Rare PC Engine Shuttle System Review - Gamester81

The PC Engine Shuttle was released by NEC in 1989 only in Japan.
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[@SURPLUSNiNjA]

Everything I see your videos come up on my subscriptions, I get hyped to see it.

[@SURPLUSNiNjA]

Every time I see your new videos on my subscriptions I get hyped to see them.

[@Deflecto3]

Out of all the system reviewers I've seen you have done the most homework. I've learned a lot watching your videos!! Thanks for posting awesome videos!!!

[@DaisyTheSadboi]

Your reviews have improved IMMENSELY!

[@notyoursavior78]

Another nice rare system review. Keep 'em coming man! Among other videos.

[@RetroRoadshow]

I think you need to get into pc engine in stages just like they did back in the day. Starting w/ the base unit or tg16, you quickly get a feel for what the better games may offer. Something like this for me would be further down the line to collect once the itch sets in. For now, I still need to find a junkyard tg16 to make my own. Great vid bro!

[@lemonlimestiv]

that cover for the plug is there weirdest thing i've seen on a console ever!

[@HypnotizedByTv]

rofl...i actually believe that flying thing for a second good job gamester :) keep it up man

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

I love this system!!

[@brpadington]

The system shell reminds me of the jaguar.

[@drseussisdeaddd]

I found a duo on ebay modded to play japanese and north American games.It was only 30 bucks because the cd drive did not work.I opened it up and replaced the plastic gear inside and now the cd drive works flawlessly.Such an awesome system, I am a huge fan of shoot em up games and this system is king of shooters.

[@DrLeatherface]

Hi John, great video as always! Was just curious, what software do you use to edit your videos?

[@Holothurion]

As always, very nice review, Gamester. You totally rock! By the way, it seems that two people are Joe Liebermans.

[@hartj87]

I remember having a lot fun playing JJ and Jeff when I was a kid, simple side-scroller game but a lot of fun.

[@dbc6060]

wow.. I never knew this system existed. Thank you for enlightening me Jon :)

[@DUBGOON]

You really know your stuff. great vid.

[@sinistermoon]

I want one! Awesome video, man.

[@Gamester81]

@ThePwntr0n There is some gameplay towards the end of the video.

[@FrozenUtopia]

@VideoGameWorkshop The four player tap is called the Battle Tap and it's rather uncommon, as is the three player tap. Even rarer still are the two-player taps made by third party companies, such as the X-HE2 and the Twin Tap (made by the same company that made PC Cocoron, the 'holy grail' of undumped PCE games). The five player tap is the overwhelmingly dominant tap for the PCE. As far as I know, the US *only* got the five player tap. If you ever find a three-player tap, make sure it's 85% NEW!

[@halenpan]

Keith Courage in Alpha Zones was actually a pretty sweet game. It doesnt deserve the hatred. What did Keith ever do to anyone? He is a nice guy, and he saved the planet from Beastly Alien Dudes, so we should be thanking him.

[@mp4podcastDOTcom]

Gamerster81 your audio is a lot better when your showing gameplay. Did you use that program I told you about called Levelator?

[@starsoldier1]

It's a cool looking system at least. Some of my favourite Turbo games are Legendary Axe, Air Zonk, Bonk's Revenge, and Y's Book I & II.

[@bjamiork]

I liked the name-flash thing at the bottom during the start of the video.

[@avenuePad]

Nice review. The Shuttle is a crazy iteration of the PC Engine. lol Though, the TG/PCE wasn't really less powerful than the Genesis or SNES. It had an 8bit CPU, but it was really fast. It was actually faster than the SNES CPU, even though the SNES CPU was specced 21MHz. Also, it was possible to incorporate parallax scrolling in PCE games, but it just involved some trickery on the part of the developer. heh. The PCE did have 8KBs of RAM, but it also had 64 KB of Video RAM.

[@Gamester81]

@MrDebauch Good point.

[@avenuePad]

@MrDebauch The PCE was renowned among game developers for its ease of programming. The single controller port had nothing to do with helping out "coding noobs". During the development of the console Hudson included the software department in every decision, as software development was their primary concern. There is a reason the PCE has a HUGE library of games. The PCE was also the top dog in Japan, so the one controller port was obviously not an issue; in fact, it was lauded by developers.

[@FrozenUtopia]

@MrDebauch I didn't say that it would be too difficult, I said that it is easier the way it was designed. Keep in mind that one of Hudson's goals was to snatch away third parties from Nintendo, and part of that was keeping the hardware as clean as possible, while offering familiarity of architecture and vastly superior power. And furthermore, just because many people say it, that doesn't make it true or correct. I'm a PC Engine developer myself so I understand the hardware and its design well.

