Tips for getting into the Turbografx/Turboduo

[Bozle]

So I've decided that the next system I want to add to my collection is the Turbografx. I've been reading up, and it seems there a ton of options to choose from in terms of consoles.

Which model would the fine lads here suggest? The American Turboduo? The original? The Duo-R/RX?

[Koa Zo]

So I've decided that the next system I want to add to my collection is the Turbografx. I've been reading up, and it seems there a ton of options to choose from in terms of consoles.

Which model would the fine lads here suggest? The American Turboduo? The original? The Duo-R/RX?

A recapped and output modded (S-Video or whatever your monitor supports) Duo-R is what I'd look for.
It apparently isn't difficult to do a region mod for the HuCards, sans that the Japanese library is far more extensive than just the US releases.
The Japanese controller port will also provide a broader selection of peripheral options and probably less costly controllers too.

[Gentlegamer]

Don't collect.

Use the ootake emulator and play the games.

[celerystalker]

First and foremost, it's gonna get expensive, so unless you have a lot of disposable income, beware, as it's super popular these days with collectors. That said, I did a US Turbografx unit for US HuCards and a Japanese Duo-R for import HuCards, and CDs are region free. Just beware, as you're getting into territory with the Neo Geo AES for crazy high prices. Those rare NES and SNES games will start to look reasonable by comparison.

Also, get a time machine and buy this in the late '90s. If I hadn't bought my stuff then, it'd be out of my reach now. I've bought arcade cabinets that cost less than Turbo games. A lot less.

[Tron 2.0]

Not the best time to collect for the TG16 period.Few years ago it wasn't to bad but now there's allot of demand for said console and game.Still,if you have the money id suggest importing a duo-r or rx the most reliable model out there.The other being just stick to the japanese release since the american ones are pricey currently.The other advice i can give buy a flash cart such as the turbo everdrive,it will let you play the more expensive games on hucards.

[Tanooki]

If you have to, go with the Japanese hardware and repair before use by replacing the capacitors. But realistically just don't bother. As others have said it's just too expensive now to really be enjoyable. Scalpers combined with people with more money than common sense have caused it all to shoot up in price to where it's just very unreasonable for most of it and especially anything decent. Maybe it'll drop out eventually when people run out of stuff to get dumb over but right now it'll cost you so much money. You'd be better off getting one of those overseas ROM/ISO playing handheld devices with large storage on them that expands with SD cards of various types and just doing that. If you were to jump in now and it fell off about this time next year you'll feel like a broke idiot blowing so much cash you won't ever see back. It's NEC not Nintendo it hardly has the base Nintendo does and it also has little nostalgia around it, it's a different group of nuts doing it on this one.

[jperryss]

Basically echoing what everyone else has said here. Prices are a bit crazy and it's not a great time to start collecting for this system. If you choose to, I'd pick up a Duo-R or Duo-RX, they tend to be more reliable and not have the capacitor issues that plague the black US/JP Duos. A stock R/RX will play CD and SCD games from all regions, but only JP hucards. An Arcade Card Duo adds ACD compatibility, but there aren't many must-own ACD games, IMO.

A region mod will add US hucard compatibility, but a Turbo Everdrive (highly recommended) will work on a JP system and allow you to play US and JP hucard games without a region mod.

[Steve W]

Apparently it's getting kind of hard to find PC Engine games in Japan nowadays with all the foreigners going there and buying up every store's stock for resale overseas.

Rakuten is an online Japanese retailer, a bit like Amazon, and they opened themselves up a few years ago for international retail. I went there and bought roughly $50 in PC Engine games with no idea what I was buying, just whether or not they had cool covers and were fairly inexpensive for my first round of purchases from them. Several months later I looked on their site to get more games and they barely had any. Nowadays you can't even find PC Engine games there at all.

Just get yourself a good emulator and a retro styled USB gamepad. If you're going to buy a bunch of Japanese titles, at least you can see which ones are worth the money and (here's my problem with some of the ones I bought) which ones are easy for a non-Japanese gamer to play. Several of the titles I bought were dense in Japanese text, so I didn't have a clue what I was doing or how to proceed. With emulation, you can do the research before spending loads of money on games you might not be able to play.

[bb_hood]

You can get a flash card for about 70$ to play the hu card games. You can play it on a pc engine core grafx system, which at this point is probably cheaper than the US Turbo Grafx system and has AV output.

[FieryReign]

Tips? Have alot of money to spend. The caps on American Duos are garbage. Get a jap Duo or a domestic with the capacitors already replaced.

[sfchakan]

Don't collect.

Use the ootake emulator and play the games.

It sounds really lame, but this is the route I'd go at this point. You can even buy the CD-based games as you come across them and run them via an emulator.

[Tanooki]

Not like the CDs are cheap though, but given there's no burned CD lockouts if I recall right it's another way to go.

Way back in the 90s I registered this French guys emulator before I ended up with a Duo called Magic Engine. Believe it or not it's still I believe maintained. It was and always has been excellent in that it runs anything you throw at it, even the Arcade CDs, Super Grafix, and so on. I ended up actually owning the Gate of Thunder disc (which had bonk1+2 and bomberman hiding too on it) and Ys Book 1+2 and used that before the real hardware. It originally was a DOS/Windows 32bit thing but I know it will work under Windows 7 64bit as I've tried it. I lost my key just a few years back and emailed the guy and he was still able to look me up and send me the code again which was surprising. That was done around the time I was considering getting back into it until I saw even 4 years ago the shit hit the fan on TG anything sadly and it has only gotten worse as it has gone up right along side the abuses of the NES and SNES if not worse due to less supply and more psychotics with deep wallets rage for it.

http://magicengine.com/

[Gentlegamer]

Magic Engine is excellent, but it hasn't been updated since 2008. It was the first and best PCE emulator, but ootake has long since surpassed it.

