Who loves the PC Engine and Turbo around here?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

So, I'm looking into the TurboGrafx and I have a few questions.

Would it be better to go with a PCE?

What's a good price to pay? (going rate seems to be $70-100 for either)

and

Is it region free?

[dunpeal2064]

To answer one of your questions, the cd games are not region locked, but the hucards are.

Getting a pce duo r or duo rx seems to be the way to go, but Im not too sure on prices.

[Jontendo]

To answer one of your questions, the cd games are not region locked, but the hucards are.

Getting a pce duo r or duo rx seems to be the way to go, but Im not too sure on prices.

It can range from $150-$250 for the Duo-R & RX ($200-$250 more commonly) . Boxed systems will be on the upper end, as will be the 'RX'. Alternatively you could buy "Magic Engine" and play the CD games on your PC. If you don't mind that route it's both reliable and much cheaper.
http://magicengine.com/

@ RyaNtheSlayA
The PC Engine (core system) range you mentioned is accurate, and is usually available for $70-$100 shipped, in fact (Japan to USA).

[kingbuzzo]

To answer one of your questions, the cd games are not region locked, but the hucards are.

Getting a pce duo r or duo rx seems to be the way to go, but Im not too sure on prices.

It can range from $150-$250 for the Duo-R & RX ($200-$250 more commonly) . Boxed systems will be on the upper end, as will be the 'RX'. Alternatively you could buy "Magic Engine" and play the CD games on your PC. If you don't mind that route it's both reliable and much cheaper.
http://magicengine.com/

@ RyaNtheSlayA
The PC Engine (core system) range you mentioned is accurate, and is usually available for $70-$100 shipped, in fact (Japan to USA).

Is magic engine very accurate? I've wanted a PCE DUO-R since I first played one, but the PCE world is a bit tougher to get into than the usual stuff from that era. An accurate emu that supports retail discs would be a decent solution.

[Jontendo]

Is magic engine very accurate? I've wanted a PCE DUO-R since I first played one, but the PCE world is a bit tougher to get into than the usual stuff from that era. An accurate emu that supports retail discs would be a decent solution.

Magic Engine remains the most accurate emulator for the TG16/PCE. It costs much less than buying hardware and allows for better AV capabilities as well. Even though I personally prefer the 'experience' of genuine hardware, I think this would be a great alternative for anyone wanting to play the actual CDs without the high hardware costs.

And no, I'm not being paid to say this.

[Breetai]

Is magic engine very accurate? I've wanted a PCE DUO-R since I first played one, but the PCE world is a bit tougher to get into than the usual stuff from that era. An accurate emu that supports retail discs would be a decent solution.

Magic Engine rocks. I've heard that others might be better, but, on the PC, I've found that everything runs great on it. Retail discs on it work just fine. I honestly don't know how any emulator could be better. The interface is great. The options are great. The quality of every game I've ever played on it is great. There are no flaws that I have noticed.

If you just get a core PC Engine model (original or Core Grafx I or II), then plan on adding a Super CD-ROM add on (or Briefcase unit) in the future. The Super CD-ROM has a Super CD card built in, just like the Duos.

I don't have much at all now. Just a Turbografx-16 with Bonk's Adventure, Alien Crush, Keith Courage and Dungeon Explorer (and Sapphire). I sold everything a while back because of personal reasons (ie. female persuasion gone wrong). As you can tell in my signature, I am planning to get back into it. I'll probably grab TG-16 versions of R-Type, Blazing Lazers, Bonk's Revenge, Neutopia, and maybe Devil's Crush, Bomberman and some other things (more common stuff). The rest is mostly cheaper and easier to find Japanese versions of. Lots of the time the games were only released in Japan anyway.

A Duo is really the easiest way to go. It'll cover you for most everything except for a few games. All but a few CD games are region free, but HuCards/Turbochips are not. You can get a system region modded, which would also make the rest of the CD games region free with the right system cards.

In the past, I have owned:

Hardware:
PC Engine (original) (CIB)
Core Grafx (CIB)
Core Grafx II (CIB)
Shuttle (loose)
Super Grafx (CIB)
GT w/TV Tuner (loose)
Duo (CIB)
Duo-R (loose)
Duo-RX (CIB)
CD-ROM2 w/IFU (loose) (aka. Briefcase Unit)
Super CD-ROM2 (loose)
Arcade Card (CIB)
Controllers for each of the systems above. I also had an extra Shuttle controller, an Ave3 pad, a couple Ave6 pads and an extra RX pad. Also 3-port and 5-port versions of the multi-tap. There was a Tennoke Bank card or two in there also.

