How to Play TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine Games in 2024 | Johnny Grafx

[@supermegagrafx64]

fantastic video. This TurboGrafx stuff confuses a lot of people. You are doing God's work sir. ...or at least some really valued work from one Turbo fan to another. lol Thank you!

[@Johnnygrafx]

It's a messy ecosystem for sure! Hopefully this can help a few folks get the most out of it.

[@nightbirdds]

Certainly beats "If you don't have an existing library, don't get into it." comments I see elsewhere. This is a library people need to experience. There's genuinely good stuff here. Repros exist too, and they shouldn't be a dirty word. When the supply of vintage goods is drying out, you need an alternate supply. That's what Repros are providing.

[@johnt7372]

I have a decent sized PC Engine and CD collection as well as TG16 games but if someone asked me today. I would suggest skip the duo. Get an analogue pocket, with the base, and the PC Engine adaptor if you want to use the Hucards. Plus you get to utilize all of the other FPGA features available like arcade cores, and everything else constantly coming out., best of all worlds. You can still play all the CDs through the PC CD core.

[@skykitchen867]

I purchased my turbo duo at Toys R Us in the mid 90's and it still works great. To save wear and tear on it, I play on a console purchased that has a lot of games on it for Turbografx and they all play fine. Always liked Hudson Games.

[@CompletelyAverageGameplay]

Word of caution that I didn't hear mentioned during the video: If you plan on using the turbo everdrive pro the CD functionality won't work on any device that already has a CD unit attached or built-in. Since CD is built in on the TurboDuo, you're losing half the functionality of the Turbo Everdrive Pro if you buy that model. Personally I'd go with a CoreGrafx or CoreGrafx II + the turbo everdrive pro. Ultra compact, native composite out, CoreGrafx model has the same chip upgrade they put in the SuperGrafx units, has the port on the back for expansions (CD, EDFX, other video-out products etc), tend to be in better shape and age better than some of the older units. I have a White PC Engine original, a Coregrafx, a CoreGrafx II and a Supergrafx - looking to get a TurboGrafx soonish to complete the collection (yes I know I have a problem) 😁. The PC Engine units were just built better. Peak engineering for its time, IMO.

[@IsaacGabriel-kh5ds]

Mednafen and Ootake are my go-to emulators when I don't want to get my old PC Engine out of storage.

[@slipwagon7944]

I have a jail broken Analogue Duo and a Turbo mini. I'm satisfied with that.

[@sinjinhawke]

I feel similar. I have the TG16 with CD and it's packed away in it's hard case. The jailbroken Duo, the Mini and in a pinch my Turbo Express with knock-off everdrive takes care of all my Turbo needs. I do want a modern LCD panel for my Turbo Express though.

[@owomushi_vr]

I love my analogue duo! I had a pc engine duo , had issues with sound and cd . So glad i have it

[@aschreil]

Really like min too!

[@dwightdixon8508]

Your PC Engine Duo most likely requires capacitor replacement. It’s about $100 service plus shipping so around $120.

[@IdentityCrisis1581]

I started emulating PC engine on magic engine after the cd ROM drive died on my duo. It was before the cd ROM files were available. But magic engine would play most original CDs pretty well so that was my only option. Now I just have every game on hard drive. Even though I actually owned most of them in the 90s and early 2000s. I had the converter but never had any Japanese chip games. And something called a green surf board adapter. I'm still not sure what it was for. I think it was to make the arcade card capable with the US tg16. Apparently the kisado converter the orange and black one, that just played the games. As far as region locking. That was a hardware thing and only applied to the chip games. CD games didn't need it. I think it's because the Japanese games had a different number of pin contacts, or they were mapped differently. So the converter was really just a bridge to make the pins match the connectors. There wasn't any software in it. So that's why I'm not sure what was different from that and the green surfboard adapter and the kisado converter. Not that it matters. There was only like 3 games that required the arcade card. And the only difference it really made was faster loading times. So yeah there is that. If you are going to get into original hardware. Get ready to feel ripped off. It's one of those systems where you have to buy all kinds of extra stuff when it comes to controllers. You will need a turbotap to play multiplayer. You will need 2-3 cord extensions if you don't want to sit 3 feet from the console. And 6 button controllers for the fighting games. If you want more game saves, you have to get either a bunch of tenoke bank cards. Or a memory unit I didn't know about back in the day that attaches through the controller port. If you just want to play the games, emulation is the best way to go. The only draw back is that you can't do a lot of the tricks with the analog rapid fire switches the original controllers have. I don't think any of new controllers work with emulator. From what I'm told, it recognizes as a 2 button controller and doesn't recognize the turbo switches.

