Here's a blog link to Bitmap Books' blog about the uber-cool PC Engine Hu-Card (or NEC Turbo Chip for that matter in regards to the TurboGrafx-16 console): https://www.bitmapbooks.com/blogs/news/ ... card-carts This isn't my blog by the way.
Bitmap Books also mentions about the cool upcoming "PC Engine: The Box Art Collection" book up for pre-ordering in May of 2023. It's another professional full-color Bitmap book dealing with the cult favorite Japanese PC Engine console that is held in high regard these days by classic video gaming purveyors. How cool is that? It's always cool to see another PCE book being published these days. Will the Japanese public scoop up this particular book as well? Perhaps not as it's entirely in English.
Of course nowadays, it's doable to bring your PCE/CoreGrafx I & II "on the go" with the Columbus Circle manufactured PCE LCD monitor setup powered by a 5v portable lipo power bank setup in addition to the slick NEC GT or the TurboExpress portable handhelds (which are quite notorious for draining brand new double AA batteries in three hours or so).
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Bitmap Books' PC Engine The Box Art Collection book - 2023
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Bitmap Books' PC Engine The Box Art Collection book - 2023
Last edited by PC Engine Fan X! on Sat Jun 24, 2023 7:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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PC Engine Fan X!
- Posts: 8449
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:32 pm
Bitmap Books' PC Engine The Box Art Collection book - 2023
The limited to just only a print run of 2,000 copies of the cool hardcover book by Bitmap Books,"PC Engine The Box Art Collection", is a very informative hardcover book delving into the slick artwork used in the PC Engine game manual covers of both Hu-Card and CD-Rom2, Super CD-Rom2 & Arcade CD-Rom2 game formats.
Here's the site to order your own: https://www.bitmapbooks.com/collections ... collection
Sure, there are several PCE gaming titles like Bomberman '94, Horror Story, Klax & Splash Lake that have been skipped/omitted -- I'm not sure why but those four particular PCE titles were not covered/mentioned.
Nor did this book go into greater detail about the TTI version of Magical Chase either. Of course, it's well known that the TTI Magical Chase & Legend of Hero Tonma were the two very last official TTI Turbo Chip games to released in the USA on December 31, 1993 (but the American big-box chain of Toys-R-Us didn't get their allotted shipment of LoHT & MC until February of 1994 -- marking them both down to a paltry $19.99 usd in the video game clearance aisle -- there was no clue as to that they were brand new TurboGrafx-16 games to begin with either). I think if the author did get ahold of an American TG-16 gamer like myself, this book would've shed some more light/info into the uber-rare TTI version of Magical Chase.
Nor does the author delve into the little known fact that TTI did distribute Turbo Duo demo kiosks to Toys-R-Us stores across the USA back in 1993 (during the national rollout of the Turbo Duo console during that timeframe) to get the word out about the positive virtues/merits of the Turbo Duo console (sure, I recall trying out the Turbo Duo demo kiosk at my local TRU store but it was a limited time deal as it showed up out of the blue one day and was quietly removed from the TRU stores without much fanfare). And get this, I've never seen an uber-rare Turbo Duo demo kiosk up for sale on eBay, not even one. Sure, NECHE USA (based out of Illinois from 1989 to 1991) did have a TurboGraafx-16 demo display unit that were distributed to various Montgomery Wards stores across the USA as well back in 1989-1990 -- again, I've never have seen the uber-rare TG-16 demo display units for sale on eBay either (they had a sticker indicating that the TurboGrafx-16 CD add-on unit was non-functional and was for display purposes only -- go figure, assuming if someone wanted to steal it thinking that it was a fully working demo model but rather just an empty shell). At the San Francisco, California FAO Schwartz toy store, they had a demo TG-16 system with Blazing Lazers up & running back in December of 1989 -- that was cool to see/try out in person.
NECHE USA did have the Turbo Express handhelds on hand back in October of 1990 (four months prior to it being sold in the USA in January of 1991). I was talking to an NECHE USA rep back in October of 1990 and he said that they were planning to release the TE during the month of December of 1990 at the suggested MSRP of $249.99 usd but it launched at the more expensive MSRP of $299.99 usd instead during the month of January of 1991 -- but trying to get ahold of them were extremely limited/extremely limited distribution at that point in time. (Again, this info is never disclosed in this book either).
Interesting to learn about that TTI had brokered a deal with Williams/Midway to get Mortal Kombat out for the TG-16/Turbo Duo but the head honchos at NEC Japan division shot it down (perhaps due to the ultraviolence it portrayed at the time) -- and thus it never did materialize/become a reality. True story.
