Is the TurboGrafx-16 Worth Playing / Collecting? - Retro Bird

When it comes to consoles that most people passed on back in the day, the TurboGrafx-16 is right at the top of the list. Luckily, the retro gaming community has given it a second chance. But should you? I will help you answer that question as I break down the pros and cons of either collecting for or simply playing the TurboGrafx-16.
My other TurboGrafx-16 videos:
-"How Does the TurboGrafx-16 Compare to the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo?" • How Does the TurboGraf...
-"Which Console Is More Underappreciated: TurboGrafx-16 or Neo Geo?" • Which Console Is More ...
Is the TurboGrafx 16 Worth Playing / Collecting? - Retro Bird / PC Engine Collecting / Turbo Duo / CoreGrafx / PC Engine Duo / NEC / Hudson
If you'd like to gain access to my retro blog or just support the channel - you can find my Patreon here: / retrobird
New videos uploaded every Friday! Be sure to ring the bell if you subscribe!
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or on Instagram here: / retrobirdmatt
#retrobird

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Games played: Bonk 3 (0:00), Air Zonk (0:08), Legendary Axe (0:30), Parasol Stars (1:00), Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1:25), Lords of Thunder (1:40), Bonk's Revenge (6:25)

[@tgdm]

Saw that sales tag above the Capri Sun. You haunting a Tom Thumb per chance, Retro Bird?

[@nathanc6516]

Good stuff.

[@JoshuaJayMusic]

This guy is literally the Mister Rogers of retro gaming.

[@OtterloopB]

"It's A Beautiful Day In The Bananahood!"

[@cyborgroxx]

No way, Mister Roger's was lame. This guy is funny.

[@Keepskatin]

No, he's fun funny, MR. ROGERS didn't have funny jokes. The intro of this video with his flip flops and popularity 🤣 No woman wants a guy looking that nerdy, not even female nerds. That image was so funny and his voice tone added to it😆

[@JEFFALITY]

Mister Roger's asked us to be his neighbor. Bird asks us to get on his lawn and I never heard him say don't build a hut while your at it. Retrobird solving the homeless problem and retro gatekeeping at the same time. Hunger too with all them bananas to boot. Retrobird for President

[@tonyp9313]

Mister Rogers is boring & for kids. Retro bird is intersting & for everyone.

[@themailman3331]

I was the only kid in my neighborhood who had one. The nostalgia I have for the TurboGrafx-16 is off the charts. I eventually got the CD add-on and Turbo Duo. Needless to say that the TG-16 Mini was a day one buy for me.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Nice! Got all the cool stuff for it back then :)

[@themailman3331]

@@RetroBirdGaming The gears eventually went on the CD add-on, that cost about $150 to fix. And now I’m having sound issues with the Turbo Duo. It’s gonna need a capacitor replacement. The life of a TurboGrafx collector.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

I have the MINI and still have a card for SIDEARMS from the early 90s. Cant play Sidearms which has dope graphics and the music blows the Arcade version away

[@BM-wh5qk]

I could barely even buy games for it since Nintendo forced the big toy stores not to stock them.

[@PiTBuLLeD]

I love everything about these videos. The style, the content, the great information and the hilarious cutaways. Retro Bird you are essential "feel good" viewing. You have brightened many a down days for me. Thanks man

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I appreciate that. Glad to hear the videos make people feel better :)

[@megamob5834]

As someone who has seriously thought about picking up a TG16 for a while, your description of “the rabbit hole” is stunningly accurate 😂

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yeah, I think it's something many have gone through :)

[@nickwallette6201]

Oh, don't forget that US games and Japanese games are physically wired differently, so you either need to mod your system or use a flash cart to play them on opposite consoles. And if you DO get a US console and want to play genuine games on it... hahaha... well, d'ya like Saturn game pricing?

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

I like TUrbo Grafx but multi-scrolls are MANDATORY for a post-NES system and Turbo doesnt deliver

[@009radix]

@@worsethanhitlerpt.2539 The PCE was a contemporary, albeit slightly newer of the Famicom/NES, and was ranked 1st in sales in Japan by a respectable margin. It's only in the U.S. where it was released two years later and that every gaming mag tried to lump it into the same generation as the SuperNES and Genesis.

[@IS-ix5ib]

I took a brief look down that rabbit hole and decided the mister core with original controller adapters was good enough for me.

[@alexroberto6353]

I was one of the cool kids that got a Turbografx 16 for Christmas in 1989. It was a Magical Chase to collect all of the HuCards that took 30 years to complete.