[@GAMECLOSET]

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and thorough , Johnny. It was great to see you on camera too. I loved your Authenticity vs Convenience scale too. A guide to hold the had of the TG16 newb or inform even the well-versed with an unknown tidbit. Well done, sir! 🔥🔥🔥

[@Johnnygrafx]

Thanks man glad you enjoyed it! Still working out the kinks of the on-camera stuff but it's coming along I guess 🙃

[@GizdaIin]

Ah man... I've just begun discovering the library through emulation, but would really wish to play on original hardware if only it wasn't so expensive to get anything for it these days; makes me sad.

[@KatOwO2235]

what is the best emulator for TurboGrafx CD and how to get it running? all I wanna play on it is one game, Godzilla Bakutou Retsuden

[@AnthonyRiddle]

I like playing on my PC-Engine Mini, but i really wish it was capable of getting more games added to it like the Nintendo and Sega Mini consoles can

[@RP_Williams]

That's how i play TG16 (and NES, Genesis, GBA, etc) games...on my hacked SNES Classic.

[@AnthonyRiddle]

@@RP_Williams my SNES Classic has a flaw. After I put more games on it I can no longer use save states. The NES Classic doesn't have that problem, just the SNES

[@RP_Williams]

@@AnthonyRiddle Really? Mine saves just fine (did you put the whole SNES library on it? That might be the problem, no memory left). I just put all my fav 8 and 16 bit games on the one console...no use adding games i'll never play (all these old consoles had some stinkers).

[@AnthonyRiddle]

@@RP_Williams no. Only about 75 games and there was plenty of storage left according to Hackchi. I think mine is just flawed or something. I'm thinking about getting another one to see if it's just a fluke

[@braillynn]

The Super HD System 3 Pro is such a great option. Has the super system cards built in. Has storage to save games built in. Allows you to play Super Grafx games. Allows for analogue out as well as HDMI at 720p. It can connect to the PC Engine, Core Grafx and the Super Grafx. To me, it's the best option for connecting to original hardware.

[@dwightdixon8508]

I remember choosing the Sega Genesis over TurboGrafx 16 back in 1990 due to costs associated with buying a TurboTap for multiplayer and TurboBooster for AV pushing its price well over Genesis. I would buy the TG16 later that same year tho. Love both and still have both my originals CIB to this day including my TurboDuo. Owning a TG16 back then was very frustrating, especially two years after it’s release game releases were few and far between plus many great games were never ported over to North America from Japan (PC Engine) so many were stuck in Japan and it wasn’t easy to get info for games or importing back then either. NEC’s redesign of the PC Engine to TG16 for “American taste” took 2 years, that’s a 2 year head start vs Genesis release. NEC didn’t know how to market properly including not licensing MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, boxing, golf etc. They didn’t believe in that. Also didn’t help they didn’t know what games to port over from the PC Engine. So many times when TTI asked for games to be ported over to America they were told Americans wouldn’t like or understand that game. NEC made too many mistakes. Today I can look at my TG16 library Vs Genesis library and it’s like night and day.

[@ShaFnZAM]

That 2 year delay killed it. If they had just made the PC Engine black and given it AV out of the box as well as two controller ports (or even packaged the tap with the system) as well as packing in Blazing Lazers instead of Keith Courage, they would have had 2 years until Genesis came out to become a SOLID number 2 in America. They absolutely underestimated the appeal of licensed sports games as well as one on one fighters. So many dumb, avoidable mistakes.

[@donaldsmith5667]

great video. I’m really hoping to see a TG16/PCE collection for modern consoles.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Yeah that would be great!

[@kabbusses]

I'm someone who managed to get a PCE, a CD-ROMROM 1st model, and eventually an arcade card pro. The CD is a bit finicky and sometimes fails to read, so I am thinking I may need to get one of those replacement parts soon. I think nowadays it'd be easier to just get a PCE with a Super HD System 3 Pro. That way you can use the base PCE with HDMI and an ODE for the CD games, plus you get SuperGrafx support if you care about one of the 5 games that had.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Yeah I think you could go either way. Your current set up definitely has more room for error and more potential for future problems BUT you've already got it set up. That's the hard part. When things fail you can fix them with low cost parts if you don't mind doing some tinkering. Buuut the PCE/super SD system 3 combo would definitely be less of a headache overall, and you'd have less problems down the road. You just gotta drop ~400 bucks or so to get it all together. So it really comes down to whether you value your money or your time the most!

