Editing TurboGrafx-16 (section)

== History ==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2020}}

The PC Engine was created as a collaborative effort between [[Hudson Soft]], who created video game software, and [[NEC]], a company which was dominant in the Japanese [[personal computer]] market with their [[PC-88]] and [[PC-98]] platforms. NEC lacked the vital experience in the video gaming industry and approached numerous video game studios for support. By pure coincidence, NEC's interest in entering the lucrative video game market coincided with Hudson's failed attempt to sell designs for then-advanced graphics chips to [[Nintendo]]; in July 1985, Hudson Soft approached and pitched them a new add-on for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] that played games using their patented [[Bee Card (game cartridge)|Bee Cards]], which they had experimented with on the [[MSX]] computer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/basic-1985-07|title=マイコン BASIC 1985 07|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name="GameHist">{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9PuSrn_H1c|date=July 14, 2016|title=The Story of the Famicom Disk System|author=Gaming Historian|work=[[YouTube]]|access-date=November 3, 2024}}</ref> Nintendo liked this concept, as it had the ability to store full games and overwrite existing ones. However, as the technology for it was expensive, and that they would have to pay royalties for each card sold, Nintendo instead decided to pass on Hudson Soft's proposal. This eventually led to the partnership between Hudson Soft and NEC.<ref name="GameHist"/> The two companies successfully teamed up to then develop the PC Engine.<ref name="Nintendo Life" />

The system made its debut in the Japanese market on October 30, 1987, and it was a tremendous success. The PC Engine had an elegant, "eye-catching" design, and it was very small compared to its rivals.<ref name="Gamasutra"/> The PC Engine sold 500,000 units in its first week of release.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Console Yourself |magazine=[[New Computer Express]] |date=31 August 1989 |issue=43 (2 September 1989)|page=8 |url=https://archive.org/details/NewComputerExpress043/page/n7}}</ref>

The CD-ROM expansion was a major success for the CD-ROM format, selling 60,000 units in its first five months of release in Japan.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feldman |first1=Tony |title=The Emergence of the Electronic Book |date=1990 |publisher=[[British Library]] |isbn=978-0-7123-3227-9 |page=29 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V5ksAAAAYAAJ |quote=These figures exclude the extraordinary phenomenon in Japan of the 'PC Engine' games console. In December 1988, NEC launched a CD-ROM drive dedicated to a computer games console. They sold 60,000 in the first five months.}}</ref> By 1989, NEC had sold over {{nowrap|1.2 million}} consoles and more than 80,000 CD-ROM units in Japan.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Japanese Announcements |journal=Database |date=1989 |volume=12 |page=121 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t0gPAQAAMAAJ |publisher=Online, Incorporated |quote=NEC showed both regular CD-ROM drives and a small consumer drive that is an option for the PC Engine System, a modular game machine that has sold over {{nowrap|1.2 million}} units. Since December 1988, NEC has sold more than 80,000 CD}}</ref>

In 1988, NEC decided to expand to the American market and directed its U.S. operations to develop the system for the new audience. NEC Technologies boss Keith Schaefer formed a team to test the system. They found out that there was a lack of enthusiasm in its name "PC Engine" and also felt its small size was not very suitable to American consumers who would generally prefer a larger and "futuristic" design. They decided to call the system the "TurboGrafx-16", a name representing its graphical speed and strength and its 16-bit [[GPU]]. They also completely redesigned the hardware into a large, black casing. This lengthy redesign process and NEC's questions about the system's viability in the United States delayed the TurboGrafx-16's debut.<ref name="Gamasutra"/>

The TurboGrafx-16 (branded as the TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem on the packaging and promotional material) was eventually released in the [[New York City]] and [[Los Angeles]] [[test market]]s in late August 1989. However, this was two weeks after Sega of America released the [[Sega Genesis]] with a 16-bit CPU to test markets. Unlike NEC, Sega did not waste time redesigning the original Japanese Mega Drive system, making only slight aesthetic changes.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kent|first=Steve L.| authorlink = Steven L. Kent|title=[[The Ultimate History of Video Games]]|year=2001|publisher=Three Rivers Press|isbn=0-7615-3643-4|publication-date=October 2, 2001|pages=413|lccn=2001036497}}</ref><ref name="Gamasutra"/>

The Genesis quickly eclipsed the TurboGrafx-16 after its American debut. NEC's decision to [[pack-in]] ''[[Keith Courage in Alpha Zones]]'', a Hudson Soft game unknown to western gamers, proved costly as Sega packed-in a port of the hit arcade title ''[[Altered Beast]]'' with the Genesis. NEC's American operations in [[Chicago]] were also overhyped about its potential and quickly produced 750,000 units, far above actual demand. This was very profitable for Hudson Soft as NEC paid Hudson Soft royalties for every console produced, whether sold or not. By 1990, it was clear that the system was performing very poorly and NEC could not compete with Nintendo and Sega's marketing.<ref name="Gamasutra"/>

In late 1989, NEC announced plans for a coin-op [[arcade video game]] version of the TurboGrafx-16. However, NEC cancelled the plans in early 1990.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Revolution That Failed: NEC's bold ''TurboGrafx-16'' coin-op venture didn't pan out |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1990 |volume=15 |issue=6 |page=66 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-14-issue-no.-6-march-1990-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2014%2C%20Issue%20No.%206%20-%20March%201990/page/66}}</ref>