[@davidgill7412]

I see what you did there.😁

[@Inboden69]

13yrs here, and completed before the prices were even close to today. I remember turning down MC at $650 saying that was way too high

[@ginoscope1031]

I got my TG16 in summer 1990 and got the last game last year to complete the US set of hucards and cd

[@medmuscle]

I can stomach just about any of them except Magical Chase. I am not spending $9000 for one game. I settled for a legit Japanese copy and also a bootleg North American copy from PCE Works. I do have legit copies of Super Air Zonk and Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire, though. I still need to get Dynastic Hero.

[@erneststackhouse1133]

Forgot all about the TurboGrafx16. Never met anyone who had one back in the day. I just knew about it in gaming magazines. Glade they have a Mini as I have to have it now. Always wanted to play it! Thanks for spreading your bird seeds as the trail ends with a Mini console at my house!

[@danbauer3669]

Now 38 years old and having been into gaming for my whole life it may or may not be a surprise that I've never played Turbo Grafx 16. Love the channel. Always looking forward to whatever else you want to talk about.

[@chuck3455]

Retrobird! I been binging all your videos. Your kind and friendly demeanor took me out of a funk, retro games and other hobbies included. The world needs more Retro Bird :)

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you Chuck! Glad to hear you're enjoying the channel :)

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Just checked the prices and the price gap between the PC Engine mini and the TurboGrafx-16 mini is even bigger than I thought. So, would definitely recommend the PC Engine mini as a cheaper option. Also, I accidentally called Alien Crush "Alien's Crush" instead. Can you all forgive me?

[@rmorus1]

FORGIVEN. Always Bird.

[@goatbone]

We may forgive you, but the aliens are far less merciful.

[@SeveredLegs]

Thumbs down for adding 's to absolutely ANYTHING.

[@nickparsons337]

You were forgiven before you ever erred my friend.

[@RetroGamingNook]

I came here for this comment. lol Totally forgiven, but what about Ys Book I & II, and Neutopia I & II and Dragon’s Curse and Last Alert and Batman and Jackie Chan, and Ninja Spirit, and Star Parodier, and AND…!!!??? OK. There’s a rabbit hole for all theses new fans to fall in. I was lucky to be there for it all when it happened and I’m still in love with the system over 30 years later.

[@Webhead123]

I always wanted to own a Turbo since I was a kid and I think I got lucky deciding to break down and finally buy one about 10 years ago, before the market went completely bonkers. I've loved it. It certainly feels very unique to the SNES or Genesis, with its particular sound chip, graphics style and just the kinds of games available on it. Sadly, I don't have the capability to play the CD games (except for what's on the Turbo "Mini", which I also bought) but even just having access to the Hu Card games has been a lot of fun.

[@realguitarthur]

Very happy to still have my TurboGrafx from 1989! The BEST way IMO to play Bomberman (Bomberman '93 w/ 5 players). SOOOO many great memories playing R-Type, Blazing Blazers, Super Star Soldier, Military Madness, Bonk's Revenge, Ninja Spirit, etc.! Still have all my games too! I do have the TG-16 Mini too, and it is also great! Great video as always!! :)

[@chaospoet]

I'm giving this a "like" just for mentioning Military Madness alone. One of my favorite games ever. First Turbo game I ever beat.

[@inorite4553]

I really wish I had kept my games. Do you know how expensive it is to buy Bonks Revenge, Raiden, Ninja Spirit, Blazing Lazers and China Warrior are these days???

[@kingstarscream320]

Sounds like you were well-informed when making game purchases back then. Did you read reviews from magazines? I can’t imagine word of mouth was plentiful regarding TG16 games.

[@arturius7462]

I find it kind of sad that most manufacturers stopped producing their mini consoles. For example the turbografx 16 mini, but also the sega genesis mini, snes mini,... are now all very expensive to buy on the second hand market. Otherwise they could be a great way to experiences these consoles

[@venom74799]

I haven’t ventured into that market but has it really gone up that much for the mini systems?

[@WastelandWarfighter273]

Dude where have you been all my life. You crack me up unreasonably.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad to hear it and happy to have you on the channel!

[@Lynxan]

Another good option for hardware is the Analog Duo. Hardware emulation that can work with all regions, all the system cards and Supergrafx games working as well. All this and it is new hardware rather than stuff that has been kept who knows how for decades.

[@DougjcFerguson]

I got a Turbografx-16 for myself for my birthday a few years ago. It wasn't long after that that they announced the Turbografx mini so I felt kinda dumb. But I have both and picked up several games that weren't on the mini-console. No regrets. I love the Turbografx. I just buy games for it very infrequently because of the prices of most of them. On a different note: just wanted to say that I discovered your channel recently and powered through your back catalog of videos. I love the videos and laugh a lot! Keep it up!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad you found the channel and happy to have you here!

