TurboGrafx Rant

[PeculiarSatyr]

So I picked up a TurboGrafx off ebay because I used to play one with my brother when I was about 10. I did a bit a research before I bought it and I'm lookin out for a Turbo Booster or TurboBooster +....but the one thing I forgot!!!

 

Is the controller cord is like 2 feet long!!! Who seriously makes a controller with a cord that long? Sure two feet is a bit of an exageration but its really really short. Guess I have to find a turbo tap and a cord extension. Maybe this was just NECs way of getting people to dump more money on accessories that make the system actually playable.

[the-topdog]

Hmmm... I don't remember them being any shorter than other systems I have... I'll have to check when I get home. The TurboGrafx is tied with the Vectrex as my favorite game console of all time.

[PeculiarSatyr]

I just measured the cord for my turbopad. 45 inches. I'm not sure if the cord got damaged and someone cut it down or if the stock cords are just ridiculously short.

 

Just for comparison my stock NES controller cord is 90 inches.

[Hitachi]

THis may be extremely stupid to suggest, but wouldn't a 5 pin din cord work? I am under the thinking that the plug is the same. Radioshack has a 6 foot midi cable for 7.99 catalog #42-2151

 

 

Someone please correct me if i'm wrong about this...

[Mad Scientist]

Yeah, the cords are ridiculously short. As you already realized, an extension and a turbotap are the way to go. You may want the turbotap anyway, and you'll be able to get away with using just one extension (not one per controller, as other systems would require).

[SRGilbert]

THis may be extremely stupid to suggest, but wouldn't a 5 pin din cord work? I am under the thinking that the plug is the same. Radioshack has a 6 foot midi cable for 7.99 catalog #42-2151

 

 

Someone please correct me if i'm wrong about this...

 

Sadly no, the plug is different as far as I know. I think it's a non-standard connector.

 

Also, I agree, the cords are stupidly short.

[ApolloBoy]

THis may be extremely stupid to suggest, but wouldn't a 5 pin din cord work? I am under the thinking that the plug is the same. Radioshack has a 6 foot midi cable for 7.99 catalog #42-2151

 

 

Someone please correct me if i'm wrong about this...

TG-16 controllers use an 8-pin DIN plug so that won't work.

[Reaperman]

For the controller length, I'm sure NEC was just trying to get everybody to cough up for controller extensions, or move up to their expensive handheld/portable systems.

 

as long as we're ranting, there is also the matter of paying for more than one controller port, paying to save your game, and paying for composite video out. Hell, I'm surprised they didn't put in a battery compartment in the damn thing for power, and then charge extra for the cord.

 

I'm not even going to bother attacking the costly ram/cd-system software upgrades.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Reaperman

[Koopa64]

I agree, the overt cheapness of the Turbo Grafx is inexcusable! Especially considering this was suppose to be a brand new 16-bit system (with all the trimmings). Even before I bought mine, I couldn't believe what I was reading in what wasn't included with the console.

 

Not to mention, I can't help but feel like most of the TG-16's library was really second grade knock-off-y compared to even Sega, let alone Nintendo, and Sega's Master System line-up also felt somewhat cheap and generic. Outside of Hudson's games and some notable arcade ports, most third party games on Turbo Grafx just overall feel worse than comparable nameless games on competing systems.

[ApolloBoy]

The PC Engine library is far better than that of the TG-16. If you're planning on getting into the TG-16/PC Engine, I'd suggest getting a PC Engine Duo-R since it's reliable and it allows you to play both HuCards and CD games.

[Jess Ragan]

Things are definitely better on the CD side of the fence. The HuCards had severe storage limitations (when R-Type was released in Japan they had to split the game between two cards!) but the high capacity of the CD-ROM format lets the Turbografx-16 live up to its full potential. You'll probably need an Arcade Card to boost the system's onboard RAM, though. The TurboDuo has extra RAM but the card is still necessary for some of the more ambitious Japanese releases.

[PeculiarSatyr]

The PC Engine library is far better than that of the TG-16. If you're planning on getting into the TG-16/PC Engine, I'd suggest getting a PC Engine Duo-R since it's reliable and it allows you to play both HuCards and CD games.

 

Yeah, my plan is to use my TG-16 for US hucard games and to eventually get a PC Engine Duo-R or RX to play everything else.