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NEC TG-16/TE/TurboDuo => TG-16/TE/TurboDuo Discussion => Topic started by: Shrapnoid on January 31, 2012, 10:11:04 AM
Title: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Shrapnoid on January 31, 2012, 10:11:04 AM
So, if the TG16, TE or Turbo Duo was your first arcade quality console, what made you choose it over the competition and were you satisfied with the choice you had made?
Also, how did people you knew who didn't have one act about it? Did they like it, did they put it down or make stupid jokes?
Please be descriptive and take the time to go into detail if you wish so, that we can all understand what it was like for you as an owner of the system.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: SMF on January 31, 2012, 10:23:12 AM
Well for me as a kid one day my dad brought home a big black garbage bag from work. He stared pulling out Monster lair, Vigilante, China Warrior, Bonks Adventure, Blazing Lazers, Fantasy Zone and a few others along with the CD attachment add on. We had everything cept the TG 16 unit itself that we had to wait till tax time to get one.
My dad worked for a trucking company and got A LOT of games. I remember every few weeks he would bring home a new game lol I don't think I ever bought a game until the system got pulled from the shelfs at stores. I had 2 unopen boxes of TV tuners I traded up at the local game store for $65 each lol. Also have 2 turbo Boosters. A Turbo Booster and a Turbo Booster Plus lol. I remember trading new unopen controllers for games for the Genesis lol.
Only me and 2 other kids in the neighborhood had TG 16s and me and my friend had more then Bonk and Keith Courage. Yea it was a good time asa kid lol. Nothing like coming home and seeing your dad giving you a big bag of games and assesories it was a early xmas.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Black Tiger on January 31, 2012, 10:23:58 AM
I got a Genesis at launch after being a huge SMS and Sega fan and owned an NES and played most games that had been released for those consoles. The Genesis was very cool, but kinda unique with its visual style in early games and most titles were too arcade like in gameplay. I had a specific idea of what I wanted for graphics that I only saw in arcades and in spots in SMS games. I was dying to play console style games with vibrant shaded (kids in my town calked it "glowy") graphics. Keith Courage looked exactly like what I wanted when I saw it at a trade show. What won me over entirely was visiting a guy I knew one evening, who had a TG-16 with Dungeon Explorer and Neutopia. I was so biased against it and criticized everything I could. But I couldn't stop thinking about the graphics and perfect next gen sound and the look and feel if the hardware, esoecially tge TurboTap and pads. I finally got one late 1990 abd soon after bought those two games from that same guy and everything lived up to and surpassed my lifty expectations. The Turbo/PCE has been my favorite console ever since.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: DragonmasterDan on January 31, 2012, 10:33:15 AM
I got it in Christmas of 1990, I got the Genesis in May of 1991 and the SNES on Christmas Day in 1991.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Shrapnoid on January 31, 2012, 12:49:02 PM
I got it in Christmas of 1990, I got the Genesis in May of 1991 and the SNES on Christmas Day in 1991.
It's refreshing to see someone online actually spell Christmas correctly and respectfully. So you got 3 of the 4 arcade quality systems within just 2 years. That must've been a lot of fun, being able to have nearly all of them at your fingertips so, you could play them and compare them to each other at the same time.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: DragonmasterDan on January 31, 2012, 01:26:03 PM
I got it in Christmas of 1990, I got the Genesis in May of 1991 and the SNES on Christmas Day in 1991.
It's refreshing to see someone online actually spell Christmas correctly and respectfully. So you got 3 of the 4 arcade quality systems within just 2 years. That must've been a lot of fun, being able to have nearly all of them at your fingertips so, you could play them and compare them to each other at the same time.
Well from December 25th 1990 to December 25th 1991 I picked up three 16-bit consoles. So within one year.
As far as comparing and contrasting goes, I did a bit but it was limited to the number of games I had.