[@purpmicrodot]

love your channel bro, just thought id point out that a processor cant have "16 bit speed". i haven't looked up the specs for the shuttle but an educated guess from the other hardware u listed id assume its 8-12 maybe at a stretch 16MHz (megahertz). just noticed you use processor speed (MHz) and data bus width (bits) interchangeably in a few other videos as well. sorry if i sound like i'm being a lingo nazi,keep the videos coming, i love seeing these old consoles that have been forgotten by time

[@avenuePad]

@FrozenUtopia Exactly. The PCE was not hurt by the one controller port because not much was made of it. That was just was the way it was. NEC handled the PCE marketing/PR so much better in Japan than in North America. The PCE also had much more time to settle in to the market in Japan. I guess since the Genesis has "16 BIT" slapped in ginormous letters on top of the machine it must be the real deal. I guess it also has "High Definition Graphics", too, even before the PS3 and 360. :P

[@MattTG16]

Legendary axe, Bonks revenge, ninja spirit, and blazing lazers just to name a few. This is a great system with so many gems that people need to experince. BTW ebay prices prices for turbo stuff are rediculously high

[@iPhoneSk8er8000]

Damn they had awesome graphics. They should of made more of the system. Thumbs up/like.

[@ThePwntr0n]

Hey can you show some game play from the systems that you review so im not looking at a chunk of plastic for 10 minutes. I do enjoy your reviews but it would be a cool to actually see how the hardware output, or maybe showcase/recommend some top games or your favorites.

[@Natebeats]

@Gamester81 Hey man I'm a casual fan and your videos are cool! I have 1 question. If it was only released in japan why is the name on the front in English? : / seems odd.

[@avenuePad]

@FrozenUtopia Chris Covell's site has a neat demo of the 512 pixel mode. I know you all already know about this, FU, but anyone who hasn't seen it should check that page out. There is some wacky and wonderful stuff he does with not only the PC Engine/Turbografx, but the Master System, Game Gear and NES, as well.

[@williamtheslayer819]

good job on the pc engine

[@avenuePad]

@MrDebauch There is a great blog/article on the PC Engine that discusses this very issue. If you google "magweasal pc engine white" it should be the first hit. It's very informative. Just because everybody else was doing it isn't an excuse for Hudson/NEC to do the same. They were daring to be different with the PCE and succeeded in every way. The PCE had a very strong run from 1987 to 1993, and even beyond.

[@avenuePad]

@FrozenUtopia Yeah, even when I was a kid, getting the TurboTap wasn't an issue for me. I was obviously clueless to any coding issues posed by having a second port, but it did make sense to not include a second port if it's going to sit unused anyway. The Tap was really cheap and added a huge amount of fun. I had some awesome gaming parties playing 5-player Dungeon Explorer. heh

[@VermillionR3D]

Hey John, can you recommend some original games from the PC-engine or Turbografx? I'm starting to get interested.

[@Deep-Rest]

i love this system!!

[@MrDebauch]

@avenuePad the coding noobs part was because frozenutopia said that nec/hudson only included one controller port because it would have been too difficult to program games on the machine if it had two ports... yet we had the multi tap addon... well the point I was making and many people have also stated... "too bad several ports didn't come stock or the multi tap wasn't included" get the idea? but the dude was trying to make it seem like we were rewarded by only receiving one port.

[@CapChronic]

Whoa I missed this one I'm subscribed to so many people sometimes videos get pushed to the bottom

[@TheCompletionist]

I only own a turbo grafx 16 myself, i haven't even had a chance to plug it in and play it myself. I do own maybe around 15 games for the system so hopefully in due time I can actually play it.

[@rrob78]

I'd remember playing Bonks adventure when my friend would bring his turbo graphix 16.

[@MagnumSkyWolf]

great video

[@FrozenUtopia]

@Natebeats To be cool, of course. It's "exotic" in Japan to give things English names. It works here in Puerto Rico too, only the English tends to be better here. :)

[@markvergeer]

I have a TurboGrafX 16 PAL edition. It's a slightly different color than the US version and it is indeed PAL.

[@alien123pred]

You said fly away with a serious voice and I was like "What?!" but then you were like "loljk" and I was like "Oh."

[@FrozenUtopia]

Nice video but it's got a few incorrect details. For starters, the reason for the tap (5 ports, not 4) was for machine simplicity. It is more work at the software level to piggyback a separate port. They were thinking of the developers, not a $ thing. Also, the whole 8 bit/16 bit thing is a fallacy. The PCE 6280 is just as capable as the MD's 68k and more capable than the SNES' 65816. And the whole reason for the Shuttle's existence was to produce a low-cost Hucard-only model for budget gaming.

[@FrozenUtopia]

@MrDebauch it is also for simplicity's sake to have it apart... if you don't need to be wary of the timing details of the tap, you can skip it altogether to keep the code down, and also dedicate more time to the game itself. Also, don't forget that the PCE is easily one of the smallest consoles in history; imagine how much more space five of those ports would have taken up. Finally, some games don't work correctly with the tap in place (China Warrior, for example). When cycles count, K.I.S.S.

