I want to get a PC Engine, but cheap!!
I want to avoid the Turbografx-16 systems (I want to play imports off the bat without the $100 converter). The only problem is that I want to get it cheap. I found the Duos to be too high in price (I also herd that they have problems with the CD drive). I was thinking about getting a PC Engine with the CD Rom attachment later on in life (or try to get both in one deal). I'm worry about the price, and I got no idea how much a PC Engine alone would cost. Also how much for the CD Rom attachment alone, or on a 2 for 1 system? I'm also thinking about AV cables (I hate RF and I want to get rid of it!), what do you need to get the system to output composite single? OK, what is the difference between a "Core" system with its CD-ROM attachment and a regular PC Engine with its CD-ROM attachment? For the regular PC Engine, what's a Interface Unit? I'm in any luck when finding a PC Engine with its CD-ROM attachment under $100? How much usually are the Super System Card 3.0?
Edit: Where is the best place to buy a PC Engine?
Thinking about getting a PC Engine
PC Engine Fan X! will give you a very thorough explanation of the differences once he sees this and correct any misinformation I give you here, but I'll get you started...
dave4shmups was selling a CoreGrafx last week, might want to message him quick if his Jaguar trade is going to fall through.
Pretty much everybody here is going to recommend a Duo, although good luck trying to get one cheap. The SuperCD-ROM attachment from what I've seen also runs around a hundred bucks on its own and even harder to come across than Duos.
The PC-Engine outputs just RF, but the CoreGrafx models have a A/V port which is a standard 180-degree DIN-5, so you can very easily make your own composite A/V cable with stereo sound, which is what I did. If you're adventurous you can open up the system and replace the DIN-5 with a DIN-8 and enjoy RGB output.
The Interface Unit is something that confuses me also... PCEFX, help please?
dave4shmups was selling a CoreGrafx last week, might want to message him quick if his Jaguar trade is going to fall through.
Pretty much everybody here is going to recommend a Duo, although good luck trying to get one cheap. The SuperCD-ROM attachment from what I've seen also runs around a hundred bucks on its own and even harder to come across than Duos.
The PC-Engine outputs just RF, but the CoreGrafx models have a A/V port which is a standard 180-degree DIN-5, so you can very easily make your own composite A/V cable with stereo sound, which is what I did. If you're adventurous you can open up the system and replace the DIN-5 with a DIN-8 and enjoy RGB output.
The Interface Unit is something that confuses me also... PCEFX, help please?
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PC Engine Fan X!
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My USA Turbo Duo has none of the "overheating" iss
I bought my USA region NEC Turbo Duo in November 1994 and I've never had any so-called "overheating" issues with (even with long gaming sessions with the Super CD-Rom2 drive...although it's been known that the Duo's CD-Rom drive is the first to go "kaput" long before the Hu-Card cartridge slot fails).Ganelon wrote:Get a Duo-R or Duo-RX. The original Duos seem to have overheating issues according to D-Lite on the NG forums.
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For Fighter 17 eyes' only.....
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As for Fighter 17's question about the NEC Core Grafx and it compatibility with the optional NEC CD-Rom2 Interface Unit...that is exactly what you'll need if you want to be able to play the cool Super CD-Rom2 based games. It is a suitcase-like attachment that hooks upto the back of the Core Grafx console. You will also need to buy a Super CD-Rom2 2.0 version Upgrade Card which'll give you the ability to play the Super CD-Rom2 games. (The Super CD-Rom2 3.0 version Upgrade Card is included inside the USA version of the NEC Turbo Duo console although a Duo Arcade Card could be installed internally if the Turbo Duo has been modified to play Japanese Hu-Card based game cartridges.)
Now, if you want to play the Arcade CD-Rom2 based games on a NEC Core Grafx (with the optional CD-Rom2 Interface Unit), then an NEC PC Engine Arcade Card Upgrade would be necessary.
The Duo Arcade Card has 16 megabits of RAM for the extra memory needed to run the Arcade CD-Rom2 games while the NEC PC Engine Arcade Card has 18 megabits of RAM for the extra memory needed to process the larger Arcade CD-Rom2 games since it doesn't have much memory internally.
So Fighter 17, I'd personally recommend buying either a Japanese PC Engine Duo or a USA Turbo Duo + a Hu-Card convertor or a Kisado convertor and you're all set to play the cool CD-Rom2 & Super CD-Rom2 based games.
If you have some serious money to spend, then buy a brand new PC Engine Duo or Turbo Duo...that way, you'll know that it is going to work 100% as opposed to buying one in "used" condition (and not knowing it's true past of working functionality) & having the Super CD-Rom2 drive fail on you in the nearby future. Sure, a brand new Turbo Duo console goes for $300.00 USD on the internet...just search around.
