Konami Announces the Turbografx-16 Mini (kotaku.com) 73
An anonymous reader shares a report: Hey, if Nintendo and Sega can do it, then Konami can too. In a surprise E3 announcement, the company is releasing a miniature version of the classic 90s Turbografx-16 console, called the Turbografx-16 mini. If you're wondering why Konami is handling this, the original console was a joint effort between NEC and Hudson. Konami became Hudson's parent company in 2005 and then absorbed its operations in 2012, meaning it owns the brand and all its properties.
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What the hell? (Score:4, Interesting)
Why is the Japanese version getting the anchor game, Bonk's Adventure, but not the US? Are they expecting people to break it open and put new games on it or what?
Sad. (Score:2)
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Did you mean anemic? That would fit a little better.
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They've only announced 6 titles (Score:2)
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Including R-Type is nice, but I see they aren't game enough to include Advanced Variable Geo.
Great machine (Score:5, Interesting)
The PC-Engine (TG-16 in the US) was a great little console. The CPU is 8 bit but the graphics hardware is 16 bit. It's very easy to work with and the results are great.
It also got a well supported CD peripheral (later integrated) very early on. It was only 2x speed but the machine only had 192kb RAM so loading was very fast. The lack of a video decoding hardware also meant there was no crappy FMV of the kind that plagued later machines through the 90s.
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Well there is a few things...
Most Flat Screen TV don't work the same way as CRT do. Using the old equipment on a new TV often has interesting effects on them. Games often used tricks to get more graphic ump of the limited hardware. Changing Color pallets mid screen draw, using color bleeding on the screen, to make new colors, etc...
Modern TVs are getting more reliant on HDMI and less are supporting the legacy connectors.
Nostalgic old timers, also forgot how much the original equipment was Crap. Where they
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I'm surprised there isn't an audiophile analog(hah.) for this.
"Yeah I could use HDMI, but i really prefer the warmer/softer colors provided by an RF modulator -- you probably wouldn't understand it."
The retro phase is getting out of hand (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes its nice to play retro games occasionally but apart from a few great ones (defender, pac man etc) most of them suck. And its not like we don't have emulators so why would anyone spend money on a 8 or 16 bit console (or more likely a £30 raspberry pi in a retro box running MAME) that isn't even an original to play mainly rubbish games that they could play on an emulator anyway?
I Just Dont Get It.
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I Just Dont Get It.
Which is why you don't have a job in marketing.
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Or perhaps he has a job in marketing... for the competitor.
You know "That YouTube Guy" who makes money selling refurbished old equipment.
Because it's legal (Score:3)
Compared to illegally downloading ROM images, a licensed emulation box avoids liability for copyright infringement.
Compared to a licensed download on Epic, Steam, or other PC game stores, a licensed emulation box offers ease of use and avoids having to cart the PC back and forth between the computer desk and the living room TV.
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Retropie and SNES controllers with USB adapters will change your mind.
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Retropie and SNES controllers with USB adapters will change your mind.
A licensed emulation box is cheaper than purchasing a Raspberry Pi, controllers, ROM dumper (Retrode, INL-Retro, etc.), and game cartridges.
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It's not cheaper than a raspi, two cheap usb controllers, a sdcard, and roms.
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Where do you get the ROMs that's cheaper than the "ROM dumper (Retrode, INL-Retro, etc.), and game cartridges" that I mentioned, without either you or your source running the risk of being sued for copyright infringement?
Re:The retro phase is getting out of hand (Score:5, Insightful)
> I Just Dont Get It.
stoplikingthingsidontlike.jpg ?
Seriously though, it's a big world and everyone has different tastes and likes. You think there are only "a few great ones", but I happen to like a lot of the older games. Everyone has different tastes. If everyone thought like me, the avocado industry wouldn't exist as I personally dislike avocados, avocado toast, guac, and anything else done with avocados. But a lot of people like avocados, so here we are. And a lot of people like and buy these retro consoles. So here we are.
As for why not a Pi? Not everyone has the inclination to spend the time to set one up, or even the skill to do so. These consoles you pull them out of a box, plug in the power and the HDMI cable, and turn it on. Done.
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I think part of the reason you see Commodore 64 Mini and not Apple II Mini is copyright. It appears Commodore is more willing to license the KERNAL+BASIC ROM for Commodore 64 than Apple is the Monitor+BASIC ROM for Apple II.
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When done right these retro consoles can be much better than a Pi. The biggest difference is usually latency, especially when the console is FPGA based. Software emulation adds latency.
The Pi is also not powerful enough to fully emulate some consoles, such as the N64. It can get close but if you want 100% accurate emulation in popular games like Mario Kart it can't keep up. The N64's 3D hardware can do stuff that is relatively slow on the Pi's GPU, and enabling it fixes a few graphical issues but also makes
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>The Pi is also not powerful enough to fully emulate some consoles, such as the N64
Sure, but it's also worth pointing out that currently any console the Pi can't emulate, there isn't a "retro mini" on the market for either.
NES, SNES, TG-16, Genesis, 2600, older arcade games, it does them all very well. As well as a ton of older consoles that don't have a retro mini.
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You don't get that other people might be interested in things that are different that things your interested in?
I'll take my raspberry pie with ice cream. (Score:3)
why would anyone spend money on a 8 or 16 bit console (or more likely a raspberry pi in a retro box running MAME) that isn't even an original to play mainly rubbish games that they could play on an emulator anyway?
The console has always been a plug and play experience. No assembly required. No emulators to configure. There were very fine games published for eight and sixteen bit systems and I very much doubt the rubbish content was any higher than Steam or a Linux DVD with its thousands of no-budget games;
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apart from a few great ones (defender, pac man etc) most of them suck.
Wait, so Dracula X sucks? Ys 1 & 2 suck? R-Type sucks? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???
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most modern games suck just as well, bar some exceptions.
a lot of old games are still great, some were great and haven't passed the test of time, a lot of games were rubbish and still are now.
people are still playing a lot of retro games, casual games are basically old games in their mechanics and a lot of people play those.
I loved the old NEC boxes (Score:2)
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It was way too expensive (Score:3)
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that and it wasn't available everywhere.
but being expensive doesn't mean it's not a great platform.
look at the SNK home console or the Atari Lynx.
Military Madness (Score:2)
If this isn't packaged with the system it's probably not worth getting. This is the version that introduced the game to me, which I later bought for Android, Playstation, and Wii.....
3 TG-16 but, (Score:2)
Never knew Konami bought Hudson, but it makes sense. By far, the game that best represents that systems potential was Dracula X, something that never made it to US shores because of Nintendo's excusivity stranglehold on publishers.
I had the full CD system as a kid, and I loved it. Darius, Y's I & II, Military Madness, Moto Roader were all my jams. I had the turbotap and used to have my friends over to play some pretty heavy Moto Roader sessions.As much as I loved it though, it was a disapointment see
Handheld Portable (Score:2)
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Yeah the Turbo-Graphix Express. Complete portable implementation of the home system. It retailed for something like $300 (compared to ~$100 for a Game Boy) and was absolutely huge, and ate batteries, in comparison to the Nintendo product.
Why is it HUGE!? (Score:2)