And it really came down to the games, when I got my TG16 I picked it up because I had a lot of friends that had it. I grew up within single digit miles of NEC USA's headquarters and I suspect it was better promoted here than other areas. When I got the TG16 it was because I knew a number of other kids my age who had it or were getting it and it offered the opportunity to trade games, bring games over to friends houses and such. I knew probably a half dozen other kids (I was in elementary school at the time) with TG16s. By comparison I knew ONE person with a Genesis until Sonic came out (I got mine right around the same time). Once the Genesis took off, it quickly caught up to the Turbo and surpassed it among kids I knew. By the first holiday season (1991) the SNES had caught up and by the time Zelda came out (Spring 1992) I knew more kids with SNES's than Turbos. By the time the Duo came out most kids I knew quit playing their Turbo's. I knew only one other kid who got a Turbo Duo.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: soop on January 31, 2012, 11:30:26 PM
uuhhmm... I can't remember. I never had any of them new, I always went around second hand stores buying stuff when it was cheap. I think it probably was actually my first, thinking about it. I did have an Amiga though, that definitely came first.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: BigusSchmuck on February 01, 2012, 03:47:59 AM
It wasn't my first 16-bit system that I owned, however I remember playing Keith Courage at a Toys R Us in Portland Oregon early 90. I bought mine in late 94 after reading the reviews of Ys books 1 and 2 in a old EGM that I had at the time. We had got it used (in box) for $150 with Ys books 1 and 2 and China Warrior, got Gates of Thunder 3 in 1 from game dude shortly after. Then I started going to pawn shops in the area to get more games for the system, ended up getting a turbo tap with the converter and 2 games for $20. Then I discovered TZD and got a 5 turbo sticks for $25, man I wish I still had those boxes ><. Fast forward a few more years and then the 1997 EGM came out with the top 100 games to commemorate their 100th issue (wish someone had a scan) and lo and behold it had a few turbo games make their top 100 list. Fast forward even further, my old Duo had died last year in August, so I went to the retro gaming convention to pick up another duo, ended up trading my white sega saturn cib for it and not even 2 weeks after I got it the damn thing started to get the static sound and the cd drive eye got stuck hence I had a duo of duos for a while until I traded one of them off and got a Duo-R from my brother in Japan. Been collecting more games for it ever since. Edit found the list: http://kisrael.com/vgames/powerlist/egm100.html
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: KingDrool on February 01, 2012, 04:22:39 AM
It was mine. The last console I owned prior to the TG16 was a 2600. So many of my friends had an NES that I didn't really feel I needed one.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: roflmao on February 01, 2012, 05:19:47 AM
The Turbografx-16 was my first 16-bit system. The only system I had previously was a Sega Master System, which I sold to raise funds for the TG16. Before the SMS, I wasn't really into console gaming. I had a Commodore 64 and a Texas Instruments TI99-4a before that. I've since purchased another SMS and nearly all the games I once had (and then some!).
It was R-Type. I had R-Type on the SMS and a friend of mine brought over his TG16 and R-Type and my jaw dropped. It was love at first sight. I then bought the SNES when it was released a couple of years later. I didn't get a Genesis until last year, and that's because it was a gift. :oops: But now I'm really enjoying picking up old Genesis games that I vaguely remember laying at friends houses.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Necromancer on February 01, 2012, 05:28:55 AM
It was mine. The last console I owned prior to the TG16 was a 2600. So many of my friends had an NES that I didn't really feel I needed one.
Pretty much the same story here, though I also had a GameBoy between the 2600 and the Turbob.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Keith Courage on February 01, 2012, 05:31:36 AM
The Turbografx was my first 16 bit system. Before that I only had a hand me down apple II+ computer. For Christmas my dad had bought me a turbografx with the CD rom attachment together. So I started out with the CD system right away. We got it at a local pawn shop and it had included Ys 1&2 monster lair, fighting street, and keith courage. My dad really wanted me to go with NEC cause he worked in the audio visual field at the time and knew of their great background. About a year later one of the Video rental stores by me started to sell off all of their Turbo grafx HU card games at only $5 a piece. My dad went and bought me a copy of each one and held onto them for me. He then gave me a game every time I got an A on a test in school. I was in 7th grade I believe at the time. I always loved the system mainly because of it's original games. Everyone else I knew had a Genesis which always seemed to bore me since they all owned the same games as one another.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: DesmondThe3rd on February 01, 2012, 05:36:06 AM
I was lucky enough to get the Turbografx at Xmas 1989 with Keith Courage (of course) plus R Type and Legendary Axe. I was a happy kid! :D
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: guyjin on February 01, 2012, 08:28:47 AM
My first 16 bit game console was the SNES. I didn't get a Turbo (or Genesis) until 1998 or so. Most of my friends also had SNESes, but a couple had a Genesis instead. We were actually a little jealous of Genny owners because they got a CD upgrade (that Nintendo teased us with, but denied us) and Mortal Kombat with blood in it.
Gobbling up videogame magazines of the time (EGM, VG&CE, Diehard Gamefan, and, I'm embarrassed to say, Gamepro) I read a lot about the Turbo, Supergrafx, and Duo, and I coveted them. My friends were perplexed, since 'everyone knew the turbografx is really 8 bit'.
