Gooday Gaming Guests - NEC History of PC-FX with PC-Engine

Episode Date: January 6, 2025

These are all Super Fun.

Alright, so I had a lot of orders to do today, so I haven't had a chance to do any videos. So I decided to take a break from getting my orders out, because it's Monday morning so I want to get them all out as soon as the post office opens. And I just realized that Thursday is going to be a celebrated holiday for the President's funeral. So that's another day that there's no post office this week. Alright, so what I decided to do this morning is we're going to do PCFX. It's like a mini, it looks like a mini desktop.

PCFX history. Let's get a little history on it first. Really fun. I had one of them. Lots of the games. That's the one Japan system. The PCFX where the game is completely in Japan.

Both the words and the any sort of sound or speaking. So the PCFX was a 5th generation home video game. It's by NEC. NEC also had the PC-FX was a 5th generation home video game. It's by NEC. So NEC also had the PC Engine.

It was the successor to the NEC TurboGrafx. Here in the United States. PC Engine. And then the PC Engine CD system. Which had been moderately successful. Especially in Japan. However the PC-FX struggled to compete with its competitors like Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and later Nintendo 64.

So it was a CD. It looked like a little mini desktop tower. Pretty cool. The NEC had great success with the PC Engine. So there's the PC Engine. There's the PCFX. There's a Super PCFX, which is like the Super Engine. The system developed began in the early 90s under the codename Iron Man.

With the PCFX, NEC aimed to capitalize on its reputation for high-quality CD-ROM games. Unlike the polygram-based CD 3D games of its competitors, NAC opted for a design that excelled in 2D animation. So it's like the early Zelda games kind of walk through those ones. Not the boxy

3D. The decision was inspired by the popularity of the anime and visual novels in Japan at the time. The hardware was designed more like a personal computer. It resembled a PC tower. And let's see what the

hardware is. I gave up all my really good things that I had come across. I was trying to find every system ever made over about a year period. And I came pretty close. So the key hardware features in this one. It has an HU-62 CPU. A 32-bit RISC processor. It had 2 megabytes of RAM and 1 megabyte of VRAM. However, I also had the memory pack, memory upgrade for it.

So it gave it more memory. That was actually more expensive than the unit itself. CD-ROM could handle full motion video. It lacked dedicated 3D graphics, so it was all 2D based. I didn't know that until now. The PC Engine focused heavily on anime-styled games and full motion video, heavy visual novels. Graduate 2, a simulation game about managing students.

Battle Heat, the fighting game Team Innocent, a cinematic adventure game Zenkai FX based on MAGA and Anime Series despite the

success of the PC Engine the PCFX failed lack of 3D graphics against PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Limited game library. High price. Poor marketing outside Japan.

It's now a collector's item. It's really fun. If you can get one, get one. So let's do the PC FX boot process. I've still got lots of systems that are off the grid that I've had that are really fun. This is one of them. So let's just get a quick boot process on this.

So again, it's using an HU-62 RISC CPU CPU RAM video output CD-ROM determines the bootable disk it did have a splash screen logo splash screen if you any of these systems I talk about if you type them into my

search you'll find me playing around with them the PCFX just type in PCFX search, you'll find me playing around with them. The PCFX. Just type in PCFX. You'll pop up some of my videos either when I first got these or later on I played around with them a few more times. And then I sold them

to a local guy. I gave my local guy every good system I had for a real good deal. All the really high end stuff that was expensive. The a real good deal. All the really high end stuff that was expensive. The system reads boot file. PC Engine goes to CD-ROM controller. Has full motion video.

Great game sprites. And we've learned that sprites are. A combination of characters. To make a character. Or some sort of explosion or something like that. Called sprites. Before the 3d graphics came out this had no 3d graphics so therefore it was only 2d graphic capability and audio

had no region lock on it unlike many consoles does not have a region lock although i'm not really sure if there's any pc fx games that were u.s based that i'm aware of i never had they were all just really heavily, heavily Japan. Meaning every word and thing was all Japan. Troubleshooting it. Alright, so... There was no...

