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#81
Retro Gaming and Hardware / A Look Back at the Turbo Grafx...
Last post by retro junkie - December 19, 2025, 01:30:50 PMI have suddenly realized that I never wrote a review of the Turbo Grafx 16 mini? How did I miss that? My research revealed that I did a pre-order and it arrived June 2nd 2020. A lot was going on back then, the pandemic and work, with me gearing up for retirement, which involved a lot of things that might have been a distraction. The Turbo mini review was possibly pushed aside because of more urgent matters. Late to the party? I know that many of you have already read, or watched, a lot of reviews by now. And some of you may, or may not, have the mini in your collection, or closet. Here is one more perspective on the Turbo Grafx mini. This will be more of a look back to that release. A look back to what some of you missed.
You cannot view this attachment.
The Prelude: The actual original console was filled with games that were repetitious by nature in its gameplay which required practice and memorization. Most of the games were specific to the console never appearing on any other system. Overflowing with shmups, the games themselves defined the console. The flavor, the feel, of the console was unique in itself and had to be experienced to understand. The console mainly was influenced by the arcades, Japanese culture, and the vision of the company that produced the gaming machine. Seemingly the people in charge of the gaming system did not understand nor grasp the US market which resulted in the console failing miserably whereas it flourished and was a great success in Japan. At times overwhelming the NES in sales and popularity. As popular as the NES was here in the US that would be hard for the average gamer to grasp. Because of the whole situation the Turbo Grafx 16 never received a lot of the PC Engine goodness from Japan. The PC Engine was what the console was originally named in Japan. The PC Engine was released in Japan in 1987 and was not released elsewhere as the Turbo Grafx 16 until 1989.
If you did not get on that little yellow bus back then, you missed a good ride. So the release of the Turbo Grafx 16 mini is phenomenal. A second chance for many gamers to experience this little part of video gaming history.
You cannot view this attachment.
The Console: While examining the console and doing a size comparison with the other minis at the time, Sega Genesis and the SNES. In the US these are really the two consoles that the TG16 was up against in that gaming generation. One can instantly see that the TG16 mini is kind of big and the thought comes to mind that it could have been a bit mini........er. It really did not have to be this big. The game card slot, even though it is non functional, is just a hair different in width than the actual HuCard. It was so close. It would have been great if they had only gone a step further and made this thing able to accept and play HuCards.
The only thing I have always found annoying was that I have a difficult time plugging the power cord into the system. Fat man fingers. I know about the whole nostalgic thing, but did they really need to make it so that the back piece could be removed as in the original console?
It is the easy HDMI hookup that makes these minis worth their weight in gold even though it is only 720p. Plug and play, easy access, that is what these minis are all about.
The controller port is USB limiting the use to the controller that came with the console. And you will have to purchase another for two player gaming. [A word of warning: You need a power brick that is specifically designed for the TG16 mini or the console will fail. Needs 5v 1amp]
One of the warnings caught my eye. "Do not wrap the controller cable around your neck to avoid risk of suffocation."
You cannot view this attachment.
The Games: The mini game library is loaded with 57 games. And it is a mixed bag. Various genres are represented from HuCards to CD games. There are some games that I wish had been included in that list but are missing. In the menu at the bottom right corner there are icons you can click on to access either PC Engine or Turbo Grafx 16 games. None of the PC Engine games are translated. That is bad, and in some cases, a missed opportunity for us gamers to fully experience some of those games. Because it makes some games unplayable. And you have four games repeated that are both on the TG16 side and the PCE side. There are 25 TG16 English titles and 32 PCE Japanese titles. Still there are many great games on this little console. Many of the Japanese games are playable without a translation. (And there are some hidden games.)
You cannot view this attachment.