[@braddahl2098]

I have the mini and it really is awesome, my kids even gravitated towards it. Also it does seem that being to add games to it is coming later this year. Definitely adding devil's crush and Legendary axe. Of course more shmups too.

[@StrokedGT]

I never had one growing up, but i selfishly talked my neighbor and best friend into buying one. That gave me access to all three 16-bit systems, my snes, his tg-16, and my cousins genesis. I now have my own tg-16, as well as a pc-engine and a core grafx

[@8justintracy8]

The vulnerable sincerity of the skits is so great 😂😂😂

[@chriszak3970]

Awesome video as always! I'm pretty new to retro gaming and have never heard of the Turbografx or many other things you've covered in previous videos. Thanks for creating content that's both informative and super entertaining!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you and I hope you're having a great time dipping your toes into the hobby!

[@demonsty]

its officual. youre my fav retro channel. ty for this episode man! -edit i cant believe you mentioned johnny turbo. you really know your stuff!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Haha can't forget ol' Johnny!

[@jamesdecade]

Can we just take a moment to recognise the writing and the comedy here; I honestly think I’d watch you review the most mundane of things and still be entertained! (The Castlevania fan wall grab did me in 😂) As for the console: I’m on the market for one and have been for a while but not yet delved into the rabbit hole so thank you for highlighting the variables. Honestly thinking of a mini as a solution now but my god I can’t shake my love for the form and function of the Hue Cards!

[@gravitywaves2796]

I've got the mini and it's the perfect solution for me. I don't need another console to hunt for games for and it has almost every game I'd want to find anyway.

[@gregorys9629]

I'm so glad I was introduced to this system with the TG16 mini - probably my fave mini system. So many great shooters on this console!

[@goatbone]

You always make me laugh. Thank you. I picked up a PC Engine CoreGraphx about a year ago and I love it. I have Die Hard, Hani in the Sky, Dragon Spirit, R-Type 1 and Splatterhouse.

[@supernoob17]

i played through ys books 1 and 2 for turbo cd this summer and it's one of the most accessible and charming early rpgs i've ever played

[@chaospoet]

The voice acting is phenomenal in that game too. Especially for the time and when compared to other Turbo CD games like Dragon Slayer, Final Zone 2, and Last Alert.

[@koalakoa]

he literally went to a store at a check out line for a .02 second joke dedication lol

[@natenallmusic]

I bought a pc engine mini online last fall and have loved playing games on it. Very fun games that I missed out on as a kid as a SNES owner. Just fun gameplay. Great content! Thanks Retro bird!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you as well!

[@RetroRockGamer]

4:26 imagine being the cashier at the grocery store watching him capture that B roll.

[@TheGunmanChannel]

Hey RB, awesome video as always.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you!

[@GRNDZA108]

I'm one of those people who loved the Turbo the first time around! It was so colourful and uniquely Japanese, and the sound chip was absolutely hypnotic. Its smaller library meant that it was best suited as a second system though. My OG is long gone, but during lockdowns I got back into it with a Duo-R which I got RGB modded. The hardware has aged sooo well! The advantages the SNES & Genesis had at the time seem pretty small 30 years later, and it's not saddled with out of tune bad reverb SNES sound + slowdown or blah Genesis colour display. I have decent (35-40 games) Mega Drive & Super Famicom collections and legit love them all, but the Duo has been what's stayed plugged into the OSSC the most, along with my Saturn.

[@tylergrice9085]

You are truly an entertainer, thank you! If you and Game Dave did a collaboration series, I think my sides would actually spill out from laughter.

[@bobbylyle960]

I am a long time fan. I drove to another state in order to purchase the TG16 way back then from a Toys-R-Us. I remember ordering the CD add-on from the back of a game magazine ad. They made a mistake and sent me the Turbo Duo. I was a happy gamer. I also have the PC Engine, Turbo Express, and the Turbo mini. It is my favorite gaming console mainly because I am a shmup fan. I also have a hucard with all of the games on it. I am the only one in my area that has ever had one of these things! I live in that rabbit hole!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Wow. That's amazing they sent you a Turbo Duo!

[@thefifthdoctor6780]

I have 2 turbo duos, one with an RGB mod. Also own a Pc engine and a core grafx. Guess I’m heavily invested.