[@BURRITO44]

Awesome

[@TheMikeyb86]

MiSTer fpga for me. While not 100% accurate to the OG, there's 0 input lag, options for using OG controllers or Bluetooth; options for analog or digital output. Better than my software emulation experiences you listed.

[@teemukoskinen2647]

For the past few days I have been thinking of getting Analogue Duo and tracking down Dragon Knight & Graffiti for it. 😃

[@Johnnygrafx]

Good luck!

[@crazyoldschool6342]

Best way to play for cheap for sure either making or having a retro pi or pc if you have one. All the other ways are expensive. The polymega is very cool but it has its flaws. One of them is the occasional crash that happens to me once in a while. Hopefully they fix it with an update. Plus not all games play. One of my favorites gain ground dx for pc engine won't play without the disc and there's others that don't play at all. Just get a pi, or use your computer. Collecting gets habit forming and expensive. You're never satisfied.

[@jimmyjams70]

Great video. I use the hyperkin composite adapter on my TG -16 and it works fantastic connected to a CRT. Can’t speak to how it would compare to the other options you mentioned, but I’m very happy with both the video and sound quality the hyperkin provides. I would rate the quality on par or maybe even slightly better than the factory composite cables on my SNES and Genesis.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Glad to hear thats working for you!

[@frankbizzoco1954]

My only issue with ghe Analogue Duo is the Turbo Eberdrive Pro doesn't fit into it if you don't take it apart. I think emulation is a fantastic way to start with this system, or any system really. I got into the TG16 from playing games in my Retropie. I found myself saying "why wasn't this system more popular?!" I would definitely not suggest getting the original console, and cd rom unless you have good soldering skills, or F U money.

[@redsyrup1138]

I do most of my gaming on Steam Deck now. The convenience of having SNES, Sega CD, Turbo, MAME, and modern PC Games, is just too good. I use RetroArch with with the CRT GeomDeluxe Shader. It looks and sounds perfect to me. Latency doesn't seem noticeable.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Sounds like a solid set up!

[@ShaFnZAM]

Love your content. Great vid! The input lag on the Turbo Mini on certain games makes them almost unplayable. Alien Crush is REALLY bad. It definitely slows down Lords Of Thunder. I too have it hooked up to my living room set and play it sporadically. I'm surprised there is no way to add games for it like all the other mini systems. I actually thought it was due to the 8bitdo controllers at first. Was this due to bad emulation? Did M2 screw this up?

[@Johnnygrafx]

I dunno! I feel like any form of emulation is going to inevitably introduce some input lag regardless, but I don't find it to be too troublesome on the mini personally. Though I do prefer the analogue or OG systems because of it.

[@SomeCanine]

I can't imagine playing on original hardware without some kind of hdmi/scaler mod. I guess some people just gotta have the original hardware in their hands tho.

[@nightbirdds]

This was a really excellent rundown, man. Love that you mentioned the Pioneer LaserActive at the end, heh. I mean, I forgot about it too. I wouldn't really call that one a viable option in 2024, though. A working Unit is stupidly expensive now. Got to say, I'm pretty impressed with the Duo's progress. It was a bit rough at the start, but it's smoothing out a bit as we're going down the line. The Jailbreak is a big help, though like you said, you have to compromise between fixes and the ability to load games off the SD card. Analogue didn't put it out officially, but... Yeah. I'll leave it at that. On another note, if you don't have a Slot Extender for the AD, consider getting one. It makes it so much easier to deal with. Hadn't even heard of the Retron GX until now. That one's going to be interesting. I have no need for it, since I've got an Duo, but I'm still tempted to get one to try it out.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Glad you got something out of the video! Yeah I'm really loving the AD nowadays too. Hopefully we'll get a new version of the jailbreak that can coexist with the 1.3 firmware 🤞

[@retrobeliever]

Fantastic Vid John, great breakdown/info!!! I’m happy with the Mini and emulation at this point, time is short and the Turbo is expensive to collect for lol

[@Johnnygrafx]

Yeah it's a very slippery slope! The mini is a pretty solid way to do it, though. Glad you enjoyed the vid 🙂

[@Darkmetamorphosis1]

Analoge duo and never have to mess with cables

[@MarquisDeSang]

The only annoying thing with Analog Duo (I have JP and USA versions) is the the sound at maximum is about 20% of a normal PC, iPhone, Console, Retro Console and mini computers. So if you want to hear the games, you have to plug on headphone out on the side of the device and not throught HDMI and that is not even enough, I have to use a headphone amplifier to boost the signal. This is dumb and stupid, we should not have to do that just to get normal level of sound.