The Gameplay: The first game I played was Lords of Thunder. I found no slow down, it was a good experience. Nothing like many reviews that I have watched. There are reviews out there which list in-game audio delay, slight lag in gaming and side effects in some games when using some of the filters. I did not find any of this noticeable or a hindrance in playing the games. But then again I did not use any of the filters, for example scan line feature. One would have to be really comparing this to the real thing to recognize some of these issues, or even to consider them being an issue. The casual gamer would probably not even notice. The controllers look, function, and feel like the original TG16 controllers with an exceptionally long cord. The game menu is intuitive in use. There is the feature of saving your game at any point with up to four saves per game.
You cannot view this attachment.
A Final Word: This mini was that second chance for those who never rode that wave back in 1989. If you never picked this up at the release in 2020 and have waited for this moment then be aware that the price of the console has more than tripled in some cases. Collector's pricing of many of the actual games will put this gaming console experience out of the reach of many gamers. The release of the mini was that brief window of opportunity, once missed, you can never go back. You can only hope to run across one of these minis in the wild. Someone just dumping some of their clutter for a cheap price. If you don't have the original console and a library of TG16/PCE games, and you have a desire to experience the Turbo Grafx world of gaming, it is the most reasonable route to go. One would still have to weigh the pros and cons and decide if the price of admission would be worth it.
If you have never experienced the TG16 or PCE just understand the party took place a long time ago and many have already gone home. But some of us are still here having a good time.
That's retro gaming in a nut shell.
You cannot view this attachment.
You cannot view this attachment.
The Prelude: The actual original console was filled with games that were repetitious by nature in its gameplay which required practice and memorization. Most of the games were specific to the console never appearing on any other system. Overflowing with shmups, the games themselves defined the console. The flavor, the feel, of the console was unique in itself and had to be experienced to understand. The console mainly was influenced by the arcades, Japanese culture, and the vision of the company that produced the gaming machine. Seemingly the people in charge of the gaming system did not understand nor grasp the US market which resulted in the console failing miserably whereas it flourished and was a great success in Japan. At times overwhelming the NES in sales and popularity. As popular as the NES was here in the US that would be hard for the average gamer to grasp. Because of the whole situation the Turbo Grafx 16 never received a lot of the PC Engine goodness from Japan. The PC Engine was what the console was originally named in Japan. The PC Engine was released in Japan in 1987 and was not released elsewhere as the Turbo Grafx 16 until 1989.
If you did not get on that little yellow bus back then, you missed a good ride. So the release of the Turbo Grafx 16 mini is phenomenal. A second chance for many gamers to experience this little part of video gaming history.
You cannot view this attachment.
The Console: While examining the console and doing a size comparison with the other minis at the time, Sega Genesis and the SNES. In the US these are really the two consoles that the TG16 was up against in that gaming generation. One can instantly see that the TG16 mini is kind of big and the thought comes to mind that it could have been a bit mini........er. It really did not have to be this big. The game card slot, even though it is non functional, is just a hair different in width than the actual HuCard. It was so close. It would have been great if they had only gone a step further and made this thing able to accept and play HuCards.
The only thing I have always found annoying was that I have a difficult time plugging the power cord into the system. Fat man fingers. I know about the whole nostalgic thing, but did they really need to make it so that the back piece could be removed as in the original console?
It is the easy HDMI hookup that makes these minis worth their weight in gold even though it is only 720p. Plug and play, easy access, that is what these minis are all about.
The controller port is USB limiting the use to the controller that came with the console. And you will have to purchase another for two player gaming. [A word of warning: You need a power brick that is specifically designed for the TG16 mini or the console will fail. Needs 5v 1amp]
One of the warnings caught my eye. "Do not wrap the controller cable around your neck to avoid risk of suffocation."
You cannot view this attachment.