[@OGSERB]

I was the only kid that had one of these when they came out. Me, and and one more kid in my school. We used to trade games. Not that you could even really find anything good most of the time. Toys r us had a small section. I got sancho panza kickboxing as a birthday gift. My most hated game ever. Don’t know what happened to my TG16. But today I use a pc engine core grafx with the terraonion super hd system pro. Took care of the RGB/hdmi, and games in one swoop. I have a lot of great memories with it. Glad to see it’s getting some love.

[@Guythatknowsitall88]

Rondo of blood is how I learned about the pc engine (turbo graphix) as I was talking to a coworker about my collection. He wasn't much into games but was atleast interested in the conversation from nostalgic standpoint. It ended with either him or me looking something up about castlevania and having this mystery game pop-up. My mind was blown how did I not know of this....I had to have. I actually had a copy of the game a whole year before I would actually pursue forking the cash for a console to play it. Tried getting a standard duo but had the sound issue on arrive. I ended up forking even more for the duo R. It was well worth it. As a obscure console it probably one of the better ones to collect with plenty of "good" games.

[@andyboxish4436]

Never even knew anyone who had one when I was growing up, but I love it now

[@Aliceeyes]

this was one of your funniest videos, i burst out laughing multiple times lol, love the turbo cd! specifically

[@raab6044]

Wii + Homebrew + WiiMednafen = Turbografx/ PC Engine and even SuperGrafx fun... All in lovely 240P with some Wii component cables and a CRT with component in. Best way to enjoy the library with high quality visuals and for the least $money$

[@Marc_Araujo]

Blazing Lazers, R-Type, and Gate of Thunder FTW!! P.S. Dungeon Explorer 1 and 2 and Neutopia 1 and 2 were dope AF as well.

[@Inboden69]

as someone with a collection that most turbo fans would drool over in terms of owning all released original hardware/3rd party add-ons/games/post death home-brews etc, I suggest the mini only. Unless you have the drive to hunt games at garage sales, flea markets etc. That also needs to be location based, due to the horrible roll out and small number of sales in America. Overall great system but there is nothing on here that people rave about that cant be found in some form elsewhere for less money. Lastly, it gets really hard to justify having a set where a larger than normal percentage of the set command over $500 per game and are so hard to find even with the internet.

[@Dorelaxen]

I picked up my Turbo in the late 90's from a game shop I worked at (for next to nothing as the retro boom hadn't happened yet), so it wasn't anything I grew up with apart from seeing the games in magazines. Love it, though. Had tons of fun with it and still play it from time to time.

[@eriklarson7023]

The TG16 Mini (or the Coregrafx Mini in my case) is without a doubt one of the best gaming purchases I’ve made over the last few years. I never played a TG16 before (only ever knew one person who owned one) so I took the plunge out of curiosity….and I was blown away. Lords of Thunder very quickly became by favorite shmup ever, with Blazing Lazers, Soldier Blade, and Seirei Senshi Spriggan close behind. Alien Crush, Neutopia, Castlevania Rondo of Blood, Galaga ‘88… totally worth the aftermarket price (as long as you shop around and do your research. I went with the Coregrafx Mini because it’s cheaper like the PC Engine Mini but includes the western game list and turbo controllers).

[@MeanSpiritedDuck]

Never had one of these as a kid but always thought they were cool. I went the emulation route on my Raspberry pi to get some experience with the games. Absolutely loved it I am currently looking for a modded Duo to start collecting.

[@jsttv]

I bought the Turbo Duo from Turbo Zone Direct back in 2002. It was definitely worth it.

[@MisterMcbizzo64]

My Dad worked for NEC back in the day so TurboGrafx was my first game console! Loved games like Alien Crush and yes JJ and Jeff! I got a mini a few years ago and found a CoreGrafx II at a local store a few months ago! Love the game library!

[@noemedmedia]

Oh yeah? Well, my uncle - and some of my friend's uncles, worked at NINTENDO!

[@sgt.chocolate]

I love just how goofy your videos are, keep it up!

[@FoscoFrank]

My introduction to the TurboGrafx16 I must have been 7 or 8 and I'm 38 as of this writing and my uncle owned one. Being a kid and raised on Nintendo I was familiar with the Sega Genesis, or at least heard of it on numerous occasions, all I knew was that when it came to video games that was the console the "grown-ups" played. The TurboGrafx on the other hand I had never heard of this thing or since until the release of KZbin. My uncle had 3 games that I can remember, he might have had more but I don't remember, he had Keith Courage, one that my brother played a lot of was Best of the Best, he created a fighter and thought the sprite face looked like Ed O'Neil and named him Al Bundy, and the third game one that I played a lot of was Devil's Crush. I thought the graphics on this thing blew the NES out of the water. And the cards seemed more high-tech mainly because of how small they were compared to the NES cartridges. Nintendo's got them beat on that one now. I had no idea that it was older than the SNES at the time it seemed more futuristic. Now when I look at it it looks like it came straight out of the 80s and the SNES looks more modern in comparison, even the NES. Well that's my experience with the TurboGrafx16