[CDiablo]

If you want a system that plays US stuff its cheaper to get a TG16+CD over a Duo but the duo has advantages, notably 1 power supply. The Duo is expensive and most need(or will soon need) a redoing of many onboard capacitors

Japanese systems I dont know much about but the Duo-R is most recommended. I believe its the cheapest all in one systems. I think a PC Engine+CD is cheaper than a Duo-R.

If you want legal access to every game you need a SuperGrafx+CD(plays the 6-8 Supergrafx) with a region mod.

Theres good flashcarts for playing roms and translations and can save you from having to region mod. All CD systems play burned games but it is not recommended as it will burn out the lazer. If you need RGB(if you use an upscaler) the standard PC engine and Turbografx have external solutions for RGB but the CD+card systems need an internal mod(not too difficult, more info here (http://www.retrorgb.com/tg16.html)). Overall as a system I like it a lot but I am a big fan of shmups, and that makes like 30% of the catalog. Theres a lot of junk on the system though.

[Niku-Sama]

my only tip is to check dumpsters

that's where I found my TG 16, with a turbo booster even

[SparTonberry]

I believe SuperGrafx was 5 games, though I don't remember if that was counting Darius Alpha/Plus or not (the only dual-compatible PCE game. And of those two one is the normal version and the other is a rare promo version).

[Koa Zo]

I'm not seeing this supposed price barrier to collecting PC-Engine games.
I've noticed maybe a handful of top titles spiike in price lately, but most of the library can still be purchased for between a couple dollars to $20 or $30 each.

[celerystalker]

PCE isn't so bad unless you want stuff like Sapphire, Fausette Armor, Renny Blaster, etc. It's the US stuff that's bonkers.

Also, read thebrothersduomazov.com. You'll learn a lot about what's out there and see a load of screens.

[jperryss]

If you want a system that plays US stuff its cheaper to get a TG16+CD over a Duo but the duo has advantages, notably 1 power supply. The Duo is expensive and most need(or will soon need) a redoing of many onboard capacitors.

But the Duo will play SCDs on it's own. The TG+CD combo requires a US Super System card which was going for $100+ last time I checked.

[BetaWolf]

Can anyone tell me if any of the consoles have the battery backup module integrated into the system?

[understatement]

Can anyone tell me if any of the consoles have the battery backup module integrated into the system?


All the models of duo have the game save back up and the CD add on has it, as does the Turbo Booster Plus I believe.

[Tanooki]

They save internally at least the duo did, but it also didn't have a sketchy cr2032 that failed after a year or just from looking at it funny like on Saturn. :) The years I had my Duo I never lost a game.

[BetaWolf]

I'm considering getting an import console though. I have no problem with replacing capacitors. How are the Coregrafx systems?

[Flojomojo]

Ye gods. If you have waited this long, what makes you think you'd even like having all this unreliable 1980s tech?

If you really want to spend money, just get an Nvidia Shield and call that your "TurboExpress."

[kai123]

Ye gods. If you have waited this long, what makes you think you'd even like having all this unreliable 1980s tech?

If you really want to spend money, just get an Nvidia Shield and call that your "TurboExpress."

haha that is the best advice I have read all day. If the system and games were cheaper I would say go for a Turbo but I just don't see the fun in it at all. I really can't buy a ton of retro games without my wallet punching me in the gut for thinking about it. I know me and I just want things just to have them and won't go through the trouble of playing them all the time. Whereas with my Shield I can just go crazy playing whatever jumps into my head. I still have quite a few of my games and enjoy them for what they are but I just feel like it is just work getting them to look just right and hoping the hardware is still working. With my Shield I am just playing games the way it is supposed to be just zero hassle. I am not too concerned about pirating 30 year old games. If they want to come after me then so be it. It's not like the original devs are getting anything if I buy a game on ebay.

[bb_hood]

How are the Coregrafx systems?

I have one and it works great. I havent had any problems with it, and Ive had 3 duo systems with bad caps...
Its super small which is cool also, and its got AV output which the US turbo does not have. Also uses the same ac and av cables as a model 1 genesis so you can have them sitting side by side and switch the cables whenever you want to use the other.
With a flash card you can play US and Japanese games, no mods required.

[Tanooki]

haha that is the best advice I have read all day. If the system and games were cheaper I would say go for a Turbo but I just don't see the fun in it at all. I really can't buy a ton of retro games without my wallet punching me in the gut for thinking about it. I know me and I just want things just to have them and won't go through the trouble of playing them all the time. Whereas with my Shield I can just go crazy playing whatever jumps into my head. I still have quite a few of my games and enjoy them for what they are but I just feel like it is just work getting them to look just right and hoping the hardware is still working. With my Shield I am just playing games the way it is supposed to be just zero hassle. I am not too concerned about pirating 30 year old games. If they want to come after me then so be it. It's not like the original devs are getting anything if I buy a game on ebay.

Amen to that. I got a shield tablet (post recall) model a couple weeks ago and it's stunning what it is capable of. You'd be far better off with an android pce emulator and using a bluetooth controller. I hate to say warez is the best angle, but with the way the scum have played the market for deep pocketed shallow minded sucker fish, there's really no other option unless you like pissing mass sums of cash on a lot of mediocrity mixed with some awesome stuff that'll cost you more than you'll ever get back out of it in rational enjoyment hours.

[Bozle]

First and foremost, it's gonna get expensive, so unless you have a lot of disposable income, beware, as it's super popular these days with collectors. That said, I did a US Turbografx unit for US HuCards and a Japanese Duo-R for import HuCards, and CDs are region free. Just beware, as you're getting into territory with the Neo Geo AES for crazy high prices. Those rare NES and SNES games will start to look reasonable by comparison.

