Tg16/PCE thoughts

[vlame]

Was thinking of getting one. Should I look for a certain model or get the Japanese One? Do they play burned games normally?

[BEERS AND VIDEOS]

Was thinking of getting one. Should I look for a certain model or get the Japanese One? Do they play burned games normally?

I'd look for a region modded system. Best bet is probably a PC Engine DUO. There are often a few on eBay, though the ones up now seem a bit spendy. I've heard the burnt games can cause wear on the laser.

[Bradtemple87]

Do some searching, I know we have a few recent threads about this very topic

[brunoafh]

PCE Duo, they played burned games no problem but it's a bad idea, the system is worth every penny.

[Breetai]

There are quite a few threads on this already, but here is the low down:

-Japanese games are generally cheaper than US ones, and it's a fairly large difference (similar to the price difference between US and JP Saturn games). Most Japanese action games do not require any Japanese knowledge.

-There are a large number of system variants. The most cost effective ones are the three JP Duo variants. They will allow you to play around 96% of the JP PC Engine library. Just the "Arcade CD" and Super Grafx games require an upgrade memory card or different hardware.

-Most CD games are region-free. Only the Japan-only "Arcade CD" games, and the CD version of Altered Beast, are not.

-The CD drives can read copied discs. However, this is one of the systems where the stress caused by reading unpressed (ie. burnt) discs can shorten the life of the CD drive.

-The cartridge section of the system can be region modded. It is generally cheaper to buy a region-modded PC Engine Duo than a US Turboduo.

-Of the four variants of the Duo, the original black JP and US models have an issue where the capacitors on the motherboard leak over time and cause issues primarily with sound loss. This can be corrected by replacing the capacitors. Some modders offer this service. The two JP white models (Duo-R & Duo-RX) do not have this issue, but are also more expensive to buy.

-The cheapest way to start might be to buy a US Turbografx-16 and some of the common games, but the prices will become expensive very quickly. If you are on a budget, go this route to start with, and then save up for a region-modded JP Duo for the long term. The cheapest route in the long term is to shell out the money for a JP Duo right away. Get it region-modded if you want to get English versions of some of the games with text.


Hope that helps!