The Official Turbografx 16 Thread!

[+Intellivision Master]

1 minute ago, NE146 said:

So I haven't really been paying a huge amount of attention... but is there both a PC-Engine Mini and a Coregrafx Mini? And am I understanding that there's some "hidden" games in them not advertised on the games list? Or am I misunderstanding.  And if there's hidden games, are there hidden games in the TG16 Mini?

Yes there are minis for each.  And yes there are hidden games.  The TG16 mini has 2 hidden games.

[Steven Pendleton]

7 minutes ago, NE146 said:

So I haven't really been paying a huge amount of attention... but is there both a PC-Engine Mini and a Coregrafx Mini? And am I understanding that there's some "hidden" games in them not advertised on the games list? Or am I misunderstanding.  And if there's hidden games, are there hidden games in the TG16 Mini?

Yes to all of the above. Except the misunderstanding.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Steven Pendleton

[NE146]

Are there any differences between the coregrafx vs. pce engine mini? Or is it just the shell

[Steven Pendleton]

2 minutes ago, NE146 said:

Are there any differences between the coregrafx vs. pce engine mini? Or is it just the shell

PC Engine mini = Japanese Splatterhouse, Tokimeki Memorial, Tengai Makyou II, no turbo controller in the box

 

CoreGrafx mini = censored Splatterhouse, Salamander, turbo controller in the box

Edited April 3, 2020 by Steven Pendleton

[NE146]

3 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

PC Engine mini = Japanese Splatterhouse, Tokimeki Memorial, Tengai Makyou II, no turbo controller in the box

 

CoreGrafx mini = censored Splatterhouse, Salamander, turbo controller in the box

When you say "Turbo controller" you mean the gamepad itself for the Turbo consoles? Or do you mean a gamepad controller with/without the Turbo switches. 

[Steven Pendleton]

Just now, NE146 said:

When you say "Turbo controller" you mean the gamepad itself for the Turbo consoles? Or do you mean a gamepad controller with/without the Turbo switches. 

I mean that the PC Engine mini has the original not-turbo controller from the original 1987 launch PC Engine.

[NE146]

Just now, Steven Pendleton said:

I mean that the PC Engine mini has the original not-turbo controller from the original 1987 launch PC Engine.

Ah k.. never knew there was such a thing as a PC-Engine pad without the turbo buttons. They must have had a hard time with Bonk since that game is all about abusing the spin. 

[Steven Pendleton]

Just now, NE146 said:

Ah k.. never knew there was such a thing as a PC-Engine pad without the turbo buttons. They must have had a hard time with Bonk since that game is all about abusing the spin. 

Yeah, it launched with a not-turbo controller but the turbo controller sold so well that they decided to make it the standard controller only a short while later. The original not-turbo controllers actually have the slots on the inside for the turbo switches, too!

 

It makes playing shooters much more annoying than it should be. Super Darius without turbo isn't much fun since everything flies away before you can kill anything.

[NE146]

Ah nice.. I had no idea. To me, all my life the Turbo stuff was 100% always associated with having a gamepad with turbo buttons built in  Learned something new!

[+Black_Tiger]

Something else people talke for granted is the TurboExpress/PC Engine GT also having turbo switches.

 

As much as the Nomad gains as a portable with it's larger library of carts and games with saving ability, it still has phyically external batteries, a poorer quality screen and no turbo switches.

 

If you've tried playing shooters which don't auto shoot on a portable, you know how big of a deal it is.

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Is this a good substitute for your real PC Engine/TurboGrafx and real HuCARDs and real CDs, preferably with SSDS3 + OSSC if needed/desired or UperGrafx? Of course not.

That being said, even though I own a real PC Engine and Dracula X (bootleg), I'll probably play it on the Mini since I won't be able to beat it without savestates. Also, I was recently considering buying a few games like Star Parodier and Spriggan 2, but since they're included, I'll probably keep my money for other games first.

[Tanooki]

Save states are a good argument, a bit muted if you have an everdrive since they do that too for the card side of things though.

