I've had a pretty hectic first half of the month, so I haven't posted here much yet, but I'm going to try and make up for it over the next 2 weeks!
One thing I wanted to look at today was the PC Engine hardware. It's pretty crazy how many different units, models and software formats there are on the PC Engine and Turbografx, so I'm going to do my best to clarify a bit about some of the options. It all looks pretty intimidating from the outside, but in reality there's just lots of different versions of hardware that do mostly the same things.
I'm not a super expert or anything by any means so I might get some of this wrong, but I'll do my best! I'm also not going to cover
everything here as there's all sorts of niche oddities and stuff when it comes to PC Engine hardware - I'll just cover the main stuff you might see or hear about.
Playing HuCards/Turbochips:PC Engine (original), PC-Engine Coregrafx, PC-Engine Coregrafx II:These are all the classic little square consoles that released in Japan. They play Japanese HuCard's out of the box, but aren't compatible with US Turbochips. The original PC Engine is the off-white one, and only has RF video output. The Coregrafx is the dark grey one is the same but with Composite video output. The Coregrafx II is the mid-grey one and is mostly identical to the original CoreGarfx other than colour. The colour is designed to match the Super CD ROM2 add on.
Turbografx-16This is the much bulkier North American version of the console. It's black with orange detailing. It plays American Turbochips but cannot read Japanese HuCards. It features Composite video output like the Coregrafx.
Turbografx (PAL): This is a modified version of the Turbografx-16 which was released in limited quantities in PAL territories. It's essentially the US console modified for 50hz output and higher mains voltage. There were no 'PAL' games released - this unit is compatible with North American Turbochips. As the games aren't optimised, they all run about 17% slower than they should, which makes this the worst option for playing the games. I'm unclear if this is compatible with the CD add-on.
Turbo Express/PC Engine GT:
This is the handheld version of the console. The naming is different in each region but unlike the home console the designs are basically the same besides branding from what I can tell. This system plays the same HuCards or Turbochips as the home console - although still region dependent which! Not compatible with CD add ons for obvious reasons. Also like many handhelds of the time, it's an absolute battery vampire.
Playing CD games:PC Engine CD-Rom^2:
This add-on connects to Japanese PC Engine consoles to allow them to play CD games. I've heard it's compatible with the US system too but not 100% confident on that. The setup in Japan comes with a briefcase like dock which you set both the CD rom and any classic PC Engine variety (PC Engine/CoreGrafx/Coregrafx II) inside. You need a system card plugged into the PC Engine hucard slot for it to work - the system card determines what type of CD-ROM games it supports, this is explained further down in this post! CDs are region free on PC Engine and Turbografx, so either Japanese or North American games should work.
Turbografx CD:
This is essentially the American version of the CD ROM2 unit. It has a nicer form factor but still requires system cards to function. It will play games of any region, but the system card itself will need to be American as they use the HuCard slot.
PC Engine Super CD ROM^2: This is a later CD-Rom attachment with a different form factor - it connects onto the back fo the PC Engine consoles. It also includes more onboard memory and has a 'Super CD Rom' BIOS and memory basically built in, so you don't need a system card unless you want to play Arcade CD Rom games.
PC Engine Duo: This essentially is a combined PC Engine & CD ROM2 attachment in one unit, which results in a nicer form factor overall. It has the system card 3.0 support like the Super CD-Rom2 unit, so it only requires a system card for Arcade CD Rom games. It supports Japanese HuCards and CDs from any region, but not American Turbochips.
TurboDuo:
Basically the US version of the PC Engine Duo. Comes with Super CD compatibility and plays all region CDs, but only US turbochips. Because of this, if you want to play the handful or Arcade CD games you'll need to mod it or use a region adapter, as the Arcade system card was a Japan exclusive.
PC Engine Duo R:
As far as I can tell, this is essentially a PC Engine Duo but with a new form factor and colouring. I've heard the hardware is more reliable than the original model though!
