articles on the NEC P.C. Engine-2 and SuperGrafx

[engine2supergrafx]

some EGM articles w/ pictures on the PC Engine 2 ~ SuperGrafx


EGM Number 6 - January 1990 - page 4

http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... ne2193.jpg

page 22
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... gxpce2.jpg




EGM Number 8 - March 1990

page 4
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... ngine2.jpg


page 26
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... ngine2.jpg


page 52-53
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadrive32/3sgx.jpg

http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadrive32/4sgx.jpg



it gets more interesting with the PC Engine 2 connection to the Namco 16-bit system, which was nipped in the bud before the deal could go through.

[engine2supergrafx]

EGM Number 2 - July 1989 - page 4
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... ngine2.jpg

page 32
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... ngine2.jpg



EGM Number 3 - August-September 1989 - page 28
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... ngine2.jpg
.
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... ngine2.jpg

page 74
http://www.photodump.com/direct/gigadri ... ngine2.jpg

you will notice that Namco's 16-Bit system is usually mentioned right near the P.C. Engine-2 - and then the two almost become interwined.

the way I count it:

1.) NEC and Hudson's own 16-Bit PC Engine2, intended for 1990 - not released
2.) Namco's 16-Bit 'Super System' - intended for 1989 or 1990 - not released by Namco themselves, nor by NEC and Hudson under the PC Engine2 name

3.) NEC and Hudson's own scaled-down 8-Bit PC Engine2 is released as the SuperGrafx, in November 1989 with Battle Ace.

my speculation - based on some facts
The 8-bit version of the PC Engine2, the SuperGrafx, was clearly rushed onto the Japanese market in late 1989. this was most likely one major reason for its downfall. Now, going by the earlier EGM articles and blurbs about the original 16-bit PC Engine2, that machine was not due until 1990 at the soonest.

I think NEC and Hudson should've finished development of the 16-bit version of PC Engine2 and released it in say, late summer 1990, a few months ahead of the Super Famicom's late 1990 release date. the 16-Bit PC Engine2 *could* have been a very very powerful machine, easily surpassing the Nintendo SFC, since SFC was actually a technologically older machine that dates back to 1988, and, itself was cut back significantly in its specs before launch.

The original SFC was going to have a 10 MHz 68000 CPU and significantly greater pesudo-3D capabilities like full, true sprite scaling & rotation. the Mode 7 scaling & rotation built into the final SFC was much less than what was originally planned. that is why many early SFC/SNES games have DSP and accelerator chips in them (not even counting the SuperFX polygon chip of years later).

Anyway, so, a 16-Bit PC Engine2 could have been in development through all of 1989 and well into 1990, just up until its release in, say, mid-September 1990. It could have been roughly, more or less, NEO-GEO calibur hardware. If you look back 3 years from 1990, to 1987, the same year the original PC Engine came out, there was a very powerful 16-Bit computer released in Japan that had Hudson chipset and OS technology: the Sharp X68000. this machine was not only more powerful than the PC Engine released the same year, but also still conciderably more powerful than the SuperGrafx released 2 years later in 1989, and more powerful than the Super Famicom that was finally approved for production.

now imagine what Hudson could have done, with a high powered console machine which comes out in 1990: the true sucessor to the PCEngine, the 16-Bit PC Engine2. a PC Engine2 that is poweful enough to kill the spec-weakened Super Famicom (because of the mentioned Nintendo's cutbacks) compete with SNK's Neo-Geo, and also be used in arcades
(like Neo-Geo MVS), and also handle the most intense 'super scaler' arcade games from Sega like Space Harrier - OutRun -
After Burner II - Thunder Blade - Galaxy Force 2 - Power Drift - Super Monaco GP - etc as well as any lesser Sega System16, Capcom CPS or future CPS2 games.

the main thing is, Japanese developers would be THRILLED to work on such a platform. even if it cost consumers $300-$350. the games could still be on larger thicker Super-HuCards-- and while more expensive than standard HuCards, would still cost significantly less than Neo-Geo home cartridges. (and dispite Neo-Geo's high cost for both the console and the games, it was a massive sucess compared to the 8-bit SuperGrafx).


in my ideal speculative scenario, CD-ROM1 and CD-ROM2 are for the 8-Bit PCEngine and TurboGrafx (not called TurboGrafx-16) while the...Super-CD-ROM2, or lets call it Super CD-ROM3, is exclusively for the 16-Bit PC Engine2 and American version, the 16-Bit SuperGrafx, or SuperGrafx-16 ^__^

8-bit PCEngine in Japan in 1987 - TurboGrafx in USA in 1989.
CD-ROM1 in 1988 - CD-ROM2 in 1989 | CD-ROM2 in USA in 1989

16-bit PCEngine2 in Japan in 1990 - SuperGrafx/ SuperGrafx-16 in USA in 1991
Super CD-ROM3 in Japan and in 1991, in USA in 1992

[roushimsx]

I really need to get a cd rom dealie for my Supergrafx one of these days. The damn thing never sees any use... I'd like to be able to play something on it at some point (Bomberman 94 is cool and all...but come on...)

Where's the most inexpensive reliable place to pick one up?

[Specineff]

Ebay. Make sure you get the Super CD Rom 2 unit (dark gray one, looks like some sort of spaceship booster device). Otherwise you will need the RAU-30 adapter to connect the old-style CD rom unit to it.