Difference between revisions of "PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators"

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(Undo revision 22931 by ObiKKa (talk) Higan supports TG-CD but no games working.)
(enhancements added, peripherals renamed to hardware features and peripherals)
 
(154 intermediate revisions by 80 users not shown)
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{{Infobox console
 
{{Infobox console
−
|title = PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16
+
|title = PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16)
−
|image = PC-Engine-Console-Set.png
+
|logo = PC-Engine-Console-Set.png
 +
|image = TurboGrafx-16.png
 
|image2 = SuperGrafx-Console-Set.jpg
 
|image2 = SuperGrafx-Console-Set.jpg
−
|imagecaption = '''Above''': The PC Engine.<br/>'''Below''': The TurboGrafx-16.
+
|imagecaption = '''Above''': The PC Engine.<br/>'''Middle:''' The TurboGrafx-16.<br/>'''Below''': The SuperGrafx.
−
|developer = [[:Category:NEC consoles|NEC Home Electronics, Hudson Soft]]
+
|developer=[[NEC]], [[Hudson]]
−
|type = [[:Category:Consoles|Home video game console]]
+
|type=[[:Category:Home consoles|Home video game console]], [[:Category:Handheld consoles|Handheld game console]]
 
|generation = [[:Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
 
|generation = [[:Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
−
|release = 1987
+
|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
 
|discontinued = 1994
−
|successor = SuperGrafx, [[PC-FX emulators|PC-FX]]
+
|successor = PC Engine SuperGrafx, [[PC-FX emulators|PC-FX]]
 
|emulated = {{✓}}
 
|emulated = {{✓}}
 
}}
 
}}
−
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 in 1987. 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.
+
{{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.
 
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.
Line 18: Line 21:
 
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.
 
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 a flight sim called ''Falcon'') but wasn't widely supported.
+
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==
 
==Emulators==
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
+
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Name
−
! scope="col"|Operating System(s)
+
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
−
! scope="col"|PCE-CD (TG-CD)
+
! scope="col"|PCE2<br/>(SG)
−
! scope="col"|PCE2 (SG)
+
! scope="col"|[[#Hardware features and peripherals|Hardware features<br/>and peripherals]]
−
! scope="col"|[[libretro|Libretro Core]]
+
! scope="col"|[[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]
 
! scope="col"|[[Emulation Accuracy|Accuracy]]
 
! scope="col"|[[Emulation Accuracy|Accuracy]]
 +
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
!colspan="9"|PC
+
!colspan="10"|PC / x86
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Mednafen]] <small>(PCE-Accurate)</small>
+
|[[Mednafen]]<br/><small>mednafen_supergrafx_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_fast_libretro</small>
−
|Multi-platform
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
−
|[{{MednafenURL|releases/}} {{MednafenVer}}]
+
|[{{MednafenURL|releases/}} {{MednafenVer}}]<br/>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core'''s''']
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||High ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||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> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[MAME]]
+
|[[ares]]
−
|Multi-platform
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
−
|[http://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}]
+
|[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}}]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||High ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||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> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Mednafen]] <small>(PCE-Fast)</small>
+
|[[Mesen|Mesen]]
−
|Multi-platform
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
−
|[{{MednafenURL|releases/}} {{MednafenVer}}]
+
|[https://github.com/SourMesen/Mesen2#development-builds Development Builds]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{?}} ||High ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{Y}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[BizHawk]]
 
|[[BizHawk]]
−
|Windows
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 
|[http://tasvideos.org/BizHawk/ReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]
 
|[http://tasvideos.org/BizHawk/ReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||High ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||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]]
 
|[[Turbo Engine]]
−
|Windows
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 
|[http://aamirm.hacking-cult.org/www/turbo.html 0.32]
 
|[http://aamirm.hacking-cult.org/www/turbo.html 0.32]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||High ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||High ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[MagicEngine]]
 
|[[MagicEngine]]
−
|Windows, macOS
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS}}
 
