Graphics
256×224
- Resolutions
- 256×224 · 256×239 · 512×240
- Colors on screen
- 482
- Palette
- 512 colors
- Sprites
- 64
PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Also known as TurboGrafx-16 · TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem
- NEC
- Home console
- Fourth generation
310 PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 games, all playable free in your browser.
The PC Engine was developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC, launching in Japan on October 30, 1987 as the first console of the fourth generation. It reached North America as the TurboGrafx-16 in August 1989, where its late arrival put it against the Sega Genesis and later the Super NES; in Europe, Japanese units were imported and adapted for local sale, while plans for an official release were canceled after the weak US results.
- First released · Japan
- 1987
- CPU
- 8-bit
- Games in the library · all playable
- 310
TIMELINE
1987–1994
- JPJapan
- NANorth America
- EUEurope
- ENDDiscontinued (Japan)
Games per release year
| Year | Games |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 2 |
| 1988 | 16 |
| 1989 | 67 |
| 1990 | 103 |
| 1991 | 60 |
| 1992 | 43 |
| 1993 | 14 |
| 1994 | 4 |
- Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPC: Jun 21, 1984 – 1990
- Master SystemSega Master System: Oct 20, 1985 – 1996
- Atari 7800Atari 7800: May 1986 – 1992
- X68000Sharp X68000: Mar 28, 1987 – end not recorded
- PC EnginePC Engine / TurboGrafx-16: Oct 30, 1987 – Dec 16, 1994
- CPS-1Capcom CPS-1: May 13, 1988 – May 11, 1995
- GenesisSega Genesis / Mega Drive: Oct 29, 1988 – 1997
- PCE CDPC Engine CD / TurboGrafx-CD: Dec 4, 1988 – end not recorded
- Game BoyGame Boy: Apr 21, 1989 – Mar 31, 2003
All 36 systems
- Atari 2600Atari 2600: Sep 1977 – 1992
- SpectrumZX Spectrum: Apr 23, 1982 – 1992
- ColecoColecoVision: Aug 1982 – 1985
- Atari 5200Atari 5200: Oct 1982 – May 21, 1984
- VectrexVectrex: Oct 1982 – Feb 1984
- NESNintendo Entertainment System: Jul 15, 1983 – Sep 25, 2003
- SG-1000Sega SG-1000: Jul 15, 1983 – Oct 1985
- MSXMSX: Oct 21, 1983 – 1993
- Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPC: Jun 21, 1984 – 1990
- Master SystemSega Master System: Oct 20, 1985 – 1996
- Atari 7800Atari 7800: May 1986 – 1992
- X68000Sharp X68000: Mar 28, 1987 – end not recorded
- PC EnginePC Engine / TurboGrafx-16: Oct 30, 1987 – Dec 16, 1994
- CPS-1Capcom CPS-1: May 13, 1988 – May 11, 1995
- GenesisSega Genesis / Mega Drive: Oct 29, 1988 – 1997
- PCE CDPC Engine CD / TurboGrafx-CD: Dec 4, 1988 – end not recorded
- Game BoyGame Boy: Apr 21, 1989 – Mar 31, 2003
- LynxAtari Lynx: Sep 1, 1989 – 1995
- Neo GeoNeo Geo: Apr 16, 1990 – 2004
- Game GearSega Game Gear: Oct 6, 1990 – Apr 30, 1997
- SNESSuper Nintendo: Nov 21, 1990 – Sep 25, 2003
- Sega CDSega CD / Mega-CD: Dec 12, 1991 – 1996
- CPS-2Capcom CPS-2: Sep 10, 1993 – Dec 22, 2003
- Neo Geo CDNeo Geo CD: Sep 9, 1994 – 1997
- 32XSega 32X: Nov 1994 – 1996
- PS1PlayStation: Dec 3, 1994 – Mar 23, 2006
- N64Nintendo 64: Jun 23, 1996 – 2002
- CPS-3Capcom CPS-3: Nov 21, 1996 – end not recorded
- NAOMISega NAOMI: 1998 – end not recorded
- GBCGame Boy Color: Oct 21, 1998 – Mar 31, 2003
- NGPCNeo Geo Pocket Color: Mar 19, 1999 – Oct 30, 2001
- PS2PlayStation 2: Mar 4, 2000 – Jan 4, 2013
- WonderSwanWonderSwan Color: Dec 9, 2000 – 2003
- GBAGame Boy Advance: Mar 21, 2001 – 2010
- OpenBOROpenBOR: 2004 – today
- TIC-80TIC-80: Mar 22, 2017 – today
A bar that fades out means the end date is unknown. Fantasy consoles and game engines are still available.
