Editing PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators

{{Infobox console
|title = PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16)
|logo = PC-Engine-Console-Set.png
|image = TurboGrafx-16.png
|image2 = SuperGrafx-Console-Set.jpg
|imagecaption = '''Above''': The PC Engine.<br/>'''Middle:''' The TurboGrafx-16.<br/>'''Below''': The SuperGrafx.
|developer=[[NEC]], [[Hudson]]
|type=[[:Category:Home consoles|Home video game console]], [[:Category:Handheld consoles|Handheld game console]]
|generation = [[:Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
|introductory price = {{Inflation|USD|199.99|1987}} <br> {{Inflation|USD|399.99|1989}} (CD Add-On)
|release=1987 (PC Engine)<br/>1989 (TurboGrafx-16, SuperGrafx)<br/>1990 (PC Engine GT / TurboExpress)
|discontinued = 1994
|successor = PC Engine SuperGrafx, [[PC-FX emulators|PC-FX]]
|emulated = {{✓}}
}}
{{for|emulators that run on the PC Engine|Emulators on PC Engine}}
The '''[[gametech:TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine|PC Engine]]''' ('''PCE''') was a 16-bit system released jointly by [[wikipedia:Nec|NEC]] and [[wikipedia:Hudson Soft|Hudson Soft]] in Japan on October 30, 1987 and in the US on August 29, 1989. It had a Hudson Soft HuC6280 8-bit CPU at 7.16 MHz and 1.79 MHz with 8KB of RAM and 64KB of VRAM. The CPU was teamed up with a 16-bit graphics processor and 16-bit video color encoder chip, both built by Hudson Soft. When it came time to seek other potential markets, the two companies eventually caved to a limited American release in 1989 under a completely different model and name: the '''TurboGrafx-16'''. The European versions varied throughout the countries, being the western version in Spain and United Kingdom and Japanese models in Benelux regions.

The joint venture, formed in North America as TTI, made an add-on called the '''PC Engine CD''' ('''PCE-CD''') / '''TurboGrafx-CD''' ('''TG-CD''') that loaded games from discs instead, much like the Sega CD but better supported. The '''PC Engine Duo''' / '''Turbo-Duo''' combined the add-on into the unit with more RAM as yet another failed attempt to relaunch the failing console in the West.

When it first launched in North America, the TurboGrafx-16 was largely seen as a failure blamed on poor marketing by the manufacturers. The PC Engine, on the other hand, was a whole different story, beating out the [[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|Famicom]] when it first came out long enough to compete against [[Super Nintendo emulators|its rival's own successor]] and gave little focus for the [[Sega Genesis emulators|Mega Drive]] who was instead posing more of a threat to Nintendo in North America.

NEC planned to enhance the system further, announcing the "PC Engine 2" that would later become the '''PC Engine SuperGrafx'''. However, it was rushed to a 1989 market in Japan lacking much of its promised features with only seven titles exclusively made for it, ending up a commercial failure to be binned and discontinued not long after. The '''PC Engine GT''' / '''Turbo-Express''' was a very rare handheld model of the original hardware, in the same vein as the Sega Nomad (a portable [[Sega Genesis emulators|Sega Genesis / Mega Drive]]). It did include some exclusive features like the TurboLink multiplayer feature (used in games such as the flight sim called ''Falcon'' and ''Bomberman 93'') but wasn't widely supported.