Also, get a time machine and buy this in the late '90s. If I hadn't bought my stuff then, it'd be out of my reach now. I've bought arcade cabinets that cost less than Turbo games. A lot less.
I don't know if I'd say AES territory, some of those games are fucking insane. I do have a decent amount of disposable income right now (tbh, I got a second job just to add to my collection while being able to put my other paycheck towards more important stuff). I've been looking thru eBay and it seems a PC-Engine Duo would be a good starting point.

Also, to those who said emulate: lolno. I've spent way too much money on my current collection to just start emulating other consoles. TG16 stuff is pretty damn expensive, but we're not taliing about a $1000 for the system, or $1000s of dollars for one game. I can do a $300 system and a few $100-$200 games. It'll take a lot of time, but it's doable for me at this point in my life.

[Gentlegamer]

I don't know if I'd say AES territory, some of those games are fucking insane. I do have a decent amount of disposable income right now (tbh, I got a second job just to add to my collection while being able to put my other paycheck towards more important stuff). I've been looking thru eBay and it seems a PC-Engine Duo would be a good starting point.

Also, to those who said emulate: lolno. I've spent way too much money on my current collection to just start emulating other consoles. TG16 stuff is pretty damn expensive, but we're not taliing about a $1000 for the system, or $1000s of dollars for one game. I can do a $300 system and a few $100-$200 games. It'll take a lot of time, but it's doable for me at this point in my life.

Well now I'm done helping you forever.

[jperryss]

I still recommend picking up a TED. It's an excellent halfway point between emulating and full-on collecting, since you still get to play the games on original hardware.

[Bozle]

Well now I'm done helping you forever.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ebUQh2udbH8/hqdefault.jpg

[celerystalker]

I don't know if I'd say AES territory, some of those games are fucking insane. I do have a decent amount of disposable income right now (tbh, I got a second job just to add to my collection while being able to put my other paycheck towards more important stuff). I've been looking thru eBay and it seems a PC-Engine Duo would be a good starting point.

Also, to those who said emulate: lolno. I've spent way too much money on my current collection to just start emulating other consoles. TG16 stuff is pretty damn expensive, but we're not taliing about a $1000 for the system, or $1000s of dollars for one game. I can do a $300 system and a few $100-$200 games. It'll take a lot of time, but it's doable for me at this point in my life.

I dunno. With games like Sapphire, Renny Blaster, Fausette Armor, Magical Chase, Beyond Shadowgate, Terraforming, etc., you really are in AES territory. They both get pretty crazy these days. But that's really not the point; just a friendly warning about cost. If you're up for it, a lot of my favorite games are on the Turbo/PCE and the AES, and if you have the means, there are some truly great games to play. Once you take the plunge, I'd be happy to post a bunch of games that give great bang for the buck. Also, I think I already posted this, but read www.thebrothersduomazov.com and videogameden.com (Ikermel posts here, even. They have tons of great reviews and screenshots.

Also, just do yourself a favor and pick up brand new sealed copies of Exile and Cosmic Fantasy 2 for US CD while they're still pretty available at good prices on Amazon or ebay.

[Bozle]

I dunno. With games like Sapphire, Renny Blaster, Fausette Armor, Magical Chase, Beyond Shadowgate, Terraforming, etc., you really are in AES territory. They both get pretty crazy these days. But that's really not the point; just a friendly warning about cost. If you're up for it, a lot of my favorite games are on the Turbo/PCE and the AES, and if you have the means, there are some truly great games to play. Once you take the plunge, I'd be happy to post a bunch of games that give great bang for the buck. Also, I think I already posted this, but read www.thebrothersduomazov.com (http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com) and videogameden.com (Ikermel posts here, even. They have tons of great reviews and screenshots.

Also, just do yourself a favor and pick up brand new sealed copies of Exile and Cosmic Fantasy 2 for US CD while they're still pretty available at good prices on Amazon or ebay.

The first game I plan on getting is Ys Book 1 and 2, which looking through eBay, doesn't break the bank tremendously. I know very little about the specific games that are must haves for the systems but it seems like an awesome, underrated system on the surface.

I kinda want to get a Neo Geo as well, and the CD-rom model seems somewhat reasonably priced.

[celerystalker]

Neo Geo is pretty great, but the CD is definitely not the way to go. It's pretty easy to either buy an MVS cabinet for less than $300 or consolize an MVS board with 2 joysticks using real arcade parts for less than $150 if you have a little technical know how. I'd be happy to post a brief walkthrough. CD just has worse load times than you'd imagine (more than two minutes in some cases) and the drives are notoriously flaky. AES looks great, and the carts and packaging look great (I have 30 or so), but MVS carts are way cheaper in most cases, and the converters often cost as much as an MVS cab. I'd recommend anyone who wants to play real games on real hardware just build a jamma supergun to use as a consolized MVS, and you can buy othe pcbs if you want that way, or just buy a cabinet if you have room. AES is fun to have and all, but it is definitely expensive. I would only recommend buying one to a wealthy collector or someone who always dreamed of having one as a kid to scratch that itch.

[Bozle]

Neo Geo is pretty great, but the CD is definitely not the way to go. It's pretty easy to either buy an MVS cabinet for less than $300 or consolize an MVS board with 2 joysticks using real arcade parts for less than $150 if you have a little technical know how. I'd be happy to post a brief walkthrough. CD just has worse load times than you'd imagine (more than two minutes in some cases) and the drives are notoriously flaky. AES looks great, and the carts and packaging look great (I have 30 or so), but MVS carts are way cheaper in most cases, and the converters often cost as much as an MVS cab. I'd recommend anyone who wants to play real games on real hardware just build a jamma supergun to use as a consolized MVS, and you can buy othe pcbs if you want that way, or just buy a cabinet if you have room. AES is fun to have and all, but it is definitely expensive. I would only recommend buying one to a wealthy collector or someone who always dreamed of having one as a kid to scratch that itch.

