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| − | {{Redirect|TG-16|the U.S. Air Force training glider|DG Flugzeugbau DG-1000}} | + | {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}} |
| − | {{About|the video game console|the upcoming Kanye West album of the same name|Kanye West discography}}
| + | {{Use Indian English|date=November 2016}} |
| − | {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2016}} | + | {{Infobox person |
| − | {{Infobox information appliance | + | | name = Ashmitha |
| − | | name = TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine | + | | image = |
| − | | title = TurboGrafx-16<br />PC Engine
| + | | caption = |
| − | | aka =
| + | | birth_name = Ashmitha Subramaniyam |
| − | | logo = [[File:TurboGrafx16logo.jpg|70px]]<br />[[File:PC Engine logo.png|120px]]
| + | | birth_date = |
| − | | image = [[File:TurboGrafx16-Console-Set.jpg|240px|The TurboGrafx-16]]<br />[[File:PC-Engine-Console-Set.jpg|250px|The PC Engine]] | + | | birth_place = [[Chennai]], [[India]] |
| − | | caption = Western markets model (top) and the original Japanese system (bottom). | + | | residence = |
| − | | developer =
| + | | other_names = |
| − | | manufacturer = [[NEC|NEC Home Electronics]]<br />[[Hudson Soft]]
| + | | occupation = Actress |
| − | | family = | + | | years_active = 2013–present |
| − | | type = [[Home video game console]]s | + | | imagesize = |
| − | | generation = [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
| + | | homepage = |
| − | | releasedate = {{vgrelease|JP|October 30, 1987<ref name="PC-Engine UK">http://www.pc-engine.co.uk/?section=systems</ref>|NA|August 29, 1989|FRA|November 22, 1989|UK|1990|SPA|1990}}
| + | | notable role = |
| − | | lifespan =
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| − | | price =
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| − | | discontinued = {{vgrelease|FRA|Spring 1993|NA|May 1994|JP|December 16, 1994}} | |
| − | | unitssold = Worldwide: 5.8 million<ref name="Sekimoto">{{cite news |title=ウィークエンド経済 第765号 あの失敗がこう生きた [Weekend Economics Issue 765. That Mistake Lived On.] |work=Asahi Shinbun (Evening Edition) |location=Osaka, Japan |date=December 1, 2001 |language=Japanese }}</ref><br>Japan: 3.9 million
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| − | | unitsshipped =
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| − | | media = [[HuCard]], [[CD-ROM]] (only with the CD-ROM² add-on)
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| − | | os =
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| − | | power =
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| − | | soc =
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| − | | cpu = [[Hudson Soft HuC6280]]
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| − | | memory = | |
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| − | | memory card = | |
| − | | display = <u>Resolution</u>:<br />- max. 565×242<br />- majority: 256×239<br /><u>Colors</u>:<br />- available: 512 (9-bit)<br />- onscreen: max. 482<br />(241 background, 241 sprite) | |
| − | | graphics = | |
| − | | sound = | |
| − | | input = | |
| − | | controllers =
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| − | | connectivity =
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| − | | platform =
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| − | | service =
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| − | | dimensions = 14 cm×14 cm×3.8 cm<br />(5.5 in×5.5 in×1.5 in)
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| − | | weight =
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| − | | topgame =
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| − | | compatibility=
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| − | | predecessor =
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| − | | successor = [[SuperGrafx]] (upgraded)<br>[[PC-FX]]
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| − | | related =
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| − | | website = | |
| | }} | | }} |
| − | The '''TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem''', known in Japan and France as the {{nihongo|'''PC Engine'''|PCエンジン|Pī Shī Enjin}}, is a [[home video game console]] jointly developed by [[Hudson Soft]] and [[NEC|NEC Home Electronics]], released in Japan on October 30, 1987 and in the United States on August 29, 1989. It also had a limited release in the United Kingdom and Spain in 1990, known as simply '''TurboGrafx''' and based on the American model, whilst the Japanese model was imported and distributed in France in 1989. It was the first console released in the [[History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|16-bit era]], albeit still utilizing an 8-bit [[CPU]]. Originally intended to compete with the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES), it ended up competing with the [[Sega Genesis]], and later on the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (SNES).
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| − | The TurboGrafx-16 has an 8-bit [[CPU]], a 16-bit video color encoder, and a 16-bit [[video display controller]]. The [[GPU]]s are capable of displaying 482 colors simultaneously, out of 512. With dimensions of just 14 cm×14 cm×3.8 cm (5.5 in×5.5 in×1.5 in), the Japanese PC Engine is the smallest major home game console ever made.<ref>''Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition'' (2008)</ref><ref name="Nintendo Life">{{cite web|author=Damien McFerran |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/11/feature_the_making_of_the_pc_engine |title=Feature: The Making Of The PC Engine|publisher=''Nintendo Life'' |date=November 2, 2012}}</ref> Games were stored on a [[HuCard]] cartridge, or in [[CD-ROM]] optical format with the TurboGrafx-CD add-on.
| + | '''Ashmitha''' is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Tamil language films. After making her debut in the Tamil film ''[[Veeram (2014 film)|Veeram]]'' (2014), she has been in films including ''[[Ninaithathu Yaaro]]'' (2014) and ''[[Atti (film)|Atti]]'' (2016). |
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| − | The TurboGrafx-16 failed to break into the North American market and sold poorly, which has been blamed on inferior marketing.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{cite web|author=Christian Nutt |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/225466/stalled_engine_the_turbografx16_.php?print=1 |title=Stalled engine: The TurboGrafx-16 turns 25 |publisher=''Gamasutra''}}</ref> However in Japan the PC Engine was very successful, where it gained strong third-party support and outsold the [[Famicom]] at its 1987 debut, eventually becoming the [[Super Famicom]]'s main rival.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web|author=Paul Sartori |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/apr/02/turbografx-16-machine-that-time-forgot |title=TurboGrafx-16: the console that time forgot (and why it's worth re-discovering) |publisher=''[[The Guardian]]'' |date=April 2, 2013}}</ref> Lots of revisions - at least 17 distinct models - were made, such as portable versions and a [[CD-ROM]] add-on.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/27/why-kanye-west-right-recommend-turbografx-16-console</ref> An enhanced model, the [[PC Engine SuperGrafx]], was intended to supersede the standard PC Engine, but failed to break through and was quickly discontinued. The entire series was succeeded by the [[PC-FX]] in 1994, only released in Japan.