In Europe, the console is known by its original Japanese name PC Engine, rather than its American name TurboGrafx-16.<ref name="CVG130">{{cite magazine |last1=Anglin |first1=Paul |last2=Rand |first2=Paul |last3=Boone |first3=Tim |title=4 Page Review: BC Kid (Amiga) |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=15 August 1992 |issue=130 (September 1992) |pages=22–5 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/0/08/CVG_UK_130.pdf#page=22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001190810/https://retrocdn.net/images/0/08/CVG_UK_130.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> PC Engine imports from Japan drew a cult following, with a number of unauthorized PC Engine imports available along with [[NTSC]]-to-[[PAL]] adapters in the United Kingdom during the late 1980s. In 1989, a British company called Mention manufactured an adapted PAL version called the PC Engine Plus. However, the system was not officially supported by NEC.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Secret's Out! |magazine=[[ACE (magazine)|ACE]] |date=October 1989 |issue=26 (November 1989) |pages=27–30 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/d/d9/ACE_UK_26.pdf#page=27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Feature: The Making Of The PC Engine, The 8-Bit Wonder That Took On Nintendo |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/06/feature_the_making_of_the_pc_engine_the_8-bit_wonder_that_took_on_nintendo |access-date=10 June 2021 |website=[[Nintendo Life]] |date=2019-06-15 |archive-date=July 30, 2019 |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 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Age">{{cite news |title=NEC PC Engine: A New Age Has Dawned |url=https://i1.wp.com/tiredoldhack.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/pc-engine-magazine-ad.png?ssl=1 |access-date=2021-08-25 |publisher=Micro Media |location=United Kingdom |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825222536/http://i1.wp.com/tiredoldhack.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/pc-engine-magazine-ad.png?ssl=1 |archive-date=August 25, 2021 }}</ref> From November 1989 to 1993, PC Engine consoles as well as some add-ons were imported from Japan by French importer Sodipeng (''Société de Distribution de la PC Engine''), a subsidiary of [[Ubisoft|Guillemot International]]. This came after considerable enthusiasm in the French press. The PC Engine was largely available in France and [[Benelux]] through major retailers. It came with [[French language]] instructions and also an AV cable to enable its compatibility with [[SECAM]] television sets.

After seeing the TurboGrafx-16 falter in America, NEC decided to cancel their European releases. Units for the European markets were already produced, which were essentially US models modified to run on PAL television sets. NEC sold this stock to distributors; in the United Kingdom, [[Telegames]] released the console in 1990 in extremely limited quantities.<ref name=Guardian/><ref name=Gamasutra/>

[[File:NEC-TurboGrafx-16-CD-FL.jpg|thumb|The TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine was the first video game console capable of playing CD-ROM games with an optional add-on.]]
By March 1991, NEC claimed that it had sold 750,000 TurboGrafx-16 consoles in the United States and 500,000 CD-ROM units worldwide.<ref name="cgw199106">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=83 | title=Celebrating Software | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=June 1991 | access-date=November 17, 2013 | pages=64–7}}</ref>

In an effort to relaunch the system in the North American market, in mid-1992 NEC and Hudson Soft transferred management of the system in North America to a new joint venture called Turbo Technologies and released the TurboDuo, an all-in-one unit that included the CD-ROM drive built in. However, the North American console gaming market continued to be dominated by the Genesis and [[Super NES]], which was released in North America in August 1991. In May 1994, Turbo Technologies announced that it was dropping support for the Duo, though it would continue to offer repairs for existing units and provide ongoing software releases through independent companies in the U.S. and Canada.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=July 1994|title=At the Deadline|page=172|magazine=[[GamePro]]|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|issue=60|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/92/GamePro_US_060.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112004115/https://retrocdn.net/images/9/92/GamePro_US_060.pdf|archive-date=January 12, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Japan, NEC had sold a total of {{nowrap|5.84 million}} PC Engine units {{as of|1995|lc=y}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=小川 (Ogawa)|first=純生 (Sumio)|date=2010-12-14|title=テレビゲーム機の変遷 —ファミコン、スーパーファミコン、プレステ、プレステ2、Wiiまで—|trans-title=Recent Developments in Video Game Technology in Japan — Famicom, Super Famicom, Play Station, Play Station 2 and Wii —|url=http://www.toyo.ac.jp/uploaded/attachment/3049.pdf|journal=経営論集 (Keiei Ronshū)|language=ja|publication-date=March 2011|issue=77|pages=1–17 (2)|issn=0286-6439|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725185700/http://www.toyo.ac.jp/uploaded/attachment/3049.pdf|archive-date=July 25, 2015|access-date=2021-12-06|via=Toyo University Academic Information Repository ([[Toyo University]])|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Sekimoto">{{cite news |title=ウィークエンド経済 第765号 あの失敗がこう生きた [Weekend Economics Issue 765. That Mistake Lived On.] |work=Asahi Shinbun (Evening Edition) |location=Osaka, Japan |date=December 1, 2001 |language=ja }}</ref> and {{nowrap|1.92 million}} CD-ROM² units {{as of|1996|3|lc=y}}.<ref name="Sega Stats">{{cite magazine|date=June 21, 1996|title=Weekly ''Famitsu'' Express|url=https://imgur.com/hXXa6DE|magazine=[[Famitsu]]|volume=11|issue=392|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211019/https://imgur.com/hXXa6DE|archive-date=2021-10-19|access-date=August 2, 2019|lang=ja|url-status=live}}</ref> This adds up to a total of more than {{nowrap|{{#expr:5.84+0.75}} million}} PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 units sold in Japan and the United States {{as of|1995|lc=y}}, and {{nowrap|1.92 million}} CD-ROM² units sold in Japan. The final licensed release for the PC Engine was ''[[Dead of the Brain]] Part 1 & 2'' on June 3, 1999, on the Super CD-ROM² format.