TurboExpress

The TurboExpress's codename was Game Tank. A working prototype was revealed in the April 1990 issue of VG&CE.{{cite magazine|date=April 1990|title=Game Tank|url=http://archives.tg-16.com/VGCE/VGCE_1990_04_024.jpg|magazine=TurboPlay|page=24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623194636/http://archives.tg-16.com/VGCE/VGCE_1990_04_024.jpg|archive-date=June 23, 2018|url-status=live}} 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,{{Cite web|url=http://archives.tg-16.com/TURBOPLAY/TP-05-11.jpg|title=TurboExpress release|date=March 1991|publisher=TurboPlay|via=tg-16.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623205845/http://archives.tg-16.com/TURBOPLAY/TP-05-11.jpg|archive-date=June 23, 2018|url-status=live}} before dropping back to its launch price of $249.99, and lowering the price again to $199.99 in 1992.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}

Regardless of its technical advantages upon its release, the TurboExpress was not widely recognized or adopted by consumers.{{Cite web|url=http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&sql=5:17673|title=TurboGrafx-16 TurboExpress|last=Marriott|first=Scott Alan|publisher=AllGame|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406021702/http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=17673|archive-date=April 6, 2009}} 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".{{cite web|url=http://most-expensive.net/handheld-video-game-system|title=Most Expensive Handheld Video Game System|date=October 14, 2006|publisher=The Most Expensive Journal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119143432/http://most-expensive.net/handheld-video-game-system|archive-date=January 19, 2013|url-status=dead}} 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.

File:PC Engine GT.jpg

The screen is sized 66 mm (2.6 in.), the same as the original Game Boy. It can display 64 sprites at once, 16 per scanline, in up to 481 colors from a palette of 512.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}} It has 8 kilobytes of RAM, and it runs a HuC6280 CPU at 1.79 or 7.16 MHz, same as TurboGrafx-16.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}

The TurboExpress had a backlit display. Handheld market leader Nintendo did not have a backlit handheld until the release of the Game Boy Light in 1998. Its keypad layout is similar to that of the original Game 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|date=September 2018}}

Due to a problem with faulty capacitors (an industry-wide issue in the early 1990s), sound failure is a frequent problem with the TurboExpress, sometimes even in new systems.{{Cite web |url=http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=702.0 |title={title} |access-date=2008-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408105248/http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=702.0 |archive-date=2008-04-08 |url-status=live }} The screen used in the TurboExpress was another source for problems, though it was state of the art when it was released. The LCD technology used was still fairly new and the rate of pixel 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, certain RPGs and adventure games can be difficult to play on the unit.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

The TurboExpress plays the same game cartridges as the TurboGrafx-16 home console.{{Cite news|url=https://ew.com/article/1991/03/15/1991-gadget-guide/|title=1991 Gadget guide|work=EW.com|access-date=2018-09-10|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001084323/http://www.ew.com/article/1991/03/15/1991-gadget-guide|archive-date=2015-10-01|url-status=live}} Some TurboGrafx-16 HuCards save game data to the internal memory of the TurboGrafx-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 a password save mechanism as an alternative.

The battery life is about three hours for 6 AA batteries. This is also a problem for other color and backlit or sidelit handhelds of the time, such as the Game Gear at 5–6 hours, the Sega Nomad at 2–3 hours, and the Atari Lynx at more than 4 hours. Nintendo's Game Boy had a 12- to 40-hour lifespan on 4 AA batteries.

• CPU: HuC6280
• CPU speed: 7.16 MHz or 1.79 MHz (switchable in software)
• Resolution: 400x270 pixels
• Color palette: 512 colors; 9-bit RGB
• Max simultaneous colors: 481 on screen
• Max sprites: 64
• Audio: 6-voice wavetable synthesis

File:NEC-TurboExpress-COM-Link-Cable.jpg

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.{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Falcon|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=36|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=July 1992|page=24|url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_036|access-date=2018-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729080951/https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_036|archive-date=2018-07-29|url-status=live}} This technology was also used for Bomberman '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|date=September 2018}}

File:NEC-TurboExpress-wTurboVision.jpg

TurboVision is a TV tuner adapter for the TurboExpress converting the TurboExpress into an handheld television. The accessory was available at launch for {{US$|100|1990|round=-1}}.{{cite magazine|url=http://archives.tg-16.com/PLAYBOY/Playboy_1991_04.pdf|title=PlayBoy Collection|magazine=Playboy|publication-date=April 1991|via=tg-16.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105223547/http://archives.tg-16.com/PLAYBOY/Playboy_1991_04.pdf|archive-date=January 5, 2017|url-status=live}} 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 an RCA audio/video input for external composite video signals. Due to the widespread adoption of digital television and the HDTV 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 an analog 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 to immediately purchase an AC 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".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=78|title=Firing Up the TurboExpress / NEC's Hot New Hand-Held System|author=Adams|first=Roe R. III|date=January 1991|magazine=Computer Gaming World|access-date=17 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623205300/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=78|archive-date=June 23, 2018|url-status=live|pages=64}}

Entertainment Weekly praised the new 16 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.

• TurboGrafx-16
• TurboGrafx-16 Mini, a home video game console with a TurboExpress display option.

{{Reflist}}

• The Electronic Gaming Monthly 1991 Video Game Buyers Guide.

{{NEC video game consoles}}

{{Fourth generation game consoles}}

{{Handheld game consoles}}

Category:Handheld game consoles

Category:TurboGrafx-16

Category:Products introduced in 1990

Category:1990s toys

Category:Discontinued handheld game consoles