| + | ==Career== |
| | + | Born in Chennai, Ashmitha attended [[Don Bosco matriculation school]] in [[Vyasarpadi]], Chennai. In 2014, Ashmitha worked on four films, with her first release being the [[Ajith Kumar|Ajith]]-starrer ''[[Veeram (2014 film)|Veeram]]'', where she portrayed the small supporting role of the daughter of [[Thambi Ramaiah]]'s character. She was also subsequently seen in [[Vikraman]]'s family drama ''[[Ninaithathu Yaaro]]'' and then as a rape victim in Ramakrishnan's ''Pongadi Neengalum Unga Kadhalum'', though neither film did well at the box office. The first film she had shot for, Yuvan's ''Athiyayam'', also had a low-profile release during the year.<ref>https://twitter.com/Vinayak4709/status/406642700910215168</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXYriWcC5fI</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHqdu_-_6bw</ref> |
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| − | == History ==
| + | Both of her initial films as the lead actress had long-delayed releases in December 2016. Despite beginning work in 2014, ''[[Pazhaya Vannarapettai]]'' released first followed by ''[[Atti (film)|Atti]]'' opposite [[Ma Ka Pa Anand]], where she portrayed a speech therapist.<ref>http://www.deccanchronicle.com/160105/entertainment-kollywood/article/ma-ka-pa-anand-turns-solo-hero</ref><ref>http://www.indiaglitz.com/atti-tamil-movie-review-19210.html</ref><ref>http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Pazhaya-Vannarapettai/movie-review/55744097.cms</ref> |
| − | The TurboGrafx-16 or PC Engine was a collaborative effort between [[Hudson Soft]], who created video game software, and [[NEC]], a major company which was dominant in the Japanese [[personal computer]] market with their [[PC-88]] and [[PC-98]] platforms. NEC's interest in entering the lucrative video game market coincided with Hudson's failed attempt to sell designs for then-advanced graphics chips to [[Nintendo]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Video Game Trader Magazine |url=http://www.videogametrader.com/2009/03/16/nec-the-hudson-bee-and-turbografx-16-from-japan-to-the-usa-a-turbocharged-competition/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717200000/http://www.videogametrader.com/2009/03/16/nec-the-hudson-bee-and-turbografx-16-from-japan-to-the-usa-a-turbocharged-competition/ |archivedate=July 17, 2011 |title=Video Game Trader #3, March 2008 |publisher=''Videogametrader.com'' |date=March 16, 2009 |accessdate=July 5, 2011}}</ref> NEC lacked the vital experience in the video gaming industry so approached numerous video game studios for support. They eventually found that, by coincidence, Hudson Soft was also interested in creating their own system but needed a partner for additional cash. The two companies successfully joined together to then develop the new system.<ref name="Nintendo Life"></ref>
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| − | The PC Engine finally made its debut in the Japanese market on October 30, 1987, and it was a tremendous success. By 1988 it outsold the Famicom year-on-year, putting NEC and Hudson Soft ahead of Nintendo in the market, and far ahead of [[Sega]]. The console had an elegant, "eye-catching" design, and it was very small compared to its rivals.<ref name="Gamasutra"></ref> This, coupled with a strong software lineup and strong third-party support from high-profile developers such as [[Namco]] and [[Konami]] gave NEC the lead in the Japanese market.<ref name="Nintendo Life"></ref>
| + | ==Filmography== |
| − | | + | {| class="wikitable" |
| − | In 1988 NEC wanted to sell the system to the American market, and directed its U.S. operations to do so. NEC Technologies boss Keith Schaefer formed a team to test the system out. One criticism they found was the lack of enthusiasm in its name 'PC Engine'. The team also felt its small size was not very suitable to American consumers who would generally prefer a larger and "futuristic" design. As a result they came up with the name 'TurboGrafx-16', a name representing its graphical speed and strength, and its 16-bit [[GPU]]. They also completely redesigned the hardware into a large, black casing. However the redesign process was lengthy, and NEC in Japan was still cautious about the system's viability in the U.S., both of which delayed the system's debut in the American market.<ref name="Gamasutra"></ref>
| + | |- style="background:#cccccf; text-align:center;" |
| − | | + | | '''Year''' || '''Film''' || '''Role''' || '''Notes''' |
| − | The TurboGrafx-16 was eventually released in the [[New York City]] and [[Los Angeles]] [[test market]] in late August 1989. This came just two weeks after [[Sega]]'s [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]] test-market launch on August 14,<ref>Steven L. Kent, ''The Ultimate History of Video Games'', p. 413.</ref> which was distastrous timing for NEC as Sega of America didn't waste time redesigning the original Japanese Mega Drive system.<ref name="Gamasutra"></ref> The Genesis launch was accompanied by an ad campaign mocking NEC's claim that the TurboGrafx-16 was the first 16-bit console. Initially, the TurboGrafx-16 was marketed as a direct competitor to the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] and early television ads touted the TG-16's superior graphics and sound. These ads featured a brief montage of the TG-16's launch titles: ''[[Blazing Lazers]]'', ''[[China Warrior]]'', ''[[Vigilante (video game)|Vigilante]]'', ''[[Alien Crush]]'', etc.
| + | |- |
| − | | + | |rowspan="4"|2014 || ''[[Veeram (2014 film)|Veeram]]'' || Savarimuthu's daughter || |
| − | Sega quickly eclipsed the TurboGrafx-16 after its American debut. NEC's decision to [[pack-in]] ''[[Keith Courage in Alpha Zones]]'', a Hudson Soft game unknown to western gamers, proved costly as Sega packed-in a port of the hit arcade title ''[[Altered Beast]]'' with the Genesis. NEC's American operations in [[Chicago]] were also overhyped about its potential and quickly produced 750,000 units, far above actual demand. Hudson Soft earned a lot from this as NEC paid Hudson Soft royalties for every hardware produced, whether sold or not. By 1990 it was clear that the system was performing very poorly and was severely edged out by Nintendo and Sega's marketing.<ref name="Gamasutra"></ref>
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| − | | + | | ''[[Ninaithathu Yaaro]]'' || || |
| − | After seeing the TurboGrafx-16 suffer in America, NEC decided to cancel their European releases. Units for the European markets were already produced, which were essentially US models modified to run on [[PAL]] television sets, and branded as simply '''TurboGrafx'''. NEC sold this stock to distributors - in the United Kingdom [[Telegames]] released the TurboGrafx in 1990 in extremely limited quantities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hudsonent.com/viewtopic.php?t=44&sid=f236051d12b1668bbdf7f5cf64646054 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929154917/http://hudsonent.com/viewtopic.php?t=44&sid=f236051d12b1668bbdf7f5cf64646054 |archivedate=September 29, 2011 |title=Hudson Entertainment – Video Games, Mobile Games, Ringtones, and More! |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=June 19, 2008 |accessdate=July 5, 2011}}</ref> This model was also released in Spain and Portugal through selected retailers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://museo8bits.com/pcegine.htm |title=Nec PC Engine / Turbografx |date=September 1, 2000 |accessdate=January 26, 2016}}</ref> No PAL [[HuCard]]s were made, and instead the European system can play all American games without modifications, albeit with the necessary slowdown to 50Hz.