[@mattb6522]

I've dabbled a bit with TurboGrafx-16 when the games were on the Wii and Wii U. My first experience with the system was buying Rondo of Blood from the Virtual Console. I absolutely adore the game and is probably my favorite "Classicvania"! Also, one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time! I also bought some TurboGrafx-16 games on the Wii U's Virtual Console back in the day! There weren't a ton of TG-16 games on it, but the ones I purchased were excellent! A good variety of games! I love shmups, so it was an excellent way to play a "new" batch of them from the fourth generation of video games!

[@Doubledge11]

My local game store had a core graphics that was RGB modded and came with an RGB to HDMI retrotink, for 150 a year ago. Such a good deal

[@zuffin1864]

you should do a cross over with shmup junkie where he tries to coach you through a game. i would love that video but also i just think you two would be funny together edited for comedy but also good gamer talk

[@lonreed9743]

Growing up I always got the newest console. My family wasn’t rich but I was smart to read up on them beforehand. I never had the Turbo Grafx but got a PlayStation on launch day before anyone heard of it. I made a lot of friends that year lol.

[@Riz2336]

Oddly enough it was my dad who introduced me to Turbo as a kid. He got me the Turbo Express and I was literally the only person around who had one. I've always liked Turbo stuff, the games have a certain look and appeal to them for that era of gaming

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Way to go Dad!

[@gavindixon15]

Just discovered Retro Bird and he’s instantly a new favorite! Love the content and constantly cracks me up 🤣 love the jokes and info

[@nadersoli815]

This was my first video I've watched from your channel. HILARIOUS!!!! What a piece of comedic perfection! I couldn't stop laughing! Gonna see if I can find one of these turbografx minis. Wish me luck! Ps subscribed and liked!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad you enjoyed it and welcome to the channel! I would suggest looking for the Japanese "PC Engine Mini" version instead. Much cheaper and essentially the exact same thing.

[@crabcakeenthusiast692]

I'm a genZer who didn't experience the turbografx16 until after I got into my retro gaming faze in the pandemic and felt like I had already tried most of the great snes and genesis games and I liked it, sure it doesn't have as many hits as those 2 did but some of my favorites are new adventure island, the bonk games, Galaga 90, Raiden, and the remake of Ninja Gaiden.

[@kaneofnod]

You just saved me from the PC-Engine rabbit hole. I owe you a glass of refreshing cold milk!

[@waylonoconner9121]

Had a TurboGrafx-16 and then upgraded to the Duo the year it came out. Had a ton of games, worked on a couple of the recentish homebrew games. Love this system. Unfortunately my system grew unreliable, so I sold it off. No real regrets but I did miss playing the homebrew titles on OG hardware. So, I purchased the TurboGrafx-16 Mini and am very very happy with it. While I agree it’s missing a couple of titles the one I miss the most is Gate of Thunder. Such a great game. Awesome video and I encourage anyone with even a passing interest in this system to pick up a mini. The OG Hardware is great, there are tons of great games to collect for it, but man is it pricey.

[@MetalJody1990]

Man, you are hilarious 😂 I was never aware of the rabbit hole. I just play TG16 games on my hacked Vita. Cool library it has. Played Shadow of the Beast... It was bruuutal. And sorta fun (with save states). I like its ost

[@tikkigodman]

My parents bought me a turbografx growing up, both the console and the handheld. I loved it so much. Also my handheld had the TV tuner attachment so I could watch TV on the go!

[@SA77888]

0:02 Nice............looks like you shop in the same kinda places I shop.

[@SeveredLegs]

Very satisfying episode. For the classic consoles, the best option these days is to get a CoreGrafx and an EverDrive. Then omw of those things that plugs into the back to allow CD games. Or of you're serious, a modded Duo-RX. But the vast majority of folks will just benefit from the PCE Mini.

[@noemedmedia]

(Before wathcing) Worth playing? YES! Just emulate.