I almost got a job when I turned 15 just to get one (that would have been in 1994) but that didn't work out. By the time I did get a job, Starcraft, Quake, and the Internet were the new hotness, so I forgot the old systems for a while. Then I started getting into old game collecting, and here I am.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Father5&JoshUnion on February 01, 2012, 09:00:11 AM
I got the turbo duo in the summer of '94 as a result of saving up my money. I had a SNES prior to that for about two years. I got the SNES for X-mas that year.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: theoakwoody on February 01, 2012, 09:42:49 AM
I never owned the TG16 when it was available in stores. My brother and I bought a Genesis for Christmas '91 with Sonic. I do remember that 2 guys in my class had tg16s and were constantly trading games like Bloody Wolf and Splatterhouse and I was always dying to go over to their houses to play. My neighbor traded me his tg16 with Bonk and Keith Courage for a couple of days but other than that I had to dream about owning a tg16 w/ cd from behind the glass at Toys R Us. Their display case used to be amazing!
Oh, and then I got a Snes like 6 months later and never played my Genesis again.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Shrapnoid on February 01, 2012, 12:43:19 PM
I'm seeing a lot of experiences described that remind me of my experience with the system. Oh, yes! Toys 'R Us' display cases were museum quality back then! For those who missed that, let me tell you. There were these loooong, glass cases with glass shelves tilted just enough so, that you could see the different game systems from the top/front/sides and the extra hardware was laid out beside and around each console with perfection. It was really something to drool over...
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: soop on February 01, 2012, 10:09:46 PM
I'm seeing a lot of experiences described that remind me of my experience with the system. Oh, yes! Toys 'R Us' display cases were museum quality back then! For those who missed that, let me tell you. There were these loooong, glass cases with glass shelves tilted just enough so, that you could see the different game systems from the top/front/sides and the extra hardware was laid out beside and around each console with perfection. It was really something to drool over...
My house is gonna look like that one day. When I win the lotto...
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: DragonmasterDan on February 01, 2012, 11:35:09 PM
My house is gonna look like that one day. When I win the lotto...
A while back I saw a huge set of those VidPro display cards Toys R Us and other stores used for sale. I kind of wish I would have bought that just for nostalgia purposes.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Arkhan on February 02, 2012, 12:49:10 AM
No, we had teh Genny first.
I loved that bitch. Mystic Defender and Altered Breast were legit.
Then I played Neutopia and Bonk and went "whoadamn".
Even when I was like, 6? the music from the Turbob was infinity times cooler than the Genesis.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Necromancer on February 02, 2012, 02:01:11 AM
A while back I saw a huge set of those VidPro display cards Toys R Us and other stores used for sale. I kind of wish I would have bought that just for nostalgia purposes.
Those are (were) Roy's, but I have a similar set of just the cards. They're kinda neat but pretty useless.
Like yes, the same no. I mean the individual cards that Toys R us would hang with a sheet including a UPC. The vidpro cards would hang above the sheet you would bring to the counter to buy your item. Then you'd bring your receipt and the sheet to a counter where they'd get your game out of a back room.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Bernie on February 02, 2012, 04:34:52 AM
I had a SNES, and a Genesis. However, my dad had the TG-16 from launch date, so I didnt miss out. I later got the Duo, I want to say Christmas of 1993.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: MotherGunner on February 02, 2012, 05:32:35 AM
The TG-16 was not my first 16-bit system but it WAS my second 8-bit system. *wink
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: guyjin on February 02, 2012, 10:41:39 AM
I had a SNES, and a Genesis. However, my dad had the TG-16 from launch date, so I didnt miss out. I later got the Duo, I want to say Christmas of 1993.
Dang man, you made out.
Also, another tale of a near miss with Turbob: On Xmas eve 1990, my parents, as was traditional, let me open one gift early. They told me not to pick certain ones, but they apparently forgot which ones were giveaways to others. I picked out a heavy, squarish one.
it was an AC adapter for a TurboExpress.
I just about peed my pants, but my parents eventually explained what happened: they had actually gotten me a Game Gear, but the jerkwad at the store gave them the wrong AC adapter to go with it.
I still love the Game Gear, though. :)
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Arkhan on February 02, 2012, 12:10:14 PM
Bitch, I had NES, SNES, Genesis, GameBoy, Game Gear, an Amiga 500 and a C64 AND an atari 2600 by the time I was 6!
WHO MADE OUT NOW.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Shrapnoid on February 02, 2012, 12:37:16 PM
Necromancer,... I-I, I *LOVE* you!! I've never seen that display before in my entire life!! You're my hero! That's right, buddy boy! Mr. Weirdo gots a Turbo crush on you now!
Time for me to start looking for one of these. Maybe I can get some dumby to give me one in exchange for my "World of Nintendo" sign.
TG16 was my first 16-bit quality system too and since it was over $40.00 cheaper than the Genesis and you got to send off for a free game of multiple choice, I snapped that baby up!!