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| − | | + | | ''Pongadi Neengalum Unga Kadhalum'' || Sameera || |
| − | PC Engine consoles (as well as some of its add-ons) were imported from Japan by French unlicensed importer Sodipeng (''Société de Distribution de la PC Engine'', a subsidiary of [[Ubisoft|Guillemot International]]), from November 1989 to 1993.<ref>[http://gameblog.fr/blogs/adrameleck/p_19043_pubs-sodipeng-pc-engine-1990-91 Pubs Sodipeng Pc-engine (1990–91) – Le Adra's Blog ! – GAMEBLOG.fr<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> This came after considerable enthusiasm in the French press. This PC Engine was largely available in France and [[Benelux]] through major retailers. It came with [[French language]] instructions and also an AV cable to enable its input to a [[SECAM]] television set. Its launch price was 1,790 [[French franc]]s (about 416 [[€]] as of 2013).<ref>http://www.retroblog.fr/tag/sodipeng/</ref>
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| − | [[File:NEC-TurboGrafx-16-CD-FL.jpg|thumb|right|The TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine was the first video game console capable of playing CD-ROM games with an optional add-on.]]
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| − | NEC claimed that it had sold 750,000 TG-16 consoles in the United States, and 500,000 CD-ROM units worldwide, by March 1991.<ref name="cgw199106">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=83 | title=Celebrating Software | work=Computer Gaming World | date=June 1991 | accessdate=November 17, 2013 | pages=64}}</ref> That year NEC released the [[PC Engine Duo]] in Japan, a model which could play HuCards and CD-ROM² discs, making it the first game console with an integrated CD-ROM drive. The console was licensed to Turbo Technologies Incorporated, who released it in North America in 1992 as the [[TurboDuo]]. In addition to standard CD-ROM² format discs, the Duo could also play games in the newly introduced '''Super CD-ROM²''' format due to its greater RAM size (the TurboGrafx-16 and its CD player could support this new format only through the use of a separately available upgrade, the Super System Card, which TTI sold via mail order). The unit came into competition with the [[Sega CD]], which was released almost immediately after. Turbo Technologies ran [[comic book]] ads featuring [[Johnny Turbo]]. The ads mocked Sega, and emphasized that though the TurboDuo and Sega CD had the same retail price, the TurboDuo was a standalone platform and included five pack-in games, whereas Sega CD buyers needed to purchase separately sold games and a Genesis console before they could use the system.
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| − | However, the North American console gaming market continued to be dominated by the Super NES and Genesis rather than the new CD-based consoles. In May 1994 Turbo Technologies announced that it was dropping support for the Duo, though it would continue to offer repairs for existing units and provide ongoing software releases through independent companies in the U.S. and Canada.<ref>{{cite news|last= |first= |title=At the Deadline|work=[[GamePro]]|issue=60|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=July 1994|page=172}}</ref>
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| − | The TurboGrafx-series was the first video game console ever to have a contemporaneous fully self-contained portable counterpart, the PC Engine GT, known as [[TurboExpress]] in North America. It contained identical hardware and played identical game software (utilizing [[HuCard]] format game software).
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| − | The final commercialized release for the PC Engine was ''Dead of the Brain Part 1 & 2'' on June 3, 1999, on the Super CD-ROM² format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.consolecity.com/games/action-game_info/game_id-26722.html |title=Dead of the Brain 1 & 2 |publisher=''Consolecity.com'' |date=June 3, 1996 |accessdate=July 5, 2011}}</ref> The last game on HuCard format was ''21 Emon: Mezase! Hotel Ō'' on December 16, 1994.
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| − | ==Variations==
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| − | {| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
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| − | | [[File:NEC-TurboExpress-Upright-FL.jpg|none|120px|PC Engine CoreGrafx with CD-ROM² and interface unit]] | + | | ''Athiyayam'' || || |
| − | | [[File:PC Engine Duo-RX.jpg|none|120px|PC Engine Duo RX]] | |
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| − | | style="width:120px;"| <center><small>The TurboExpress</small></center> | + | |rowspan="2"|2016 || ''[[Pazhaya Vannarapettai]]'' || || |
| − | | style="width:120px;"| <center><small>PC Engine Duo RX</small></center> | |
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| − | | [[File:PC Engine LT.jpg|none|120px|PC Engine LT]] | + | | ''[[Atti (film)|Atti]]'' || || |
| − | | [[File:Super CD-ROM2 with CoreGrafx II (3-4 right view).jpg|none|120px|CoreGrafx II with Super CD-ROM²]] | |
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| − | | style="width:120px;"| <center><small>PC Engine LT</small></center> | + | [[Niram Maaratha Pookkal (TV series)|Niram Maaratha Pookkal]] |
| − | | style="width:120px;"| <center><small>PC Engine CoreGrafx II with Super CD-ROM²</small></center>
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| − | Many variations and related products of the PC Engine were released.
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| − | ===Core consoles===
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| − | The '''PC Engine CoreGrafx''' is an updated model of the PC Engine, released in Japan on December 8, 1989.<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> It has the same form factor as the original PC Engine, but has a black color scheme, and replaces the original's [[RF]] connectors with an A/V port. A recolored version of the model, known as the '''PC Engine CoreGrafx II''', was released on June 21, 1991.<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> Aside from the different coloring, it is functionally identical to the original CoreGrafx.
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| − | The '''[[PC Engine SuperGrafx]]''', released on the same day as the CoreGrafx in Japan,<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> is an enhanced variation of the PC Engine hardware with updated specs. This model has a second HuC6270A (VDC), a HuC6202 (VDP) that combines the output of the two VDCs, four times as much RAM, twice as much video RAM, and a second layer/plane of scrolling. The CPU, sound, and color palette were not upgraded, making the expensive price tag a big disadvantage to the system. As a result, only five exclusive SuperGrafx games and two hybrid games (''[[Darius (arcade game)|Darius Plus]]'' and ''[[Darius Alpha]]'' were released as standard HuCards which took advantage of the extra video hardware if played on a SuperGrafx) were released, and the system was quickly discontinued. Despite the fact that the SuperGrafx was intended to supersede the original PC Engine, its extra hardware features were not carried over to the later Duo consoles. The SuperGrafx has a BUS expansion port, but requires an adapter in order to utilize the CD-ROM² System add-on.
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| − | The '''PC Engine LT''' is a model of the console in a [[laptop]] form, released on December 13, 1991 in Japan,<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> retailing at ¥99,800. The LT does not require a television display as it has a built-in flip-up screen and speakers, just as a laptop would have, but unlike the GT the LT runs on a power supply. Its expensive price meant that few units were produced compared to other models. It requires an adapter to use the Super CD-ROM² unit.
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| − | ===HuCard-only consoles===
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| − | The '''PC Engine Shuttle''' was released in Japan on November 22, 1989<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> as a less expensive model of the console, retailing at ¥18,800. It was targeted primarily towards younger players with its spaceship-like design and came bundled with a TurboPad II controller, which is shaped differently from the other standard TurboPad controllers. The reduced price was possible by the removal of the expansion port of the back, making it the first model of the console that was not compatible with the CD-ROM² add-on. However, it does have a slot for a memory backup unit, which is required for certain games.
