The TurboGrafx-16 (originally known as the PC Engine in Japan) was a fourth-generation 16-bit era video game console released in North America by NEC Home Electronics and Hudson Soft in 1989. It was an important console that competed directly with the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) and Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
Key Features and History
The Name and History
- Japanese Origin: It first launched in Japan in 1987 as the PC Engine and was a massive success, famously beating Nintendo's Famicom (NES) in sales for a time.
- American Launch: It was rebranded as the TurboGrafx-16 for its 1989 North American launch. The name emphasized its 16-bit graphics capabilities, even though its CPU was technically an 8-bit chip, while its graphics processor was a true 16-bit chip, leading to a hybrid architecture.
Media Format (HuCards)
The console used games stored on small, credit-card-sized cartridges called HuCards (Hudson Card). These were significantly smaller than the cartridges used by its competitors.
CD-ROM Pioneer
Its most revolutionary feature was the TurboGrafx-CD peripheral, which became the first CD-ROM add-on for a video game console, launching in 1990 in North America. This allowed it to host games with massive storage capacity and high-quality audio, a technological advantage at the time.
Hardware Power
While marketed as 16-bit, it had a hybrid system with a fast 8-bit CPU and a dual 16-bit graphics processor, which enabled it to handle more sprites and colors on screen than some of its rivals initially.
Although highly successful in Japan, the TurboGrafx-16 struggled to gain significant market share in North America against the strong marketing and games libraries of the Sega Genesis and SNES.