The Games: The mini game library is loaded with 57 games. And it is a mixed bag. Various genres are represented from HuCards to CD games. There are some games that I wish had been included in that list but are missing. In the menu at the bottom right corner there are icons you can click on to access either PC Engine or Turbo Grafx 16 games. None of the PC Engine games are translated. That is bad, and in some cases, a missed opportunity for us gamers to fully experience some of those games. Because it makes some games unplayable. And you have four games repeated that are both on the TG16 side and the PCE side. There are 25 TG16 English titles and 32 PCE Japanese titles. Still there are many great games on this little console. Many of the Japanese games are playable without a translation. (And there are some hidden games.)
You cannot view this attachment.
The Gameplay: The first game I played was Lords of Thunder. I found no slow down, it was a good experience. Nothing like many reviews that I have watched. There are reviews out there which list in-game audio delay, slight lag in gaming and side effects in some games when using some of the filters. I did not find any of this noticeable or a hindrance in playing the games. But then again I did not use any of the filters, for example scan line feature. One would have to be really comparing this to the real thing to recognize some of these issues, or even to consider them being an issue. The casual gamer would probably not even notice. The controllers look, function, and feel like the original TG16 controllers with an exceptionally long cord. The game menu is intuitive in use. There is the feature of saving your game at any point with up to four saves per game.
You cannot view this attachment.
A Final Word: This mini was that second chance for those who never rode that wave back in 1989. If you never picked this up at the release in 2020 and have waited for this moment then be aware that the price of the console has more than tripled in some cases. Collector's pricing of many of the actual games will put this gaming console experience out of the reach of many gamers. The release of the mini was that brief window of opportunity, once missed, you can never go back. You can only hope to run across one of these minis in the wild. Someone just dumping some of their clutter for a cheap price. If you don't have the original console and a library of TG16/PCE games, and you have a desire to experience the Turbo Grafx world of gaming, it is the most reasonable route to go. One would still have to weigh the pros and cons and decide if the price of admission would be worth it.
If you have never experienced the TG16 or PCE just understand the party took place a long time ago and many have already gone home. But some of us are still here having a good time.
That's retro gaming in a nut shell.
You cannot view this attachment.
#82
General Discussion / Re: What Gaming Trends Have Yo...
Last post by CreepinDeth - December 18, 2025, 09:36:19 PMDon't know if this is a trend but I'm starting to embrace 30FPS more now. With the way things are going with PC parts, I'm starting to dial back settings and making my hardware last longer.
I'm also a #PatientGamer. I don't pre-order games anymore. I'll wait until a game drops under $20 or is in a humble bundle.
I'm also a #PatientGamer. I don't pre-order games anymore. I'll wait until a game drops under $20 or is in a humble bundle.
#83
General Discussion / Re: Video Game Awards 2025
Last post by CreepinDeth - December 18, 2025, 09:27:20 PMQuote from: BLUEVOODU on December 18, 2025, 08:11:12 AMMaybe it's just me right now... a lot of these games just look like the same thing over and over again.
That's how I felt as well. Was really hoping for a Half-Life 3 announcement, only to be duped by a Mega-Man announcement, lol.
#84
General Discussion / Re: First World Problems
Last post by CreepinDeth - December 18, 2025, 09:24:19 PMQuote from: BLUEVOODU on November 01, 2025, 07:00:45 PMlol the OLED Switch is great ... but the Switch 2 definitely is a decent leap ahead of the OLED Switch.
Except for the screen. I'm saddened that Switch 2 is just a regular IPS panel. That's a first world problem for me.
#85
General Discussion / Re: First World Problems
Last post by retro junkie - December 18, 2025, 04:24:19 PMI have collected consoles ever since the Commodore 64. Of all the consoles I did at one point give up the C64 and the Sega Master System. I stopped purchasing and getting into "the next best thing" with the last consoles I purchased being PS3 and XBOX One. And of course I have the Switch lite. The issue is I need to downsize the collection. I have limited space that is over crowded. More like overflowing. I have decided to finally go through each console separately, choose the games that I really liked and had fun with, ones I found a replay value in, keep those and sell the rest on eBay. That would be phase one of the declutter project. Phase two would be horrible to go through. Maybe I can make it easier on myself if I play the CD consoles until they failed. Then it would be easy to just say, "Oh well" and then get rid of the games.