|[http://www.emuparadise.me/emulators/files/user/Magic-Engine_1.1.3-952.rar 1.1.3]
 
|[http://www.emuparadise.me/emulators/files/user/Magic-Engine_1.1.3-952.rar 1.1.3]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||Mid ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Ootake]]
+
|[[Ootake]] (大竹)
−
|Windows
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
−
|[http://www.ouma.jp/ootake/ 2.91]
+
|[http://www.ouma.jp/ootake {{OotakeVer}}]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
|pcejin <small>(Mednafen 0.8.x)</small>
 
|pcejin <small>(Mednafen 0.8.x)</small>
−
|Windows
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
−
|[https://github.com/TASVideos/pcejin Git]
+
|[https://github.com/TASVideos/pcejin git]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||Mid ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||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
 
|Neco
−
|Windows
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 
|0.11
 
|0.11
−
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||Low ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Low ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[http://takeda-toshiya.my.coocan.jp/ ePCEngine]
 
|[http://takeda-toshiya.my.coocan.jp/ ePCEngine]
−
|Windows
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
−
|[http://takeda-toshiya.my.coocan.jp/common/index.html 8/12/2017]
+
|[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}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Final Burn Alpha]]
+
|[[FinalBurn Alpha]]
−
|Windows
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
 
|[http://www.fbalpha.com/downloads/ 0.2.97.43]
 
|[http://www.fbalpha.com/downloads/ 0.2.97.43]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{NC}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
−
|-
 
−
|[[higan]]
 
−
|Windows, Linux, macOS
 
−
|[http://byuu.org/emulation/higan/ {{higanVer}}]
 
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[http://zeograd.com/ Hu-Go!]
 
|[http://zeograd.com/ Hu-Go!]
−
|Windows, Linux
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
 
|[http://zeograd.com/hugo_download.php 2.12]
 
|[http://zeograd.com/hugo_download.php 2.12]
−
|{{✓}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
+
|? ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
!colspan="9"|Mobile
+
!colspan="10"|Mobile / ARM
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Mednafen]] <small>(PCE-Fast)</small>
+
|[[Mednafen]]<br/><small>mednafen_supergrafx_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_libretro</small><br/><small>mednafen_pce_fast_libretro</small>
−
|Multi-platform
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS|Linux|Pandora}}
−
|[{{MednafenURL|releases/}} {{MednafenVer}}]
+
|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core'''s''']
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||Cycle<ref group=N name=mednafenAccuracy></ref> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
|PCE.emu
 
|PCE.emu
−
|[[Android emulators|Android]]
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|Pyra}}
−
|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PceEmu 1.5.34]
+
|[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
 
|-
 
|-
−
!colspan="9"|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]]
 
|[[Virtual Console]]
−
|[[Wii emulators|Wii]]
+
|align=left|{{Icon|Wii|WiiU}}
−
|N/A ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||High ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|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 ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[[Mednafen]] <small>(PCE-Fast)</small><ref group=N>Only available on consoles as a libretro core (e.g. [[RetroArch]]).</ref>
+
|[[HuE]]
−
|Multi-platform
+
|align=left|{{Icon|PSP}}
−
|{{MednafenVer}}
+
|[https://www.psx-place.com/resources/turbografx-16-hue-0-70.240 0.70]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{~}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|HuE
+
|[https://www.gamebrew.org/wiki/NitroGrafx NitroGrafx]
−
|[[PlayStation Portable emulators|PlayStation Portable]]
+
|align=left|{{Icon|NDS}}
−
|[http://filetrip.net/psp-downloads/homebrew/download-hue-for-psp-070-f28312.html 0.70]
+
|[https://emutopia.com/index.php/item/815-nitrografx-0-7 0.7][https://github.com/FluBBaOfWard/NitroGrafx git]
−
|{{✓}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
+
|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
 
|}
 
|}
 +
</div>
 
<references group=N />
 
<references group=N />
  
 
===Comparisons===
 
===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-Fast core for its beetle fork.
+
;[[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.
 
