PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators
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| Original Japanese PC Engine (top), North American TurboGrafx-16 (middle), Japanese-only SuperGrafx (bottom) | |
| Manufacturer | NEC Hudson Soft |
|---|---|
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Fourth |
| Release date | JP: October 30, 1987 NA: August 29, 1989 FRA: November 22, 1989 UK: 1989 SPA: 1990 |
| Discontinued | FRA: 1993 NA: May 1994 JP: December 16, 1994 |
| Successor | PC Engine SuperGrafx PC-FX |
| Emulated | ✓ |
- For emulators that run on the PC Engine, see Emulators on PC Engine.
The PC Engine (PCE) was a 16-bit system released jointly by NEC and 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.
Many arcade games after Bloody Wolf use HuC6280 as the audio CPU, also known as PSG (Programmable Sound Generator). According to the author of GCA3A, there is currently no recommended PC Engine emulator that supports those Data East arcade games. Even Bloody Wolf with HuC6280 as the main CPU does not have a recommended emulator support. For example, Game 1 maincpu Motorola MC68000 @14.161 MHz, audiocpu Hudson Soft HuC6280 @8.55 MHz. Game 2 maincpu ARM @7 MHz, audiocpu Hudson Soft HuC6280 @2.685 MHz. Game 3...
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 Famicom when it first came out long enough to compete against its rival's own successor and gave little focus for the Mega Drive who was instead posing more of a threat to Nintendo in North America. This makes the PC Engine the 2nd most popular console in Japan at the time, just behind the Super Famicom.
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 / 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.
The NEC PAC (PAC-N10/PAC-N1) (or its alternative version PC Engine PAC (PCE-LP1)) is the attachable player addon to Pioneer LaserActive which lets it play standard HuCards, NEC CD-ROM² and its own exclusive NEC LD-ROM² games (LaserDisc format used for games featuring analog video background and digital in-game graphics; they need this special player hardware).
Emulators
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Beetle SuperGrafx, Beetle PC-FX, Beetle PCE FAST
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 mednafen pce core is Cycle accurate. Another core for PCE system is the "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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Support is planned by v147.
- ↑ Superseded by ares.
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 (ported from mednafen to Bizhawk by zeromus) and an original core PCEHawk.
- Ootake
- It's okay for general purposes.
- MAME
- Has a
pcedriver (and a child driver calledtg16). 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++.
Enhancements
| Name | Mednafen | ares | Mesen | BizHawk | Geargrafx | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio | Alternative audio interpolation methods | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Higher sample rates | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Graphics | High-resolution affine transformations | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Resizable internal resolution | For emulation of 2D systems, the resolution can only be upscaled, making the pixels more apparent. | |||||
| Sprite replacement | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Widescreen hacks | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Input | Preemptive frames | ~[lower-alpha 1] | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Run-ahead | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | |
| Turbo button | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ? | ? | |
| Post-processing | AI-powered filter compatible (Freestyle) |
? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Filters | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | |
| Inverse tone mapping compatible | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Shader chain | ~[lower-alpha 1] | ✓ | ~[lower-alpha 1] | ~[lower-alpha 1] | ? | |
| Quality of life | Automatic emulated controller connect/disconnect Automatically connects or disconnects emulated controllers when a new or current controller is connected or disconnected. |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Automatic updater | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ? | ? | |
| Big Picture Mode | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Built-in cheat manager | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Built-in custom resolution/CRTSwitchRes For using this on Windows OS you need CRT Emudriver. Another option is using EDID editor tool such as "Custom Resolution Utility". |
Exclusive to libretro cores and GroovyMAME at the moment. Also there is a 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. | |||||
| Built-in mod editor and manager | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Built-in patch manager | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Capable image format support | ✓ | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Command line options | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Pause/resume emulation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | |
| Per-game profiles | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Portable and Stealth Useful enhancement feature for non-personal computer use or plug-and-play scenarios. However, it still requires necessary prerequisites and dependencies for your operating system. |
✓ | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Streamable compression format | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| TAS features | Fast-forward/turbo speed | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? |
| Frame step (forwards and backwards) |
? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Macros/Scripts/Lua | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Movie recording/playback | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Rewind | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | |
| Save states | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | |
| Misc. | AI service With the help of OCR 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. |
Exclusive to libretro cores at the moment. | ||||
| Debug features | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| EmuVR support | Exclusive to libretro cores at the moment. | |||||
| Netplay | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| RetroAchievements | ~[lower-alpha 1] | roadmap | ~[lower-alpha 1] | ~[lower-alpha 1] | ? | |
Hardware features and peripherals
The TurboGrafx-16 has less peripherals and a different controller pin-out compared to the PC Engine.
