Ahead of it's time, or a failure in the marketplace?
NEC tried its hand at the portable game marketplace with a portable version
of their TurboGrafx 16. The result: The TurboGrafx Express.
While Nintendo and Sega were in 8-bit land, NEC was already at 16-bits. In
pursuit of their 16-bit vision, the TurboGrafx Express played virtually all
of the HuCard games for the console version. At the time, this was revolutionary,
a portable system with the power of a console, and with one set of games. And for
the fans of import titles, there was the HuCard Converter,
allowing TurboGrafx systems to play Japanese titles
The TurboGrafx Express features a crisp active-matrix color display, a D-pad and
2 buttons, plus turbo controls for each button. There is also a communications
jack for multi-player gaming, headphone and contrast controls.
The TurboGrafx Express has a dedicated port for the TurboVision TV Tuner accessory, allowing you to watch TV. You can use the antenna, or you can plug in an external antenna or use the A/V connector and plug in a VCR! The picture is crisp and clear on the active matrix LCD display.
A short while after the NEC TurboGrafx release, Nintendo and Sega released their 16-bit consoles. Sega released the Genesis and later Nintendo released their Super Nintendo. Despite NEC being first to the market, NEC suffered a rare condition of too much, too little, too soon. The system lacked the software development that the Genesis and SNES enjoyed. While the TurboGrafx was first, it wasn't able to compete once Sega and Nintendo joined the 16-bit marketplace.
As with all things, technology comes at a price. The TurboGrafx Express is more
expensive than any of the other portable gaming systems, with the possible exception
of the Virtual Boy and Nomad, and only because those are new. The average resale price
of a used TurboGrafx Express is over $100, where a Lynx might gather $35, a Game Boy
around $25, a Game Gear for $50. Of course, these prices are just guidelines, systems
in mint or near mint condition can justify higher prices. The PCE is a relatively
affordable add-on, and should probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 or less.
I'm no expert, but I think the major downfall of the NEC TurboGrafx systems was the
lack of quality games. Of course, I've bought all my stuff used and with really no
prior knowledge, but I see too many platform games, and some poorly developed games.
I know there are some good games out there. I'm always looking to buy some good games.
There is an active used marketplace for the NEC Turbo system. Keep your eyes peeled
for the latest auctions and sales.
![[TurboGrafx Express]](tge.jpg)
NEC tried its hand at the portable game marketplace with a portable version
of their TurboGrafx 16. The result: The TurboGrafx Express.