==Emulators==
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"
|-
! scope="col"|Name
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
! scope="col"|Latest Version
! scope="col"|PCE2<br/>(SG)
! scope="col"|[[#Hardware features and peripherals|Hardware features<br/>and peripherals]]
! scope="col"|[[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]
! scope="col"|[[Emulation Accuracy|Accuracy]]
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
! scope="col"|Active
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
|-
!colspan="10"|PC / x86
|-
|[[Mednafen]]<br/><small>mednafen_supergrafx_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_fast_libretro</small>
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
|[{{MednafenURL|releases/}} {{MednafenVer}}]<br/>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core'''s''']
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||Cycle<ref group=N name=mednafenAccuracy>[https://www.chrismcovell.com/CPUTest/ mednafen pce core is Cycle accurate]. Another core for PCE system is the "[https://mednafen.github.io/documentation/pce_fast.html pce_fast]" which is an experimental alternative to the pce core. pce_fast is a fork of 0.8.x modified for speed at the expense of unneeded accuracy.</ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[ares]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
|[https://nightly.link/ares-emulator/ares/workflows/build/master <abbr title="Latest development build version">git Artifacts</abbr>]<br/>[https://github.com/ares-emulator/ares/releases {{aresVer}}]
|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||Cycle<ref group=N>[https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/t5ppjf/ares_v127_has_been_released/ As of ares v127], ares developers now provide a new option in the emulator settings: 'Pixel Accuracy'; when this is enabled, any core that supports a pixel accurate mode will use it.</ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[Mesen|Mesen]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
|[https://github.com/SourMesen/Mesen2#development-builds Development Builds]
|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{?}} ||High ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[BizHawk]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
|[http://tasvideos.org/BizHawk/ReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]
|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||Cycle ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[[higan]] (火眼)<br/>byuu (謬/view)
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}} 
|[https://github.com/higan-emu/higan/releases {{higanVer}}]
|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{?}} ||Cycle ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}<ref group=N>Superseded by [[ares]].</ref>
|-
|[[Turbo Engine]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
|[http://aamirm.hacking-cult.org/www/turbo.html 0.32]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||High ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[[MagicEngine]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS}}
|[http://www.emuparadise.me/emulators/files/user/Magic-Engine_1.1.3-952.rar 1.1.3]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[[Ootake]] (大竹)
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
|[http://www.ouma.jp/ootake {{OotakeVer}}]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|pcejin <small>(Mednafen 0.8.x)</small>
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
|[https://github.com/TASVideos/pcejin git]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20071206014650/http://www.dridus.com:80/~nyef/darcnes/ DarcNES]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
|[https://segaretro.org/DarcNES 9b0401/9b0313]
|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Low ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|Neco
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
|0.11
|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Low ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[http://takeda-toshiya.my.coocan.jp/ ePCEngine]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
|[http://takeda-toshiya.my.coocan.jp/common/index.html 12/21/2020]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[[FinalBurn Neo]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS}}
|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<br/>[https://github.com/finalburnneo/FBNeo/releases/tag/latest nightly]<br/>[https://github.com/finalburnneo/FBNeo/releases/latest stable]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{NC}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[[FinalBurn Alpha]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
|[http://www.fbalpha.com/downloads/ 0.2.97.43]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{NC}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[http://zeograd.com/ Hu-Go!]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
|[http://zeograd.com/hugo_download.php 2.12]
|? ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[[rew.]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Windows9x}}
|[https://wikiwiki.jp/emulator/rew. rew12stx]
|{{✗}}
|{{?}}
|{{✗}}
|?
|{{?}}
|{{✗}}
|{{✗}}
|-
!colspan="10"|Mobile / ARM
|-
|[[Mednafen]]<br/><small>mednafen_supergrafx_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_fast_libretro</small>
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS|Linux|Pandora}}
|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core'''s''']
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||Cycle<ref group=N name=mednafenAccuracy></ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|PCE.emu
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|Pyra}}
|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PceEmu {{.emuVer}}]<br/>[https://pyra-handheld.com/repo/apps/82 1.5.46.02 Pyra]<br/>[https://github.com/Rakashazi/emu-ex-plus-alpha git]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|WonderDroid Ultra
|align=left|{{Icon|Android}}
|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.atelieryl.wonderdroid 5.5][https://github.com/williehwc/wonderdroid-x git]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
!colspan="10"|Console
|-
|[[Mednafen]]<br/><small>mednafen_supergrafx_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_fast_libretro</small>
|align=left|{{Icon|PSP|PS3}}<br>{{Icon|Wii|3DS|WiiU|Switch}}
|[https://www.retroarch.com/index.php?page=platforms libretro]
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||Cycle<ref group=N name=mednafenAccuracy></ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[Virtual Console]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Wii|WiiU}}
|N/A
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||High ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|TemperPCE 3DS
|align=left|{{Icon|3DS}}
|[https://github.com/bubble2k16/temperpce_3ds/releases git]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|HuGo! GX Unofficial
|align=left|{{Icon|Wii|GCN}}
|[http://www.gc-forever.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1208 2.12.1]
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[https://dcemulation.org/index.php?title=PCECast PCECast]
|align=left|{{Icon|DC}}
|[http://dcemulation.org/1-newsdump/emulators/pcecast/pcecast.zip 06/01/07]
|? ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[HuE]]
|align=left|{{Icon|PSP}}
|[https://www.psx-place.com/resources/turbografx-16-hue-0-70.240 0.70]
|{{~}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[https://www.gamebrew.org/wiki/NitroGrafx NitroGrafx]
|align=left|{{Icon|NDS}}
|[https://emutopia.com/index.php/item/815-nitrografx-0-7 0.7][https://github.com/FluBBaOfWard/NitroGrafx git]
|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
|}
</div>
<references group=N />