[@shayne1062]

Back in the summer of 1990, I spent a few weeks at my cousin's house. He'd already had an NES for a few years, and gotten a Genesis by this point which had prime positioning on the living room tv, , but I discovered - while playing some NES games on a basement tv - that he had a TurboGrafx-16 on a different tv which I'd never seen or heard of before. We hopped on our bikes one afternoon and went to rent some games, and this store rented out TG16 titles, so he picked up a few. My cousin was a spoiled brat and was used to getting his way (and a couple of years older than me), so when we got home, I wasn't allowed to play; I could only watch...and dream. Flash forward a couple of years later, and a Consumers Distributing catalogue came in the mail, and that's when I saw...the Turbo Express...and the price tag, lol. I remember having that circled and keeping the catalogue in my room for years' I was poor, so it was a pipe dream, and when I worked, the money went to helping out the household. For the 90's and the 00's (college and living on my own), getting anything Turbo was a pipe dream. Then one day in 2015, it finally happened! I came across someone selling a new Turbo Express on a forum that they'd found in a shop near the US base in Okinawa (for practically nothing a few years prior), but were selling their collection in favour of going the Raspberry Pi route. I got it for a ridiculous deal (friend pricing on forums when you've built up time is a sweet 'icing on the cake' benefit of being a part of a vg community) and then decided to get a Turbo Everdrive to go with it. My dream of having a Turbo Express had finally come true! Then, in 2018 - as I started to learn more about the CD library - I picked up a PC-Engine Duo and started getting the CD games specifically: Rondo of Blood, Nexzr, Kiaidan 00, Gate of Thunder, Rayxanber III, CD Denjin, Cotton...there are just so many awesome games, and this system gets a heavy amount of play in my house. My journey with NEC's systems has been a long and bizarre one, but it's certainly been worth it!

[@kevin_kevinson]

I've never heard of this. But im glad I do now

[@arkayanon]

I came into this thinking "What kind of silly question is this?" My family had one when at the time, probably got it on clearance since we didn't have much money and we only had two games, Bonk 1 and Super Star Soldier, aside from the pack in. I loved those two games and I've loved rediscovering the library.

[@GameBoyGuru]

Always wanted a TurboGrafx, but as a kid I couldn't get one because they weren't in retail stores anywhere near where I lived. My dad said if we couldn't buy it nearby, it was a no go. So I ended up with the Genesis instead. Glad I own one now, however, and very glad I bought it 15 years ago before the prices got out of hand. Another great option for people that don't want to go down the original hardware rabbit hole is the MiSTer FPGA, which I think you mentioned in a previous video. PC Engine/TG-16 runs amazingly on that setup, and it supports CD games as well.

[@chaospoet]

Been a Turbo fan from the beginning. First time I saw one was Christmas of 89 at my cousin's place. He got one with a bunch of games. Played Keith Courage In Alpha Zones, Alien Crush, Military Madness, China Warrior, Legendary Axe and Blazing Lasers that day. I'm not even sure if we ate Christmas dinner with our family. I think we were just glued to the TV for about 10 hours straight. I started to collect for it a couple of years ago and have 22 games for the system. Five of those are complete with the cardboard box. Two of them are PC Engine titles: Rondo of Blood and Marchen Maze that's a pretty good and original Alice In Wonderland game (I got it after looking into good Alice games after playing Alice: Madness Returns). I am eagerly awaiting the release of Analogue's (who have made the Mega SG, Super NT and Analogue Pocket) upcoming console: The Analogue Duo! A truly all in one Turbografx/PC Engine and CD unit with no need for system cards or adapters with HDMI out! For $199! I'm being patient as due to the Pandemic and Chip Shortages they've had to delay it twice, but they've come through with everything else they've promised so I'm very hopeful.

[@jacobbaranowski]

Turbo Grafics 16 has a lot of great shooters. Hily recommended.

[@zacharymoore2910]

My stepbrother had the Turbo Grafx 16 while I had the Genesis and I had a blast with his system when I was at my dads for the weekends. To my 12 year old self it felt very advanced with the cd add on. He also had the turbo express which was the handheld version and the fact that it could play the actual games from the system and not games made only for it like the game boy blew my mind.

[@otakubullfrog1665]

The TurboGrafx had the rare honor of being a console none of my friends had growing up, so I've never had the sense of missing out on it that I had for many other consoles. I eventually did get a chance to snag some of its games from the online Wii Shop, although I don't know if they're still available on the modern Switch eShop since I haven't really gone looking for them there.