| Name | Mednafen | ares | Mesen | BizHawk | Geargrafx | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware features | |||||||
| Peripherals | Arcade Card | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ? | ~ | |
| AV Booster | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ? | ? | ||
| COM Cable | ✗ | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Controllers | 6-button controller | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ? | ✓ | |
| Illust Booster | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Mouse | ✓ | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Pachinko Controller | ✗ | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| TurboStick | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Memory | Backup Booster (II) | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | |
| Memory Base 128/Save-kun | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Ten no Koe (2) | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Ten no Koe Bank | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Multitap | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ||
| PC Engine CD/TurboGrafx-CD | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Photo Reader | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Print Booster | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Unlicensed/unreleased | CD Stupid Card 4.0 with MC-Genjin CD memory mapper | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | |
| GE CD | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| MC-Genjin memory mapper | ✓ | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Tsushin Booster Unreleased network adaptor. |
? | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Tsushin Booster Keyboard | ✓ | ? | ✗ | ? | ? | ||
| Misc. | Horizontal overscan | ✓ | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Switch between HuC6280 and HuC6280A sound chips | ? | ? | ? | ? | ✓ | ||
PCE-CD
The System Card 1.0 was included with the launch shipments of the CD-ROM² Interface Unit in 1988 (which did not include the actual CD drive, by the way; that had to be bought separately. Altered Beast requires it as it hangs with the newer BIOS versions, and some people report problems with Populous as well.
The System Card 2.0 was included in later shipments of the CD-ROM² System sometime in 1989 (around the time they started selling the Interface Unit and CD drive as a set). It served as the basis for the TurboGrafx-CD BIOS, which features a different title screen to go along with the different naming of the platform and its add-on in the US. Unlike HuCards, CD-ROM² discs are all region-free.
The System Card 2.1, released in 1990 exclusively in Japan, was the first System Card that was sold as a standalone, intended to be a replacement for users who had their original System Cards lost or damaged. Its only new feature was its ability to auto-detect disc changes.
The System Card 3.0 was launched in Japan in 1991. It was initially available built-in with the PC Engine Duo, a model of the console with an integrated CD drive, but was quickly offered as an upgrade to owners of the original CD-ROM² System in the form of the Super System Card, and later as an updated model of the add-on itself known as the Super CD-ROM² unit. The later models of the Duo (Duo-R and Duo-RX) also have this BIOS built-in. Version 3.0 increases the amount of buffer RAM from 64KB to 256KB, hence the addition of the word Super. Games that required this BIOS, which are labelled Super CD-ROM² discs, will display an incompatibility notice when loaded on a prior System Card.
This BIOS was released in the US in 1992 and was similarly offered built-in with the Turbo Duo (the US version of the PC Engine Duo) or as an upgrade for the TurboGrafx-16/CD in the form of the Super System Card (which was available primarily as a mail order).
The 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 official SuperGrafx-specific CD-ROM² titles were produced, just homebrew. The addition of the CD-ROM peripheral adds CD-DA sound (Audio CDs), CD+G, and a single ADPCM channel to the existing sound capabilities of the PC Engine.[1]
- See 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 in 2 versions, blue and green. The GECD Card is essentially a dongle.
The GECD Card 1.0 can only access 64KB RAM that is built into the CD unit and only plays earlier titles.
The GECD Card 1.1 can access 64KB RAM + 192KB extra RAM in the way the Arcade Card Duo does, like on the Duo models and the Super CD-ROM² unit with BIOS v3.0 and plays everything.
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.
It was the final set of upgrades to the PC Engine CD-ROM² System and came in two variants.
The Arcade Card Duo, designed for PC Engine consoles equipped with the Super CD-ROM², adds 16Mb/2MB of D-RAM on top of the 2Mb/256KB of buffer RAM within the hardware. Unlike previous System Cards, the change was purely on a hardware level and there was no BIOS update this time, keeping it strictly on Version 3.0.
People who were still using a PC Engine console with the original CD-ROM² System add-on could opt for the Arcade Card Pro instead, which essentially combines the functionalities of the Arcade Card Duo and the Super System Card into one by adding the 16Mb/2MB of D-RAM from the former on the top of the 1536Kb/192KB of extra buffer RAM and BIOS update from the latter. Arcade CD-ROM² discs, which are games that require an Arcade Card, will display an incompatibility notice after loading if the hardware setup does not meet the requirements.[2]
Some games are exclusive to the Arcade Card:
- Battlefield '94 In Super Battle Dream
- Fire Pro Female Wrestling (WOWOW vs. JWP...
- Fatal Fury 2
- Fatal Fury Special
- Sapphire
- Jong Shin Densetsu
- Far East of Eden: Kabuki Itouryodan
- Mad Stalker Full Metal Force
- Madou Monogatari I Honou no Sotsuenji
- Art of Fighting
- Strider
- World Heroes 2
Some games can run without it but offer enhanced gameplay (e.g. reduced or eliminated loading times, enhanced CD-DA sound, added animations) with it:
- 3 x 3 Eyes Sanjiyan Hensei
- Atlas (The) - Renaissance Voyager
- Brandish
- Eikan Wa Kimini
- Formation Soccer '95
- Gulliver Boy
- J. League Tremendous Soccer '94
- Linda Cube
- Mahjong Sword Princess Quest Gaiden
- Popful Mail
- Princess Maker 2
- Private Eye Doll
- Sexy Idol Mahjong Fashion Monogatari
- Sotsugyou II Neo Generation
- Super Real Mahjong P II & III Custom
- Super Real Mahjong P V Custom
- Tanjou Debut
- Vasteel 2
- Wrestling Angels
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.
Emulation issues
Color palette
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[1]. It can be downloaded for use in other emulators and devices.