TurboGrafx-16 Mini Retro Console (Amazon Exclusive : Pre-orders start July 15th)

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OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE : MARCH 19, 2020   (MSRP is $99.99)

AMAZON will be the EXCLUSIVE SELLER for this device, and pre-orders will open up on July 15th.

Konami's plug and play mini-replica system (roughly 85% of the original console's dimensions to maintain authenticity) will feature USB-enabled original-sized controller, HDMI-output, different display modes, quick save function for its pre-loaded games, and multitap accessory support (sold separately) for up to 5 players at once.  50 pre-loaded games currently announced are :

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American Titles (English language only)
  • Air Zonk
  • Alien Crush
  • Blazing Lazers
  • Bomberman ‘93
  • Bonk’s Revenge
  • Cadash
  • Chew-Man-Fu
  • Dungeon Explorer
  • J.J. & Jeff
  • Lords Of Thunder
  • Military Madness
  • Moto Roader
  • Neutopia
  • Neutopia II
  • New Adventure Island
  • Ninja Spirit
  • Parasol Stars
  • Power Golf
  • Psychosis
  • R-Type
  • Soldier Blade
  • Space Harrier
  • Victory Run
  • Ys Book I&II
 
PC Engine titles (Japanese language only)
  • Akumajō Dracula X Chi No Rondo (aka Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood)
  • Aldynes (SuperGrafx game)
  • Appare! Gateball
  • Bomberman ‘94
  • Bomberman Panic Bomber
  • Chō Aniki
  • Daimakaimura (Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts - SuperGrafx game)
  • Dungeon Explorer
  • Fantasy Zone
  • Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire
  • Gradius (Nemesis)
  • Gradius II – Gofer No Yabō (Nemesis II)
  • Jaseiken Necromancer
  • Nectaris (Military Madness)
  • Neutopia
  • Neutopia II
  • Ninja Ryūkenden (Ninja Gaiden)
  • PC-Genjin (Bonk)
  • Salamander
  • Snatcher
  • Star Parodier (Fantasy Star Soldier)
  • Super Darius
  • Super Momotarō Dentetsu II
  • Super Star Soldier
  • The Kung Fu (China Warrior)
  • Ys I&II
 
Additional Turbo TG-16 mini controller - 2800 yen  (approx. $28)

Multi-tap TG-16 mini expansion accessory for 4 added controller ports - 3400 yen (approx. $34)

There are overlaps of games from the two different regions, so all titles are in their original language only.  If any other details arise, I will be sure to update this page. Cheers!

Official website is HERE

For comparison's sake, the Japanese counterpart (PC Engine Mini) will include the following exclusive titles:

  • Tokimeki Memorial (Dating sim) to replace Salamander


Cool stats to noodle over : 138 licensed games were released for the Turbografx-16 in North America, with 44 of them being on the CD-format.  On the other hand, a total of 650 games were officially released commercially in Japan for the PC Engine.   

 
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Anyone hear talk of hoarding or re-selling these on SlickDeals or Reddit or elsewhere. I'd love to get the system at a discount, but fear the odds are low of this since it's an Amazon exclusive... unless that is for a limited period of time like the Amiibos.

 
soonersfan60 said:
Anyone hear talk of hoarding or re-selling these on SlickDeals or Reddit or elsewhere. I'd love to get the system at a discount, but fear the odds are low of this since it's an Amazon exclusive... unless that is for a limited period of time like the Amiibos.
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I didn't realize it had sold out. I hope they restock, it be a shame if price gougers ruined things. Although it was up for pre-order for almost a year before it came out and available for purchase, so I guess waiting for a price drop is always going to be a risk. We knew it was exclusive to Amazon, a fairly niche product since the TG16 wasn't big here so it isn't surprising if it is done now.

 
defpally said:
I didn't realize it had sold out. I hope they restock, it be a shame if price gougers ruined things. Although it was up for pre-order for almost a year before it came out and available for purchase, so I guess waiting for a price drop is always going to be a risk. We knew it was exclusive to Amazon, a fairly niche product since the TG16 wasn't big here so it isn't surprising if it is done now.
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They had these in stock yesterday so they must have just run out. You definitely have me considering getting a backup now though. Between all the money being spent on Turbotap and extra controllers, I'm going to be pissed if the USB decides to just magically "stop working."

Be nice if whatever this problem really is ends up getting a definitive reveal at some point, so we can get a better sense of if we're possible sitting on a unit with a latent defect that is ready to bust at any given moment. I don't really buy this power adapter nonsense. I just can't believe an established company like Konami wouldn't foresee the potential costs of deliberately releasing something WITHOUT a power adapter that was that sensitive to power adapter ratings, full well knowing 99.99999% of the population is just going to grab anything laying around their house that fits without a second thought.