[@idxman01]

Solid advice, esp the rabbit hole. Yeah I had one as kid, have tons of nostalgia for it and it’s probably my personal favorite console. Unfortunately the original is long gone, but I did pick up a tg16 mini from Japan early on. I like to play what I can on there just fit nostalgia purposes and emulate the other stuff. Honestly That’s plenty for now. ..just picked up a cube, gb player and bits to soft mod so I’ll be busy for awhile. 🤣

[@GamingintoEternity]

Nice video Bird! I'm an old guy who got the Atari 2600 as a kid in the early 80's. After that I didn't Game much until I got back into it in the late 90's. Since the pandemic I'm headfirst back into gaming and collecting. I wasn't all too familiar with the Turbografx-16. I started buying all the classic mini systems from Nintendo and Sega. Heard about the Turbo grafx mini and had to get one. Paid a lot but love it. I was hoping it could be soft modded to add additional games, but apparently it can't be done. I wanted to add if you have a Sega Genesis mini it is possible to add turbografx games. So that's an option as well.

[@Supersmallchibiwolf]

I remember seeing TurboGrafx-16 mini consoles in stores recently It's price good. Cool video. ^_^

[@rwl8150]

Thanks for letting me know I should sell my original USA console as it has value. Games were good for the period but have not played it for a long time.

[@vintagecrazyjay4970]

Love the Turbografx! Wanted it as a kid, bought it as an adult! I've got a ton of the original games; bought before prices went into the stratosphere and also have the EverDrive. Absolutely love the shooters - Blazing Lazers, Super Star Soldier, Solder Blade, etc. and the adventure games - Neutopia, etc. Great system/games to add to your collection. Highly recommended. Enjoy!

[@mausmalone]

Man I've been interested in the Turbo Grafx since my neighbor got one way back in 1989. He only had Keith Courage and TV Sports Football but we were still blown away by the graphics and sound the first time we all saw it in action. Then in 5th grade some kid brought his Turbo Express to class (clearly the rich kid in our school) and it's been stuck in my head ever since. I didn't end up getting one back then because I have two brothers I shared everything with and I was the only one of the three of us who wanted it - the consensus decision was to go from NES to SNES. Finally sated my own curiosity as an adult, though. I've managed to get a PC Engine Mini near launch and this past year I even dipped my toes into Jauce auctions and got a real original PC Engine and a lot of HuCards to go along with it. It's very cool - but for anybody who's only now hearing about it and considering it remember that it came to the US way late. It's 1987 technology meant to go toe-to-toe with the NES, not the Genesis or the SNES.

[@LBCAndrew]

I used to own a Turbografx with the add-on CD-Rom drive. I later got a TurboDuo then found out a few weeks later that NEC was pulling out of the US market.

[@mazonemayu]

Personally I’m on the RGB modded Japanese Duo team, not because it’s cheaper than an American console, because the reality of the matter is that you’ll spend way more on its games because there are simply 10 times more games that came out in Japan, but for the superior library.

[@avenuePad]

Loved the video! If I was someone looking to collect the NEC Universe systems, I'd grab the Analogue Duo. It plays HuCards/TurboChips, CDROM2, SuperCD ROM2, Arcade Card, as well as SuperGrafx games. You don't have to worry about your old hardware conking out on you. If you're dead set on playing OG hardware, then go to it. I have OG hardware and I picked up the Analogue Duo.

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

Been a fan from the beginning. I had a Genesis (with Sega CD), but my step-brother had a TurboGrafx-16 with a few games. I have one now with a TurboBooster-Plus and about half the US TurboChip library.

[@BlankSpacePub]

I remember back in the early to mid 90s when the TG-16 used to be sold for super cheap at pawnshops. I remember shops that used to have boxes and boxes full of them. You could pick up the system with a controller and a few games for $25. If only I could go back in time.

[@WonderWilson]

i happened to get a standard us turbografx at the game store i work at last year and it is now up there with the snes genesis and nes as one of my favorite i am tempted to look more into the pc engine someday but for now i am more than happy with the 40+ us games i have for it

[@Dav3Campb3ll]

Never played one and have always wondered about TG16 Fun video

[@rickhunter1070]

I love the turbo grafx. Your right about being expensive. I had to go the cheap route and had my WII mod to be able to play alot of those games.

[@bramangraphics]

One word. Emulation. I have a complete US TG16 rom set. I am set.

[@ShinSynZero]

Awesome vid, it's great to see the TurboGrafx get some attention. I always wanted one, but my parents made me choose between that or a Genesis back in the day. I know I made the right decision, but seeing all those awesome games in EGM I couldn't sucked lol. I always meant to pick one up, but by the time I came back to it prices were crazy. I was able to score the Turbo mini and the Wii/Wii U eShop had a decent selection of games too. I wish I could have grabbed an Analogue Duo, that really seems like the best solution. It doesn't make the games any cheaper though 😅

[@HammerHeadBubba]

Bro you a straight up legend👍 Thanks for the laughs and games

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you for watching!