[@Gamester81]

@Mrnintendo64guy research, saving up, and buying online.

[@Gamester81]

@ladawg81 Hey thanks. =)

[@adj789]

Dragon's Lair and Bonk were my favorite TG16 games

[@Gamester81Arcade]

@branden32210 Yes they will work on North American TV's. I just don't recommend plugging them in too long since the volts are slightly different. I've never had any issues with my systems.

[@NismoJoeB13]

I loved Air Zonk, Ninja Spirit, and Jackie Chan's Action Kung-Fu

[@MrDebauch]

@FrozenUtopia fair enough... dont get me wrong. I own a tg16 and I am a fan of the system... I simply agreed that more then 1 controller port would have been better regardless of what the excuse was or why they felt the need to do what they did. hell they are the only company to include turbo switches in the first party controllers... which saves buttons.

[@majesticlizard]

The PC Engine was able to use the game itself as part of the working memory. They were not programmed the same way that SNES or Megadrive games were. The PC Engine also did not fail in the states because it was weaker, it failed because it had no third party support and bad marketing.

[@The_Laser_Channel]

my favorite TurboGrafx game is actually Galaga 90 and Bomberman '93 :)

[@avenuePad]

@avenuePad I hope I didn't come off douchey with my comment. lol I'm a Turbo fan, so I just get a little defensive when someone says it wasn't as powerful as the other 16 bit brethren. :D The TG/GEN/SNES all had different specifications and ways of doing things and each machine excelled in in certain areas, i.e. mode 7 on the snes. But try playing a shooter (schmup) on the SNES and you'll notice the slower CPU. Anyway, really liking your videos. You have an amazing collection of goodies. :)

[@FrozenUtopia]

@MrDebauch *sigh* you just don't get it if you think that the reasoning was cutting costs. A single port is much more efficient on both the hardware and in the code. The fact that it cost less was a convenient side-effect. NEC wasn't hurting for cash, and Hudson designed the chipset like that on purpose to make it easier to develop software. And the only reason the same old dead horse keeps getting brought up by reviewers is because NONE of them are console game developers themselves.

[@shkeni]

You can tell NEC really hated LEDs on their systems when they can include a lock for the power connector but a power LED is still nowhere to be seen :D

[@andrewschroy6368]

The PC-FX actually had LEDs, though-- and that's an NEC system.

[@MrDebauch]

@FrozenUtopia they should have hardwired the multitap internally then if that made a huge difference for the programmers... I mean it would even fit in the TG16 case no problem... PCE maybe under the mainboard.

[@Icza]

I really liked Dungeon Explorer for the Turbo Grafx. I found out later that it ripped off Gauntlet big time loll but I never played the Gauntlet games as a kid so I had no idea. Still Dungeon Explorer is a great game imo.

[@PanCakePB]

@Gamester81 are you gonna make a video when you reach a total of 1million video views

[@drseussisdeaddd]

The Pc engine could indeed do multiple layers of scrolling.Look at Gate Of thunder or Dead Moon.

[@YouTubeShillApologist]

I got a TG-16 and then the CD add-on when it first came out. I had Bonk's Adventure, Zonk Air, R-Type, Splatter House, and Valis III cd. Biggest waste of money of all time, till I got the Panasonic 3DO. :(

[@HelsinkirocksAGF]

My only experience with a TurboGrafix-16 is that a thrift store, has the Japanese game "World Jockey".

[@Deflecto3]

I forgot its all about the BONK series!! haha

[@branden32210]

I know this might be a stupid question but do japanese systems work here in america.

[@enzocodini]

Ironic, Im here with my NEC Multisnyc monitor :D

[@FrozenUtopia]

@avenuePad If by "high definition" they mean "higher horizontal resolution than usual", then sure, they had HD long before HD was the buzzword of the day! Lots of games on the MD use a 320x224 resolution as opposed to the 256x224 standard resolutions of the PCE and NES. Of course, that doesn't really make them HD, and lest we not forget that both the PCE and the SNES could pull off 512 pixel modes with ease. :) I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think the MD can pull off 512 pixels across.

[@aerocabin]

Volfied is a great PC Engine game

[@MrDebauch]

@avenuePad for real... it sucks we sort of lacked what the japanese were getting back then. we were stuck with a lot of madden games and fantastic games often didn't get brought over here. as for the ipad not having usb, how about the mac book air not having a disk drive... it's crazy how they omit components and try and make it seem like an advantage. okay true we use dvd drives less but still... what is the 2-3 grand paying for?