And if they were aware of that move and still moved forward then damn... the Konami that made Castlevania is officially dead and they need to go back to making slot machines I guess.
 
doctorwolf said:
They had these in stock yesterday so they must have just run out. You definitely have me considering getting a backup now though. Between all the money being spent on Turbotap and extra controllers, I'm going to be pissed if the USB decides to just magically "stop working."

Be nice if whatever this problem really is ends up getting a definitive reveal at some point, so we can get a better sense of if we're possible sitting on a unit with a latent defect that is ready to bust at any given moment. I don't really buy this power adapter nonsense. I just can't believe an established company like Konami wouldn't foresee the potential costs of deliberately releasing something WITHOUT a power adapter that was that sensitive to power adapter ratings, full well knowing 99.99999% of the population is just going to grab anything laying around their house that fits without a second thought.

And if they were aware of that move and still moved forward then damn... the Konami that made Castlevania is officially dead and they need to go back to making slot machines I guess.
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Well they did release a TG 16 mini without Keith Courage, Legendary Axe 1 and 2, or Devils Crush...just saying
 
pbfluff said:
Well they did release a TG 16 mini without Keith Courage, Legendary Axe 1 and 2, or Devils Crush...just saying
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Keith Courage is a bad game, only reason to include it is nostalgia. That doesn't mean they don't have some other stinkers on there, but Keith Courage is crap. I still think part of the reason the TG16 didn't catch on is it did not have a solid, recognizable pack in game at a time when that was expected in the US. Altered Beast wasn't great - but people at least recognized that.

Legendary Axe 1 & 2 as I understand have something to do with some mysterious licensing issues.

Devil's Crush is likely just them picking one game from a series like they did with Bonk (I don't consider Air Zonk a Bonk game). It is arguable they did not pick the best one from either series, but the one they did pick in both is a solid choice.

 
Keith courage was the title included with tg16 at launch. It should be there.

You just had to be there.
 
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defpally said:
Keith Courage is a bad game, only reason to include it is nostalgia. That doesn't mean they don't have some other stinkers on there, but Keith Courage is crap. I still think part of the reason the TG16 didn't catch on is it did not have a solid, recognizable pack in game at a time when that was expected in the US. Altered Beast wasn't great - but people at least recognized that.

Legendary Axe 1 & 2 as I understand have something to do with some mysterious licensing issues.

Devil's Crush is likely just them picking one game from a series like they did with Bonk (I don't consider Air Zonk a Bonk game). It is arguable they did not pick the best one from either series, but the one they did pick in both is a solid choice.
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I don't get why Keith Courage always gets a bad rap. I actually thought it was pretty good. The music was especially great.

Final Lap Twin also should have been on there instead of Moto Roader, but I guess they probably just needed another game to use the Turbotap with (as if there is any reason other than 5 player Bomberman).
 
bradbo said:
Keith courage was the title included with tg16 at launch. It should be there.

You just had to be there.
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Yeah, I agree 110% on this, as not including this, would be like SEGA not including the first Sonic game in their mini. I also didn't think the game was that bad, as it fell in line with titles like Legendary Ax, great graphics, just average gameplay, but average is OK! These mini's are always gonna be a personal opinion on what's included, but some games aren't up for debate, and KC is one of those titles, PERIOD!

 
doctorwolf said:
Yeah but one simple hack at some point will at least fix that.
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Agreed, but until there is a reliable hack using the built in interface I am stuck playing them elsewhere.

I guess I’m in the camp that would have preferred region prioritization for these minis if i had to choose. (read=there are pce games that i would have gladly swapped with my aforementioned omissions given the choice)

TLDR imo TG16 games should have been first and foremost (tg16 mini) with pce as bonus.
 
chrislaustin said:
Yeah, I agree 110% on this, as not including this, would be like SEGA not including the first Sonic game in their mini. I also didn't think the game was that bad, as it fell in line with titles like Legendary Ax, great graphics, just average gameplay, but average is OK! These mini's are always gonna be a personal opinion on what's included, but some games aren't up for debate, and KC is one of those titles, PERIOD!
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Not really, it's more like the Sega Geneis not being released with Altered Beast. And I would have been completely on board for that.

 
defpally said:
Not really, it's more like the Sega Geneis not being released with Altered Beast. And I would have been completely on board for that.
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But the Genesis didn't sell it's big numbers under Altered Beast, but under Sonic, so if old school fans are interested in the mini, Sonic was the much better choice. As for the TG16, KC was the only game to really be attached to the system at any point, so love or hate, anyone who bought a TG16, had KC, and that wasn't the same case for the MD/Genesis Altered Beast argument.

