Konami planned to release its mini TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine and CoreGrafx consoles last week, but the production schedule has been hit by the new coronavirus pandemic around the world. I’ve been able to get your hands on a PC Engine Mini here in Japan, so here’s a quick look at the TurboGrafx-16’s launch in the US – which hopefully shouldn’t be too far away.
The TurboGrafx-16 was released in 1989 as the US version of the PC Engine, which was released in Japan two years earlier. Another revision, called the CoreGrafx, came later, but all versions had the same internal hardware. The consoles are manufactured by NEC and designed by Hudson Soft, makers of series such as Bomberman and Adventure Island. Konami was one of the strongest supporters of third parties and later acquired Hudson, which is why it handles the release of the mini versions.
Despite the name, the TurboGrafx-16 actually had an 8-bit CPU, although it did use 16-bit video hardware. It was more of a competitor to the NES than to the SNES; the delayed launch in the United States even meant an unfavorable comparison with Sega’s 16-bit Genesis, released the same month. Still, the PC Engine hardware could produce much better arcade-like visuals than the NES, giving the games a distinct appearance and making the console stand out as a notable point in the evolution of video game technology.
The thing about the PC Engine Mini is that the original PC Engine was already quite mini. Konami really hasn’t reduced the size that much, but it’s still super cute and comes smaller than the Mega Drive Mini or SNES Classic Edition. However, the TurboGrafx-16 is designed to be much larger in an attempt to appeal to the US market, and it seems that this will still be the case with its “mini” edition. Frankly, I kind of like the idea of a comically huge mini console, but we’ll have to see how that model works in practice.
Like almost every other mini console, the PC Engine Mini uses a micro USB port for power and HDMI for video output; in this case it’s hidden behind a removable orange ‘Ext Bus’ cover, which is a nice touch. The controller is full-sized and feels great, with sturdy concave buttons and a comfortable D-pad. The cable is regular USB-A and fortunately it is much longer than other mini consoles with a length of 3 meters. It’s the only wired retro controller I’ve been able to use while sitting on my couch with the console in the TV stand. I appreciate the nostalgia of sitting on the floor close to the screen, don’t get me wrong, but this is much more practical to actually play the games.
And there are many games. The official total is 57, although there are some extras and Easter eggs hidden by M2, the studio responsible for the emulation. If you press the Select button during startup of certain games such as Gradius and Soldier Bladefor example, you can play rare or modified versions of the ROM. There’s even a display mode that lets you play the games as if you were using the low-resolution portable PC Engine GT / TurboExpress, which I wouldn’t necessarily recommend, but it makes for a nice shot.
We dive deeper into the software library if we’ve had more time with the TurboGrafx-16 Mini, but my first impression is that M2 has done an excellent job with emulation, and the system software is very good. You can have up to four storage states for each game, the video output is high quality with all the options you want, and unlike Nintendo’s mini consoles, you can access the menus without having to get up to pressing a physical button on the system itself – just press Run and Select together on the controller.
While the lineup of games is excellent, there is a catch: the games are divided into TurboGrafx-16 titles in English and PC Engine releases in Japanese, no matter what version of the system you own, with very few regional differences. On the one hand, this is a good thing – unlike the Super Famicom Classic Edition, for example, you don’t have to import much if you want to play the Japanese games. The original PC Engine version of the text heavy classic from Hideo Kojima Snatcher For example, it was only released in Japan, so it’s nice to see it recorded even when few people outside of the country can play in practice. On the other hand, it is a bit strange that almost everyone will end up with a lot of games in their foreign language, even if more suitable versions existed.
In general, however, the PC Engine Mini has a lot to offer, whatever language you speak. It’s a neatly designed product that avoids some of the drawbacks found in comparable retro consoles, and it’s a great way to get acquainted with one of the more underrated systems from the 8-bit era – or 16-bit , if you insist.