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| − | The '''PC Engine GT''' is a portable version of the PC Engine, released in Japan on December 1, 1990 and then in the United States as the '''[[TurboExpress]]'''.<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> It can only play HuCard games. It has a {{convert|2.6|in|mm|adj=on}} backlit, active-matrix color LCD screen, the most advanced on the market for a portable video game unit at the time. The screen contributed to its high price and short battery life, however, which dented its performance in the market. It shares the capabilities of the TurboGrafx-16, giving it 512 available colors (9-bit [[RGB]]), stereo sound, and the same custom CPU at 7.15909 [[megahertz|MHz]]. It also has a TV tuner adapter as well as a two-player link cable.
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| − | ===CD-ROM add-ons===
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| − | [[File:PC Engine CD-ROM2 Interface Unit.jpg|thumb|PC Engine CoreGrafx with CD-ROM² and interface unit]]
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| − | The {{nihongo|'''CD-ROM² System'''|[[:ja:CD-ROM2|シーディーロムロムシステム]]|Shī Dī Romu Romu Shisutemu|pronounced "CD-ROM-ROM"}} is an add-on attachment for the PC Engine that was released in Japan on December 4, 1988.<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Turbo CD|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/turbocd/916397-turbo-cd/data|publisher=''[[GameFAQs]]''|accessdate=May 14, 2012}}</ref> The add-on allows the core versions of the console to play PC Engine games in CD-ROM format in addition to standard HuCards. This made the PC Engine the first video game console to have a CD-ROM peripheral, and first device ever to use CD-ROM as a storage medium for video games. The add-on consisted of two devices - the CD player itself and the interface unit, which connects the CD player to the console and provides as a common power supply and output for both.<ref>http://magweasel.com/2009/07/21/i-love-the-pc-engine-fighting-street/</ref><ref>http://www.giantbomb.com/no-ri-ko/3030-39939/</ref><ref>[http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/13.html Top 25 Videogame Consoles of All Time], IGN. Retrieved 2010-06-14.</ref><ref>{{citation|title=The video game explosion: a history from PONG to Playstation and beyond|author=Mark J. P. Wolf|publisher=''[[ABC-CLIO]]''|year=2008|isbn=0-313-33868-X|page=119|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA119|accessdate=April 10, 2011}}</ref> It was later released as the '''TurboGrafx-CD''' in the United States on August 1, 1990. The TurboGrafx-CD had a launch price of $399.99, and did not include any bundled games.<ref name="ToysRUs">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Toys R Us weekly ad |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=373&dat=19901205&id=ek1OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Oz8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2470,1037511 |newspaper=The Catoosa County News |date=December 5, 1990 |accessdate=2014-06-17 }}</ref> ''[[Fighting Street]]'' and ''[[Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair|Monster Lair]]'' were the TurboGrafx-CD launch titles; ''[[Ys Book I & II]]'' soon followed.
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| − | The {{nihongo|Super System Card|スーパーシステムカード|Sūpā Shisutemu Kādo}}, an upgrade for the CD-ROM² System, was released on October 26, 1991. It updates the BIOS to Version 3.0 and increases the buffer RAM from 64kB to 2MB required to play Super CD-ROM² discs. An American version of the Super System Card for the TurboGrafx-16/CD combo was also sold exclusively as a mail-order. PC Engine owners who did not already own the original CD-ROM² add-on could instead opt for the {{nihongo|'''Super CD-ROM²'''|[[:ja:SUPER CD-ROM2|スーパーシーディーロムロム]]|Sūpā Shī Dī Romu Romu}}, an updated version of the add-on released on December 13,<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> which combines the CD-ROM drive, interface unit and Super System Card into one device.
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| − | ===Duo consoles===
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| − | {{see|TurboDuo}}
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| − | [[File:NEC-TurboDuo-Console-wController-L.jpg|thumb|NEC/Turbo Technologies later released the TurboDuo, which combined the TurboGrafx-CD and TurboGrafx-16 into one unit.]]
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| − | NEC Home Electronics released the '''PC Engine Duo''' in Japan on September 21, {{vgy|1991}},<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> which combined the PC Engine and Super CD-ROM² unit into a single console. The system can play HuCards, audio CDs, CD+Gs, standard CD-ROM² games and Super CD-ROM² games. The North American version, the '''TurboDuo''', was launched in October {{vgy|1992}}. The American version of Duo was originally bundled with one control pad, an AC adapter, RCA cables, ''[[Ys Book I & II]]'' (a CD-ROM² title), and a Super CD-ROM² including ''[[Bonk's Adventure]]'', ''[[Bonk's Revenge]]'', ''[[Gate of Thunder]]'' and a secret version of ''[[Bomberman]]'' accessible via a cheat code. The system was also packaged with one random HuCard game which varied from system to system (''Dungeon Explorer'' was the original HuCard pack-in for TurboDuo, although many titles were eventually used, such as Irem's ''Ninja Spirit'' and Namco's ''Final Lap Twin'', and then eventually a random pick).
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| − |
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| − | Two updated variants were released in Japan: the '''PC Engine Duo-R''' (on March 25, 1993)<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> and the '''PC Engine Duo-RX''' (on June 25, 1994).<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/>
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| − |
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| − | ===Arcade Card===
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| − | Certain games in Japan were released in a third disc format, the {{nihongo|'''Arcade CD-ROM²'''|アーケードシーディーロムロム|Ākēdo Shī Dī Romu Romu}} (released in Japan on March 12, 1994),<ref name="PC-Engine UK"/> requiring the use of an {{nihongo|Arcade Card|[[:ja:アーケードカード|アーケードカード]]|Ākēdo Kādo}}. The Arcade Card was available in two variants: the '''Arcade Card Pro''' designed solely for the original CD-ROM² System, and the '''Arcade Card Duo''' that works with the Super CD-ROM² System and all [[PC Engine Duo]] models (both adding a total of 2MB of RAM). These are not compatible with the TurboGrafx-CD, nor with the TurboDuo, without an adapter.
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| − |
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| − | ===HE-System machines===
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| − | The '''PC-KD863G''' is a [[CRT monitor]] with built-in PC Engine console, released on September 27, 1988 in Japan for ¥138,000. Following NEC's PCs' naming scheme, the PC-KD863G was designed to eliminate the need to buy a separate television set and a console. It output its signals in [[RGB]], so it was clearer at the time than the console which was still limited to [[RF]] and [[Composite video|composite]]. However, it has no BUS expansion port, which made it incompatible with the CD-ROM² System and memory backup add-ons
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| − |
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| − | The '''X1-Twin''' was the first licensed PC Engine-compatible hardware manufactured by a third-party company, released by [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]] on April 1989 for ¥99,800.<ref name=super_pcefan_vol1>{{cite magazine|title=スーパーPCエンジンファン|trans-title=Super PC Engine Fan|language=Japanese|volume=1|publisher=Tokuma Shoten Intermedia|date=January 15, 1994}}</ref> It's an [[Sharp X1|X1]] computer and PC Engine console combined into one, although the two hardware run mutually separately.