I do personally think AB should have been included, but it wasn't missed by most, as it did suck, and between option A or B, B happened to win out, due to selling more systems than title A did. So in the end, the Genesis had more than one pack in over time, and they went with the one that would be missed most and probably sold the most systems while packed in.

 
chrislaustin said:
But the Genesis didn't sell it's big numbers under Altered Beast, but under Sonic, so if old school fans are interested in the mini, Sonic was the much better choice. As for the TG16, KC was the only game to really be attached to the system at any point, so love or hate, anyone who bought a TG16, had KC, and that wasn't the same case for the MD/Genesis Altered Beast argument.

I do personally think AB should have been included, but it wasn't missed by most, as it did suck, and between option A or B, B happened to win out, due to selling more systems than title A did. So in the end, the Genesis had more than one pack in over time, and they went with the one that would be missed most and probably sold the most systems while packed in.
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Fun factoid, for a short period of time, you also got a free copy of quackshot with the genesis (iirc)

I added this oversight to my sega mini :D

Also, I fail to see any justification for only including the japanese version of bonk’s adventure on the TG16 mini...a) tg16 is a us region console and b) for many people the first game that comes to mind when you mention tg16 is bonks adventure
 
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pbfluff said:
Fun factoid, for a short period of time, you also got a free copy of quackshot with the genesis (iirc)

I added this oversight to my sega mini :D

Also, I fail to see any justification for only including the japanese version of bonk’s adventure on the TG16 mini...a) tg16 is a us region console and b) for many people the first game that comes to mind when you mention tg16 is bonks adventure
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WOW, I didn't know the Bonk's was the Japanese version, as I would have mentioned that as the other game most associated with the TG16, but thought it was included, so I didn't(kind of is I suppose). Yeah, so that's another dropped ball as well, and I guess putting the Japanese Snatcher in could have freed up space for other titles, since it's CD based and most can't play it anyways. This is why I personally don't bother with these mini's, as it's just to much I need to change or add after the fact. Then I've really only bought a cheap plastic shell, with a cool UI, and not much else.

 
pbfluff said:
Also, I fail to see any justification for only including the japanese version of bonk’s adventure on the TG16 mini...a) tg16 is a us region console and b) for many people the first game that comes to mind when you mention tg16 is bonks adventure
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Just laziness of having a cookie cutter regional compromise game template that they could shove into different console shells.

I will say having almost anything else in the spot wasted by Space Harrier would have been an improvement. That version is horrible and doesn't belong on a non-Sega tribute system.
 
chrislaustin said:
WOW, I didn't know the Bonk's was the Japanese version, as I would have mentioned that as the other game most associated with the TG16, but thought it was included, so I didn't(kind of is I suppose). Yeah, so that's another dropped ball as well, and I guess putting the Japanese Snatcher in could have freed up space for other titles, since it's CD based and most can't play it anyways. This is why I personally don't bother with these mini's, as it's just to much I need to change or add after the fact. Then I've really only bought a cheap plastic shell, with a cool UI, and not much else.
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To be fair, the TG16 mini has a really, really cool UI and the turbopad has turbo switches...the minis require nostalgia but I still think they are really cool to swap in/out with ease for a quick nostalgic fix.

I have modded the others and retained the stock ui so I’m hopeful in time to do the same here.

If you take away the replica controller, then I do think you are better off with raspberry pi and would not personally justify the “cheap plastic shell” ... this is why the 8bitdo controllers aren’t of interest to me with the minis.
 
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chrislaustin said:
But the Genesis didn't sell it's big numbers under Altered Beast, but under Sonic, so if old school fans are interested in the mini, Sonic was the much better choice. As for the TG16, KC was the only game to really be attached to the system at any point, so love or hate, anyone who bought a TG16, had KC, and that wasn't the same case for the MD/Genesis Altered Beast argument.

I do personally think AB should have been included, but it wasn't missed by most, as it did suck, and between option A or B, B happened to win out, due to selling more systems than title A did. So in the end, the Genesis had more than one pack in over time, and they went with the one that would be missed most and probably sold the most systems while packed in.
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The Turbografx 16 didn't sell big numbers under anything (in the US, of course). :)

Have to hand it to Sega for realizing "Hey we might want to put a game in there people want to play if we ever hope to compete". TG16 might have been in a better spot if they had put Bonk in the box.

Altered Beast was included on the Genesis Mini (in the US), I was just saying I would have been just fine with it being replaced with practically anything else.

