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 TurboExpress handheld | |
| Also known as | HES-EXP-01 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NEC Home Electronics |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Fourth |
| Released | |
| Introductory price | $249.99, ¥44,800 |
| Discontinued | |
| Units sold | 1.5 million units |
| Media | HuCard |
| CPU | HuC6280 @ 7.16 MHz or 1.79 MHz |
| Memory | 8 KBRAM 64 KBVRAM |
| Display | 2.6 in. TFT active matrix backlit LCD, 336×221 pixels, 512 color palette, 481 colors on-screen |
| Graphics | 2xHuC6270A VDC |
| Sound | HuC6280, 6-channel wavetable synthesis and PCM playback, monophonic speaker, 3.5mm stereo output jack |
| Connectivity | TurboLink |
| Power | 6AA batteries or 6 voltAC adapter |
| Related | TurboGrafx-16 |
TheTurboExpress is an8-bithandheld game console byNEC Home Electronics, released in late 1990 in Japan and the United States, branded as thePC Engine GT in Japan andTurboExpress Handheld Entertainment System in the U.S. It is essentially a portable version of theTurboGrafx-16 home console that came out one to three years earlier. Its launch price in Japan was ¥44,800 andUS$249.99 (equivalent to $600 in 2024) in the U.S.
The TurboExpress was technically advanced for the time, able to play all the TurboGrafx‑16'sHuCard games, featuring abacklit,active-matrix colorLCD screen, and optionalTV tuner.[3]
The TurboExpress primarily competed withNintendo'sGame Boy,Sega'sGame Gear, and theAtari Lynx. With 1.5 million units sold, far behind its two main competitors, NEC failed to gain significant sales or market share in the handheld market.[4]
The TurboExpress'scodename wasGame Tank. A working prototype was revealed in the April 1990 issue ofVG&CE.[5] It was eventually released in December 1990 in both Japan and the U.S. Its price in the U.S. was briefly raised to $299.99 in March 1991 due to higher costs of the display,[6] before dropping back to its launch price of $249.99, and lowering the price again to $199.99 in 1992.[citation needed]
Regardless of its technical advantages upon its release, the TurboExpress was not widely recognized or adopted by consumers.[7] In addition to NEC's marketing issues, the handheld was initially released for $249.99, significantly higher than popular competitors. Because of this price tag, it was labeled as the "Rolls-Royce of handheld systems".[8] On the other hand, the ability to run the same software as its console counterpart meant that additional portable system specific software did not have to be purchased if already owning the console, resulting in a (oftentimes substantial) cost savings.
The screen is sized 66 mm (2.6 in.), the same as the originalGame Boy. It can display 64sprites at once, 16 perscanline, in up to 481 colors from apalette of 512.[citation needed] It has 8kilobytes ofRAM, and it runs aHuC6280CPU at 1.79 or 7.16MHz, same as TurboGrafx-16.[citation needed]
The TurboExpress had abacklit display. Handheld market leaderNintendo did not have a backlit handheld until the release of theGame Boy Light in 1998. Its keypad layout is similar to that of the originalGame Boy, with the unique addition of two "turbo switches" that engage two levels of high-speed controller button re-triggering to assist the player.[citation needed]
Due to a problem with faultycapacitors (an industry-wide issue in the early 1990s), sound failure is a frequent problem with the TurboExpress, sometimes even in new systems.[9] The screen used in the TurboExpress was another source for problems, though it was state of the art when it was released. TheLCD technology used was still fairly new and the rate ofpixel failure was very high. Brand-new TurboExpress systems often had several bad pixels. Text is also difficult or impossible to read in certain circumstances, as many times fonts were written to be seen on a television screen, not on a small LCD screen. As a result, certainRPGs andadventure games can be difficult to play on the unit.[citation needed]
The TurboExpress plays the samegame cartridges as the TurboGrafx-16 home console.[10] Some TurboGrafx-16HuCards save game data to the internal memory of theTurboGrafx-CD unit,TurboDuo, or TurboBooster Plus (a peripheral for the core TG-16 console). The TurboExpress lacks this internal memory and, as a result, is not capable of saving in this manner. Most games provide apassword save mechanism as an alternative.
The battery life is about three hours for 6AA batteries. This is also a problem for other color and backlit or sidelit handhelds of the time, such as theGame Gear at 5–6 hours, theSega Nomad at 2–3 hours, and theAtari Lynx at more than 4 hours. Nintendo's Game Boy had a 12- to 40-hour lifespan on 4 AA batteries.
The TurboLink allows two-player play.Falcon, a flight simulator, includes "head-to-head"dogfight and cooperative modes that can only be accessed via TurboLink.[11] This technology was also used forBomberman '93 Com-Link multiplayer. Although it was released after the TurboExpress launch, very few TG-16 games offer co-op play modes especially designed with the TurboExpress in mind.[citation needed]
TurboVision is aTV tuner adapter for the TurboExpress converting the TurboExpress into ahandheld television.[10] The accessory was available at launch forUS$100 (equivalent to $240 in 2024).[12] It allowed a player to either watch television, or go back to playing games with the flip of a switch; in other words, one may use the TurboExpress as a video monitor. It includes anRCA audio/video input for externalcomposite video signals. Due to the widespread adoption ofdigital television and theHDTV standard, however, the adapter will no longer function as a television in most places due to the lack of any HDTV digital processing circuitry (the tuner can only process ananalog signal for television). Due to this limitation, the TV tuner adapter is now relegated to a collectible for most people, although its RCA audio/video input function will still be operational (albeit limited with its low screen resolution).
Computer Gaming World favorably compared TurboExpress to the Game Boy, but stated that the NEC handheld "gobbles power like crazy ... almost forcing players toimmediately purchase anAC adapter". The magazine nonetheless praised its compatibility with TurboGrafx games, and concluded, "to see this machine in action is to fall in love with it".[13]
Entertainment Weekly praised the new16 bit computer architecture of the system and the graphics of the games, but warned that the small screen is a downgrade for those used to playing the games on a big screen.[10]