And the deal with the TG-16 prototype game of Tengen's "Off The Wall" (circa 1991-1992) is never mentioned/discussed in this book either -- would've been cool to learn more about it in greater detail. At the very least, we know that Atari/Tengen based out of Milpitas, CA was working on the TG-16 "Off The Wall" game prototype back in 1991-1992 timeframe. Only Tengen's Klax remains the sole PCE/TG-16 game to be released courtesy of Tengen of Japan division (making it the definitive version to own/play with a chock full of end-user adjustments/options that aren't even listed/found on the original Atari Games Klax pcb with it's February of 1990 debut).
Plus no mention of the uber-rare jamma-based arcade TG-16 hardware conversion kit -- a joint collaborative effort between United Amusements and NEC of Japan to make this happen (this was distributed in extremely limited numbers and only to interested arcade owners/arcade operators that actually bought one). Article about it is mentioned in the February 1990 issue of Video Games & Computer Entertainment -- fascinating to read about more info on it. It never mentions the fact that you can play both Japanese & American Hu-Cards on it without the need for a game converter either.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Here's the site to order your own: https://www.bitmapbooks.com/collections ... collection
Sure, there are several PCE gaming titles like Bomberman '94, Horror Story, Klax & Splash Lake that have been skipped/omitted -- I'm not sure why but those four particular PCE titles were not covered/mentioned.
Nor did this book go into greater detail about the TTI version of Magical Chase either. Of course, it's well known that the TTI Magical Chase & Legend of Hero Tonma were the two very last official TTI Turbo Chip games to released in the USA on December 31, 1993 (but the American big-box chain of Toys-R-Us didn't get their allotted shipment of LoHT & MC until February of 1994 -- marking them both down to a paltry $19.99 usd in the video game clearance aisle -- there was no clue as to that they were brand new TurboGrafx-16 games to begin with either). I think if the author did get ahold of an American TG-16 gamer like myself, this book would've shed some more light/info into the uber-rare TTI version of Magical Chase.
Nor does the author delve into the little known fact that TTI did distribute Turbo Duo demo kiosks to Toys-R-Us stores across the USA back in 1993 (during the national rollout of the Turbo Duo console during that timeframe) to get the word out about the positive virtues/merits of the Turbo Duo console (sure, I recall trying out the Turbo Duo demo kiosk at my local TRU store but it was a limited time deal as it showed up out of the blue one day and was quietly removed from the TRU stores without much fanfare). And get this, I've never seen an uber-rare Turbo Duo demo kiosk up for sale on eBay, not even one. Sure, NECHE USA (based out of Illinois from 1989 to 1991) did have a TurboGraafx-16 demo display unit that were distributed to various Montgomery Wards stores across the USA as well back in 1989-1990 -- again, I've never have seen the uber-rare TG-16 demo display units for sale on eBay either (they had a sticker indicating that the TurboGrafx-16 CD add-on unit was non-functional and was for display purposes only -- go figure, assuming if someone wanted to steal it thinking that it was a fully working demo model but rather just an empty shell). At the San Francisco, California FAO Schwartz toy store, they had a demo TG-16 system with Blazing Lazers up & running back in December of 1989 -- that was cool to see/try out in person.
NECHE USA did have the Turbo Express handhelds on hand back in October of 1990 (four months prior to it being sold in the USA in January of 1991). I was talking to an NECHE USA rep back in October of 1990 and he said that they were planning to release the TE during the month of December of 1990 at the suggested MSRP of $249.99 usd but it launched at the more expensive MSRP of $299.99 usd instead during the month of January of 1991 -- but trying to get ahold of them were extremely limited/extremely limited distribution at that point in time. (Again, this info is never disclosed in this book either).
Interesting to learn about that TTI had brokered a deal with Williams/Midway to get Mortal Kombat out for the TG-16/Turbo Duo but the head honchos at NEC Japan division shot it down (perhaps due to the ultraviolence it portrayed at the time) -- and thus it never did materialize/become a reality. True story.
And the deal with the TG-16 prototype game of Tengen's "Off The Wall" (circa 1991-1992) is never mentioned/discussed in this book either -- would've been cool to learn more about it in greater detail. At the very least, we know that Atari/Tengen based out of Milpitas, CA was working on the TG-16 "Off The Wall" game prototype back in 1991-1992 timeframe. Only Tengen's Klax remains the sole PCE/TG-16 game to be released courtesy of Tengen of Japan division (making it the definitive version to own/play with a chock full of end-user adjustments/options that aren't even listed/found on the original Atari Games Klax pcb with it's February of 1990 debut).
Plus no mention of the uber-rare jamma-based arcade TG-16 hardware conversion kit -- a joint collaborative effort between United Amusements and NEC of Japan to make this happen (this was distributed in extremely limited numbers and only to interested arcade owners/arcade operators that actually bought one). Article about it is mentioned in the February 1990 issue of Video Games & Computer Entertainment -- fascinating to read about more info on it. It never mentions the fact that you can play both Japanese & American Hu-Cards on it without the need for a game converter either.
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~