, 09:39 AM

Quote from: Rockabilly Paradise on 08/15/2010, 06:15 AMyeah but not keith himself! just because they made a shitty game about him doesn't mean he deosn't kick major ass! lol i'm thinking about doing a live action movie of keith courage and calling it ALPHA ZONES. i know it was an anime or whatever but i don't care. look for it to hit youtube in the next few months!

will it star a like, 9 year old boy like the anime? lol

TurbografxKid · 08/19/2010, 06:43 PM

Lets see.........
I had to drive out of town and out of my state in order to purchase my Turbo Grafx 16 from a Toy-R-Us. Had to do the same thing whenever I wanted as new game. This was back when there was really no internet. There was only mail order from the back of game magazines. And the SNES hadn't hit the store shelves yet. Arcades was where everyone met.

I'm the only one that had one around me and I was the only one who knew what a TG16 was.

It has already been said, the poor support that NEC gave the system in the US. So many games that should have been released here. Which leads me to say that, it should never had region lock on the system.

Hated myself for not picking up the rare Turbo booster back then. Why wasn't that in the system in the first place?

I agree with the turbo tap as mentioned. It was a bit irritating to get one so that others could play.

Other than those few things, I fell in love with the TG16 as soon as I got home and pulled it out of the box. And I am still on a honeymoon with it. I treat mine with kid gloves and seemly treasure the TG16 above all of my other consoles.

Colossus1574 · 08/20/2010, 03:11 AM

Quote from: ceti alpha on 08/18/2010, 09:56 AM
Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/17/2010, 11:32 PM
Quote from: Colossus1574 on 08/17/2010, 12:57 AM
Ohya, it wasn't easy to talk my parents into getting me both the Turbo Tap and another Controller back then for a gift. I knew there was no way in hell I would get a Turbo CD especially with our weak Canadian dollar back then.
Yeah, the CDROM was pretty much unattainable unless you had parents willing to shell out the dough. I can't remember if Radio Shack here even had clearance on the Duos.

Backthen....i was buying my stuff in the mall at a computer store called CompuCentre (wow....genius who came up with that one) and behind the counter way up on a heavenly pedestal...was the box for the CD Rom unit...i always dreaded seeing all the CD games i couldn't buy and walked out with my Hucard (no loading time so eat that bitches! haha)....

Ya...i think our Cdn was only worth 65cents to a US dollar those days

Colossus1574 · 08/20/2010, 03:13 AM

Quote from: TurbografxKid on 08/19/2010, 06:43 PMOther than those few things, I fell in love with the TG16 as soon as I got home and pulled it out of the box. And I am still on a honeymoon with it. I treat mine with kid gloves and seemly treasure the TG16 above all of my other consoles.

Well the TG16/PCE has a very special place in my childhood too, it was my graduation from the ol' NES! Plus, how could u resist those cute little hucards vs. the bulky cartridges hahaha

Ceti Alpha · 08/20/2010, 08:54 AM

Quote from: Colossus1574 on 08/20/2010, 03:11 AM
Quote from: ceti alpha on 08/18/2010, 09:56 AM
Quote from: DesmondThe3rd on 08/17/2010, 11:32 PM
Quote from: Colossus1574 on 08/17/2010, 12:57 AM
Ohya, it wasn't easy to talk my parents into getting me both the Turbo Tap and another Controller back then for a gift. I knew there was no way in hell I would get a Turbo CD especially with our weak Canadian dollar back then.
Yeah, the CDROM was pretty much unattainable unless you had parents willing to shell out the dough. I can't remember if Radio Shack here even had clearance on the Duos.
Backthen....i was buying my stuff in the mall at a computer store called CompuCentre (wow....genius who came up with that one) and behind the counter way up on a heavenly pedestal...was the box for the CD Rom unit...i always dreaded seeing all the CD games i couldn't buy and walked out with my Hucard (no loading time so eat that bitches! haha).... Ya...i think our Cdn was only worth 65cents to a US dollar those days

Yup. Canada was pretty much on the brink of becoming a banana republic until we started paying down our debt like mad in the 90s.

turbogrfxfan · 08/22/2010, 06:12 PM

I spent my whole summer at 14 years ols sweeping warehouses in Newark nj to get that cd. thats prolly the only thing i hated about turbo cd

rag-time4 · 08/22/2010, 07:29 PM

Quote from: TurbografxKid on 08/19/2010, 06:43 PMIt has already been said, the poor support that NEC gave the system in the US. So many games that should have been released here. Which leads me to say that, it should never had region lock on the system.