 
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I didn't realize these were out of stock. Sent my damaged box in for a replacement a couple days ago. Hope I'm not out of luck. My adapter never shipped, anyway, but hopefully that'll come too fairly soon.
 
pbfluff said:
To be fair, the TG16 mini has a really, really cool UI and the turbopad has turbo switches...the minis require nostalgia but I still think they are really cool to swap in/out with ease for a quick nostalgic fix.
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Yeah, the feature I've liked best in all of these has been the UI, and not much else, so that's why I've skipped them, as the reasons most have for these, or lost on me. I've owned most of these systems at one point and collected for them as well. But now having the ability to play all those old games in the palm of my hand on the go, just far outweighs anything I could get from these mini's. The NES while one of my favorite systems, has about my least favorite controller, and playing that mini brought back those old feelings of this controller SUCKS! LOL

Don't get me wrong, I think these mini's are a great idea, and I love seeing so many people wanting to relive those great past memories. For me, those memories are best served by other means, as I'm mostly a portable person, and being tethered to a TV and wired controllers are something I do not miss from the gaming past. But for those who want as close to original as possible, that is the market for these. I have a PS Classic(several actually), but I'm plan to mod that, and the only reason I chose it was the beefier system, that allows for a higher level of emulation over the others. But in no way did I pick it for the PS aesthetics, it was just the cheapest, and did the most, so the most practical.

defpally said:
Altered Beast was included on the Genesis Min (in the US), I was just saying I would have been just fine with it being replaced with practically anything else.
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I feel you and then some, as AB is probably one of the most popular games, that is also one of the worst, but I get it's place in history. Back when the Genesis launched, I can still remember those first commercials with AB and thinking, WOW, the home finally looks like the arcade. Now of course once played, we quickly realized graphics weren't everything, but that is the title that at least for me was the launch of the "16bit era". So no matter what we all think of the title, I think we still see it as much as we do because of it's place in history, as there's not much reason to play it otherwise. LOL

 
I never thought Altered Beast looked Arcade in quality.  And seeing it in motion sucked away any interest I had in the Genesis.  The TG16 had all these colorful games and when Bonk's Adventure came out I knew I had to own that system.  Of course as a "gamer" that had to play everything, eventually I owned both and had plenty of fun with both systems.

In the end I don't hold either system as highly as the SNES.  Genesis games were kind dark and the TG16 lineup was a bit thin on the game library (at least in the USA).   It is pretty sad to me that the TG16 mini doesn't have the NA versions of all 3 main bonk games.  They were the core of what I wanted the TG16 for in the first place.  So, it made this mini easier to resist.  Of course if it ever gets as cheap as the PS Classic ($20) and NeoGeo ($30) mini's did then I'll surely grab one.  OF course the first thing to do would be mod it to include most of the NA library and probably go ahead and dump snatcher since I'm not going to play it in japanese anyway.

 
FWIW--my returns process is almost complete with my Core Grafx unit from Amazon Japan. I had a busted USB port. The process it has not been without headaches and the resolution isn't ideal.

My unit broke May 23 and I contacted their customer service over chat that night. Their process is that you need to send it back via DHL through Amazon.jp's online returns process, and you need to pay for it yourself with insurance. Doing so is far from intuitive, though I think Amazon does it's best to provide written instruction for international returns. One big point of frustration--when I started the process, the Amazon instruction did not provide an Amazon phone number--which DHL requires. Coincidentally, by the time I was done the process, the instructions had been revised to include a phone number.

Amazon will reimburse return shipping (make sure you save your receipt, because they'll ask for it), but they need to test it and confirm the issue on their end. The really awful part is that return shipping cost me $139. As others have stated elsewhere, it's kind of nuts that they take this approach rather than save the money and tell the customer to scrap the unit. Instead, I need to gamble that my issues don't magically fix themselves, or that some guy in their tech dept lies and says "nope, it's fine."

A couple days after they received the return package, I got an e-mail from Amazon Japan's customer service--all in Japanese, which was odd because their other communications with me have been in English. Google translate tells me they are notifying me that the item had a lot of dirt on front and side and that it wasn't the right item. If I didn't send the correct item within three days (my return deadline), then there's nothing else they could do for me.

Of course I freaked out, and sent a couple messages to customer service, They apologized for the confusion (but didn't offer an explanation), and said that my refund would be processed for both the unit and the shipping. But, they won't reimburse shipping over 12,000 Yen (~$110) in currency, and will need to reimburse the remainder in Amazon Japan Credit. That's the "not ideal" part. I've ordered two things from Amazon Japan in my life. But I suppose it's better than "12,000 Yen and nothing more."

To date, I've received the refund for the CG Unit on my credit card. I have not received the refund yet for the shipping to my cc, but I do show the balance in my Amazon Japan gift card balance.

So I suppose almost done. I'd ordered the CG over the TG16 for the smaller form factor, and cancelled the TG16 preorder I'd had. Fortunately it was still in stock on the US site when I sent the CG back, so I went ahead and order the TG16, because I was not OK with taking the risk on this again.