Was there a USA PC FX? Oops. Or games Was there a USA No, no PCFX games Made in the United States Why no PCFX

Because of the TurboGrafx-16 Struggles So the TurboGrafx-16 We'll go on to that next Was successful Or the PC Engine struggles in the US. So the TurboGrafx-16, we'll go on to that next, was successful, or the PC Engine. It didn't do well here in the United States. Niche Appeal, PCFX

Library, heavy. So we weren't really into anime as much as Japan is. 1994, the US market. Dominated by Sega Saturn. Sega Playstation. Sega PlayStation. Cutting edge 3D graphics. Many pieces of text.

Yeah, a lot of them were like text based. Some games gained a small cult following. Well, I never saw it. Collectors now want them. I had one. I was a collector, kind of. Let's go to the PC engine history

so we'll do history and a little boot kind of all boot process but I have had had the original PC engine I've had the PC engine super PC Engine I've had the two different PC Engine Duos which are disc drives there's two different models and then I have a suitcase PC Engine you put in there and then you put another separate CD and I still have that

but I sold all the other stuff really fun stuff and it's compatible and I also have a PC Engine EverDrive card. I can't get it to work anymore. Really bummed about that. I mean, there's a little switch. Because PC Engine and PC FX...

Wait, no, I'm sorry. PC Engine and TurboGrafx are basically the same. So the EverDrive has a switch. Depending on which one you put it in. It's supposed to play all the games. But I haven't been able to get it to work. And I have it going back to my suitcase. It's really cool.

It looks like a little suitcase. PC Engine history. It's a significant part of gaming history. I knew nothing about it. Until I started looking for stuff. It was through NEC,

Home Entertainment, and it was a collaboration with Hudson Soft. Hudson Soft was a lot of the games back then. A lot of them were PC engine and turbo graphics. Released in Japan October 30th 1987 North America got turbo graphics 16 in 1989. Hudson created the core technology including the custom HU-C6280 processor and the HU-C6270 video display controller.

So the graphics, I believe these are only two. So it's a 16-bit processor. It was a small gaming console. I'll use the HU cards. Those are those cards often called turbo chips in the America. Small CD-ROM cards as opposed to a cartridge

or a CD. It had the CD attachment, which came in 1998. And then there was two duos. So here's our list. Very fun. This is a really fun one. Versions and variants. The PC Engine saw numerous hardware upgrades. Core Graphics 1 and 2. Improved fun one versions and variants the pc engine saw numerous hardware uh upgrades uh core graphics

one and two improved versions with audio video output super graphics enhanced model with additional processing power though had only a handful exclusive games but you could play a regular you could play the other pc engine games on it. PC Engine, GT, Turbo, Express. Oh, that was cool. That was the handheld. Oh, I forgot about that one. A portable. I had one of those.

Those are super hard to find. And they're really expensive. I have them, but I don't think I've ever worked. The PC Engine Duo. So that was the one. It was two models. I had both at one time. Let's see what else we got here. so that was the one it was two models I had both at one time so it's combined with a base system and CD ROM so you had then the PC engine LT a that I never had

a compact portable model with a built-in screen I've never seen that one actually I'm going to look on ebay what it looks like let's see what that is can't buy anything else PC Engine LT oh holy shit $3,000 for a PC Engine LT $1,600

that's why I've never seen it $4,000 it reminds me so the PC Engine LT reminds me $1,600. That's why I've never seen it. $4,000. His one's for $1,000. It reminds me... So the PC Engine LT reminds me of a... Oh, that one's got a worth one, too. Almost looks like PS1, but the one with the little thing on it. Wow.

$1,000. Ouch. $2,000. $3,000. So therefore, that's why I never had thing on it. Wow. $1,000. Ouch. $2,000. $3,000. So therefore, that's why I never had one of them. Wow. See, there's some things that's really high-end like that that I've never gotten. I always wanted to get the N64DD.