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Get an NEC Duo Arcade Card Upgrade cartridge as well so you have the best of playing all three NEC CD-Rom2 formats on just one PC Engine upgrade cartridge:
1.) the original CD-Rom2 based games
2.) the Super CD-Rom2 based games
3.) the Arcade CD-Rom2 based games
Note: if you want to play the NEC CD-Rom2 version of "Altered Beast", then you'll need the CD-Rom2 1.0 version upgrade cartridge as the higher CD-Rom2 System Cards won't work with it.
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I also strongly advise to buy an NEC Tennokoe Bank Rom-Ram Hu-Card "flash" memory cartridge to save your PC Engine game saves for posterity...it's been known that the PC Engine Duo & the Turbo Duo's internal game saving memory vanishes if not "recharged" (by simply powering "on" the Duo console for a few minutes every few months) as the internal capacitor will lose it's "charge" to save your PCE game save files...I had to learn the hard way as I saw all my PCE shmup high scores vanish & had to resort to buy a Tennokoe Bank cartridge and start over again from scratch.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Last edited by PC Engine Fan X! on Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Fighter17
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Re: My USA Turbo Duo has none of the overheating issues...
PC Engine Fan X! wrote:I bought my USA Region Turbo Duo in November 1994 and I've never had any so-called "overheating" issues with (even with long gaming sessions with the Super CD-Rom2 drive...although it's been known that the Duo's CD-Rom drive is the first to go "kaput" before the Hu-Card cart slot fails).Ganelon wrote:Get a Duo-R or Duo-RX. The original Duos seem to have overheating issues according to D-Lite on the NG forums.
As for Fighter 17's question about the NEC Core Grafx and it compatibility with the optional NEC CD-Rom2 Interface Unit...that is exactly what you'll need if you want to be able to play the cool Super CD-Rom2 based games. It is a suitcase-like attachment that hooks upto the back of the Core Grafx console. You will also need to buy a Super CD-Rom2 2.0version Upgrade Card which'll give you the ability to play the Super CD-Rom2 games. (The Super CD-Rom2 3.0version Upgrade Card is included inside the USA version of the NEC Turbo Duo console although a Duo Arcade Card could be installed internally if the Turbo Duo has been modified to play Japanese Hu-Card based game cartridges.)
Now, if you want to play the Arcade CD-Rom2 based games on a NEC Core Grafx (with the optional CD-Rom2 Interface Unit), then an NEC PC Engine Arcade Card Upgrade would be necessary.
The Duo Arcade Card has 16 megabits of RAM for the extra memory needed to run the Arcade CD-Rom2 games while the NEC PC Engine Arcade Card has 18 megabits of RAM for the extra memory needed to process the larger Arcade CD-Rom2 games since it doesn't have much memory internally.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
I won't be needing the Arcade Card (Sapphire cost way too much). I just need the 3.0 system card just for games lile Lords of Thunder, Gate of Thunder, Super Raiden, etc.
I don't care for score saving (don't care for high scores that much).
The Tennokoe isn't a flash card, it's battery backed NVRAM.
The white, briefcase-style CDROM system is flakier than any other PCE hardware. 1st-gen CD technology ain't reliable. Duos are second on the list, but they seem to either last forever or fail fast. Junk stores in Japan are stuffed with dead Duos, but the DuoR, RX and SuperCDROM will generally last forever.
The white, briefcase-style CDROM system is flakier than any other PCE hardware. 1st-gen CD technology ain't reliable. Duos are second on the list, but they seem to either last forever or fail fast. Junk stores in Japan are stuffed with dead Duos, but the DuoR, RX and SuperCDROM will generally last forever.
Please stop confusing your opinion with fact.
Well . . .I can only speak from experience - but I had a Jap Turbo Duo for years which gave me no problems whatever.
In fact, I wish I still had it . . .but I was skint at the time of sale.
And on a related subject . . .if you have a good PC setup then the Magic Engine v 1.xx emulator is a very good cheap alternative.
In fact, I wish I still had it . . .but I was skint at the time of sale.
And on a related subject . . .if you have a good PC setup then the Magic Engine v 1.xx emulator is a very good cheap alternative.
Shoot, dodge, collect . . .it's the ONLY way to be !!
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OmegaFlareX
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Too bad TZD has been sold out of new, boxed Duos for 3 years now. I got one from there and it was awesome except for the fact that it absolutely refused to play CDRs. ;P
I also had it modded for RGB and import HuCards. It was quite a beast. The guy in France I sold it to is probably enjoying it very much.
Yes, Magic Engine is sweet, but that split-second of input lag kills the playability of most shmups. The more difficult ones (like Rayxan II and Nexzr) are impossible.
I also had it modded for RGB and import HuCards. It was quite a beast. The guy in France I sold it to is probably enjoying it very much.
Yes, Magic Engine is sweet, but that split-second of input lag kills the playability of most shmups. The more difficult ones (like Rayxan II and Nexzr) are impossible.