[@bragi1]

I had all of the 3 major consoles growing up and the TG-16 was by far my favorite. While everyone else was playing monochrome Tetris on their game boy I was playing Street Fighter II on my Turbo Express. Playing a full blown D&D game on the Express was so much fun even if the text was tiny. It did eat batteries like nothing else. I remember buying packs of 30 batteries for long road trips. Bomberman 93 was perfect for parties and Rondo of Blood was such a good Castlevania game. I loved the CD games too! Cosmic Fantasy 2 was such an underrated masterpiece in the role-playing genre. Dead Moon was a great, underrated shooter. I had the tennokoe bank converter to play PC-Engine games. At one point I even had the PC-Engine LT and cd-rom2. I enjoyed the SNES and Genesis games too but the sheer diversity of games and peripherals from NEC will likely never be surpassed.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Definitely the oddball one compared to SNES and Genesis but in a way it's like a combination of the NES and Genesis. Never knew anyone who had one until much later on in life. I think the Wii shop helped introduce more people to the system which is why the games are more sought after.

[@backintheday3097]

As I recall. Didn't the WiiU eShop also have TurboGrafix games as well? Hope all is well with you. I was telling Reteo Reminiscence that I've actually been contemplating selling off my NES and SNES collection. I've been wanting to make a video addressing that and the possible future of my channel, but I've been so busy with work and trying to get my bathroom remodel finalized that I just haven't had the time. Plus I think I'm suffering from KZbin burnout.

[@davidgill7412]

@@backintheday3097 The Wii U eShop had a few (also the Japanese 3DS eShop) but not as much as the original Wii store.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

@@backintheday3097 I believe so. I'm doing well. That's sad to hear as I really enjoy your videos. Burnout is definitely a real thing and taking a break seems to be the best cure for it. I do have a few simple videos in the works. So who knows, maybe that will get me more motivated again.

[@Spielewelten]

I bought a japanese Core Grafx 2 system, got it RGB modded and bought a Turbo Everdrive. So I can play all US & Japan Games. 2023 krizz will release the Turbo Everdrive Pro that can play CD games from SD Card without the need of the Disc Addon 🙂

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yeah, that should be awesome!

[@MichaelAbney-w6t]

I remember seeing the ads in early gamer mags etc,i was always in awe. It was like looking at some exotic car or woman. Just so unobtainable.

[@cicabeot1]

I'd definitely consider the mini TurboGrafx 16 if it wasn't selling for inflated prices. Dang. Pretty much my solution for the time being was scooping up the games I wanted on the Wii U eShop while I still had the chance.

[@SeveredLegs]

Set up an account on Amazon Japan and buy a pce mini. The games list is almost identical. It functions normally on a USA TV.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yeah, the PC Engine minis are significantly cheaper. You can even just get them on eBay (make sure the seller has good feedback of course).

[@gilbertonascimento8008]

Another alternative is getting a PS3, most of the good PCE games are still being sold at the Japanese PSN Game Archives.

[@zwallop]

Ha, I dug the Forbidden Island scene!

[@rickvug]

Excellent overview. When Analogue gets around to releasing their Duo system selecting hardware is going to get a lot simpler. Stock up on those games now before everyone else gets the itch after release!

[@b1ackmamba1997]

Analogue duo coming up to bat ⚾️

[@Lileya]

I got a Turbo Duo RX RGB modded with capacitors replaced on eBay a few years back and I love it! I really wish I bought one when I was a kid, I would have loved it. The games were super colorful, mostly Japanese titles. It's too bad. Collecting for it nowadays is just so freaking expensive. 😞

[@nubatman]

Been a fan of the TG-16 since I first heard about it. I picked up my first used TurboDuo from a video store. Bought it as-is for a whopping $100. The laser was going out so I had to flip the system upside down. Sadly I sold that and what games I had a year later. I picked up a boxed TurboGrafx a few years after that. Had a big collection of games at that time. I ended up becoming homeless and needed to sell it. Fast forward to today and I currently have a boxed TurboGrafx again. Still want to get the majority of games I previously owned, but prices tell me not to.

[@tommythrowback]

Awesome video! But you didn’t mention the TurboExpress!! I remember having that when it came out and Street Fighter 2 and you couldn’t pry it from my little fingers. Years later, I was digging through some boxes and found my Bonks Adventure Hu-card…that’s all I have left. Now what do I do??

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Haha there's always more goodness to mention! Having one of those puppies with a modded screen would be pretty sweet these days :)

[@BurnTheFlag]

If Tim Robinson had a retro game review channel, this is would be it.....