TL;DR: My Core Grafx return to Japan is nearing completion; it's had some headaches but will hopefully turn out fine.

 
kevlar51 said:
FWIW--my returns process is almost complete with my Core Grafx unit from Amazon Japan. I had a busted USB port. The process it has not been without headaches and the resolution isn't ideal.

My unit broke May 23 and I contacted their customer service over chat that night. Their process is that you need to send it back via DHL through Amazon.jp's online returns process, and you need to pay for it yourself with insurance. Doing so is far from intuitive, though I think Amazon does it's best to provide written instruction for international returns. One big point of frustration--when I started the process, the Amazon instruction did not provide an Amazon phone number--which DHL requires. Coincidentally, by the time I was done the process, the instructions had been revised to include a phone number.

Amazon will reimburse return shipping (make sure you save your receipt, because they'll ask for it), but they need to test it and confirm the issue on their end. The really awful part is that return shipping cost me $139. As others have stated elsewhere, it's kind of nuts that they take this approach rather than save the money and tell the customer to scrap the unit. Instead, I need to gamble that my issues don't magically fix themselves, or that some guy in their tech dept lies and says "nope, it's fine."

A couple days after they received the return package, I got an e-mail from Amazon Japan's customer service--all in Japanese, which was odd because their other communications with me have been in English. Google translate tells me they are notifying me that the item had a lot of dirt on front and side and that it wasn't the right item. If I didn't send the correct item within three days (my return deadline), then there's nothing else they could do for me.

Of course I freaked out, and sent a couple messages to customer service, They apologized for the confusion (but didn't offer an explanation), and said that my refund would be processed for both the unit and the shipping. But, they won't reimburse shipping over 12,000 Yen (~$110) in currency, and will need to reimburse the remainder in Amazon Japan Credit. That's the "not ideal" part. I've ordered two things from Amazon Japan in my life. But I suppose it's better than "12,000 Yen and nothing more."

To date, I've received the refund for the CG Unit on my credit card. I have not received the refund yet for the shipping to my cc, but I do show the balance in my Amazon Japan gift card balance.

So I suppose almost done. I'd ordered the CG over the TG16 for the smaller form factor, and cancelled the TG16 preorder I'd had. Fortunately it was still in stock on the US site when I sent the CG back, so I went ahead and order the TG16, because I was not OK with taking the risk on this again.

TL;DR: My Core Grafx return to Japan is nearing completion; it's had some headaches but will hopefully turn out fine.
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Thank you for thoroughly convincing me to never, EVER even remotely think about using Amazon Japan for anything whatsoever.
 
kevlar51 said:
FWIW--my returns process is almost complete with my Core Grafx unit from Amazon Japan. I had a busted USB port. The process it has not been without headaches and the resolution isn't ideal.

My unit broke May 23 and I contacted their customer service over chat that night. Their process is that you need to send it back via DHL through Amazon.jp's online returns process, and you need to pay for it yourself with insurance. Doing so is far from intuitive, though I think Amazon does it's best to provide written instruction for international returns. One big point of frustration--when I started the process, the Amazon instruction did not provide an Amazon phone number--which DHL requires. Coincidentally, by the time I was done the process, the instructions had been revised to include a phone number.

Amazon will reimburse return shipping (make sure you save your receipt, because they'll ask for it), but they need to test it and confirm the issue on their end. The really awful part is that return shipping cost me $139. As others have stated elsewhere, it's kind of nuts that they take this approach rather than save the money and tell the customer to scrap the unit. Instead, I need to gamble that my issues don't magically fix themselves, or that some guy in their tech dept lies and says "nope, it's fine."

A couple days after they received the return package, I got an e-mail from Amazon Japan's customer service--all in Japanese, which was odd because their other communications with me have been in English. Google translate tells me they are notifying me that the item had a lot of dirt on front and side and that it wasn't the right item. If I didn't send the correct item within three days (my return deadline), then there's nothing else they could do for me.

Of course I freaked out, and sent a couple messages to customer service, They apologized for the confusion (but didn't offer an explanation), and said that my refund would be processed for both the unit and the shipping. But, they won't reimburse shipping over 12,000 Yen (~$110) in currency, and will need to reimburse the remainder in Amazon Japan Credit. That's the "not ideal" part. I've ordered two things from Amazon Japan in my life. But I suppose it's better than "12,000 Yen and nothing more."

To date, I've received the refund for the CG Unit on my credit card. I have not received the refund yet for the shipping to my cc, but I do show the balance in my Amazon Japan gift card balance.

So I suppose almost done. I'd ordered the CG over the TG16 for the smaller form factor, and cancelled the TG16 preorder I'd had. Fortunately it was still in stock on the US site when I sent the CG back, so I went ahead and order the TG16, because I was not OK with taking the risk on this again.