Doesn't the CDZ version cut load times in half?

[celerystalker]

Doesn't the CDZ version cut load times in half?

Nope, but it is definitely faster. However, many late Neo Geo games did not get CD releases, and there are only a couple of exclusives like Crossed Swords II.

[FieryReign]

I don't know if I'd say AES territory, some of those games are fucking insane. I do have a decent amount of disposable income right now (tbh, I got a second job just to add to my collection while being able to put my other paycheck towards more important stuff). I've been looking thru eBay and it seems a PC-Engine Duo would be a good starting point.

Also, to those who said emulate: lolno. I've spent way too much money on my current collection to just start emulating other consoles. TG16 stuff is pretty damn expensive, but we're not taliing about a $1000 for the system, or $1000s of dollars for one game. I can do a $300 system and a few $100-$200 games. It'll take a lot of time, but it's doable for me at this point in my life.

This post a joke? Why bother asking, just go empty your wallet if your income is so disposable. Fuggit, buy it all... Why do these type people ask total strangers what to spend their own money on? Or is it just to rub it in other faces who aren't as fortunate with income?

Save the memes for people who still find them amusing.

[Tanooki]

This post a joke? Why bother asking, just go empty your wallet if your income is so disposable. Fuggit, buy it all... Why do these type people ask total strangers what to spend their own money on? Or is it just to rub it in other faces who aren't as fortunate with income?

Save the memes for people who still find them amusing.


http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee167/tanooki-suit/indypopcorn_zps30baedd3.gif
I got nothing to add but this image works to show my sarcastic amusement with the following post.

[Bozle]

This post a joke? Why bother asking, just go empty your wallet if your income is so disposable. Fuggit, buy it all... Why do these type people ask total strangers what to spend their own money on? Or is it just to rub it in other faces who aren't as fortunate with income?

Save the memes for people who still find them amusing.

You seem a little upset. I'm not saying I'm rich or anything, I'm not even remotely close to it, I just have some money to waste for the next year. I started this thread to find out which model of the Turbo would be the best one to play the majority of it's great games on, both CD and HU-card. I'm far from an expert on retro games as I just started collecting not too long ago, so I wanted some advice from people who know more than me.

[bb_hood]

Duos arent the best option.
Super cd rom2 systems with core grafx are better.

Also regarding Duos, if you are looking to buy one with controllers and such its more like $500+..

[FieryReign]

You seem a little upset. I'm not saying I'm rich or anything, I'm not even remotely close to it, I just have some money to waste for the next year. I started this thread to find out which model of the Turbo would be the best one to play the majority of it's great games on, both CD and HU-card. I'm far from an expert on retro games as I just started collecting not too long ago, so I wanted some advice from people who know more than me.

Yea. It's an internet thing. I wouldn't mention or gauge a price for a game of that gen. Just mention it and be done with it. My bad, I'll outpick yall youngbucks because yall suck at contemps and on multiplayer. Where is the skill? I would have to do artwork with a partner just to compete. Don't talk shit bcuz it's the Jets. Play for real. Your fault if you don't, learn yunguns.

[bigbacon]

If you want to get into TG16/PC-Engine

Just get an ever drive and be done with it. Don't waste your time or money on getting games, they are mad expensive.

Turbo duo would be the best option because other wise you need to find all 3 parts (assuming you want CD games)

second option is forget about CD games and just get a TB16+cd dock.

No matter what, unless you want just a basic HU Card system....going to cost you.

[Aussie2B]

This topic has become a sad display, hasn't it?

Anyway, go with a Duo-R or Duo-RX. They're practically identical beyond the fact that the RX came packaged with a (shitty) 6-button controller. I'm guessing the R is probably cheaper. Don't get the US Duo or the original Japanese Duo. With an R or RX, you're all set for playing anything besides US HuCards and Arcade CDs. Lacking an Arcade system card is no big deal, but they're not horribly expensive if you really want one. Just get a plain old TG-16 if you want to play US HuCards. I imagine that's still cheaper than a mod or adapter.

[SparTonberry]

I dunno. With games like Sapphire, Renny Blaster, Fausette Armor, Magical Chase, Beyond Shadowgate, Terraforming, etc., you really are in AES territory.
Of those, I think Sapphire was the only version to get a recent-ish re-release. It was a released on a collection for PSP with the Galaxy Yuna VNs. Since it's obscure I was able to get it a couple years ago for like $25 and shipping. Not sure if there's anything wrong with it besides lack of multiplayer but it'll probably be the only cheap way to get the game legit.

[Retronick]

It's been said a million times here, but I would echo the Duo-R and American TG-16 one-two punch if you want to get into this system without emulating. I had the Turbo when people were fighting over Sega and Nintendo so I have a pretty significant collection from way back when to fall back on. Some of the values have gotten insane, but you can still get some good games and not go broke (especially if you buy Japanese).

Bomberman '93 and '94 are good cheap grabs on the PCE side of things, as our Street Fighter II, Gunhead, and Cybercore. You can also get a Duo Tap and a few controllers to round things out. Avenue Pad Six's aren't too insane right now, and a Japanese arcade card will let you play some of the SNK fighters that got ported. I only just started burning games that I wanted to try out (Space Fantasy Zone anyone?), and haven't run into problems yet. The CD on my U.S. TG-16 stopped working, but I never ran a burned game in it. Pretty sure it just threw that blasted gear. Haven't bothered to open it since I have the Duo-R ;P.

I would recommend not getting a PCE with the CD attachment since they have the same flaws as the US CD systems and you would need to pick up a Super System card to play fan favorites like Rondo of Blood and Lords of Thunder.

[Gentlegamer]

I have a Duo-R with region switch, it's the best possible set up.

If I were motivated to help OP, I could direct him where to find such a thing.

But I'm not.