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| − |
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| − | [[Pioneer Corporation]]'s [[LaserActive]] supports an add-on module which allows the use of PC Engine games (HuCard, CD-ROM² and Super CD-ROM²) as well as new "LD-ROM²" titles that work only on this device. NEC also released their own LaserActive unit and PC Engine add-on module, under an [[OEM]] license.<ref>{{cite news|last= |first= |title=International News|work=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=54|publisher=EGM Media, LLC|date=January 1994|page=94}}</ref> A total of eleven LD-ROM<sup>2</sup> titles were produced, with only three of them released in North America.
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| − |
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| − | ===Other foreign markets===
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| − | Outside North America and Japan, the TurboGrafx-16 was released in [[South Korea]] by a third party under the name '''Vistar 16'''. It was based on the American version but with a new curved design.<ref>[http://nfggames.com/games/vistar/ Vistar 16]</ref> The PC Engine was never officially released in continental Europe, but some companies imported them and made SCART conversions on a moderate scale. In France, [[Sodipeng]] imported Japanese systems and added an RGB Cable called "AudioVideo Plus Cable".{{citation needed|date=September 2014}} This mod improved the original video signal quality extensively and made the consoles work with SECAM televisions. In Germany, several importers sold converted PC Engines with PAL RF as well as RGB output.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}} The connectors and pinouts used for the latter were frequently compatible with the [[Amiga]] video port, with two unconnected pins used for the audio channels.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}
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| − |
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| − | ===Peripheral compatibility===
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| − | [[File:NEC-TurboGrafx-16-TurboTap.jpg|thumb|right|The TurboGrafx-16 had only one controller port, so any simultaneous multiplayer games required the TurboTap accessory.]]
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| − | All PC Engine systems support the same controller peripherals, including pads, joysticks and multitaps. Except for the Vistar, Shuttle, GT, and systems with built-in CD-ROM drives, all PC Engine units shared the same expansion connector, which allowed for the use of devices such as the CD-ROM unit, battery backup and AV output.
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| − |
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| − | The TurboGrafx and Vistar units use a different controller port than the PC Engines, but adaptors are available and the protocol is the same. The TurboGrafx offers the same expansion connector pinout as the PC Engine, but has a slightly different shape so peripherals must be modified to fit.
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| − |
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| − | The Arcade Card Pro is designed for the original CD-ROM² System add-on, adding the 2304 kB of RAM required by Arcade CD-ROM² games. The Arcade Card Duo is for the Super CD-ROM² System and the PC-Engine Duo/R/RX consoles and adds 2048 kB RAM, since those systems already have 256K of RAM built-in.
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| − |
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| − | The various CD-ROM game types are:
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| − | *CD-ROM² : Standard CD-ROM game. Runs on all CD-ROM² Systems without any additional requirements
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| − | *Super CD-ROM² : Requires a Super System Card to work on the original CD-ROM² System. No card is required for Super CD-ROM² and Duo consoles.
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| − | *Arcade CD-ROM² : Requires an Arcade Card Pro on the original CD-ROM² System, or an Arcade Card Duo on the Super CD-ROM² and Duo consoles.
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| − |
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| − | ===Video formats===
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| − | All PC Engine hardware outputs video in NTSC format, including the European TurboGrafx; it generates a PAL-compatible video signal by using a chroma encoder chip not found in any other system in the series.
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| − |
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| − | ==Technical specifications==
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| − | [[File:NEC-TurboGrafx-16-Motherboard-Top.jpg|thumb|The TurboGrafx-16 ran off an 8-bit CPU, but had a 16-bit graphics processor.<ref>{{cite magazine|last= |first= |title=The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Bit|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=15 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=March 1996|page=30}}</ref>]]
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| − |
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| − | The PC Engine is a relatively compact video game console, owing to an efficient three-chip architecture and its use of small [[ROM cartridge]]s called [[HuCard]]s (Turbo Chips in North America). Hudson Soft developed the HuCard (Hudson Card) from the [[Bee Card]] technology it piloted on the [[MSX]]. HuCards are about the size of a credit card, but slightly thicker. They are very similar to the [[Sega Card|My Card]] format utilized for certain games released on the [[SG-1000]]/[[SC-3000]] and the [[Sega Master System|Mark III/Master System]]. The largest Japanese HuCard games were up to {{nowrap|20 Mbit}} in size. All PC Engine consoles can play standard HuCards, including the [[PC Engine SuperGrafx]] (which has its small library of exclusive HuCards).
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| − |
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| − | With the exception of the budget-priced PC Engine Shuttle, the portable PC Engine GT and the PC-KD863G monitor, every PC Engine console is also capable of playing CD-ROM² discs, provided the console is equipped with the required CD-ROM drive and System Card. The SuperGrafx and PC Engine LT both required additional adapters to work on the original CD-ROM² System and Super CD-ROM² respectively, whereas the Duo consoles had the CD-ROM drive and Super System Card integrated into them (as did the Super CD-ROM² player). Some unlicensed CD games by Games Express can only run on Duo consoles, due to their games requiring both a special System Card packaged with the games and the 256 kB of RAM built into the Duo.
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| − |
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| − | The console's [[Central processing unit|CPU]] is a [[Hudson Soft HuC6280]] 8-bit microprocessor operating at 1.79 MHz and 7.16 MHz. It features integrated bank-switching hardware (driving a 21-bit external address bus from a 6502-compatible 16-bit address bus), an integrated general-purpose I/O port, a timer, block transfer instructions, and dedicated move instructions for communicating with the [[Hudson Soft HuC6270|HuC6270A]] VDC. Its 16-bit [[Graphics processing unit|graphics processor]] and video color encoder chip were also developed by Hudson Soft.<ref>{{cite web|title=United States patent 5059955|url=http://www.google.com/patents/US5059955}}</ref> It holds 8 [[Kilobyte|kB]] of work RAM and 64 kB of video RAM.
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| | | | |
| − | ===Display=== | + | ==Television== |
| − | | + | {| class="wikitable" |
| − | ====Resolution====
| + | |- style="background:#cccccf; text-align:center;" |
| − | *X (Horizontal) Resolution: variable, maximum of 565 (programmable to 282, 377 or 565 pixels, or as 5.3693175 MHz, 7.15909 MHz, and 10.738635 MHz pixel dot clock)<ref name="forums.magicengine.com">{{cite web|url=http://forums.magicengine.com/en/viewtopic.php?t=1798 |title=Forums.MagicEngine.com |publisher=Forums.MagicEngine.com |date= |accessdate=2011-07-05}}</ref> Taking into consideration overscan limitations of CRT televisions at the time, the horizontal resolutions were realistically limited to something a bit less than what the system was actually capable of. Consequently, most game developers limited their games to either 256, 352, or 512 pixels in display width for each of the three modes.<ref name="pcenginefx.com forum">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6601.msg110493#msg110493 |title=forum |publisher=''Pcenginefx.com'' |date= |accessdate=July 5, 2011}}</ref>
| + | | '''Year''' || '''Film''' || '''Role''' || '''Channel''' |
| − | *Y (Vertical) Resolution: variable, maximum of 242 (programmable in increments of 1 scanline). It is possible to achieve an interlaced "mode" with a maximum vertical resolution of 484 scanlines by alternating between the two different vertical resolution modes used by the system. However, it is unknown, at this time, if this interlaced resolution is compliant with (and hence displayed correctly on) NTSC televisions.