TL;DR: My Core Grafx return to Japan is nearing completion; it's had some headaches but will hopefully turn out fine.
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Thanks for the detailed write up! My TG 16 came from Amazon JP in a plastic bag, with the box extremely beat up, with chunks missing out of it, all taped up with clear packing tape. The unit did not work at first, but with some fiddling around I finally got it to work, and since then it has been doing ok. I did contact Amazon about exchanging it for another one. They emailed me with a plan of return essentially the same as what you described (I pay return shipping and insurance, then they would reimburse me). Glad I did not go through the hassle. I've ordered a lot of games and several Vitas from them with no issues whatsoever. Funny thing is that every single game and system I've ordered from them in the past has come in a box. Weird that they shipped my TG 16 in a thin plastic bag. I will be hesitant to order a gaming system from them in the future based on this experience.

As for the TG 16 itself, I am absolutely loving the system. The controller is very good, the interface is cool, and the performance of the games is great thus far. Being a SHMUP fan, the game selection is top-notch. Hopefully they make a bunch more at some point so that I can get a backup system if there is a price drop.

 
For those wanting a 2nd controller, those are available again to order from Amazon. $24.99 each so if you want free shipping w/o Prime you have to add something else to the order.

 
nightc1 said:
I never thought Altered Beast looked Arcade in quality. And seeing it in motion sucked away any interest I had in the Genesis. The TG16 had all these colorful games and when Bonk's Adventure came out I knew I had to own that system. Of course as a "gamer" that had to play everything, eventually I owned both and had plenty of fun with both systems.

In the end I don't hold either system as highly as the SNES. Genesis games were kind dark and the TG16 lineup was a bit thin on the game library (at least in the USA). It is pretty sad to me that the TG16 mini doesn't have the NA versions of all 3 main bonk games. They were the core of what I wanted the TG16 for in the first place. So, it made this mini easier to resist. Of course if it ever gets as cheap as the PS Classic ($20) and NeoGeo ($30) mini's did then I'll surely grab one. OF course the first thing to do would be mod it to include most of the NA library and probably go ahead and dump snatcher since I'm not going to play it in japanese anyway.
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I agree. I worked at an arcade that had Altered Beast and was never really impressed with Altered Beast on Genesis. I got the system near release for Ghouls N' Ghosts, honestly. Forgotten Worlds was my second bought game. The home version of AB added parallax scrolling the arcade did not have, but the thing that stuck out for me was how the beasts exploded and the kinda pastel look of the home version. In the arcade, the beast bits used scaling to pop toward the screen, the home version just had a few little balls fly back. It looked really bad and made me realize that the Genesis did not support scaling and rotation in hardware (Sega Super Scaler games were big at the time), which was disappointing because it meant bad news for their arcade ports.

I never had my own TG16, but did have a SNES and Genesis. I also have more fondness for the SNES, and while the darker, more limited color palette was an issue, the thing that really got me was Sega's overuse of that really shitty sound engine in the years when they were going head to head with SNES. I still don't know how games like X-Men and Spiderman (on cartridge) ever went out the door with sound like that. Or how they kept using it for so long. It was terrible, especially compared to the really good sound on the SNES.

Personally, the only mini I've modded was the Playstation one, because I got it cheap and the included games are just so bad. I have a couple Raspberry Pis for my modding needs, the Minis are more nostalgia to me - I like them the way they come. And yeah that includes having to go to the PC Engine side for the first Bonk and understanding the games like Snatcher are just wasting space for me - it comes with plenty of other good stuff.

 
defpally said:
Personally, the only mini I've modded was the Playstation one, because I got it cheap and the included games are just so bad. I have a couple Raspberry Pis for my modding needs, the Minis are more nostalgia to me - I like them the way they come. And yeah that includes having to go to the PC Engine side for the first Bonk and understanding the games like Snatcher are just wasting space for me - it comes with plenty of other good stuff.
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I don't think any of the minis have actually satisfied scratching my nostalgic itch other than the NeoGeo. That one has a solid library as is and $30 was a no brainer as it doesn't need to be hooked up to anything but power to be functional. NES and SNES classic have solid libraries but I only bought mine after the mod scene took off and it was easy to add in some of my favorite games that were missing (not so many as to need folders, but enough). I actually prefer playing nes/snes with the classics over my retropi.

Hopefully the TG16 mini comes back in stock and then sits there long enough that they liquidate them off. For $30 I'd have easily grabbed one without thinking about it too much. I mostly played the system by my self anyway when I owned one.

 
The 8bitdo controllers I ordered came in yesterday. Sadly, they were out of the TurboGrafx-16 themed controllers. I just had to make do with a CoreGrafx and PCEngine themed controllers. Since I actually quite like the look of both of them, I think I'll be okay.