[Retronick]

You seem a little upset. I'm not saying I'm rich or anything, I'm not even remotely close to it, I just have some money to waste for the next year. I started this thread to find out which model of the Turbo would be the best one to play the majority of it's great games on, both CD and HU-card. I'm far from an expert on retro games as I just started collecting not too long ago, so I wanted some advice from people who know more than me.

I think there's something to be said for that. You don't just want to play this stuff for the sake of playing it, you want to collect it.

That said, it's not a great time to start collecting for this system (especially U.S. stuff), but, if you've got the money, time, and desire then go for it. I'd start light and identify the killer apps you want to have now and plan around those.

[bb_hood]

It's been said a million times here, but I would echo the Duo-R and American TG-16 one-two punch if you want to get into this system without emulating. I had the Turbo when people were fighting over Sega and Nintendo so I have a pretty significant collection from way back when to fall back on. Some of the values have gotten insane, but you can still get some good games and not go broke (especially if you buy Japanese).

Bomberman '93 and '94 are good cheap grabs on the PCE side of things, as our Street Fighter II, Gunhead, and Cybercore. You can also get a Duo Tap and a few controllers to round things out. Avenue Pad Six's aren't too insane right now, and a Japanese arcade card will let you play some of the SNK fighters that got ported. I only just started burning games that I wanted to try out (Space Fantasy Zone anyone?), and haven't run into problems yet. The CD on my U.S. TG-16 stopped working, but I never ran a burned game in it. Pretty sure it just threw that blasted gear. Haven't bothered to open it since I have the Duo-R ;P.

I would recommend not getting a PCE with the CD attachment since they have the same flaws as the US CD systems and you would need to pick up a Super System card to play fan favorites like Rondo of Blood and Lords of Thunder.

US Turbo Grafx systems are junky becuase they dont have AV output. IMO they arent worth owning to play games on.

super cd rom systems are much better than the US & japanese cd rom systems. They are more reliable than regular cd systems and duos and do not need any super system cards.

[Retronick]

US Turbo Grafx systems are junky becuase they dont have AV output. IMO they arent worth owning to play games on.

super cd rom systems are much better than the US & japanese cd rom systems. They are more reliable than regular cd systems and duos and do not need any super system cards.

Definitely looks sturdy. I've heard late model R and RX consoles are just about as dependable though. Is that not the case? Regardless, I've been considering adding one of these to my collection for a while. If for no other reason than to have as a backup.

[bb_hood]

Definitely looks sturdy. I've heard late model R and RX consoles are just about as dependable though. Is that not the case? Regardless, I've been considering adding one of these to my collection for a while. If for no other reason than to have as a backup.

In my experience the super cd rom systems plays backups much better than duos. Ive also heard other people say the disc player is more dependable than that on the duos.

[Bozle]

I have a Duo-R with region switch, it's the best possible set up.

If I were motivated to help OP, I could direct him where to find such a thing.

But I'm not.
Already did, thanks tho. 8-)

[Niku-Sama]

sorry Bozle, apparently some of us on here are buttholes.

any way no matter the variant of the system you end up with have you thought of getting a Turbo EverDrive for the more expensive games?
I mean I completely understand having the real deal but some times its a bit cost prohibitive when you weren't able to get them while they were new

trust me
this is coming from the guy who finished collecting the US Mega Man games and is now collecting the Rockman versions of the same games so I understand getting the real deals but if I didn't get some of these new (X2/X3) I wouldn't be able to do it at all and I am not exactly broke either

[Retronick]

sorry Bozle, apparently some of us on here are buttholes.

any way no matter the variant of the system you end up with have you thought of getting a Turbo EverDrive for the more expensive games?
I mean I completely understand having the real deal but some times its a bit cost prohibitive when you weren't able to get them while they were new

trust me
this is coming from the guy who finished collecting the US Mega Man games and is now collecting the Rockman versions of the same games so I understand getting the real deals but if I didn't get some of these new (X2/X3) I wouldn't be able to do it at all and I am not exactly broke either

I see where OP is coming from. Anybody can buy a print of famous artwork and spend very little money. It looks the same from a distance; it's identical compositionally; you can frame it, etc... Through emulation, piracy, legit ports, or any other means we can play pretty much anything that hasn't been lost to the sands of time. But owning a piece that came out of that era is pretty special.

That said, I align mostly with you in that there are some games I simply cannot justify the cost of. Domestic copies of Magical Chase and Bonk 3 CD are two great examples of that. For the former I would own an everdrive just to play it on original hardware, and I own the Hucard for the latter. There are some games that I just prefer having the originals for, and I've paid for 'em myself. It comes down to motivation. Is the motivation just to play, or is the motivation to collect these modern artifacts?

I don't begrudge anyone that emulates. Their motivation is to play, which I respect. I love Neo Geo so I bought a cabinet for very little money and threw a yellow bootleg multicart into it. That's really not too dissimilar from owning a Duo with an Everdrive when you think about it. Did that because I wanted the arcade feel, but even MVS games are getting pricy these days.

[celerystalker]

Yeah, the cabinets/boards for MVS are common and cheap, but the games are working their way up. What people usually don't realize is that the converters for AES usually go for about $300, so couple that with a modded AES/US unit or buy a consolized MVS and you end up shelling out a good $700 before even touching a cart, whereas buying a cabinet usually is under $300 in good order for a 1 slot, or building a supergun/buying a pcb costs less than $150, and a cabinet often comes with one or more games. Mine came with a Metal Slug on a 25" monitor just this year for $150 in a US upright one slot cabinet. I also picked up the multicart, as it has most of my AES library and let me try several more, then I've been picking up extra carts for stuff I don't already have on AES like Windjammers, Shock Troopers 2nd Squad, etc.