It goes on the bottom of the N64. And you can play discs on it. There's only like a handful of discs. But that's like in the thousands too. So I never got one of those. PC Engine became a very major success in Japan. Challenging the Fancom and later the Sega Mega Drive. It's library was arcades, R-Type,

God is Showcase, RPGs, Visual No RPGs, visual novels, Y's series. I have the Y's series, actually. It has a CD for... But the CD-ROM for my PC Engine doesn't work, and I haven't tried... Oh, it also had adult-oriented games as well. That was another thing like that.

PC FX? I believe there were some oriented games as well. That was another thing like that. PCFX. I believe there were some of those as well. Never really went through it. But I believe there were some 18 and over games. That I had in that library. Never really checked them out. But I think they were in there.

North America released the TurboGrafx. Rebranded it from PC Engine to TurboGrafx-16. Changes included larger. TurboGrafx. Rebranded it from PC Engine to TurboGrafx-16. Changes included larger. TurboGrafx was much bigger. I have had TurboGrafx-16. I had all the attachments and all the... I almost had, I think, a whole complete one. Real expensive again. And I sold it to my local guy.

Gave him a really good deal. Later released a CD-ROM attachment I've never seen the TurboGrafx 16 CD though the introduction of the Super CD-ROM and arcade card even as new like the Playstation merged by the end of the cycle over 700 games

across 8 shoot cards and CDs. So the PC Engine had quite the little run there. I don't know if there was that many games. Can I have a... I have a drive. Interesting facts. The PC Engine outsold the Sega

Mega Drive in Japan, securing second place behind Nintendo's Famicom. Interesting. NEC and Hudson Soft collaborated on the PC engine, paved the way for another innovative, which was

the PC-FX, which we've learned. So let's see. The processor. This is the specs difference differ it's from pc no from pc engine to super graphics graphics spell fx specs between the pc engine to the super

graphics let's see what we get alright so the pc engine and the super graphics are related systems but the super graphics was an enhanced version I had one of those too pretty fun I'll go to give me a little. I like when it gives me a diagram. Side by side. So the CPU

PC Engine was the HUC 6280 8-bit. And then the SuperGrafx was HUC 6280A. Still 8-bit, but a slightly faster clock.

Clock speed was 7.16 MHz on both. The RAM went up. So it was 8 kilobytes for the PC Engine. It was 32 kilobytes for the SuperGrafx. Video card. The PC Engine was 64. 32 kilobytes for the SuperGrafx. Video card. PC Engine was 64. SuperGrafx 64 dedicated to the VDC

plus 64 dedicated to the second VDC. So that's some sort of a dual video thing going on. Audio is the same. Resolution enhanced it from PC Engine 256x220 to 512x240. Color palettes were the same. Sprites, 16 sprites per scan line and there was 120 sprites per scan line using dual VDCs. Graphics chip used one and the other one used two. Media format was the same. Key enhancements is the dual

video chip so the processor was the same the RAM increased to render two simulacros scrolling layers at a time so there's only I don't think I had one super you know super graphics or PC Engine Bomberman is I suggest Bomberman it's like Pac-Man but you have bombs. It's really fun. Again all that sold with one of those systems. I might actually have one Bomberman left I think. Again I do have one PC Engine.

So PC conclusions. How many games were. So we're just going to finish with this. How many games. were made for super graphics so the fun thing is now with computers you can actually make your own games of any system make you in the future as AI gets better program and come up with an idea and have AI make you a game and then you put it onto some sort of

a card. Exclusive Super Graphics games. Excuse me, there was only five. Wow. Whoa. I did not know that. So that's 700 for the PC Engine, but only five

for the Super Graphics. Battle Ace. And that's one of the really awkward 3D was going on. It was really bad. Side-scrolling action performed based on anime. Same anime series. 1941. Another Capcom arcade shoot-em.

Wow. I didn't realize that. Ghost and Goggles. Ghouls and Ghosts Capcom's arcade. Backwards compatible though for the full library of the 700 other games. Planned but unreleased games. Strider.

