Different Tg-16-PC Engine adapters--Differences, pros, cons?

[rbudrick]

Hi Folks,

I ran across this on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4315

It says Kisado, but, if I'm not mistaken, that's not a kisado, right?

From what I understand, there are several types of adaptors to play Japanese games on an American system (besides getting a Japanese system or having a switch installed, which I want to avoid like the plague).

So let's see, there's the kisado, the diving board type (are there different styles of this?), the one in the ebay auction, the new type on tzd.com, and maybe others.

Did I miss any? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type? I hear some work with some systems and not others. I also hear some work sometimes or that they are moody.

What's the official word on all of this? Furthermore, if I am aiming to play Japanese games on a duo, how should I proceed? Do European games work onan American system w/o an adapter?

Sorry for 100,000 questions!

Thanks!

Yours,

Rob

[maxlords]

Please check this thread in the import forum, all about convertors:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16925

That's why we kept it...to answer import questions

[Sniderman]

I betcha the Imports mavens will have some answers.

<schleppin' thread to its new home>

[rbudrick]

I've actually seen that thread before. It is far more broad than what I am looking for, considering it talks about ALL converters for ALL systems.

It didn't really answer what I was looking for.

-Rob

[maxlords]

I've actually seen that thread before. It is far more broad than what I am looking for, considering it talks about ALL converters for ALL systems.

It didn't really answer what I was looking for.

-Rob

Well the real question is how much info do you need? Here's all the convertors available. The Mirai is already sold out at TZD and long gone, and their information on the "Purple Barney" is inaccurate as well, but that's most of it: http://www.darkcityproductions.com/d...html#converter

I myself have the white WH-301. The white one is designed for Duos, all you have to do is carefully remove the huCard door which pops right off. The purple and brown ones are slimmer and won't fit in a Duo without cutting up the casing, and you do NOT want to do that. The Kisado is considered the best convertor for PCE/Duo, but it's not only expensive, but almost as long as the diving board and fairly fragile. The diving boards work fine too, but also fairly fragile. I've never seen or used an Apollo or a Mirai.

They should all work on every system, but sometimes some of the WH-301s and the diving boards need to be seated JUST right to work properly.

As for Japanese games on a Duo, buy either a white WH-301, a diving board, or a Kisado if you can afford it. Avoid the purple barney as it won't fit (purple WH-301). I play all my PCE hucards on my US Duo with the white WH-301. You could also get a push button region mod from D-Lite and avoid trying to find and fiddle with a convertor at all.

Finally, there are NO European PCE/TG16 games at all. They don't exist. Europeans barely got the PCE and all and they got US and Jp games only. If you have any other questions, just ask, but please ask in the import forum...it's a good post to keep for reference in there!

Hope that helps!

[D-Lite]

I'll chime in a bit on this one (thanks for the nod Nate!)

The Purple Barney "Game Converter" is pretty unreliable and the Mirai converter isn't very good either. The guys at TZD even told me that the Mirai is unreliable, particularly with the Arcade Card Duo. The "unreliable" nature for many converters is due to the ridiculously long leads on the converter which short on the HuCard slot if the converter isn't seated perfectly or moves a bit crooked in the slot during gameplay. The Kisado is generally considered the best since it's made very sturdy compared to the others, it fits all systems, and it tends to move the least in the slot due to to its dimensions. But of course these generally cost you $100

For half that I can mod your system such that you use a switch to do the same process. (I have a thread in the B/S forum with some examples).

The main argument against the switch mod is that it'll "hurt the value" of the system from a "collection" standpoint. But if you plan on playing your system and want it to look good and not fear losing the converter, the internal mod is the way to go. I have the Kisado adapters but still preferred the mod solution (and I swear that's not a sales plug!!)

[rbudrick]

Thanks, so much, guys!

I very much appreciate your help. :-)

It's good to have a final word on this!


Yours,

Rob

[GaijinPunch]

From what I know, the Kisado is the only good converter for the Turbo Duo. Other than that, buy a PC-Engine or CoreGrafx to play your PC-Engine imports. The rest of the converters aren't worth the time.