[@glenhayman8722]

I miss the darkness as well

[@kevinstrade2752]

For new collectors today i recommend emulation, for old farts like me who bought his stuff back in the nineties dirt cheap, the real deals only do.

[@DragoonMS]

There's Virtual Console injection to my modded New Nintendo 2DS XL, and emulation via Retroarch for Turbo CD/PC-CD games, since whatever the hell the emulator behind Virtual Console is can't handle doing Turbo CD...yet it can do PSone just fine, but that's neither here nor there. (And among what I've got, well, I would've run Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, but space is at a premium on my Micro SD card, so I'll have to settle for the inferior Snes Dracula X port. Also, Bonk's Revenge and Bonk 3 work perfectly fine...but Bonk 1 wouldn't work at all!!)

[@moseslalmuanpuia8988]

I solely want to play double dragon 2 on turbo grafx

[@HoneyBadger-101]

I wonder if HxH greeds island turned into this gaming system 😮😢

[@rednight2476]

MiSTer FPGA is another option.

[@Chris-Courage]

He mentioned the Mister in the video.

[@RetroPortableGames]

You forgot the Analogue pocket

[@Johnnygrafx]

Yeah I forgot a few things lol

[@ThumbdownMan]

This guy is the voice of Gamingbolt.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Sometimes!

[@ThumbdownMan]

@@Johnnygrafx I hope they compensate you well. You have a voice for radio.

[@RetroTuna]

Good video.

[@braillynn]

Surprised how quickly you moved on from ghe Super System 3. Also that you didnt mention the MiSTer or the Analogue Pocket.

[@Khardankov]

I reckon about 90% of those who get funny about emulation are collectors upset that theyve spent thousands on their four-HuCard game collection while I play Magical Chase for free (what a great game, though.) As you correctly note though - collecting is a sucker's game. I go RetroArch on a Lenovo M93p tiny mini pc - does at least up to PS2 without breaking a sweat, and the whole setup cost me about $75 Australian.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Nice! Yeah whether we like emulation or not we better get used to it because EVENTUALLY it'll be the only real working method 🤷‍♂️

[@Khardankov]

@@Johnnygrafx yeah as much as the no-moving-parts thing works in the original PCE/Turbo's favour, it also came out during a time when faulty manufacturing of capacitors was rampant. At some point diminishing returns will make it far too difficult to keep em going

[@Johnnygrafx]

@@Khardankov Yup exactly. Thankfully emulation and FPGA have come a long way in the last few years though so I'm not sweating it.

[@almeidachannel7121]

Nice Video ! Sub & Big Like ! And Love Retro Games !

[@Johnnygrafx]

Glad you enjoyed! 🙂

[@rentoptional1524]

Just found your channel. The TG16/PCE is my all time favorite console. I don't think you did a ton of research here on several topics. DO NOT recommend the Pound Cable. It's trash. You also didn't' recommend the EDFX? Most people should use that as it enables stereo audio with the TEDP. Also you should've recommended the Turbonanza mod. Also, the Ssds3p isn't made anymore. The SHDS3Pro is still made and includes an HDMI out. Analogue makes their own jailbreaks. No one else has cracked analogue code. They don't advertise this to prevent getting sued. The Poly Mega is trash. Retrons are trash. The Turbo Minis are super expensive. You also didn't mention an Analogue Pocket/ Dock.

[@Johnnygrafx]

Yeah, like I said at the beginning this isn't really meant to be a super in-depth or perfectly catagorized list of every single possible thing. Just meant to give casual observers and newbies a broad overview of some different paths they could take if they want to get into it. There's already content out there that gets into the nitty gritty of these things, so I don't really feel the need to repeat all that tedious information just to appease the "actually" crowd. Thanks for watching, though 🙂

[@dwightdixon8508]

Do you have the Polymega? Not defending it but I’ve been pretty happy with it. I use it primarily to reduce where and tear on my OG TurboDuo’s. It’s definitely not perfect and I most likely wouldn’t pay the price they’re asking for it now but I got in when they first took preorders $249.99 way back in Sept 2018. I do have the Analogue Pocket and Duo and I’d probably recommend the Analogue Duo vs original hardware due to age and costs associated with owning it plus it’s region free without all the hassle of modding to using an adapter. Cheers!

[@OmegaPrecept]

You are almost there, please take your time while speaking. Not everyone who watches your show speaks English.

[@onethumb3309]

I think he is speaking in a normal pace. Can't you just slow down the audio in the settings if you think he's too fast?

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

Whatever this guy says do the opposite.

[@riprockish]

I'm out of the loop, there beef here?