Planned by Capcom and a few other titles that never made it. So that's pretty fun. And there was two. Let's ask about the duos. How many different PC

engine duo models? I know of two were made let's see what he says it's my buddy sippy which I call PC engine again it was any season so all this is all any see here's an overview of the different PC engine dual models okay so there's a couple here cool PC Engine Duo the original one one was black and one was tan or white or green I can one is beige

I think and then then there's a single one that you put in the suitcase next to your PC engine. That's probably this one, 1991. Integrated CD-ROM in a single unit. No. You could use the HU card CD-ROMs, Super CD-ROM games, with built-in Super System Card functionality. It was black, the black rounded edges. The microphone, early model,

suffered from cat failure over over time requiring repairs. I got a fixed line. So the Turbo Duo North America utilized PC Engine Duo. Super Engine bundled in game with YS Book 1 and 2, which I have. PC Engine Duo R. There it is. So the PC Engine Duo R is 1993. That must have been the white one. Is that the white one? Let's see.

Designed, more reliable CD drive. White, yep. Casting was slicker. Designed, remove the head jack to reduce production cost. Purpose designed for more cost fiction. Oh, and then the other one was the PC Engine Duo RX. Which is the black one, I believe.

It came with a six-button controller. Which, uh, same, oh no, same white casting as the Duo R. So the white had a an R and an RX. But it had a six-but button controller for Street Fighter 2. Key differences.

Okay, so the original one is the PC Engine Dual Black. Then the Turbo Dual or Dark or Black. The US version with the same features as the Duo. Struggled in the US. Duo R and then Duo RX. The Duo models became highly regarded among retro. It was the Duo RRX.

There was a suitcase. What was the suitcase? PC engine and separate CD? The suitcase. I call it a suitcase because you open it up and there's two things inside. And you put them side by side. The very true sound is sometimes referred to as the core. Yeah so the core is what I have. PC Engine. It's separate and it's separate

CD-ROM system. For his first attempt to do CD-ROM figures. Consistence of the PC Engine console compared with CD-ROM. There were attachments but they were in a suitcase. PC Engine Council, 1987. Hue cards, CD-ROM was in 1988. Connected to the PC Engine via interface unit. I call it a suitcase. So key components of the suitcase setup. There we go. PC Engine Council, primary for the HU cards.

Connected the interface, the CD-ROM you added to it. I still have that. I'll take that out maybe. Play around with that. Dock station that connected included a power adapter. System cards provided a BIOS needed to run CD games.

CD-ROM games. Several versions were released over time. System Card 1, 2, and 2.1. Super System Card 3. And Arcade Card. Let me find out what that is about.

System Card. Maybe that's what my CD-ROM is missing. Early adoption of CD technology. So that was the early full motion video. Upgradable via system card. Huh. That's the first time I heard of that. So that's something fun.

I have the suitcase set up. I don't think the CD works. But I did get some CDs off of Etsy. You can get some recopied CDs. I have the YS1 and 2 I kept. All right, so that's all some PC effects. And then the whole history of PC Engine. Really fun, which you can kind of

tie right into TurboGrafx. But all of them are really, really fun stuff. They're real expensive. And we just saw how much the PC Engine LT is. What did I say? Up to $3,000, $4,000. Ouch.

Of course, it's from Japan. In the box, it's $2,250. That's way... I can do a couple, a few hundred bucks maybe here and there. That's what i was doing for

a lot of this stuff but that even the pc engine rov is 1700 i gave my local guy such a good deal on all the good stuff i had oh my god turbo graphics 16 mini yeah they call it the pc engine core with a controller 150 bucks and then And then the PC Engine Japan version. So if you want to go out and get some. Any of the systems I talk about. These rare ones. They're really fun. Super hard to find.

They're really expensive. And TurboGrafx. In the PC Engine. Is not as Japan based. As the PCFX. Which is all like hardcore Japan words and everything PC Engine some of the games are not as bad

meaning some of it's in English and stuff so you can kind of play it a little bit but not completely alright so that's my little early morning I gotta go back to orders I figured I'd do some of these this morning and then later on we'll put a video together

alright so I'll talk to you guys later on