===Comparisons===
;[[Mednafen]]:Much like its other original cores, it does very well, even having two profiles: "PCE-Accurate" and "PCE-Fast". Despite being CLI-based, a fork of an older version that has a GUI has emerged called pcejin. [[RetroArch]] uses the PCE-Accurate and PCE-Fast cores for its beetle fork.
;Mesen:After a discontinuation of both Mesen and Mesen S, SourMesen resumed developement of both in 2023 and combines them into a single Mesen. The re-release of Mesen also brought emulation of PC-Engine, SuperGrafx and CD-ROM²/TG-CD
;[[BizHawk]]
:Uses "Nymashock" core for PCE emulation ([https://github.com/TASEmulators/BizHawk/blob/master/waterbox/nyma/pce.cpp ported from mednafen to Bizhawk by zeromus]) and an original core PCEHawk.
;[[Ootake]]:It's okay for general purposes.
;[[MAME]]:Has a <code>pce</code> driver <small>(and a child driver called <code>tg16</code>)</small>. In all revisions it emulates, MAME reports it as working and the graphics as okay, but the sound is imperfect.
;[[MagicEngine]]:Unfortunately trialware that costs €15 euro. There are better options available for free.
;NitroGrafx:Is a DS TurboGrafx emulator for Nintendo DS. It is included with [[TWiLight Menu++]].

==Hardware features and peripherals==
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;width:100%"
|- style="font-weight:bold;"
! Name
! Mednafen
! ares
! Mesen
! BizHawk
! Higan
|-
| [[#PCE-CD|NEC CD]]
| {{✓}}
| {{✓}}
| {{✓}}
| {{✓}}
| {{~}}
|-
| [[#GE-CD|GE CD]]
| {{✓}}
| {{✓}}
| {{✗}}
| {{?}}
| {{✗}}
|-
| [[#Arcade Card|Arcade Card]]
|{{✓}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
|-
|6 button
|{{✓}}
|-
|Mouse
|{{✓}}
|-
|Multitap
|{{✓}}
|-
|Turbo
|{{✓}}
|-
|Pachinko Controller
|{{✗}}
|-
|Horizontal Overscan
|{{✓}}
|-
|Ten no Koe, Ten no Koe 2
|
|-
|Save Kun
|
|-
|Tsushin Booster Keyboard
|{{✓}}
|-
|Backup Booster, Backup Booster II
|
|-
|AV Booster
|{{✓}}
|-
|Illust Booster
|
|-
|Print Booster
|
|}
</div>
<references group=N2/>
===PCE-CD===
:''[[Wikipedia:TurboGrafx-16#Add-ons|TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM² and Super CD-ROM²]]''
SuperGrafx is also compatible with the CD-ROM² and Super CD-ROM² System add-ons, allowing it to play any CD-ROM² format game with the required System Card. No SuperGrafx-specific CD-ROM² titles were produced. The addition of the CD-ROM peripheral adds CD-DA sound (Audio CDs), and a single ADPCM channel to the existing sound capabilities of the PC Engine.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_Engine_SuperGrafx#Audio_capacity]

*See [[Home_Media_Player#Emulators|this dedicated page]] for more information about home media playback support for emulation softwares.
*See [[Ripping_games]].

===GE-CD===
Games Express CD Card, Bootleg System Card. This was released by Hacker International for play of unlicensed Games Express CD games. The GECD Card is essentially a dongle; a BIOS v3.00 based machine (like a Duo or a Super CD-ROM²) is required for running those games.

===Arcade Card===
On March 12, 1994, NEC introduced a third upgrade known as the Arcade Card, which increases the amount of onboard RAM of the Super CD-ROM² System to 2MB. This upgrade was released in two models: the Arcade Card Duo, designed for PC Engine consoles already equipped with the Super CD-ROM² System, and the Arcade Card Pro, a model for the original CD-ROM² System that combines the functionalities of the Super System Card and Arcade Card Duo into one.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TurboGrafx-16#Add-ons]
===Horizontal Overscan===
Other console emulators will just let you crop it, like the FC emulators, but this is necessary for PCE. To give a negative example, there is a Darius CD game that displays ZONE A as ZON A in PCE.emu. Even though someone submitted this bug very early, it has not been fixed. Mednafen allows you to modify this value and the displayed picture is complete