HuCard Software (all Japanese, but I'll use English names when I know it):
Afterburner
Air Zonk
Aldynes (Super Grafx)
Alien Crush
Altered Beast
Battle Ace (Super Grafx)
Blazing Lazers (Gunhed)
Bomberman
Bomberman '93
Bomberman '94
Bonk's Adventure
Bonk's Revenge
Bonk 3
China Warrior
Cyber Cross
Cyber Dodgeball
Deep Blue
Devil's Crush
Doraemon (Crater Maze)
Doraemon : Dobita's Dorabian Night
Download
Dragon Spirit
Dragon Saber
F1 Circus '91
Fantasy Zone
Final Soldier
Fire Pro Wrestling
Fire Pro Wrestling 2
Fire Pro Wrestling 3
Formation Soccer on J-League
Galaga '88 (aka. Galaga '90)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Super Grafx)
Gradius
Granzort (Super Grafx)
Jinmu Densho
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones (Mashin Eiyuden Wataru)
Legendary Axe
Makai Prince Dorabo-chan
Maniac Pro Wresting
Momotaro Katsugeki
Momotaro Densetsu
Necromancer
Neutopic
New Adventure Island
New Zealand Story
Obochama-kun
Out Live
Outrun
Parodius Da!
Power Drift
Psycho Chaser
R-Type Part I
R-Type Part II
Saint Dragon
Salamander
Samurai Ghost
Skweek
Soldier Blade
Son Son II
Space Harrier
Space Invaders
Spin Air
Street Fighter II'
Super Star Soldier
TV Sports Hockey
Twinbee (Detana Twinbee)
Twin Cobra (kyuukyoku Tiger)
Victory Life (Yu Yu Jinsei)
Victory Run
Winning Shot
Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Bikkuriman World)
World Court Tennis
World Stadium Baseball
Zero4 Champ

CD Software:
Ai Cho Aniki
Bikkuriman Daijikai
Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood
Cho Aniki
Crest of Wolf
Far East of Eden: Ziria
Far East of Eden II: Manji Maru
Far East of Eden III: Kabuki Den
Gate of Thunder
Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Care4Data)
Human Sports Festival
Kick Boxing
L-Dis
Last Alert (Riot Zone)
Legion
Lords of Thunder (aka. Winds of Thunder)
Jim Power
Macross 2036
Martial Champion
Panic Bomber
Popping World
Prince of Persia
Road Spirits
Shanghai II
Side Arms Special
Snatcher
Star Parodier
Valis
Valis II
Valis III
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
Ys Books I&II
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys
Zero4 Champ II


I was sorely missing Spriggan... Maybe some others I forgot about. Most were in case, but a few games were loose. I never bothered to buy any Darius or Raiden games. Raiden I have on the PS1, and Darius... I never much cared about except for Darius Gaiden and G Darius. I had the Konami Deluxe Packs on Saturn, so I had Gradius II that way.

I also used to have a PC-FX with some common games.

Others have had much better collections, but I had most of the essentials and a lot of other stuff. No special edition games, though.

[kingbuzzo]

Cool. I have a UVC board so I'll just send magic engine through that for 240p rgb. Wont be magical, but might actually be technically superior in terms of display.

[GigaPepsiMan]

I wasn't a big fan when I tried out hu card games but think it was down to 2 things.
1) Nearly all of them were arcade ports (I just play the arcade version).
2) I wasn't in the right mood for shooters or the type of games the system was offereing.

[fastbilly1]

Core Grafx and Turbo here. Sadly, only a dozenish games.

[Breetai]

I wasn't a big fan when I tried out hu card games but think it was down to 2 things.
1) Nearly all of them were arcade ports (I just play the arcade version).

Lots of fun games that are made just for the PCE/TG. NONE of these games are arcade ports. Check out:

Alien Crush
Devil's Crush
Bonk 1, 2, 3
Legendary Axe 1, 2
Bomberman, '93, '94
Blazing Lazers (aka. Gunhed)
Super Star Soldier
Final Soldier
Soldier Blade
Ninja Spirit
Nexzr
Download
Air Zonk
Bloody Wolf
Dungeon Explorer
Neutopia
Jackie Chan
New Adventure Island
Shibibinman
Shibibinman 2 (aka. Shockman)
Gate of Thunder (CD)
Lords of Thunder (CD)
Castlevania X: Rondo of Blood (CD)
Spriggan (CD)
Sapphire (CD)
Shibibinman 3 (CD)
Snatcher (CD)
Sylphia (CD)
Ys I&II (CD)
Ys III (CD)
Macross 2036 (CD)
...and tons more!

2) I wasn't in the right mood for shooters or the type of games the system was offereing.

Well... maybe half the games I listed above are not shooters. It's true there are a ton of shooters, but that is not all on the PCE!