 

In the end the best model clearly is the Core Grafx, despite if you want to get butthurt over censored Splatterhouse, the trade off is large with the turbo switches on the controllers and having Salamander too.  I've been tempted to get one, but it's hard as I have a PCE Duo and an Everdrive along with a couple dozen CDs as it is and access to some burns and I can make more if I wished to as well (and have as tests.)  The only benefit ends up being the HD clarity and the save states on the optical side.

[CZroe]

Save states are a good argument, a bit muted if you have an everdrive since they do that too for the card side of things though.
 
In the end the best model clearly is the Core Grafx, despite if you want to get butthurt over censored Splatterhouse, the trade off is large with the turbo switches on the controllers and having Salamander too.  I've been tempted to get one, but it's hard as I have a PCE Duo and an Everdrive along with a couple dozen CDs as it is and access to some burns and I can make more if I wished to as well (and have as tests.)  The only benefit ends up being the HD clarity and the save states on the optical side.

Wait... the Turbo Everdrive can do save states?! I literally have three of the latest version and I didn't know that! Going to have to look up how. Run + Select in-game just does whatever the game was programmed to do (usually resets) and the button on the TED just takes me back to the TED menu to load something else.

One other benefit to this and the reason I want it is affordably owning legitimate copies of otherwise-expensive games. I can officially say I own Sapphire, and that's big enough for me. I also suspect that you can board-swap the controllers if they use the original molds, similar to board-swapping a $10 NES Classic Edition controller to refresh an original NES pad. I didn't mention this before because I wanted to do this and make a video on launch day but there's no way someone hasn't tried this yet. Too bad these controllers are $25 though.

[NE146]

9 minutes ago, CZroe said:

Wait... the Turbo Everdrive can do save states?!

 

I'm pretty sure the Turbo Everdrive does not support save states. If it does my mind would be blown.. but I don't think it does. ? 

[roots.genoa]

I'm joining the club of Everdrive owners who had no idea there were save states!

[Steven Pendleton]

SUPERGRAFX GET!!

 

 

I wasn't planning on buying one of these, but I found one today and I bought it! I do not have the AC adaptor (PAD-113), though, so I need to find one that works. I know there are a few other systems with AC adaptors that work on other consoles, but I'm not sure if I have one of those or if I want to risk it on the SuperGrafx. This thing is really damn huge and I have absolutely no idea where I am going to put it.

 

And yes, before someone mentions it, I know I've always said mean things about the SuperGrafx. That's why my custom status is now SuperGrafx Tsundere.

Edited April 4, 2020 by Steven Pendleton

[Steven Pendleton]

I just remembered that stupid support post that can and will crack the motherboard in half. Stupid design flaw. I need to get the proper tool to open it and something else to destroy that post. Normally I am 100% against modding of any sort, but this is the one exception, since if I don't do it that post could kill my SuperGrafx. This SuperGrafx isn't in the best condition (no box, no manual, no controller, no AC adaptor, the logo is partially scratched off, tons of scratches and scuffs, no rear expansion port cover, the system itself is dirty and partially discolored, and the power switch is stiff and squeaks), but I got a good deal on it and I really don't want to ruin such a rare and awesome system because I didn't apply an easy fix to a design flaw.

[CZroe]

SUPERGRAFX GET!!
 

 
I wasn't planning on buying one of these, but I found one today and I bought it! I do not have the AC adaptor (PAD-113), though, so I need to find one that works. I know there are a few other systems with AC adaptors that work on other consoles, but I'm not sure if I have one of those or if I want to risk it on the SuperGrafx. This thing is really damn huge and I have absolutely no idea where I am going to put it.
 
And yes, before someone mentions it, I know I've always said mean things about the SuperGrafx. That's why my custom status is now SuperGrafx Tsundere.

Sweet! How much did you pay? It takes the same screwdriver you'd use on a Nintendo console, if you already have one of those around. I have some tips around that I got from Console5 for making custom PSUs but my SGX still has the PAD-113 and everyone tells me to stick with that despite feeding it 20% more voltage than the 100v it was intended for.