The 2.4Ghz 8bitdo Turbo controllers are pretty good. They are about the same size as the original Turbo controllers, and have nice, durable plastic. The corners on them are also more rounded, and overall they're more comfortable than the controller that comes with the mini. The placement of the D-Pad is also further from the edge, which adds to the comfort. My one complaint is that they are very light, but this is just the nature of a more minimalist plastic controller, and not really an issue. Syncing them up to the included dongle is very easy, and they respond well with the games. They DO lack the turbo-functionality switches of the original controller, replacing them with buttons. Not a deal-breaker, but slightly off from the original design. The 8bitdo-themed central button is GREAT! It serves as a shortcut to get back to the menu, so you don't have to bother with hitting a button combination. A very welcome addition.

I would recommend the 8bitdo 2.4Ghz controllers for anyone looking to get a wireless fix for their Turbo or PC Engine mini. The loss of the turbo switches is mildly annoying, but the solid wireless play and central shortcut button more than makes up for it. You can still get the turbo functionality, it's just slightly more annoying using the buttons instead of the switches. And at $25, the price is right. It would be even better if they were compatible with more systems, but having Switch support is a nice bonus.

 
I've been thinking about ordering an extra controller. Do any of you guys know if either the Hori or the 8bitdo controller also work on PC? It might be nice to have something for playing games not included.

 
i finally received my pc engine controller today. i haven’t had a chance to try it out, though i do wish it was a matching turbopad instead.
 
nightc1 said:
I never thought Altered Beast looked Arcade in quality. And seeing it in motion sucked away any interest I had in the Genesis. The TG16 had all these colorful games and when Bonk's Adventure came out I knew I had to own that system. Of course as a "gamer" that had to play everything, eventually I owned both and had plenty of fun with both systems.
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Altered Beast on the Sega Genesis looks worlds better than the PC Engine version, and it does look fairly close to the arcade version. It's not flawless, but it's certainly a solid arcade port by the standards of the time.

 
ravens52bears54 said:
I really like this thing but I still don't understand why the US version has any Japanese versions of games, let alone MORE?
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It's really just a nod to fans and represents everything that was great about all of these systems at the time. I don't think a system before, during or after the PCE, has had a more robust importing scene based around it. All the gaming publications in the US had articles on the system, and I imported one for R-Type alone, and never stopped, even once I got the TG16.

A lot of the systems best games never left Japan, as very few publishers wanted to risk an expensive translation for games that probably wouldn't make that money back(due to the small user base of the US). So to offer a lot of those games now, just shows every region what was available domestically, and then from overseas that they may have missed out on. I probably had more Japanese games than I did US ones, so if I was interested in this, I would find the Japanese offerings icing on the cake and a cool bonus.

 
eastx said:
Altered Beast on the Sega Genesis looks worlds better than the PC Engine version, and it does look fairly close to the arcade version. It's not flawless, but it's certainly a solid arcade port by the standards of the time.
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No doubt it looked better than the TG16 version... it better look better on the Sega system... but it's a weak experience as a game goes once you actually played it. I'd happily play JJ & Jeff over Altered Beast. Plus Bonk wasn't far out after launch and was plenty of fun and colorful. Those early genesis games all looked so drab.

 
chrislaustin said:
It's really just a nod to fans and represents everything that was great about all of these systems at the time. I don't think a system before, during or after the PCE, has had a more robust importing scene based around it. All the gaming publications in the US had articles on the system, and I imported one for R-Type alone, and never stopped, even once I got the TG16.

A lot of the systems best games never left Japan, as very few publishers wanted to risk an expensive translation for games that probably wouldn't make that money back(due to the small user base of the US). So to offer a lot of those games now, just shows every region what was available domestically, and then from overseas that they may have missed out on. I probably had more Japanese games than I did US ones, so if I was interested in this, I would find the Japanese offerings icing on the cake and a cool bonus.
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Or the tl;dr answer: because they wanted a cookie cutter software template they could use globally regardless of different region shells.
 
pbfluff said:
i finally received my pc engine controller today. i haven’t had a chance to try it out, though i do wish it was a matching turbopad instead.
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Got an extra Hori controller in the mail today. Agree about the color scheme. It would be nice if they offered different color schemes for each of the regions. The controller feels nice. The d-pad is stiffer than the one that came with the TG 16 mini. Not a problem, just an observation. I went with a wired one over wireless since I read somewhere that the turbo timing on the wireless one is a little different from the wired ones.