I don't think any system should ever have region lock. Region lock is absolutely retarded.

turbogrfxfan · 08/22/2010, 08:10 PM

Quote from: rag-time4 on 08/22/2010, 07:29 PM
Quote from: TurbografxKid on 08/19/2010, 06:43 PMIt has already been said, the poor support that NEC gave the system in the US. So many games that should have been released here. Which leads me to say that, it should never had region lock on the system.
I don't think any system should ever have region lock. Region lock is absolutely retarded.

i agree rags but i think they do it to controll the market

Firebomber7 · 08/25/2010, 10:14 AM

Quote from: SuperDeadite on 08/13/2010, 09:23 AMThe PCE has an 8-bit CPU with 16-bit GPUs
The Genesis has a 16-bit CPU with an 8-bit GPU

NEC did nothing wrong at all.

I'm pretty sure the Genesis CPU is 32-bit, but sits on a 16-bit data bus. Sega could have written 32-bit across the top of the Genesis/MD and they would not have been wrong.

Writing 16, 32 or 64 on anything was never anything other than marketing.

Obfuscate · 08/25/2010, 10:30 AM

I guess I didn't really realize that I was in the minority when I got my Turbo, I lived near a Toys R Us, Two of my good friends had Turbos and we'd get together to play and trade games and a video store named Marios carried TG games for rentals. It wasn't till they went out of buisness that I realized it wasn't that popular.

As far as negatives, the one control port never bothered me as a kid, I just thought it was cool that I could play 5 player. I think the biggest negative was that the CD and Express were so expensive. If they would have been more abtainable I think the TG + CD and/or Duo could have beat out Genisis and SNES. By the time the prices dropped they were too far behind to catch up.

DragonmasterDan · 08/25/2010, 10:44 AM

Quote from: Obfuscate on 08/25/2010, 10:30 AMI guess I didn't really realize that I was in the minority when I got my Turbo, I lived near a Toys R Us, Two of my good friends had Turbos and we'd get together to play and trade games and a video store named Marios carried TG games for rentals. It wasn't till they went out of buisness that I realized it wasn't that popular.

As far as negatives, the one control port never bothered me as a kid, I just thought it was cool that I could play 5 player. I think the biggest negative was that the CD and Express were so expensive. If they would have been more abtainable I think the TG + CD and/or Duo could have beat out Genisis and SNES. By the time the prices dropped they were too far behind to catch up.

I also got a TG16 in part because I had friends that had it.

Also worth noting, while the single controller port was an annoyance, far worse was the short cords and high failure rate of the controllers due to the thick and easily f'ed up cord on the pad. And the GIANT connectors going into the controller. Between 1990 and 1992 I probably went through 4 controllers which was half the price of the system.

Roy The Sunderer · 08/25/2010, 12:28 PM

I had 2 friends that also had the Turbografx. Games weren't a problem to find in Chicago, I even bought some from Polk Brothers (a furniture/appliance store). I bought the CD unit back in the day. I was a kid, I wasn't quite old enough to drive yet, so I didn't really have anything more important to spend money on. I only bought 4 CD games (Monster Lair, Final Zone 2, Valis 2 and Ys Book 1 & 2), so it ended up being a pricey add-on that I didn't use for many games. Still cool though.

Ceti Alpha · 08/25/2010, 03:00 PM

Quote from: Roy The Sunderer on 08/25/2010, 12:28 PMI had 2 friends that also had the Turbografx. Games weren't a problem to find in Chicago, I even bought some from Polk Brothers (a furniture/appliance store). I bought the CD unit back in the day. I was a kid, I wasn't quite old enough to drive yet, so I didn't really have anything more important to spend money on. I only bought 4 CD games (Monster Lair, Final Zone 2, Valis 2 and Ys Book 1 & 2), so it ended up being a pricey add-on that I didn't use for many games. Still cool though.

Hilarious that you could buy TG games in a furniture store. Aside from Valis II you had a pretty nice collection of CD games, even though it was small.

Mathius · 08/25/2010, 03:06 PM

The only thing that I really hate about the Turbo (other than the current price gouging) is that one day in the next few years my Turbo-CD will probably kick the bucket. Not that I wouldn't love to have a Turbo Duo, or a Duo-R, it's just I am in love with my ol' black monstrosity.