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: MotherGunner on February 02, 2012, 12:51:07 PM
Bitch, I had NES, SNES, Genesis, GameBoy, Game Gear, an Amiga 500 and a C64 AND an atari 2600 by the time I was 6!
WHO MADE OUT NOW.
Dang. I'm surrounded by rich kids.
Really! My first system was a little Coleco Gemini that my mom got on clearance at Zayer *after* the great vg crash of '83-'84. I didn't get another system until Christmas of '87 when one of my bro's surprised me with an NES/SMB pack-in and a copy of Akari Warriors.
After that, I started buying my own stuff.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: frozenintears on February 04, 2012, 02:17:40 PM
Back when i was a little kid, my dad bought me the TG-16 for my birthday. He could have bought any of the other consoles out at the time. Recently I asked him if he could remember why exactly did he choose to buy me a TG-16? and all he said was, he liked the design of the console. He liked the way it looked lol.
I am glad for his decisions.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Shrapnoid on February 05, 2012, 02:56:26 PM
Back when i was a little kid, my dad bought me the TG-16 for my birthday. He could have bought any of the other consoles out at the time. Recently I asked him if he could remember why exactly did he choose to buy me a TG-16? and all he said was, he liked the design of the console. He liked the way it looked lol.
I am glad for his decisions.
I know just what you mean. One of the ad scans I posted in another thread jogged my memory. Now I recall that it was near the end of 1990 when I got mine. The way I remember, I was 18 at the time and me, my bro and mom went shopping and I had a little over 200 cash that I was determined was going to be spent on either a TG16 or Genesis. We went to Roses (a rapidly vanishing department store) first and that's when I saw it. I saw the difference in the price and the option to send off for a free game in addition to having a pack-in game. I made my decision then and there. My mom and bro tried to shame me for not hanging on to that money to buy Christmas presents for people but, it was just so much of a better deal compared to what Sega was offering that I couldn't pass it up.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: soop on February 05, 2012, 11:11:46 PM
I've told my story before, but here it is again.
There's a second hand chain int he UK called Cash Converters. I happened to pop into one a few weeks before my birthday many years ago, and saw a boxed GT with 7 games for £70. They clearly didn't know what they had there, and I begged my Dad to get it for me for my birthday. He went to get some cash (this was before most stores had card machines) and it was the longest 5 minutes of my life. I stood there "guarding" the glass display case, terrified that someone was gonna beat me to it. Well my Dad asked me if I was sure that this is what I wanted.
Never been so sure in my life. Best present ever.
By the way, the games were Afterburner II, Shinobi, PC Kid 2, Cyber Core, Altered Beast, Bari Bari Densetsu, and Son Son II. Next I would get Street Fighter II and The Kung Fu, and it would be many years until I found eBay and bought Puzznic and Shubibinman II. Sadly, although I dtried, I never actually paid for those games; it was a bad bad time financially and though I sent him a postal order he sent it back to me as he couldn't cash it in Japan somehow. By that time I was flat broke (as in actually no money at all, moved back in with my parents and owed back rent), and the eBay account is long gone.
Anyway, that console, my precious first GT. I think I'm gonna have it buried with me. Even now I own 2 boxed GTs and the new one is in better condition, I'm never selling the original. I'm even terrified of getting the caps replaced.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Shrapnoid on February 06, 2012, 02:04:37 AM
That's a pretty cool story. I know that kind of anxiety when you find something for sale and suddenly feel that it's yours and anyone who so, much as glances at it while passing by seems to activate some primal instinct within you that says "Move on! I saw it first! Stop looking over here!"
I had those feelings in my younger days too but, I try not let them drive me like that anymore. As far as having it buried with you, just remember the old saying: "You can't take it with you when you go."
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: frozenintears on February 06, 2012, 02:25:21 AM
As far as having it buried with you, just remember the old saying: "You can't take it with you when you go."
lol, tell that to the pharaohs!!
I mean comon, wouldn't you want someone to build you a pyramid, mummify you, stuff you into a sarchophagus and lock it all up with all your consoles, video games, memorabilia etc.?
I know you would love that. :D
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: Shrapnoid on February 06, 2012, 02:52:38 AM
As far as having it buried with you, just remember the old saying: "You can't take it with you when you go."
lol, tell that to the pharaohs!!
I mean comon, wouldn't you want someone to build you a pyramid, mummify you, stuff you into a sarchophagus and lock it all up with all your consoles, video games, memorabilia etc.?
I know you would love that. :D
Nah, not me. I just want my stuff to go to someone who will take care of it, play with it, display it and study up on it's history so, they can tell everyone about what a great system it and it's games were.
Title: Re: Was the TurboGrafx-16 or any of it's variants your first 16-bit quality console?
Post by: soop on February 06, 2012, 03:02:09 AM