#86
Retro Gaming and Hardware / Super Pocket: Portable Retro G...
Last post by retro junkie - December 18, 2025, 03:18:49 PMHyper Mega Tech: The Super Pocket is manufactured and marketed by Blaze Entertainment Ltd which is a UK company. They are the same company that produces the Evercade line of consoles and games. The Super Pocket is really their cheaper entry point into the Evercade eco system of retro gaming. It is the same tech that has been repackaged in a Gameboy Pocket-ish designed shell. The difference? Each edition of the Super Pocket has been dedicated as a tribute to a different gaming publisher. And they are fully licensed by that publisher for use by Blaze Entertainment. There are a selection of retro games built into each console from that particular game publisher. The games are supposedly arcade ports of the original games. And each console has a different particular color scheme to identify it from the other editions of the console. So far, as of this writing, there are six editions of the console. And being of the same tech each Super Pocket is fully compatible with the Evercade game cartridge library, 500+ games. And more games are on the way. I love the multi cart concept.
The TAITO Edition contains 18 arcade classics. But on the box in tiny letters at the bottom there is a footnote, Space Invaders 91 is a home console version (Sega Genesis).
Space Invaders-Bubble Bobble-Puzzle Bobble-Operation Wolf-Rastan-The New Zealand Story-Cadash-Chack'n Pop-Don Doko Don-Elevator Action-The Fairyland Story-Football Champ-Growl-Volfied-Kiki Kaikai-The Legend of Kage-Liquid Kids-Space Invaders '91
You cannot view this attachment.
The CAPCOM Edition contains 12 arcade classics. But wait a minute the Mega Man game is an NES port.
1942-1943:The Battle of Midway-1944:The Loop Master-Bionic Commando-Captain Commando-Final Fight-Forgotten Worlds-Ghouls 'n Ghosts-Mega Man-Mercs-Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting-Strider
You cannot view this attachment.
The TECHNOS Edition contains 15 arcade classics. Well this is embarrassing, there are six on this list that are from a home console according to the footnote on the box.
Double Dragon(Arcade)-Double Dragon 2:The Revenge-Double Dragon 3:The Rosetta Stone-Super Double Dragon(SNES)-Renegade-Super Dodge Ball-The Combatribes-Block Out-Minky Monkey-Super Spike V'Ball(NES)-Double Dragon(NES)-Double Dragon(GB)-River City Ransom(NES)-Crash'N' The Boys:Street Challenge(NES)-Mysterious Stones:Dr John's Adventure
You cannot view this attachment.
The NEO GEO Edition contains 14 arcade classics. And this is the only edition so far that actually contains all arcade games.
Alpha Mission 2-Blazing Star-Fatal Fury Special-King of the Monsters 2-Last Resort-Metal Slug X-Mutation Nation-Over Top-Samurai Showdown 2-Sengoku 3-Shock Troopers:2nd Squad-Soccer Brawl-The Last Blade-Top Hunter:Roddy & Cathy.
You cannot view this attachment.
There are two more Editions that I do not have (yet). There is the Atari Edition containing 50 games from their Arcade, and the 2600, 5200, 7800, Lynx consoles. And the Data East Edition has 18 arcade classic games.
You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.
About: Each of the handhelds have a 2.8" High Quality IPS screen that is rich, colorful, and sharp. The console itself feels of a nice quality build. And every console seems to be from the same manufacturing molding with only the color scheme being the difference. Menu is easily accessible. Right under the screen you will find a small square button that can be used while in the main menu to access a menu of features in settings, or to switch from the built in games to the inserted cartridge. While playing a game it can be used to enter the save, load, controls, display reset, or quit menu. You can add various scan lines or adjust your aspect ratio to whatever pleases you. The On/Off switch is on the bottom along with a usb-c charge port and an earplug jack.. There are four shoulder buttons and a volume control on the back. Standard control scheme on the front you have the menu button at the top, directional button on the left, four action buttons on the right, and your select and start buttons at the bottom. The select button is always used as an insert coin button for arcade games. It has a builtin rechargeable battery that they claim to have four hours plus play time. I haven't challenged this to a test yet. The package only contains the console, Quickstart Guide, and a charging cord.