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| − | *The majority of TurboGrafx-16 games use 256×239,<ref name="forums.magicengine.com"/> though some games, such as ''Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective'' did use 512×224.
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| − | | |
| − | ====Color====
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| − | *Colors available: 512 (9-bit)
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| − | *Colors onscreen: Maximum of 482 (241 background, 241 sprite)
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| − | *Palettes: Maximum of 32 (16 for background tiles, 16 for sprites)
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| − | *Colors per palette: 16 per background palette (color entry #0 of each background palette must be the same), and 15 per sprite palette (plus transparent, which is displayed as an actual color in the overscan area of the screen)
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| − | | |
| − | ====Sprites====
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| − | *Simultaneously displayable: 64 on-screen, 16 (256 sprite pixels) per scanline
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| − | *Sizes: 16×16, 16×32, 16×64, 32×16, 32×32, 32×64
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| − | *Palette: Each sprite can use up to 15 unique colors (one color must be reserved as transparent) via one of the 16 available sprite palettes.
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| − | *Layers: The [[Hudson Soft HuC6270|HuC6270A]] VDC was capable of displaying one sprite layer. Sprites could be placed either in front of or behind background tiles by manipulating a bit which caused indirect pixel color entry #0 of the background tile(s) to act as transparent.
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| − | | |
| − | ====Tiles====
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| − | *Size: 8×8
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| − | *Palette: Each background tile can use up to 15 unique colors via one of the 16 available background palettes and 1 shared color (BG color #0) for a total of 16 colors per tile. The first color entry of each background subpalette is ignored. Instead, color #0's RGB value is shown in its place (the common/shared color). When a specific sprite is set to show behind the BG layer via the priority bit, all tiles that use relative color #0 (of 16) will not show BG color #0. But instead will show the sprite pixel (if not opaque).
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| − | *Layers: The [[Hudson Soft HuC6270|HuC6270A]] VDC was capable of displaying one background layer.
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| − | | |
| − | ===Audio capacity===
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| − | *Six [[wavetable synthesis]] audio channels, programmable through the [[Hudson Soft HuC6280|HuC6280A]] CPU.
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| − | *Each channel had a [[frequency]] of 111.87 kHz for single cycle of 32 samples (while not in D/A mode) with a [[Audio bit depth|bit depth]] of 5 bits. Each channel also was allotted 20 bytes (32×5 bits) of RAM for sample data.
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| − | *The [[waveform]]s were programmable so the composers were not limited to the standard selection of waveforms (square, sine, sawtooth, triangle, etc.). But the use of standard waveforms, and semi-standard forms, such as a 25% pulse wave were used fairly often.
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| − | *The first two audio channels (1 and 2) were capable of [[Low frequency oscillation|LFO]] when channel #2 was used to modulate channel #1 with [[vibrato]]. In theory, this could also be used to perform an [[Frequency modulation synthesis|FM]] operation, though due to other limitations, this was never done (note: LFO, like FM works by modifying an audible waveform (carrier oscillator) with an inaudible waveform (modulator oscillator), but LFO's modulator is subsonic rather than sonic (FM), so LFO will not change the carrier's timbre, just its behavior, and as a result, LFO does not really sound anything like FM.)
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| − | *The final two audio channels (5 and 6) were capable of [[White noise|noise]] generation.
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| − | *Optional software enabled Direct [[Digital-to-analog converter|D/A]] which allows for sampled sound to be streamed into any of the six PSG audio channels. When a channel is in D/A mode the frequency is as fast as the CPU can stream bytes to the port, though in practicality it is limited to 6.99 kHz when using the TIMER interrupt with its smallest loop setting (1023 cpu cycles) or 15.7 kHz using the scanline interrupt.
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| − | *There is a method that combines two channels in DDA mode to play back 8-bit, 9-bit, or 10-bit samples.
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| − | *The addition of the CD-ROM peripheral adds CD-DA sound, and a single ADPCM channel to the existing sound capabilities of the PC Engine.
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| − | | |
| − | ===Region protection===
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| − | [[Image:TurboGrafx HuCard adapters.png|thumb|right|200px|Common HuCard Converters]]
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| − | With HuCards, a limited form of region protection was introduced between markets which for the most part was nothing more than running some of the HuCard's pinout connections in a different arrangement. There were several major after-market converters sold to bypass this protection, and were sold predominantly for use in converting Japanese titles for play on a TG-16. In the Japanese market, NEC went further by adding a hardware level detection function to all PC Engine systems that detected if a game was a U.S. release, and would then refuse to play it. The only known exception to this is the U.S. release of [[Klax (video game)|Klax]] which did not contain this function. The explanation commonly given for this by NEC officials is that most U.S. conversions had the difficulty level reduced, and in some cases were censored for what was considered inappropriate content, and consequently, they did not want the U.S. conversion to re-enter the Asian market and negatively impact the perception of a game.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} With some minor soldering skills, a change could be made to PC Engines to disable this check.<ref>{{cite web|title=PC Engine Import Mod|url=http://www.gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=imports:pc_engine|publisher=GameSX|accessdate=January 11, 2014|quote="The fix: On Japanese systems, connect pin 29 of the Hu6280 chip to [ground]. That's it."}}</ref> The only Japanese games that could not be played on a U.S. system using one of these converters were the SuperGrafx titles which could only be played on a SuperGrafx.
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| − | | |
| − | There was no region protection on TurboGrafx-CD and CD-ROM² System games.
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| − | | |
| − | Due to the extremely limited PAL release after NEC decided to cancel a full release, there were no PAL HuCards made. The European TurboGrafx therefore played the NTSC American/Japanese titles, converted to [[PAL]] 50Hz format.<ref name="Gamasutra"></ref>
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| − | | |
| − | ==CD hardware technical specifications and information==
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| − | *[[Oki Electric Industry|Oki]] MSM5205 [[Adaptive differential pulse-code modulation|ADPCM]] chip with variable speed input clock, and 64 [[Kibibyte|kB]] [[Dynamic random-access memory|DRAM]] for audio sample storage. Only one channel of 4-bit compressed audio (decompresses to [[Audio bit depth|12-bit]], top 10 bits output through [[Digital-to-analog converter|DAC]]) was supported.<ref>http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:G7O62_Ggt1sJ:archaicpixels.com/images/f/f8/MSM5205.pdf</ref> It supports a [[Sampling (signal processing)|sampling]] rate of up to 32.088 kHz.<ref>http://www.ysutopia.net/special/MSM5205.htm</ref>
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| − | *Programmable, timer controlled, electronic volume attenuator to fade-out the [[Compact Disc Digital Audio|CD-DA]] and ADPCM audio channels together or individually.
