Review of the Hyperkin RetroN GX TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine clone console. This system plays TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine games… kinda. At $90, some compromises have been made to resolution and performance. More info: http://www.hyperkin.com
Ah, the TurboGrafx-16, the console that said, “Sure, I’ll compete with the NES and Sega Genesis,” but then tripped on its own power cord before crossing the finish line. Released in North America in 1989, this little underdog was actually a powerhouse—at least on paper. It boasted gorgeous 16-bit graphics (well, technically an 8-bit CPU with a 16-bit graphics processor, but shhh, marketing!) and some of the best arcade-style games of its era.
The TurboGrafx-16 had a sleek, almost futuristic design… if “futuristic” meant a black plastic rectangle with orange accents. It also had just one controller port—because NEC figured friends were optional. Want multiplayer? Fork over extra cash for a TurboTap accessory. And speaking of accessories, there was the TurboExpress, a handheld version that was basically a Game Boy on steroids, capable of playing full TG-16 cartridges. It was amazing—until you realized it burned through six AA batteries in under three hours.
Then there was the TurboGrafx-CD, an add-on that gave players access to CD-ROM games years before Sega and Sony made it cool. Unfortunately, it also cost more than a used car in 1992. But hey, if you wanted anime cutscenes, voice acting, and loading times that let you grab a snack mid-level, this was the future!
Despite an amazing library featuring gems like Bonk’s Adventure (a game about a caveman with a weaponized forehead), Blazing Lazers (pure vertical-scrolling shooter bliss), and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (arguably one of the best in the series), the TurboGrafx-16 never really caught on in the U.S. In Japan, where it was known as the PC Engine, it was a massive success, proving once again that Americans and Japanese gamers sometimes live in parallel gaming dimensions.
Ultimately, the TurboGrafx-16 was the hipster console of its time—underappreciated, ahead of the curve, and loved by those in the know. If you had one, you were either an arcade shooter enthusiast, a collector before it was cool, or someone who got it on clearance because your parents refused to buy a SNES. Either way, respect.