[@FrozenUtopia]

@MrDebauch it's not even that big of a deal. NEC/Hudson wanted to keep the machine small and efficient. Including a tap would have incurred additional expense to the user, and you may never have even used it, plus it would have required more packaging. NEC/Hudson did a lot of things differently but from a hardware point of view, they did it *very* intelligently and that is the model which all consoles after it should have followed. You don't quite seem to understand the concept. :(

[@Retrocidal]

I can't even get one DAm turbo and you got a bunch grr you

[@krgeek]

how does it store games on a card like that?

[@paulspydar]

i have the PAL TBG brand new in the box, but its really hard to get games for it !

[@MrDebauch]

@FrozenUtopia oh I understand the concept, it's called cutting corners to cut costs... if it isn't such a big deal then why does every single pc engine tg 16 hardware review mention the same issue with the multi tap? because it should have been included... or more then one port should have come stock. I love the tg16, dont get me wrong... but I wont deny they screwed up on that one.

[@garaxxx]

the console looks like something that batman can use

[@rrob78]

@rickclawson6969 I know, I always thought the turbo graphix 16 games were weird, I was use to NES & atari. Then there was The Sega Master system, he brought that over and I'd play space harrier, Rambo 3.

[@MrDebauch]

@FrozenUtopia yeah pc engine is still the smallest console, so they could easily afford to spend a bit of hardware real estate on a few extra ports built in. I think the point is, having to buy a multi tap for 2 player games is not something we are used to... okay we have seen it to play 3 to 8 player games but for only 2? come on, this is something that should have been done during the design phase before designing games came into the picture... or the multi tap should have been included.

[@Chad0980]

I have a PAL TURBOGRAFX. I think it's French as the plug is all wrong but I got round that. So its all good

[@Deep-Rest]

2 people found out that it doesn't really fly!

[@FrozenUtopia]

@MrDebauch It can be hard to understand it from a consumer point of view when everyone at the time was used to the NES. :) Other companies really should have followed in their footsteps though... it would have saved the internet from these debates years later. :)

[@AzumiRM]

NEC ; Nippon Electronics Corp Panasonic ; Internationally released products by Panasonic National ; Products only released inside Japan by the same makers as Panasonic Pioneer ; Audio and other electronics released nationally and internationally Carozzeria ; Audio for cars made by Pioneer but only released inside Japan. JVC ; International for Japan Victor Corp Victor ; Japan only released JVC products. There are more and this is totally irrelevant.

[@meatloaf666999]

@HappyConsoleGamerThe TG-16 and HCG go to gather like a Model 1 Sega CD and Model 1 Sega Genesis.

[@Shredinsocal]

It looks like an old G.I Joe toy to me

[@andrewschroy6368]

Definitely looks like COBRA's ship, doesn't it?

[@Selufein]

Haha "star trek design". Btw nice review. XD

[@CambioJoe]

Totally reminds me of Alex The Kidd

[@elsquibbs]

Blazing Lazers

[@jding86]

John, what hat are you wearing?

[@FrozenUtopia]

@MrDebauch You're kind of comparing apples to... erm... cruise missiles there. :D But anyways, the consumer point of view is easily skewed and changed by convincing marketing departments. I believe that they intended to change the consumer point of view to their own, just like every other company does. If they say it's right, the general consumer says "ok this way is right now, and this other way is now wrong". You know the routine.

[@Mega1mpact]

2 people are younger then 14 years old

[@avenuePad]

@MrDebauch Yeah, I mean if we want to pick apart Hudson and NEC's decisions regarding the TG, lets talk about Johnny Turbo. lol. That guy.... *facepalm* I understand what you're saying - the consumer perception, specifically in North America, was that you had to pay to upgrade your system. And in the US/CAN, the consumer did not benefit from the vast library of games that the Japanese consumer benefited from. I complain about the iPad not having USB, so... lol

[@BLKBRDSR71]

If I through it, will it fly? :P

[@avenuePad]

@jowrab If NEC released the TG just six to 12 months earlier and threw in a different pack-in game - not that Keith Courage is a terrible game, but it just gets repetitive - then it may have had a better chance. Even then it's hard to say; Nintendo's extremely restrictive licensing contract with third party developers would still have been a problem. Sega was able to ride it out since it was an already established arcade icon and could port over their arcade titles. Just imagine Mega Man on TG.

[@ownd9000LOL]

only one I've ever played was castlevania rondo of blood

[@MrDebauch]

@FrozenUtopia dude, maybe they did leave out multiple ports for coding noobs like you say.. since they expected to mainly have programmers who couldn't manage to code games with more then one single controller port... however the reality is, it is a major downside to the system especially considering it is known for shooters which are ALWAYS fun with two players. who really cares what the excuse is... every other console did not do that. there is no way to try and make it seem like a bonus.

[@xDOUBTMENOWx]

2:02 LMFAO ; )

[@mario135778]

I have one

[@diortemx]

It looks like something out of F-Zero.