==Enhancements==
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;width:100%"
|- style="font-weight:bold;"
! colspan=2 | Name
! Mednafen
! ares
! Mesen
! BizHawk
! Higan
|-
| rowspan=1 | [[Overclocking|Overclock]]
| Extra Scanlines?
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan=4 | Graphics
| High-Resolution Affine Transformations
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| Sprite Replacement
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Widescreen hacks]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Resolution|Resizable Internal Resolution]]
| colspan=5 | For emulation of 2D systems, the resolution can only be upscaled, making the pixels more apparent.
|-
| rowspan=2 | Audio
| Alternative audio interpolation methods
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| Higher sample rates
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | Input
| [[Input_lag|Run-ahead]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Input_lag|Preemptive Frames]]
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA>Exclusive to libretro core.</ref>
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan=5 | [https://tasvideos.org/Emulatorresources/Features TAS features]
| [[Wikipedia:Macro_(computer_science)|Macros/Scripts]]/[https://tasvideos.org/LuaScripting Lua]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| Rewind
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| Fast-Forward/Turbo Speed
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| Savestates
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [https://tasvideos.org/Movies Movie recording/playback]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan=6 | Quality of life
| Built-in [[Cheats_and_patches|Cheat Manager]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Save_disk_space_for_ISOs|Streamable compression format]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| Built-in [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,106405 Custom resolution/CRTSwitchRes]<br/><small>For using this on Windows OS you need [http://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1009#p1009 CRT Emudriver].<br/>Another option is using EDID editor tool such as "Custom Resolution Utility".</small>
| colspan=5 | <small>Exclusive to [https://docs.libretro.com/guides/crtswitchres/ libretro cores] and [[GroovyMAME]] at the moment.<br/>Also there is a [https://github.com/psakhis/Groovy_MiSTer project] for achieving software emulators like libretro cores and GroovyMAME send the raw RGB data over a network to a core running on MiSTer, it basically turns the MiSTer into a GPU for the emulator allowing for easy setup and use with CRT TVs/Arcade monitors.</small>
|-
| Per-Game Profiles
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| Command Line Options
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Frontends#Graphical_User_Interfaces_.28GUIs.29|Big Picture Mode]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan=4 | Post-Processing
| [[Shaders_and_filters|Filters]]
| {{✓}}
| {{✓}}
|
|
|
|-
|[[Shaders_and_filters#AI-powered filters|AI-powered filter compatible]]<br/><small>([https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/gfecnt/nvidia-freestyle-ansel-enhancements-geforce-experience-article/ Freestyle])</small>
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Shader_Presets|Shader Chain]]
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA></ref>
| {{✓}}
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA></ref>
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA></ref>
|
|-
|[[High_dynamic_range#Inverse_tone_mapping|Inverse tone mapping compatible]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan=5 | Misc
| [[Netplay]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Virtual_reality#VR_game_room_simulations|EmuVR support]]
| colspan=5 |  Exclusive to [https://www.emuvr.net/wiki/Installation_Guide#Downloads libretro cores] at the moment.
|-
| AI Service<br/><small>With the help of <abbr title="optical character recognition">OCR</abbr> and other techniques, the AI service can provide a live translation of a game, or text-to-speech capabilities for the visually impaired among other things, either on demand or automatically.</small>
| colspan=11 | Exclusive to [https://docs.libretro.com/guides/ai-service/ libretro cores] at the moment.
|-
| Retro Achievements<br/>[https://retroachievements.org/gameList.php?c=8 PC Engine], [https://retroachievements.org/gameList.php?c=76 PCE-CD]
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA></ref>
|
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA></ref>
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA></ref>
|
|-
| [[Wikipedia:Category:Debugging|Debug features]]
|
|
|
|
|
|}
</div>
<references group=N2/>

==Emulation issues==
===Color palette===
[[File:PCE_TG16_Composite_RGB_Palette.png|thumb|250px|An example of the color inaccuracy with the regular RGB color palette when compared to the Composite palette. Take note of the second blue gradient in the sky in both images.]]
The color palettes generated by the PC Engine for Composite and RGB actually differ due to its own color tables being non-linear. This can result in colors ending up looking wrong or blended when the system is emulated or played in RGB. A composite palette was eventually made mathematically and with some extra tweaks from the PC Engine's RGB to YUV lookup table after its HuC6270 video chip had been decapped. This palette is used by default in the PC Engine core for the [[MiSTer]]<ref>https://www.retrorgb.com/pc-engine-palette-improvements-the-amazing-people-behind-the-technology.html</ref>. It [https://github.com/Kitrinx/TG16_Palette can be downloaded] for use in other emulators and devices.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Consoles]]
[[Category:Home consoles]]
[[Category:PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|*]]
[[Category:NEC consoles]]
[[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]]