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| − | *The PC-Engine [[CD-ROM]] interface tray has 64 kB of DRAM for storage of program code and data loaded from the CD.
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| − | *The "System Card" contains the [[BIOS]] program used to boot CD media and provides functions for software to access CD hardware through a standardized interface. Later System Cards had extra RAM and updates to the BIOS.
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| − | *The Duo series has the same BIOS [[Read-only memory|ROM]] (v3.00) and RAM (256 kB total) as a PC-Engine system equipped with a Super System Card. The Duo implements the [[Computer memory|memory]] as a single 256 kB [[Static random-access memory|SRAM]] chip rather than the split 64 kB DRAM / 192 kB SRAM.
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| − | *The list of known CD-ROM BIOS revisions are:
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| − | **v1.00 – First release (System Card, came with the first versions of the PC-Engine CD-ROM² Interface Unit)
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| − | **v2.00 – Upgrade (System Card, came with later versions of the Interface Unit)
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| − | **v2.10 – Upgrade (System Card, came with even later versions of the Interface Unit or sold separately)
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| − | **v3.00 – Final release (built into several products and available as a Super System Card – see below)
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| − | *The list of known System Card releases are:
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| − | **System Card v1.00 – First release. Came packaged with the original PC-Engine CD-ROM² System.
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| − | **System Card v2.00 – BIOS update. This adds support for [[CD+G]] discs.
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| − | **System Card v2.10 – BIOS update. Auto disc change detection is implemented. Was the first System Card that was sold separately from the add-on.
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| − | **System Card v3.00 (aka. Super System Card) – 1.5 [[Mebibit|Mbit]] [[Random-access memory|RAM]] (192 kB) – RAM upgrade and BIOS update. This expands the RAM available for the CD-ROM unit to 256 kB when including the existing built in DRAM. It also offers a final BIOS update to v3.00. The PC-Engine Duo (Turbo Duo in North America) had 256 kB of RAM and the same v3.00 BIOS built into the system. Games developed for this System Card bore the "Super CD-ROM² System" mark and could not be played using an older System Card.
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| − | **Arcade Card Duo – 16 Mbit RAM (2048 kB) – RAM upgrade exclusively for the Super CD-ROM² System and PC Engine Duo consoles. This greatly expands the RAM available to 2048 kB. The BIOS revision was unchanged from v3.00. Games developed for the Arcade Card Duo/Pro bore the "Arcade CD-ROM²" mark, and could not be played using prior System Cards. The Arcade Card Pro includes the extra 192 kB needed for the original CD-ROM² System
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| − | **Arcade Card Pro – 17.5 Mbit RAM (2240 kB as 2 [[Mebibyte|MB]]+192 kB) – RAM upgrade for the original CD-ROM² System. This greatly expands the RAM available to 2240 kB. The BIOS revision was unchanged from v3.00. The Arcade Card Pro combines the functions of the Super System Card and the Arcade Card Duo into one unit. The 2 MB of RAM is accessed through ports or units of single {{nowrap|8 kB}} banks and is intended for graphics data storage rather than program code; its flexible addressing system allows for rapid transfer of data to VRAM. While intended and marketed for the original CD-ROM² System, it's actually compatible with Super CD-ROM² add-on and all Duo consoles without any issues.
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| − | **Games Express CD Card – Bootleg System Card. This was released by [[Hacker International]] for play of unlicensed Games Express CD games. The GECD Card is essentially a [[dongle]]; a BIOS v3.00 based machine (like a Duo or a Super CD-ROM²) is required for running those games.
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| − | | |
| − | ===Corresponding CD-ROM products===
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| − | {|style="width:270px; float:right; border:1px solid #ccc; font-size:88%; line-height:1.5em; padding:1em; margin: 1em 0 1em 2em;"
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| | |- | | |- |
| − | |[[File:PC Engine ArcadeCard DUO.jpg|140px]] | + | | 2017-Present || [[Niram Maaratha Pookkal (TV series)|Niram Maaratha Pookkal]] || Venmathi |
| − | |[[File:PC Engine ArcadeCard PRO.jpg|125px]] | + | | [[Zee Tamil]] |
| | |- | | |- |
| − | | colspan="2"|Arcade Card Duo (left) and Arcade Card Pro
| |
| | |} | | |} |
| − |
| |
| − | *CD-ROM² System – Consists of two components: a compact CD player (CDR-30) and the Interface Unit (IFU-30), which connects the CD player into the PC Engine console itself. These were sold separately or as part of a bundle. The Interface Unit also stores save data and provides a common power supply for the PC Engine and the CD player. A System Card is required for the PC Engine to access the functions of the CD player. Later revisions of both, the CD player (CDR-30A) and the Interface Unit (IFU-30A), featured improved disc reading capabilities.
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| − | *System Card – The original CD-ROM² System Card included with the Interface Unit. The System Card underwent a few slight revisions, with Version 1.0 being the original model, followed by Version 2.0 (which adds [[CD+G]] support) and Version 2.1 (which auto-detects discs). Only Version 2.1 was sold as a stand-alone unit.
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| − | *ROM² Adaptor (RAU-30) – A cable with two large ends that allows a PC Engine SuperGrafx (PI-TG4) console to be connected into the CD-ROM² Interface Unit.
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| − | *Super System Card (PI-SC1) – An upgraded System Card that changes the BIOS of the CD-ROM² System to Version 3.0 and adds the 192kb of SRAM required to play Super CD-ROM² format discs.
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| − | *Super CD-ROM² (PI-CD1) – An upgraded version of the CD-ROM² System add-on that combines the functions of the Interface Unit, CD-ROM player and Super System Card into one unit.
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| − | *PC Engine Duo (PI-TG8) – A PC Engine console with a built-in Super CD-ROM² unit.
| |
| − | *Super ROM² Adaptor (PI-AD8) – An adapter that allows the PC Engine LT (PI-TG9) to be connected into the Super CD-ROM² unit.
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| − | *PC Engine Duo-R (PI-TG10) – A redesigned version of the PC Engine Duo.
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| − | *PC Engine Duo-RX (PCE-DUORX) – The third version of the PC Engine Duo.
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| − | *Arcade Card Duo (PCE-AC1) – A RAM expansion card that adds the 16 Megabits of DRAM required to run Arcade CD-ROM² discs on any Super CD-ROM² and PC Engine Duo systems.
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| − | *Arcade Card Pro (PCE-AC2) – Combines the functions of the Arcade Card Duo and the Super System Card into one card. Designed and marketed primarily for the original CD-ROM² System.
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| − |
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| − | ===Drive unit===
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| − | *Single-speed CD-ROM drive, managed by an NEC microcontroller and using the SCSI-I interface.
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| − | *Transfer rate of 150 kB/s.
