Editing TurboGrafx-16 (section)

{{short description|Fourth-generation home video game console}}
{{Redirect|TG-16|the U.S. Air Force training glider|DG Flugzeugbau DG-1000}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name = TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine
| logo = [[File:TurboGrafx16logo.jpg|70px]]<br />[[File:PC Engine logo.png|120px]]
| image = [[File:TurboGrafx16-Console-Set.jpg|250px]]<br />[[File:PC-Engine-Console-Set.jpg|250px]]
| caption = North American TurboGrafx-16 (top) and the original Japanese PC Engine (bottom)
| manufacturer = [[NEC]]{{,}}[[Hudson Soft]]
| type = [[Home video game console]]
| generation = [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|Fourth]]
| releasedate = {{vgrelease
  | JP  | October 30, 1987
  | NA  | August 29, 1989
  | FRA | November 22, 1989
  | UK  | 1989
  | SPA | 1990
  }}
| lifespan = 1987–1994
| discontinued = {{vgrelease
  | FRA | 1993
  | NA  |May 1994
  | JP  |December 16, 1994
  }}
| unitssold = {{ubl|5.62 million<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.neogaf.com/threads/retro-sales-age-thread.981407/ | title=Retro Sales Age Thread }}</ref> (HuCard only)|2 million (CD-ROM{{sup|2}} + Duo)}}
| media = [[HuCard]]
| cpu = [[HuC6280]]
| display = Composite or RF TV out; {{plainlist|565×242 or 256×239, 512 color palette, 482 colors on-screen}}
| successor = {{ubl|[[PC Engine SuperGrafx]]|[[PC-FX]]}}
| CPUspeed = 7.16 MHz
| sound = [[Programmable sound generator|PSG]], 5 to 10-bit stereo [[PCM]]
| graphics = {{ubl|[[Hudson Soft HuC6270|HuC6270]] VDC|[[Hudson Soft HuC6260|HuC6260]] VCE}}
| memory = {{ubl|8 KB [[RAM]]|64 KB [[Video RAM]]}}
| top game = ''[[Bonk's Adventure]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/749/749638p1.html |title=Bonk's Adventure Virtual Console Review - Wii Review at IGN |publisher=Wii.ign.com |access-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414031040/http://wii.ign.com/articles/749/749638p1.html |archive-date=April 14, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| related = [[LaserActive]]
}}
The '''TurboGrafx-16''', known in Japan as the {{nihongo foot|'''PC Engine'''|PCエンジン|Pīshī Enjin|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}}, is a [[home video game console]] developed by [[Hudson Soft]] and manufactured by [[NEC]]. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the [[fourth generation of video game consoles|fourth generation]], it launched in Japan to compete with [[Nintendo]]'s [[Family Computer|Famicom]], but its delayed U.S. debut placed it against the more advanced [[Sega Genesis]] and later the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]].

The TurboGrafx-16 features an [[8-bit computing|8-bit]] CPU paired with dual 16-bit graphics processors, and supports up to 482 on-screen colors from a palette of 512. The "16" in the console’s North American branding was criticized as misleading.<ref name="Therrien">{{cite journal |last1=Therrien |first1=Carl |last2=Picard |first2=Martin |date=April 29, 2015 |title=Enter the bit wars: A study of video game marketing and platform crafting in the wake of the TurboGrafx-16 launch |journal=[[New Media & Society]] |volume=18 |issue=10 |pages=2323–2339 |doi=10.1177/1461444815584333 |s2cid=19553739}}</ref> With dimensions of {{convert|14x14x3.5|cm|in}}, the PC Engine remains the smallest major home console ever released.<ref>''Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition'' (2008)</ref><ref name="Nintendo Life">{{cite web |author=McFerran |first=Damien |date=November 2, 2012 |title=Feature: The Making of the PC Engine |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/06/feature_the_making_of_the_pc_engine_the_8-bit_wonder_that_took_on_nintendo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730094735/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/06/feature_the_making_of_the_pc_engine_the_8-bit_wonder_that_took_on_nintendo |archive-date=July 30, 2019 |website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref>

Games were initially released on [[HuCard]] cartridges, but the platform later supported additional formats requiring separate hardware: [[TurboGrafx-CD]] (''CD-ROM²'' in Japan) games on compact disc, [[PC Engine SuperGrafx|SuperGrafx]] games on a new console variant, and [[LD-ROM|LD-ROM²]] games on [[LaserDisc]] via the [[LaserActive]], a TurboGrafx-compatible system developed by Pioneer. No configuration supported all formats simultaneously. While the TurboGrafx-CD was moderately successful, the other two formats failed to gain traction. The resulting hardware fragmentation created consumer confusion.

The PC Engine was a commercial success in Japan, receiving strong third-party support and becoming the [[Super Famicom]]'s main early competitor. In contrast, the TurboGrafx-16 struggled in North America due to limited marketing, a smaller game library, and its late release.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{cite web |author=Nutt |first=Christian |date=September 12, 2014 |title=Stalled engine: The TurboGrafx-16 turns 25 |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/225466/stalled_engine_the_turbografx16_.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627080057/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/225466/stalled_engine_the_turbografx16_.php |archive-date=June 27, 2017 |website=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref> In Europe, Japanese models were [[Grey market|grey-market]] imported and modified for local sale, but plans for an official release were canceled following poor U.S. performance.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |author=Sartori |first=Paul |date=April 2, 2013 |title=TurboGrafx-16: the console that time forgot (and why it's worth re-discovering) |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/apr/02/turbografx-16-machine-that-time-forgot |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701054900/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/apr/02/turbografx-16-machine-that-time-forgot |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Over 17 hardware variants were produced, including portable models and versions integrating the CD-ROM add-on.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stuart |first1=Keith |last2=Freeman |first2=Will |date=February 27, 2016 |title=Why Kanye West is right to recommend the TurboGrafx-16 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/27/why-kanye-west-right-recommend-turbografx-16-console |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622125924/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/27/why-kanye-west-right-recommend-turbografx-16-console |archive-date=June 22, 2017 |access-date=December 25, 2017 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Production of the final model ended in 1994. It was succeeded by the [[PC-FX]], released exclusively in Japan, which was a commercial failure.