PC Engine

Tiny, white, and square is the first release of the PC Engine console hardware. It features a single controller port, a large expansion port that fills almost the entire back of the system, and RF out. The initial release came with a 2-button pad without turbo switches. The basic shape of the pad is very comfortable and would not be changed until near the end of the system’s life. Pads with turbo switches were included later. This model was probably what was used as the basis for the US TurboGrafx-16 console.

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PC Engine CD ROM²

The PC Engine CD ROM² add-on (pronounced CD ROM ROM) allows the PC Engine to play CD games. It is white, like the original PC Engine console, and the CD ROM drive itself is removable and identical to the US TurboGrafx-CD drive unit. The Japanese base unit, however, is very different from the US base unit. Whereas the TurboGrafx-CD, when attached to the Turbografx-16, looks like the T-shaped tetrad from Tetris, the PC Engine CD ROM² base unit (called the IFU, for Interface Unit) allows the PC Engine and CD Drive to sit side-by side, much like the second model of the Sega CD paired with a Model 2 Genesis. A cover can be attached and the whole thing can be hauled around like a small briefcase, complete with handle.

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PC Engine Core Grafx

The Core is a redesign of the PC Engine console. It is dark gray, similarly shaped, and includes a DIN 5 plug for AV out (with the appropriate cable) instead of RF out. It also features a CPU revision, the HuC6280a, which purportedly fixes some minor audio issues.

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PC Engine GT

Identical to the US Turbo Express other than the logo printing.

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PC Engine Shuttle

The Shuttle is basically a PC Engine with a redesigned case, a custom expansion port which lacks CD support, and AV out. It does rather look like a spaceship, making the name quite appropriate.

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SuperGrafx

The SuperGrafx is a major revision of the PC Engine base architecture. It features an additional HuC6270 graphics chip with its own 64k of VRAM and bumps the system work RAM from 8KiB to 32KiB. The CPU remains unaltered save that it is the HuC6280a revision also used in the PC Engine Core. Thanks to the added graphics processor and memory, the SuperGrafx can display 2 independent backgrounds and up to 512 sprite pixels on a line, or up to 128 total on-screen sprites, though developers had to be careful to keep the sprites balanced between the two GPUs.The system features the same expansion port as the PC Engine, though due to differences in the shape of the case requires an adapter cable to connect to the PC Engine CD ROM². The SuperGrafx was purportedly created as a response to the Super Famicom, but it didn’t attract much development. It carried a high price tag and only had 7 commercially released games to take advantage of the extra hardware. Fortunately, the SuperGrafx is backwards compatible with all PC Engine games, including CD games.

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PC Engine Core Grafx II

The Core II is a medium gray release probably intended to simplify the system and reduce cost. It uses the original HuC6280 instead of the revised version and features the same DIN 5 AV port as the Core.

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Super CD ROM²

The Super CD ROM² pairs the classic CD drive unit with a revised base unit that extends out behind the PC Engine instead of beside it. It is the same gray color as the Core II. It was designed to be connected to the SuperGrafx without an adapter. These changes are all largely cosmetic. The most important improvements are under the hood. The Super CD ROM² features an updated BIOS (revision 3.0) and increases data storage from 64 KiB to 256 KiB. This allows CD games to cache more data from CD, meaning longer levels with more graphics and program data. During the 16-bit era it was very common for game publishers to put how big their game was in megabits (actually mebibits, or Mib) on the outside of the box. 256 KiB is 2 Mib. Some early PC Engine games are only 1 Mib. This means that the graphics and program data for a single level or area can be up to twice the size of some early game releases. Most of the best CD games on the system came out during the SuperCD era.

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PC Engine LT

One of the most sought-out models by collectors, this unit pairs a PC Engine bottom with integrated controls and a hinged LCD screen on top that closes over the system like a clam shell. It doesn’t use batteries but rather relies on a power adapter and therefore must be plugged in. It even has an expansion port and can be connected via a cable to a PC Engine CD ROM² or Super CD ROM² unit to play CD games.

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Super System 3.0 card

Rather than forcing consumers to buy a whole new CD expansion unit to play Super CD games, NEC bundled the 3.0 BIOS and the additional memory required to play Super CD ROM² games into a system card you cam insert into the cartridge slot of your old PC Engine and CD ROM² system.

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PC Engine Duo

Identical to the US Turbo Duo with a slight change to the case for the region.

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Duo R

A new model of the Duo was released with a slightly different shape and white color scheme. Some of the internals were revamped, likely to reduce cost and improve durability.

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Arcade Card and Arcade Card Pro

This was the PC Engine’s last gasp to try to preserve market share in the face of the Super Famicom’s late era 16-bit dominance. It upgrades the Super CD ROM² or Duo to 2304 KiB (18 Mib) of cache RAM. The Pro version is for use with the original PC Engine CD ROM² and includes the System 3.0 BIOS, expanded Super CD ROM² memory, and the added Arcade Card memory. There were not many dedicated releases that were Arcade CD ROM² only, but those releases use the extra memory to feature tons of animation and graphical data. One of the most graphically impressive shooters of the 16-bit era and some of the best 16-bit console ports of Neo Geo fighting games are the expansion’s legacy. There are also some Super CD ROM² games that were designed to detect the Arcade Card and use the extra memory for enhanced animation in cinema sequences.

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