Do you have a Super CD-ROM²? I believe it came with a little cable adapter that powers the whole SGX off of the Super CD-ROM²'s power adapter. I use an IFU-30 Interface Adapter with a RAU-30 ROM² Adapter instead since refurbishing a Super CD-ROM² is supposedly a much bigger pain. That said, my setup is more unweildy and I need two power plugs!



I think I just might get a junk Super CD-ROM² and refurbish it just for the experience and reduced complexity.

[Steven Pendleton]

25 minutes ago, CZroe said:

 

 

Sweet! How much did you pay? It takes the same screwdriver you'd use on a Nintendo console, if you already have one of those around. I have some tips around that I got from Console5 for making custom PSUs but my SGX still has the PAD-113 and everyone tells me to stick with that despite feeding it 20% more voltage than the 100v it was intended for.

Do you have a Super CD-ROM²? I believe it came with a little cable adapter that powers the whole SGX off of the Super CD-ROM²'s power adapter. I use an IFU-30 Interface Adapter with a RAU-30 ROM² Adapter instead since refurbishing a Super CD-ROM² is supposedly a much bigger pain. That said, my setup is more unweildy and I need two power plugs!



I think I just might get a junk Super CD-ROM² and refurbish it just for the experience and reduced complexity.

 

I paid 22000 yen, tax included! Not bad when you consider that I found it in Surugaya in Akiba!

 

Yeah, the Super CD ROM2 has that little power thing, but I don't have one of those. I honestly probably won't bother since I already stuck the SSDS3 on it. It would be nice some day and I almost bought one a few months ago, but with a limited budget I can only do so much. My CoreGrafx is now chilling inside my functional IFU with the CD ROM2. Unfortunately my RGB one doesn't work properly and I never bothered to fix it since I got the SSDS3.

 

I ordered a generic 9V 1A center minus PSU for it and also a size converter for it to actually fit. SuperGrafx is actually 9V 800mA, but 9V 1000mA shouldn't fry my SuperGrafx, right? Should be here some time next week. I really do need to open it up and get rid of that post. Hopefully I can fix the squeaking power switch as well while I have it open.

 

I thought about having a RAU-30 setup like yours (especially since RAU-30 reminds me of GAU-8 for some reason!), but it's a bit unwieldy and takes up a whole lot more space than I have. Basically everything I have has to fit on my desk or go on the floor, and I had to remove 4 systems just to get the SuperGrafx to fit on my desk! One of those was the CoreGrafx, though, so maybe that one doesn't count!

 

And I just ordered a set of 3.8 and 4.5 Nintendo screwdrivers, which will also be here in the next 3 days.

Edited April 4, 2020 by Steven Pendleton

[cybercylon]

5 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

SUPERGRAFX GET!!

 

 

I wasn't planning on buying one of these, but I found one today and I bought it! I do not have the AC adaptor (PAD-113), though, so I need to find one that works. I know there are a few other systems with AC adaptors that work on other consoles, but I'm not sure if I have one of those or if I want to risk it on the SuperGrafx. This thing is really damn huge and I have absolutely no idea where I am going to put it.

 

And yes, before someone mentions it, I know I've always said mean things about the SuperGrafx. That's why my custom status is now SuperGrafx Tsundere.

Getting one of these at some point is one of retro collecting goals... I would actually use it. Now does not seem to be a good time unless one is already in Japan. Naturally with what is going on, there are fewer listings on eBay, and the prices are even more stupid expensive. Even without that, my seasonal second job that I use to buy toys is toast for any foreseeable future.

[Steven Pendleton]

8 minutes ago, cybercylon said:

Getting one of these at some point is one of retro collecting goals... I would actually use it. Now does not seem to be a good time unless one is already in Japan. Naturally with what is going on, there are fewer listings on eBay, and the prices are even more stupid expensive. Even without that, my seasonal second job that I use to buy toys is toast for any foreseeable future.