PC Engine Duo RX:Essentially the same as the PC Engine Duo R, but comes with a 6 button controller included rather than the classic 2 button.
Other systems of note:SuperGrafx:This was a failed piece of new hardware that didn't sell very well and is thus rare and expensive. It's fully compatible with the Turbografx library and CD add-ons (although you may need an adapter for some due to form factor) but also some exclusive Supergrafx HuCards. There's only a handful of these and they cost a small fortune nowadays, so it's not really worth it.
PC Engine Mini/Coregrafx Mini/Turbografx Mini:This was a mini console that Konami released a few years back which included a range of built in PC Engine and Turbografx titles - you get both English and Japanese releases on all versions of the hardware, although there are a few small differences. The PC Engine Mini was released in Japan and is based on the original hardware, the Turbografx Mini was released in America based on the US design, and Europe rather oddly got the CoreGrafx Mini with the darker colouring. The games are identical between regions with the following differences: Japan recieved text heavy RPG Tengai Makyō II: Manji Maru, and dating sim Tokimeki Memorial on their unit, plus the Japanese version of Splatterhouse. America and Europe instead got the shmup Salamander and the American version of Splatterhouse instead, resulting in 1 less game overall. Otherwise the line up is identical.
Media formats:I guess I should talk a bit about the various media formats for the system too, seeing how I mentioned them above:
HuCards: These are the Japanese card format which work on all Japanese PC Engines. They won't work on American without modding the unit or using a cartridge adapter.
Turbochips: This the American version of above. The form factor is identical, but they are region locked and will only work on the American systems without mods or adapters.
CD ROM^2: This is the original CD format for the turbografx. These will work on all CD units and are region free. For systems without built in Super CD support, you'll need any system card to run these.
Super CD ROM^2: This is an upgraded CD Rom format which can make use of higher memory to run more impressive games. They're region free again, and require system card 3.0 on units without Super CD functionality built in.
Arcade CD ROM: This is the final CD format for PC Engine and was only released in Japan. It requires an Arcade system card to be plugged in to run as they require lots of extra RAM - no hardware had this built in. There are different arcade cards depending which hardware you have though, so be sure to get the right one. Only a small handful of Arcade CD Roms exist and many are quite pricy so this isn't necessarily an essential purchase.
Supergrafx HuCard: These are just HuCards which only work on Supergrafx. Based on their ludicrous prices you're unlikely to buy one by accident so probably best to forget about these
System Cards: You'll need these to play CD games, depending on which hardware you're using. This is summary of the msot relevant ones:
System card 1.0: This PC Engine card allows you to play CD ROM2 games on hardware without the support built in (read: the original CD Rom attachment)
Sytem card 3.0: This is what you need to play Super CD-ROM2 games if you have the original PC Engine CD ROM unit. It's backwards compatible with original CD ROM2 games too.
Arcade card Duo:Regardless which CD hardware you're using, you'll need an Arcade card to run Arcade CD ROM games. The Arcade Card Duo only works in units which already have built in System card 3.0 support, such as the PC Engine Duo, as it utilises the memory already on that hardware. It supports CD ROM2 and Super CD Rom2 too.
Arcade card Pro: This Arcade card is what you'll need to run Arcade CD-ROMs on CD units without Super CD-ROM support built in. It contains all the additional RAM on the cartridge but is rarer and pricer as a result. It supports CD ROM2 and Super CD Rom2 too.
Turbografx CD System card: This came with the Turbografx CD attachment in the US and allows support for original CD ROM2 games.
Turbografx Super System card:
This is the US version of the System card 3.0 and adds support for Super CD ROM2 games. As with all of these cards, it will allow older CD-ROM2 games to run still as well.
*phew*, that was a long ass post to just try and cover the basics of PC Engine hardware. Has any other console hardware out there ever been as complex to figure out and explain? I can't think of one
Maybe I should put together a graphic at some point to illustrate this better!