Good joysticks for Turbo Grafx 16

[Jonesyy]

I'm about to buy a Turbo Grafx 16 and need to do a little research on joysticks

What options do I have when it comes to good joysticks. When I say good, I mean a proper arcade style micro switched stick. Non of that mega drive/genesis stuff they shipped us over here!

Can the TG16 use PC engine controllers or is it a different fitting?

Thanks for any help

[Steamflogger Boss]

You will need an adapter. The Turbo Grafx 16 specifically uses a different connector than every other version of the system including the US Turbo Duo.

[Jonesyy]

You will need an adapter. The Turbo Grafx 16 specifically uses a different connector than every other version of the system including the US Turbo Duo.

I wonder what the point in that was then

Thanks for info.

[SavagePencil]

The Turbo Duo uses PC Engine controllers without an adaptor. I can recommend the Hori Fighting Stick Multi ( https://segaretro.org/Fighting_Stick_Multi ) and the Micomsoft sticks.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The real reason why NEC went with a different controller input interface (the full sized 8-Din interface) was to differentiate from the PC Engine consoles with it's TurboGrafx-16 console in terms of real estate size (the thinking was selling a gaming console that was bigger and not smaller in stature like with the original white colored PC Engine console that would be bought/consumed by the American public back in the summer of 1989). With a MSRP tag of $189.99 USD and a mere ten dollars cheaper than a brand new Sega Genesis console, the TG-16 was brought stateside courtesy of NEC Home Entertainment (NECHE) themselves. When NEC announced that they were planning to sell the slick Turbo Express handheld gaming system during the X-Mas shopping season of 1990 with an estimated MSRP of $249.99 USD, it didn't go on sale until January of 1991 with a jacked up MSRP of $299.99 USD and available in extremely limited numbers at retail. When Turbo Technologies Incorporated (TTI) finally got around to selling it's newest gaming console, the Turbo Duo, it came with a MSRP of $299.99 USD price tag back in September of 1992. Turbo Duo demo kiosks were featured at various Toys-R-Us store across the USA back in 1992-1994 that were prominately showcasing the awesome Gates of Thunder shmup title indeed.

Here's a proper PC Engine to TG-16 controller adapter: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Duo-Core-Super ... 0505.m3226

This Hori Fighting Stick PC: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hori-Arcade-Fi ... Swj3xbM9rJ comes with a six button layout (you can select between the 2-button or six button scheme via a switch setting). I find my scores on the various TG-16 & PC Engine shmup titles getting higher and higher quite easily with this particular PC Engine based arcade stick. The actual arcade joystick seems to be a Sanwa Denshi based one with the proper micro switches for input making this PCE arcade stick a very responsive one, indeed. I own one of these Hori Fighting Stick PC and it's a solid PCE arcade stick in it's own right -- works just fine on a TurboGrafx-16 console setup with a proper controller adapter (so no worries in that department).

The serious PC Engine arcade stick worth owing is none other than the Micomsoft produced XE-1 Pro HE joystick: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Joy-Stick-XE-1 ... Swil5bPdGP It has the ability to switch from a traditional digital 8-way joystick scheme to a 4-way joystick scheme if so desired, has variable auto-fire for both buttons I & II (including options for hands-free auto-fire if you'd like), and on the right side of the XE-1 Pro HE's joystick base are four more dedicated PC Engine controller ports to hook up to four more PCE gamepads or joysticks (and without the need to buy a separate optional Multi-Tap accessory anyways).

As for arcade sticks for the TurboGrafx-16 console, NEC Home Enterntainment produced this particular noteworthy arcade stick: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-Stick-Tu ... Sws-ta~JdL It features a non-clicky based arcade stick (that's quite responsive) and two buttons with variable auto-fire (adjustable with slider switches to be custom-tailored to your needs) and even a cool slow-motion button as well (push it in to activate and push it again to disengage it on-the-fly).

Here's the Japanese PC Engine counterpart joystick akin to the NEC Turbo Stick for the TG-16: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-Turbo-Stic ... 5361!US!-1 This particular PCE joystick sports auto-fire functionality with adjustable slider switches but doesn't have slo-mo functionality whatsoever.