Yeah, this one is not in any sort of condition to go in a museum for sure! I never thought I would ever say this, but this is definitely a beater SuperGrafx and it's seen some heavy use. It's going to see a whole lot more now that I have it! I honestly don't really mind all of the damage to the case. It's a SuperGrafx, and that alone is enough. I've already developed a bit of a bond with it, so I really am not bothered by the scratches and the partially missing logo at all. I've been looking for one of these since last summer when I wanted to get into PC Engine but opted for the CoreGrafx to get started. I saw a whole bunch of them at that time but in the past 6 months this is literally the only one I have seen!

 

In the store I was looking through a stack of consoles that included a few PS3s, a few Master Systems (very expensive here in Japan! More expensive than my SuperGrafx was!), some Mega Drives... and then I saw this and instantly said "SuperGrafx!" out loud and immediately asked the staff if they had the PSU for it and told them that even if they didn't, I was absolutely going to buy it anyway. They were even nice enough to hold on to it for me while I went to the ATM.

Edited April 4, 2020 by Steven Pendleton

[turboxray]

8 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

I just remembered that stupid support post that can and will crack the motherboard in half. Stupid design flaw. I need to get the proper tool to open it and something else to destroy that post. Normally I am 100% against modding of any sort, but this is the one exception, since if I don't do it that post could kill my SuperGrafx. This SuperGrafx isn't in the best condition (no box, no manual, no controller, no AC adaptor, the logo is partially scratched off, tons of scratches and scuffs, no rear expansion port cover, the system itself is dirty and partially discolored, and the power switch is stiff and squeaks), but I got a good deal on it and I really don't want to ruin such a rare and awesome system because I didn't apply an easy fix to a design flaw.

Unless you plan on dropping the system pretty hard, or dropping something heavy on top of the system.. the post isn't going to actually crack your board. If you're really worried, shave a few thousandths off the top of the post. If you remove it completely, you have the opposite issue; board flex when inserting a hucard. That whole post issue was blown out of proportion by a couple back yard 'engineers' - aka system modders with no formal background in mechanical engineering. 

 

 I remember this one modder last year, showed me a pick of a supergrafx someone sent to him.. with an 'f-ing' hole in the top of the case (in front of the hucard slot).. like someone took a hammer to it. And he was like see??! The system board now crank in it because of the post underneath! Smh.. some people's children.

Edited April 4, 2020 by turboxray

[CZroe]

I paid 22000 yen, tax included! Not bad when you consider that I found it in Surugaya in Akiba!
 
Yeah, the Super CD ROM2 has that little power thing, but I don't have one of those. I honestly probably won't bother since I already stuck the SSDS3 on it. It would be nice some day and I almost bought one a few months ago, but with a limited budget I can only do so much. My CoreGrafx is now chilling inside my functional IFU with the CD ROM2. Unfortunately my RGB one doesn't work properly and I never bothered to fix it since I got the SSDS3.
 
I ordered a generic 9V 1A center minus PSU for it and also a size converter for it to actually fit. SuperGrafx is actually 9V 800mA, but 9V 1000mA shouldn't fry my SuperGrafx, right? Should be here some time next week. I really do need to open it up and get rid of that post. Hopefully I can fix the squeaking power switch as well while I have it open.
 
I thought about having a RAU-30 setup like yours (especially since RAU-30 reminds me of GAU-8 for some reason!), but it's a bit unwieldy and takes up a whole lot more space than I have. Basically everything I have has to fit on my desk or go on the floor, and I had to remove 4 systems just to get the SuperGrafx to fit on my desk! One of those was the CoreGrafx, though, so maybe that one doesn't count!
 
And I just ordered a set of 3.8 and 4.5 Nintendo screwdrivers, which will also be here in the next 3 days.

Yeah, that PSU should work great as long as it's still center negative after the converter.

¥22,000 Sounds like a good price. It means I effectively spent over ¥10,000 for the box, controller, and AC adapter I really didn't need, and yet I thought I got a really good price (saw loose consoles going for more).