[Bozle]

I see where OP is coming from. Anybody can buy a print of famous artwork and spend very little money. It looks the same from a distance; it's identical compositionally; you can frame it, etc... Through emulation, piracy, legit ports, or any other means we can play pretty much anything that hasn't been lost to the sands of time. But owning a piece that came out of that era is pretty special.

That said, I align mostly with you in that there are some games I simply cannot justify the cost of. Domestic copies of Magical Chase and Bonk 3 CD are two great examples of that. For the former I would own an everdrive just to play it on original hardware, and I own the Hucard for the latter. There are some games that I just prefer having the originals for, and I've paid for 'em myself. It comes down to motivation. Is the motivation just to play, or is the motivation to collect these modern artifacts?

I don't begrudge anyone that emulates. Their motivation is to play, which I respect. I love Neo Geo so I bought a cabinet for very little money and threw a yellow bootleg multicart into it. That's really not too dissimilar from owning a Duo with an Everdrive when you think about it. Did that because I wanted the arcade feel, but even MVS games are getting pricy these days.

Exactly. I collect for two reasons: to play great games, and to, well, collect. I like to have the actual item. And I just don't like emulating. I'd been emulating for a while before I went out and started buying consoles; I made the decisions to buy consoles for a reason, that reason being that emulation just isn't for me. It just lacks the authentic feel. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to emulate themselves, it's totally understandable, it's just not for me.

[Niku-Sama]

For those of you posting up above me because i can't quote on the mobile version for some reason at the moment....

I get having the real deal, i was just thinking in terms of ever drive it's not really emulation. Your playing it on real hardware the system gets the same data off of it as if it were a real game. Plus, and this is the reason i consider one, you can get translated versions of games you may already have

[bb_hood]

I get having the real deal, i was just thinking in terms of ever drive it's not really emulation. Your playing it on real hardware the system gets the same data off of it as if it were a real game. Plus, and this is the reason i consider one, you can get translated versions of games you may already have

Yeah I agree, flash carts arent emulation. If you just want to collect, goto ebay and deposit your money, you wont need any advice. At this point in time, buying to collect and buying to play are two totally different things. I have an everdrive as well and its awesome.

[Tanooki]

I see where OP is coming from. Anybody can buy a print of famous artwork and spend very little money. It looks the same from a distance; it's identical compositionally; you can frame it, etc... Through emulation, piracy, legit ports, or any other means we can play pretty much anything that hasn't been lost to the sands of time. But owning a piece that came out of that era is pretty special.

That said, I align mostly with you in that there are some games I simply cannot justify the cost of. Domestic copies of Magical Chase and Bonk 3 CD are two great examples of that. For the former I would own an everdrive just to play it on original hardware, and I own the Hucard for the latter. There are some games that I just prefer having the originals for, and I've paid for 'em myself. It comes down to motivation. Is the motivation just to play, or is the motivation to collect these modern artifacts?

I don't begrudge anyone that emulates. Their motivation is to play, which I respect. I love Neo Geo so I bought a cabinet for very little money and threw a yellow bootleg multicart into it. That's really not too dissimilar from owning a Duo with an Everdrive when you think about it. Did that because I wanted the arcade feel, but even MVS games are getting pricy these days.

Love this post and agree with it all. I did the same thing and have for years with stuff. The price of some NES games started turning to complete bs 5 years ago now, so I got a powerpak which I had for a good stretch. Why pay $500 (now $1000) for Little Samson when you could get a cart for $100~?) Yet sometimes you really do want to get or retain something which has become stupid money (over $100 on a cart, far more on paper) and as such I've kept a good many of my old SNES carts from the day which are expensive now and the paper worse (Dracula X+manual, Earthbound+guide, etc.) I don't use much of any of it anymore but I won't let it go because of the if-when that itch needs scratching it's there and won't cost me $100s to have it again. Plus with a 4 year old...she likes to play a bit so there's that too.

But sometimes even emulation even if it's a cheapest route (simulated/emulated), cheaper route (real cabinet but emulated/bootleg goodies inside), or paying up -- sometimes there's that value in the real deal still. For him it was the NeoGeo cabinet with the awesome yellow cart (I've experienced this with SamSpade on NintendoAge as he was my city neighbor back west, yet his was a consolized arcade system.) I did this with my example which is pinball. Sure I can have a table for $5, or I can get a beater cab or a nice one, then drop a LED in it and an android setup in a pin-sim table, but no I went all the way...I own Pin-Bot which is in my top3 of mid/early 80s pinball tables when I was a kid.

[Bozle]

For those of you posting up above me because i can't quote on the mobile version for some reason at the moment....

I get having the real deal, i was just thinking in terms of ever drive it's not really emulation. Your playing it on real hardware the system gets the same data off of it as if it were a real game. Plus, and this is the reason i consider one, you can get translated versions of games you may already have

Yeah, flash drive is something I'd consider for sure. Emulating on my computer/phone is a definite no.


Yeah I agree, flash carts arent emulation. If you just want to collect, goto ebay and deposit your money, you wont need any advice. At this point in time, buying to collect and buying to play are two totally different things. I have an everdrive as well and its awesome.

If it makes any sense, buy to collect and play. Like, I won't be shelling out over $50 for a game that isn't hailed as something fantastic. I will pay a lot of money for a game that is both great AND rare/valuable .

[Niku-Sama]

Don't forget to do some shopping out side of eBay amazon and retail game stores.
Most of my most valuable rare things in my collection are the things i paid the least amount for.

And i wasn't being a smart ass when i said to check the trash. I literally found my tg-16 complete in box minus a controller and Keith courage and a turbo booster complete in a dumpster. It was with 3 paper ream boxes of apple 2 softwares upgrades and parts as well with the Apple it self and 3 ti 99/4a s complete in box.

My other finds usually come from a store where if it doesn't sell there next stop is land fill.

I see collecting like the stock market. Buy as low as you can legitimately and be able to make some thing off of it when the time comes.