Ascii also made a dedicated PC Engine arcade stick listed here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/PC-Engine-JP-A ... Swt7NblOvK It sports two adjustable dials for buttons I & II and even has an LED light for each button to indicate if auto-fire is activated or not along with a handy slow-motion button as well.

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As for the PC Engine gamepads, I'd recommend the slick NEC Avenue Pad 6: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-PC-ENGINE- ... 0507.m3226 This particular PCE gamepad features both 2-button & 6-button scheme (selectable via a handy switch), auto-fire functionality for just buttons I & II and even a cool slow-motion funcitonality (via a handy switch to activiate it or turn it off).

The Hori Fighting Commander PC gamepad: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hori-Fighting- ... SwGs9bkPM7 This Hori produced gamepad for the PC Engine console features a six button layout (and a two-button scheme can be selected via a switch setting if so desired), up to two levels of auto-fire for all six buttons on-the-fly, and lastly, up to two levels of adjustable slow-motion functionality as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[DialKnight]

I enjoy a PSX adapter to pc engine. If you already have a one it's good. And those controllers are everywhere.

[Jonesyy]

Thanks for all the info and advice.

Since my original post, I have purchased a Core Grafx (not the TG16 I was originally looking at) which is hopefully on its way to me as we speak, along with a turbo ever drive and an rgb amp module.

With regards to joysticks, I missed out on a Micomsoft XE-1 Pro this morning for PC Engine. Kind of gutted about that, but it was listed as untested so maybe a good thing I got out bid at the last second. I did however pick up the exact same model joystick in good condition for my Mega Drive/Master System, so I'm happy I finally have an upgrade from the terrible Sega Arcade Stick I currently use.

I ended up buying a Hori Fighting Stick PC from Japan for my Core Grafx. Paid more than I was hoping for (more than the console cost me, actually!!) but I had to have a decent joystick so what can you do!!

Anyway, thanks again for the help. Maybe I'll reopen this post in a few weeks once I've had chance to try out my Horri (PC Engine) and XE-1 Pro (Megadrive) and let you know how I find them. Maybe It will help someone else in the future who is looking for a decent microswitched joystick.

[NoAffinity]

Just to add some options for proper joystickery, the MC cthulhu and possibly one of the Brooks boards, support PC Engine/TG-16. Get yourself a proper fightstick off craigslist or letgo, and mod it with one of the multi-console PCB's. Plus you get support of many other consoles all built into one stick. I'm a bit of a fighstick collector, and have 3 that have MC cthulhus and work great with my CG2. One caveat with the MC cthulhu, though - 6-button support requires a multi tap, but the MC cthulhu gives you the ability to switch between standard button support, neo geo and 6-button.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Thanks for all the info and advice.

Since my original post, I have purchased a Core Grafx (not the TG16 I was originally looking at) which is hopefully on its way to me as we speak, along with a turbo ever drive and an rgb amp module.

With regards to joysticks, I missed out on a Micomsoft XE-1 Pro this morning for PC Engine. Kind of gutted about that, but it was listed as untested so maybe a good thing I got out bid at the last second. I did however pick up the exact same model joystick in good condition for my Mega Drive/Master System, so I'm happy I finally have an upgrade from the terrible Sega Arcade Stick I currently use.

I ended up buying a Hori Fighting Stick PC from Japan for my Core Grafx. Paid more than I was hoping for (more than the console cost me, actually!!) but I had to have a decent joystick so what can you do!!

Anyway, thanks again for the help. Maybe I'll reopen this post in a few weeks once I've had chance to try out my Horri (PC Engine) and XE-1 Pro (Megadrive) and let you know how I find them. Maybe It will help someone else in the future who is looking for a decent microswitched joystick.

Smart choice on the core grafx over tbgx 16. If you were getting into CD games right away there are RGB options that don't require soldering.

[energizerfellow‌]

Brooks boards, support PC Engine/TG-16

This. If you want something that's arguably "the best" and vaguely period-correct for the PCE, look into a Brook Retro Board inside a Jasen’s Customs Panzer Fight Stick with a Seimitsu LS-32 stick and Seimitsu PS-14-G buttons. You can even go a black/white case with grey/orange buttons and ball if you want to match the various NEC color schemes.