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| − |
| |
| − | ==Reception==
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| − | In Japan, the PC Engine was very successful, and at one point was the top-selling console in the nation.<ref>{{cite journal|last= |first= |title=What in the Name of Sam Hill is a PC Engine?|journal=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=70|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=May 1995|page=15}}</ref> In North America and Europe the situation was reversed, with both Sega and Nintendo dominating the console market at the expense of NEC. Initially, the TurboGrafx-16 sold well in the U.S., but eventually it suffered from lack of support from third-party [[software developer]]s and publishers.
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| − |
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| − | In 1990, ''[[ACE (games magazine)|ACE]]'' magazine praised the console's [[Racing video game|racing game]] library, stating that, compared to "all the popular consoles, the PC Engine is way out in front in terms of the range and quality of its race games."<ref>''[[ACE (games magazine)|ACE]]'', issue 34 (July 1990), [https://wos.meulie.net/pub/sinclair/magazines/ACE/Issue34/Pages/ACE3400059.jpg page 59]</ref> Reviewing the Turbo Duo model in 1993, ''[[GamePro]]'' gave it a "thumbs down". Though they praised the system's CD sound, graphics, and five-player capability, they criticized the outdated controller and the games library, saying the third party support was "almost nonexistent" and that most of the first party games were localizations of games better suited to the Japanese market.<ref>{{cite news|last= |first= |title=System Shopper|work=[[GamePro]]|issue=53|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=December 1993|pages=46–49}}</ref> In 2009, the TurboGrafx-16 was ranked the 13th greatest video game console of all time by [[IGN]], citing "a solid catalog of games worth playing," but also a lack of third party support and the absence of a second controller port.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/13.html |title=TurboGrafx-16 is number 13 |publisher=''IGN'' |date= |accessdate=July 5, 2011}}</ref>
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| − |
| |
| − | ==Legacy==
| |
| − | In 1994, NEC released a new console, the Japan-only [[PC-FX]], a [[32-bit]] system with a tower-like design; it enjoyed a small but steady stream of games until 1998, when NEC finally abandoned the video games industry. NEC supplied rival [[Nintendo]] with the CPU for the [[Nintendo 64]], released in 1996, and former rival Sega with a version of its [[PowerVR]] 2 GPU for the [[Dreamcast]], released in 1998.
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| − | A number of TurboGrafx-16 and TurboGrafx-CD games were released on Nintendo's [[Virtual Console]] download service for the [[Wii]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hudsonent.com/user/newsdetail.php?news_id=68 |title=Hudson Entertainment – Video Games, Mobile Games, Ringtones, and More! |publisher=''Hudsonent.com'' |date= |accessdate=July 5, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Wii U]], and [[Nintendo 3DS]], including several that were originally never released outside Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/697/697882p1.html |title=IGN: GDC 06: Satoru Iwata Keynote |publisher=Wii.ign.com |date=March 23, 2006 |accessdate=2011-07-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.revolutionfanboy.com/2006/03/23/virtual-console-sega-and-hudson-games-are-a-go/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201134356/http://www.revolutionfanboy.com/2006/03/23/virtual-console-sega-and-hudson-games-are-a-go/ |archivedate=December 1, 2008 |title=Virtual Console: Sega and Hudson games are a go! – Nintendo Wii Fanboy |publisher=''Revolution Fanboy'' |date=March 23, 2006 |accessdate=July 5, 2011}}</ref> In 2011, [[List of PlayStation Store TurboGrafx-16 games|ten TurboGrafx-16 games]] were released on the [[PlayStation Network]] for play on the [[PlayStation 3]] and [[PlayStation Portable]] in the North American region.
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| − | In 2010 Hudson released an [[iPhone]] application entitled "TurboGrafx-16 GameBox" which allowed users to buy and play a number of select Turbo Grafx games via [[in-app purchases]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cowan|first1=Danny|title=Hudson Releases TurboGrafx-16 GameBox Emulator For iOS|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/122690/Hudson_Releases_TurboGrafx16_GameBox_Emulator_For_iOS.php|website=Gamasuitra|accessdate=April 6, 2016}}</ref>
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| − | In 2016, rapper [[Kanye West]] announced his [[Turbo Grafx 16 (album)|8th solo album]] would be titled "Turbo Grafx 16".<ref>{{cite web|title=Kanye's Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/703446573552967680}}{{dead link|date=November 2017|fix-attempted=yes|bot=MarkyBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Byford|first1=Sam|title=Kanye West says his new album is called Turbo Grafx 16 and coming this summer|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/27/11125294/kanye-west-new-album-turbografx-16 |website=The Verge|accessdate=April 6, 2016}}{{dead link|date=November 2017|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20161224011840/https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/703446573552967680|bot=TweetCiteBot}}</ref>
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| − | ==Emulation==
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| − | {{See also|List of video game emulators#TurboGrafx-16|label 1=List of TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine emulators}}
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| − | [[Video game console emulator|Emulation programs]] for the TurboGrafx-16 exist for several modern and retro operating systems and architectures and are at varying levels of emulation ranging from beta stage, to near perfect emulation of all PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 formats.
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| − | ==See also==
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| − | *[[List of PC Engine games]]
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| − | *[[List of TurboGrafx-16 games]]
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| | ==References== | | ==References== |
| − | {{reflist|30em}} | + | {{Reflist|2}} |
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | {{Commons category|PC Engine}}
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| − | * [http://www.pcengine.co.uk The PC Engine Software Bible] software listing including reviews and videos.
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| − | * [http://www.pc-engine.co.uk PC-Engine] definitive hardware listing for all PC Engine and Turbo Grafx systems.
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| − | * [http://archaicpixels.com Archaic Pixels] contains the most extensive compendium of TurboGrafx-16 technical information.
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| − | * [http://www.turboviews.com TurboGrafx-16] overview and review show!
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| − | * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBv_L4AsMUI Video of TurboGrafx-16] and PC Engine hardware and features from [http://famicomdojo.tv/season2/ FamicomDojo.TV]
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| − | {{NEC video game consoles}}
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| − | {{Fourth generation game consoles}}
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| − | {{Home video game consoles}}
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| − | [[Category:1980s toys]]
| + | {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashmitha}} |
| − | [[Category:1990s toys]] | + | [[Category:Indian film actresses]] |
| − | [[Category:CD-ROM-based consoles]] | + | [[Category:Tamil actresses]] |
| − | [[Category:Home video game consoles]] | + | [[Category:Living people]] |
| − | [[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]] | + | [[Category:Actresses in Tamil cinema]] |
| − | [[Category:NEC consoles]] | + | [[Category:Actresses from Chennai]] |
| − | [[Category:Products introduced in 1987]] | + | [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
| − | [[Category:TurboGrafx-16| ]] | + | [[Category:21st-century Indian actresses]] |
Both of her initial films as the lead actress had long-delayed releases in December 2016. Despite beginning work in 2014, Pazhaya Vannarapettai released first followed by Atti opposite Ma Ka Pa Anand, where she portrayed a speech therapist.[4][5][6]