You cannot view this attachment.
Final Word: I like that the Super Pockets have that Gameboy Pocket-ish look, design, and feel about them. They just feel comfy in my hands. Or maybe that is just a bit of nostalgia. I find the Blaze products very satisfying for my retro gaming needs. What I don't like is there are some games that are confined to the console that I would like to have for the Evercade VS so I can play them on my TV. The built in games are good for someone just wanting to enter the Evercade gaming world. It is a good starting point. You might have some trouble trying to decide just which Edition to pick up. And the game cartridges give you the choice of console, arcade, computer, and indie games. If you are into retro gaming this is a very good option. And I am so glad that this option exists to keep a lot of these games alive for a new generation of gamers.
The TAITO Edition contains 18 arcade classics. But on the box in tiny letters at the bottom there is a footnote, Space Invaders 91 is a home console version (Sega Genesis).
Space Invaders-Bubble Bobble-Puzzle Bobble-Operation Wolf-Rastan-The New Zealand Story-Cadash-Chack'n Pop-Don Doko Don-Elevator Action-The Fairyland Story-Football Champ-Growl-Volfied-Kiki Kaikai-The Legend of Kage-Liquid Kids-Space Invaders '91
You cannot view this attachment.
The CAPCOM Edition contains 12 arcade classics. But wait a minute the Mega Man game is an NES port.
1942-1943:The Battle of Midway-1944:The Loop Master-Bionic Commando-Captain Commando-Final Fight-Forgotten Worlds-Ghouls 'n Ghosts-Mega Man-Mercs-Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting-Strider
You cannot view this attachment.
The TECHNOS Edition contains 15 arcade classics. Well this is embarrassing, there are six on this list that are from a home console according to the footnote on the box.
Double Dragon(Arcade)-Double Dragon 2:The Revenge-Double Dragon 3:The Rosetta Stone-Super Double Dragon(SNES)-Renegade-Super Dodge Ball-The Combatribes-Block Out-Minky Monkey-Super Spike V'Ball(NES)-Double Dragon(NES)-Double Dragon(GB)-River City Ransom(NES)-Crash'N' The Boys:Street Challenge(NES)-Mysterious Stones:Dr John's Adventure
You cannot view this attachment.
The NEO GEO Edition contains 14 arcade classics. And this is the only edition so far that actually contains all arcade games.
Alpha Mission 2-Blazing Star-Fatal Fury Special-King of the Monsters 2-Last Resort-Metal Slug X-Mutation Nation-Over Top-Samurai Showdown 2-Sengoku 3-Shock Troopers:2nd Squad-Soccer Brawl-The Last Blade-Top Hunter:Roddy & Cathy.
You cannot view this attachment.
There are two more Editions that I do not have (yet). There is the Atari Edition containing 50 games from their Arcade, and the 2600, 5200, 7800, Lynx consoles. And the Data East Edition has 18 arcade classic games.
You cannot view this attachment.You cannot view this attachment.