[Bozle]

Thats friggin crazy. When did you find it? With the adevnt of the internet, things like that getting thrown away just blows my mind. You can find out the value of whatever you want in like two seconds.

[Bozle]

So, now that I've found a system to purchase, how about some game suggestions? :) Games I plan on getting from the get go:

Ys book 1 and 2
Cosmic Fantasy 2
Bomberman
R-Type
Legendary Axe 1 and 2
Rondo of Blood (RIP bank account)

[Retronick]

So, now that I've found a system to purchase, how about some game suggestions? :) Games I plan on getting from the get go:

Ys book 1 and 2
Cosmic Fantasy 2
Bomberman
R-Type
Legendary Axe 1 and 2
Rondo of Blood (RIP bank account)

All good games! For Bomberman I would do '93 if you're getting the import, otherwise the domestic version will cost you an arm and a leg. Here are some more solid suggestions.

• Bloody Wolf
• Parasol Stars
• Bonk's Adventure
• Bonk's Revenge
• Soldier Blade
• Blazing Lazers/Gunhed
• Aero Blasters
• Ninja Spirit
• Street Fighter 2
• Air Zonk

For accessories, two must haves are a Duo/Turbo tap, controller extension are essentials, along with avenue 6 pads if you're doing fighting games.

There are TONS more games I could recommend, but most of them are shooters XD. Lord's of Thunder is sensational, but be prepared to drop green or burn an ISO.

[bb_hood]

So, now that I've found a system to purchase, how about some game suggestions? :) Games I plan on getting from the get go:

Ys book 1 and 2
Cosmic Fantasy 2
Bomberman
R-Type
Legendary Axe 1 and 2
Rondo of Blood (RIP bank account)

If you want Rondo of Blood get that one first.
as far as the others..
Ys book 1 and 2 - pass not worth the $$
Cosmic Fantasy 2 - pass
Bomberman - pass
R-Type - pass
Legendary Axe 1 and 2 - get the first one.

There are better games to spend your money on. Get Lords of Thunder & Devils Crush.

Gate of thunder has bonks adventure, Bonks revenge and bomberman on the same disc..

[Tanooki]

I don't agree passing on Ys1+2 or Cosmic Fantasy 2, I had them and they're worthy titles. But one thing for certain -- Gate of Thunder is a must. You go in for the shooter, uncover it has 2 Bonk platformers saving buying the HuCards on those, and then with a very short easy to remember code, Bomberman too (yet another huCard not to buy.) Every little bit helps. I agree also the other THunder and both the Crush pinball games are very worth having. Also I'd suggest Bomberman 93 and 94 if you go down that road too (94 was Mega Bomberman on the US Genesis.) Star Soldier is an excellent hucard shooter, and if you want some ghetto but decent blatant Zelda ripoff there's Neutopia 1 and 2.

[Bozle]

I live for RPGs so i will not be passing up ys book 1 and 2. Heard too much praise for that game to turn it away. In fact, it will be the first game i buy for the system.

[celerystalker]

Y's Books 1&2
Cosmic Fantasy 2
Exile
Blazing Lazers
Super Star Soldier
Final Soldier
Soldier Blade
Legendary Axe
Legendary Axe II
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones
Bonk's Adventure
Bonk's Revenge
R-Type (I went with the R-Type Complete CD myself)
Gate of Thunder
Lords/Winds of Thunder
Last/Red Alert
Bloody Wolf
Dungeon Explorer
Dungeon Explorer II (way cheaper in Japanese)
Sinistron
Ninja Spirit
Neutopia
Neutopia II
Galaga '90/'88
Bomberman '93
Moto Roader
World Court Tennis (check out the quest mode)
Final Lap Twin (again, quest mode)
Valkyrie no Densetsu
War of the Dead (needs an FAQ to be playable, but fun & cheap)
Legend of Xanadu
Legend of Xanadu II
Dracula X: Rondo of Blood
Splatterhouse
Vigilante
Momotaro Katsugeki
Download
Download II
Air Zonk
L-Dis
Salamander
Gradius
Gradius II
Kyuukyoku Tiger
Tiger Road
Mr. Heli
Dragon's Curse
Alien Crush
Devil's Crush
Psychosis/Paranoia
Tricky Kick
Cratermaze
Kickball
Image Fight
Image Fight II
Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundoukai
Super Darius
Aero Blasters
SomerAssault/Mesopotamia
Cadash
Sidearms
Genpei Toumaden
Samurai Ghost
Dragon Spirit

I personally really enjoy all of those, and they cover a broad range of play styles and price points, and there are more great ones out there.

[BlastProcessing402]

The TGCD version of Ys 1-2 is the best of the classic version of the game. The voice acting is awful, but hey, that's the era. The gameplay moves a lot faster and more responsively than other classic versions of Ys (1 anyway, I don't think I ever played another classic 2 release) and the redbook audio is to die for. It's one of the must haves for the CD.

(I note classic, because years later there were remakes on PC, DS, PSP, etc, but those are sort of a different experience so I wouldn't compare directly to say, Japanese computer, Famicom, SMS versions of Ys.)


Cosmic Fantasy 2 on the other hand, it's pretty dated and clunky. I don't know what it goes for, but I wouldn't pay too much for it. If you're a real RPG nut as you say, maybe look for an ISO and try it out before shelling out any significant money for it. Of course, if it's cheap, whatever, go ahead and grab it. It's novel as an early WD game at the least.

[BetaWolf]

The TGCD version of Ys 1-2 is the best of the classic version of the game. The voice acting is awful, but hey, that's the era. The gameplay moves a lot faster and more responsively than other classic versions of Ys (1 anyway, I don't think I ever played another classic 2 release) and the redbook audio is to die for. It's one of the must haves for the CD.