I have all of the minis. The TG 16 is my favorite, I think in large part because I never played the original. I'm finding out that Hudson Soft made some really great games for the system. I've been playing the heck out of this thing since getting it. Love the feel of the controller, and am enjoying playing so many great games that I missed out on back in the day.

 
redman77 said:
Got an extra Hori controller in the mail today. Agree about the color scheme. It would be nice if they offered different color schemes for each of the regions. The controller feels nice. The d-pad is stiffer than the one that came with the TG 16 mini. Not a problem, just an observation. I went with a wired one over wireless since I read somewhere that the turbo timing on the wireless one is a little different from the wired ones.

I have all of the minis. The TG 16 is my favorite, I think in large part because I never played the original. I'm finding out that Hudson Soft made some really great games for the system. I've been playing the heck out of this thing since getting it. Love the feel of the controller, and am enjoying playing so many great games that I missed out on back in the day.
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Agree with the controller comments but I will say this - I did bite and get the 8bitdo one, and even though it is smaller and the turbo timing is off, it's pretty much the only controller I use anymore. The responsiveness is perfect, it's lighter than hell, and the battery seems to lay forever. Ended up ordering a pc engine one anyway, but I still just use this.

If you have any plans on getting a Turbotap, probably won't hurt to get one wireless (although there may be dongle fitting issues or something, which I think are solvable with a usb extender).
 
doctorwolf said:
Agree with the controller comments but I will say this - I did bite and get the 8bitdo one, and even though it is smaller and the turbo timing is off, it's pretty much the only controller I use anymore. The responsiveness is perfect, it's lighter than hell, and the battery seems to lay forever. Ended up ordering a pc engine one anyway, but I still just use this.

If you have any plans on getting a Turbotap, probably won't hurt to get one wireless (although there may be dongle fitting issues or something, which I think are solvable with a usb extender).
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Thanks for the info on your experience with the wireless controller. I've read very positive things about the 8bitdo controller. I am definitely going to get a couple of them when Amazon will inevitably put them on sale. For now my setup is fine with the wired controllers so I am in no hurry to grab the wireless ones. I look forward to trying them out down the road.

 
About a couple of the Japanese games, do Rondo and Bonk's Adventure have any text? Just wondering if I'd be missing out on story if I play them on the mini (I have the PS4 Castlevania Requiem so could play one of those that way).

 
chrislaustin said:
Yeah, I agree 110% on this, as not including this, would be like SEGA not including the first Sonic game in their mini. I also didn't think the game was that bad, as it fell in line with titles like Legendary Ax, great graphics, just average gameplay, but average is OK! These mini's are always gonna be a personal opinion on what's included, but some games aren't up for debate, and KC is one of those titles, PERIOD!
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Yessir!!!!
 
IronChariot said:
About a couple of the Japanese games, do Rondo and Bonk's Adventure have any text? Just wondering if I'd be missing out on story if I play them on the mini (I have the PS4 Castlevania Requiem so could play one of those that way).
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Bonk has basically nothing in terms of story if I recall correctly. Dracula X does have some but primarily in the intro and a few cut scenes here and there. Just look up the English translated intro on YouTube or something then dive right in. There is probably a little bit more story than the first 4 Castlevanias, but nothing to avoid playing the game over.
 
doctorwolf said:
Bonk has basically nothing in terms of story if I recall correctly. Dracula X does have some but primarily in the intro and a few cut scenes here and there. Just look up the English translated intro on YouTube or something then dive right in. There is probably a little bit more story than the first 4 Castlevanias, but nothing to avoid playing the game over.
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The Dracula x intro is actually Spoken German if I recall correctly.
 
doctorwolf said:
Bonk has basically nothing in terms of story if I recall correctly. Dracula X does have some but primarily in the intro and a few cut scenes here and there. Just look up the English translated intro on YouTube or something then dive right in. There is probably a little bit more story than the first 4 Castlevanias, but nothing to avoid playing the game over.
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Thank you. I'll probably play Bonk on the mini then and maybe Dracula X on PS4 or look at the scenes on Youtube.
 
MSUHitman said:
The only game on the Japanese side that isn't realistically playable and isn't on the English side is Snatcher, and I'm just waiting for someone to hack. :)
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There was another one I came across the other night that was pretty unplayable (either that or I was too drunk to figure it out). Super Momotarō Dentetsu II I think it was.

They nailed a lot of the Japanese big hitters, but it'll be great at some point to swap some of these duds out for must haves like Valis IV, Ys IV, and Neo Nectaris.
 
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doctorwolf said:
Bonk has basically nothing in terms of story if I recall correctly. Dracula X does have some but primarily in the intro and a few cut scenes here and there. Just look up the English translated intro on YouTube or something then dive right in. There is probably a little bit more story than the first 4 Castlevanias, but nothing to avoid playing the game over.
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I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure the voice in Dracula X is German with Japanese subtitles. So even "translated" it wouldn't be in English, just the subtitles.

 
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