UNDER THE HOOD
Technical specifications
Processor
7.16MHz
- CPU
- Hudson Soft HuC6280
- Core
- WDC 65C02
- Word size
- 8-bit
- Marketed as
- 16-bit
- Hudson Soft HuC6270 (VDC) — 16-bit video display controller (backgrounds and sprites)
- Hudson Soft HuC6260 (VCE) — 16-bit video color encoder (palettes)
Software-switchable between 1.79 MHz and 7.16 MHz; includes an MMU giving a 2 MB physical address space
Memory
8KB
- Main RAM
- 8 KB
- Video RAM
- 64 KB
Below: Atari 7800 4 KB · Above: NGPC 12 KB
Sound
6channels
- Chip
- PSG integrated in the HuC6280
Six wavetable channels (32-sample, 5-bit waveforms) with stereo panning; two channels can generate noise, one can modulate another (LFO), and a direct D/A mode plays 5-bit (or combined 10-bit) PCM
Sales
10million
- Scope
- Japan (as of 1995)
- Best-selling game
- Bonk's Adventure
Media
Card
- Card
- up to 2.5 MB
Family line
- This system
- PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
- After
- PC-FX
THE STORY
About the PC Engine
The system pairs an 8-bit Hudson CPU with two 16-bit graphics chips and can show 482 colors at once from a 512-color palette. Games came on HuCards, credit-card-sized ROM cards, and at 14 × 14 × 3.5 cm the PC Engine is described as the smallest major home console ever released. Its CD-ROM² add-on of 1988 made it the first console to use CD-ROM, and NEC produced more than 17 hardware variants, including portable models and all-in-one CD units.
The PC Engine was a commercial success in Japan, where it drew strong third-party support and became the main rival of the Super Famicom, but the TurboGrafx-16 struggled in North America. The final model ended production in 1994, and NEC's next console, the Japan-only PC-FX, was a commercial failure. Many of its games were later reissued on Virtual Console and on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini.
- The first console of the fourth generation, launched in Japan in October 1987.
- Through its CD-ROM² add-on (1988) it became the first video game console to use CD-ROM as a storage medium.
- At 14 × 14 × 3.5 cm, described as the smallest major home console ever released.
- Games were distributed on HuCards, credit-card-sized ROM cards with 38 contacts.
- The HuC6270 video controller handles up to 64 sprites, 16 per scanline.
- Sold 500,000 units in its first week on sale in Japan.
THE LIBRARY
310 PC Engine games on Back2OldGames
310
games, all playable right in your browser
Release years 1987–1994
<p class="lib-span">97 developers</p>Genres
Top developers
Players
253 games with a known number of players.
Regions
THE GAMES
The PC Engine library
Skip filters
Tune your search
Genre
Decade
–
Players
Includes games with a known number of players.
Region
PC Engine ARCHIVETITLE · CREATOR · PUBLISHER
A half-remembered title? Start typing. Mix filters to make it yours.
Sources
Specifications and history from the sources below (Wikipedia text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; facts summarized in our own words). Library numbers come from the Back2OldGames catalog.
Your next idea deserves a home.