About: Each of the handhelds have a 2.8" High Quality IPS screen that is rich, colorful, and sharp. The console itself feels of a nice quality build. And every console seems to be from the same manufacturing molding with only the color scheme being the difference. Menu is easily accessible. Right under the screen you will find a small square button that can be used while in the main menu to access a menu of features in settings, or to switch from the built in games to the inserted cartridge. While playing a game it can be used to enter the save, load, controls, display reset, or quit menu. You can add various scan lines or adjust your aspect ratio to whatever pleases you. The On/Off switch is on the bottom along with a usb-c charge port and an earplug jack.. There are four shoulder buttons and a volume control on the back. Standard control scheme on the front you have the menu button at the top, directional button on the left, four action buttons on the right, and your select and start buttons at the bottom. The select button is always used as an insert coin button for arcade games. It has a builtin rechargeable battery that they claim to have four hours plus play time. I haven't challenged this to a test yet. The package only contains the console, Quickstart Guide, and a charging cord.
You cannot view this attachment.
Final Word: I like that the Super Pockets have that Gameboy Pocket-ish look, design, and feel about them. They just feel comfy in my hands. Or maybe that is just a bit of nostalgia. I find the Blaze products very satisfying for my retro gaming needs. What I don't like is there are some games that are confined to the console that I would like to have for the Evercade VS so I can play them on my TV. The built in games are good for someone just wanting to enter the Evercade gaming world. It is a good starting point. You might have some trouble trying to decide just which Edition to pick up. And the game cartridges give you the choice of console, arcade, computer, and indie games. If you are into retro gaming this is a very good option. And I am so glad that this option exists to keep a lot of these games alive for a new generation of gamers.
#87
General Discussion / Re: What music are you listeni...
Last post by Mai Valentine - December 18, 2025, 01:48:19 PMQuote from: BLUEVOODU on December 16, 2025, 10:14:34 AMyou know... I asked because I had a hard time getting into the movie. Not sure why... I know a lot of people like it. I also like many animated films, this one just didn't resonate... and no idea why that's the case.
Sort of a whole other topic, but I liked the movie because I could definitely relate to the characters. It wasn't made specifically to be an allegory for LGBT but it can be read that way.
#88
General Discussion / Re: Video Game Awards 2025
Last post by BLUEVOODU - December 18, 2025, 08:11:12 AMI checked a good portion of the awards out. You know... Audio Mech looks kinda cool. Escape from Duckov looks interesting as well LOL. Tomb Raider looks pretty cool.
Maybe it's just me right now... a lot of these games just look like the same thing over and over again.
LOL... Doom for all Slayers. Pretty cool they did the accessibility work they did. I love how they chimed in with them Bidness buzz words. "Executed" on that.
Best Esports game... Counter-Strike 2. Yup. @SpartanEvolved and I started playing here and there and got rated lol. However stopped for whatever reason.
Last... I loved when they went to Lego Batman "You want get nuts?! Let's Get Nutz!" I love that and then the subsequent song in Lego Batman LOL
Maybe it's just me right now... a lot of these games just look like the same thing over and over again.
LOL... Doom for all Slayers. Pretty cool they did the accessibility work they did. I love how they chimed in with them Bidness buzz words. "Executed" on that.
Best Esports game... Counter-Strike 2. Yup. @SpartanEvolved and I started playing here and there and got rated lol. However stopped for whatever reason.
Last... I loved when they went to Lego Batman "You want get nuts?! Let's Get Nutz!" I love that and then the subsequent song in Lego Batman LOL
#89
Gaming / Movie / Media Deals / Re: Cotton Reboot!
Last post by BLUEVOODU - December 17, 2025, 05:53:53 PMI hear you...... lol.... I've skipped several deals because there were too many deals to partake in this year. I guess those are good problems. The Physical media haul that we did this year is keeping me from jumping on certain deals. Also, the dwindling space from Physical media. Again... that probably belongs in the 1st world problems thread LOL. 
First World Problems thread lol:
https://www.chickendinnergaming.com/forum/general-discussion/first-world-problems/
First World Problems thread lol:
https://www.chickendinnergaming.com/forum/general-discussion/first-world-problems/
#90
Gaming / Movie / Media Deals / Re: Cotton Reboot!
Last post by retro junkie - December 17, 2025, 03:57:40 PMmoney is so tight right now this close to Christmas........