The larger 4.5mm driver is the one that'll get you in there. The smaller one is typically used for games and such.

Unless you plan on dropping the system pretty hard, or dropping something heavy on top of the system.. the post isn't going to actually crack your board. If you're really worried, shave a few thousandths off the top of the post. If you remove it completely, you have the opposite issue; board flex when inserting a hucard. That whole post issue was blown out of proportion by a couple back yard 'engineers' - aka system modders with no formal background in mechanical engineering. 
 
 I remember this one modder last year, showed me a pick of a supergrafx someone sent to him.. with an 'f-ing' hole in the top of the case (in front of the hucard slot).. like someone took a hammer to it. And he was like see??! The system board now crank in it because of the post underneath! Smh.. some people's children.

I felt similarly at first so I haven't removed mine yet but since then I have seen at least three independent people with cracked boards over that post. There might be something to it.

[turboxray]

1 hour ago, CZroe said:

I felt similarly at first so I haven't removed mine yet but since then I have seen at least three independent people with cracked boards over that post. There might be something to it.

And I've owned two SGX, and have lent out the other other many times to friends (had it since 1993).  I've also dropped that thing a bunch of times, shipped it, and never had any problems. My issue with it, is that people are crying that it's going to self-destruct if you don't remove the post. And this whole post thing is pretty recent as the pass couple of years.

 

 So I started asking around. No one with a mechanical engineering back actually looked into this. No one did any sort of stress or pressure measurements. People just parrot the source from a couple of modders (one person cited Ace, which is extremely laughable). My point being, no one has any qualification to validate that the post actually caused the system to self-destruct. External force, I can probably see. I've seen waaaayyyyy more cracked system boards on Genesis model 1 and 2's from the cart port than.. actually any system.

 

 So highly doubtful it's going to self-destruct and but if you do want some assurance, probably shouldn't actually take it out but remove a little material from the top (the hypothesis being that it's actually under too much constant pressure) - it still provides a service of support to the system board. Taking it out completely potentially means flex in other areas of the board.

[Steven Pendleton]

5 hours ago, turboxray said:

board flex when inserting a hucard

Yes, this is something that I was concerned about. I'll open it up and inspect it carefully when I get my screwdrivers.

 

4 hours ago, CZroe said:

 

Yeah, that PSU should work great as long as it's still center negative after the converter.

¥22,000 Sounds like a good price. It means I effectively spent over ¥10,000 for the box, controller, and AC adapter I really didn't need, and yet I thought I got a really good price (saw loose consoles going for more).

The larger 4.5mm driver is the one that'll get you in there. The smaller one is typically used for games and such.


I felt similarly at first so I haven't removed mine yet but since then I have seen at least three independent people with cracked boards over that post. There might be something to it.

I've been asking around town about SuperGrafx prices for a while now. Over at Trader, which generally has the fairest prices among the well-known shops, they told me it would be about 17000~18000 yen for a SuperGrafx, console only. Of course box and stuff = more money. Surugaya stuff is generally fair as long as you stay away from their Master Systems. They actually have a Genesis 3 in the box at Surugaya right now! Not sure if it is CIB, but I may pick it up eventually and triple bypass it to get a cool mini Genesis!

 

So not related to the SuperGrafx and I don't want to change topics, but I tried a fun little experiment just now. I pulled the board out of my CoreGrafx controller and swapped it with the board from the PC Engine mini controller. You can't do it the other way around, though; the controller cable on the original is much thicker than on the mini and the posts that the cable goes through are now closer together on the mini controller, so the original cable does not seem to fit and I don't want to force it.

 

I plugged my new homemade-semi-bootleg-but-still-100%-official turbo-equipped PC Engine mini controller in and it works perfectly! Except the turbo. That doesn't work at all. Here's a picture of the mini controller's board, since I know you probably want to see it!

 

 

And here is the inside of the PC Engine mini controller where the turbo switches are not. Just like the real original non-turbo controller, it has the slots for the turbo switches on the inside even though it does not have the actual switches.