(I note classic, because years later there were remakes on PC, DS, PSP, etc, but those are sort of a different experience so I wouldn't compare directly to say, Japanese computer, Famicom, SMS versions of Ys.)

Out of curiosity, is that worth it over Ys 1&2 Chronicles on PC? That version has reimagined graphics and music, but has options to set everything to the PC-88 including graphics, border, and music.

[Niku-Sama]

Thats friggin crazy. When did you find it? With the adevnt of the internet, things like that getting thrown away just blows my mind. You can find out the value of whatever you want in like two seconds.

About 5 years ago. I booked the office it then and complete it was still $125

[Tron 2.0]

So, now that I've found a system to purchase, how about some game suggestions? :) Games I plan on getting from the get go:

Ys book 1 and 2
Cosmic Fantasy 2
Bomberman
R-Type
Legendary Axe 1 and 2
Rondo of Blood (RIP bank account)

I'll recommend these games and often the pce versions will be cheaper in price.
Galaga 88
Bomberman 93&94
Nuetopia 1&2
Exile
Monster Lair
Valis III
Ys III
Ys IV,it has a fan translation and dubbing as well.
Aero Blaster

[bigbacon]

get everdrive.....

really don't waste your money.

[bb_hood]

If you want a good rpg get Dragon Slayer legend of heroes.

[Spartacus]

Hey Bozle
I just recently went through what you're contemplating doing, so I thought I would share my experience.

First off, the reason I have a PC Engine is because of the Wii! I'll always laugh thinking about that. Last Christmas I was looking to mod a Wii to make it region free. You can do that, but it's actually part of a process that also allows for playing back-up disc's and roms/wads of games from the Wii's Virtual Console. Which coincidentally, has 59 titles available from the TurboGrafx-16 library.

I enjoy collecting complete video games for a hobby and have never played a back-up or a ROM in my life. I've also never paid for a digital game. But I remember giving this Wii mod a lot of thought and how tempting it was to have a free set of TurboGrafx-16 games. For testing purposes, you know. LOL
It was that temptation that made me realize how much I really wanted to "own" a PC Engine library and even though I knew next to nothing about it and heard it was crazy expensive, I set my mind to doing it.

Among collectors, I think getting a TurboGrafx-16 library would a damn site more impressive due to the cost and difficulty of acquiring games. But the reliability issues of US hardware was a real turn off. Does anyone recall a board member showing a complete TG16 collection? It must have been done, but I don't recall seeing it.

I decided to go for a Japanese PC Engine library instead. There were more games, they were cheaper and the hardware seemed a bit more reliable.

I started at GameFAQs and reviewed every single title and came away with a list of 250 PCE and TG16 games would make up my collection. It would include every shooting game, which I think best defines the consoles library.

Then I bought myself a boxed PC Engine console that had been modded to play both PCE and TG16 HuCards. I've seen these frequently on Ebay. CD games are region free and I thought I would prefer the Duo-R controller, so I started with a Duo-R console for CD games. Later I bought the Duo-X as a back-up system because it came out after the Duo-R and I hoped it might have less hours on it. Then awhile later still, a board member here sold me another Duo-R, so I think I'm good to go on thou's. I don't intend to recap anything until I actually have a problem. I'm not really expecting one.

You mentioned first game you planned on getting is Ys Book 1 and 2. The game I wanted first was Steam Hearts! I had the Sega Saturn version and very much wanted to see the original uncensored version. Speaking of censored versions, please take a look at having some of those Shiawase games!

I also picked up Ys Book 1 and 2 too and Y's 4. Very inexpensive.
I also grabbed both The Legend of Xanadu games, Xak I&II and be sure to check out Fray CD Xak Gaiden too.
The Tower of Druaga and the 4 Valis titles are also quite cheap and worth a play.


So let's talk cost :)
The PC Engine was popular in Japan, meaning the games and consoles are plentiful. There wasn't a single game on my list that I couldn't find several listings for and competition is good for price.
The Duo consoles weren't cheap, but they were all less that the cost of a new console - say a Wii-U. So I was reasonably comfortable with the cost of those.
I keep records of what I pay for games including shipping and I think you'll be happy to hear that many of my games were in the under $20.00 range shipped. And there were also quite a few that were $40.00 shipped.
Of the 241 games I've purchased, all but 28 titles were less than the cost of a new $60.00 game.
I've heard that Magical Chase for the TG16 can cost well into the thousands of dollars. The Japanese version I purchased was well under $300.00
And the most expensive game was Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire which was closer to $400. I saw several listings for clearly identified pirated copy's selling for nearly $200. Perhaps collectors want them for their notoriety and as a novelty item?

Where to buy>>>
I use a buying service to purchase Gameboy, Famicom and Super Famicom games on Yahoo Japan fairly frequently and am very comfortable using it. Yet strangely, not once was I able to beat Ebay prices after my fees for PC Engine games. Ebay was the cheapest, offered the best Buyer Protection and as an added bonus, gives a percentage of your purchase back as Ebay Bucks. I used my Ebay Bucks to purchase that Duo-X for next to nothing. Always use a world wide search because the PC Engine was popular in Europe too and I found some great deals with European sellers.

I go to work carrying a lunch pail, wearing blue jeans and steel toed boots. So I think you can imagine where I'm at financially. I paid for my collection by working weekends and working late and I'll be finished with my original goal within the year. This is very do-able!

I love real games. I always have. Examining the artwork on the box's and thumbing through the manuals is an incredible feeling and it gives me a great amount of satisfaction.
If you enjoy that too, you won't regret having a PC engine collection.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/spartacus34669/PCE%20Collection.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/spartacus34669/media/PCE%20Collection.jpg.html)

best of luck!

[Steve W]

Is there a site that has a list of PC Engine games that are easily accessible for English readers? I've bought random cheap Japanese games and it hasn't turned out well.