;[[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.
 
;[[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.
 
;[[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]]
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{Y}}
 +
| {{~}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[#GE-CD|GE CD]]
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{✓}}
 +
| {{N}}
 +
| {{?}}
 +
| {{N}}
 +
|-
 +
| [[#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]]
 +
| {{Y}}
 +
| {{Y}}
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|[[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>
 +
| {{Y}}
 +
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA></ref>
 +
| {{~}}<ref group=N2 name=RA></ref>
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|[[High_dynamic_range#Inverse_tone_mapping|Inverse tone mapping compatible]]
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| rowspan=4 | 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.
 +
|-
 +
| 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:Consoles]]
 +
[[Category:Home consoles]]
 
[[Category:PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|*]]
 
[[Category:PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|*]]
 
[[Category:NEC consoles]]
 
[[Category:NEC consoles]]
 
[[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]]
 
[[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]]

Latest revision as of 12:21, 25 May 2024

PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16)
PC-Engine-Console-Set.png
TurboGrafx-16.png
SuperGrafx-Console-Set.jpg
Above: The PC Engine.
Middle: The TurboGrafx-16.
Below: The SuperGrafx.
Developer NEC, Hudson
Type Home video game console, Handheld game console
Generation Fourth generation
Release date 1987 (PC Engine)
1989 (TurboGrafx-16, SuperGrafx)
1990 (PC Engine GT / TurboExpress)
Discontinued 1994
Introductory price $199.99
$399.99 (CD Add-On)
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. 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.

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.

Contents

Emulators[edit]

Name Platform(s) Latest Version PCE2
(SG) 		Hardware features
and peripherals 		Enhancements Accuracy FLOSS Active Recommended
PC / x86
Mednafen
mednafen_supergrafx_libretro
mednafen_pce_libretro
mednafen_pce_fast_libretro 		        1.32.1
libretro cores 		✓ ✓ ~ Cycle[N 1] ✓ ✓ ✓
ares       git Artifacts
v138 		✓ ~ ~ Cycle[N 2] ✓ ✓ ✓
Mesen       Development Builds ✓ ~ ? High ✓ ✓ ✓
BizHawk   2.9.1 ✓ ~ ~ Cycle ✓ ✓ ~
higan (火眼)
byuu (謬/view) 		        v110 ✓ ~ ? Cycle ✓ ✗ ✗[N 3]
Turbo Engine   0.32 ✓ ? ? High ✗ ✗ ✗
MagicEngine     1.1.3 ✓ ? ? Mid ✗ ✗ ✗
Ootake (大竹)   3.04 ✓ ? ? Mid ✓ ✓ ✗
pcejin (Mednafen 0.8.x)   git ✓ ? ? Mid ✓ ✗ ✗
DarcNES         9b0401/9b0313 ✗ ? ? Low ✓ ✗ ✗
Neco   0.11 ✗ ? ? Low ? ✗ ✗
ePCEngine   12/21/2020 ✓ ? ? ? ✗ ✓ ✗
FinalBurn Neo     libretro core
nightly
stable 		✓ ? ? ? NC ✓ ✗
FinalBurn Alpha   0.2.97.43 ✓ ? ? ? NC ✗ ✗
Hu-Go!     2.12 ? ? ? ? ✓ ✗ ✗
Mobile / ARM
Mednafen
mednafen_supergrafx_libretro
mednafen_pce_libretro
mednafen_pce_fast_libretro 		        libretro cores ✓ ✓ ~ Cycle[N 1] ✓ ✓ ✓
PCE.emu     1.5.77
1.5.46.02 Pyra
git 		✓ ? ? Mid ✓ ✓ ✓
WonderDroid Ultra   5.5git ✓ ? ? ? ✓ ✓ ✓
Console
Mednafen
mednafen_supergrafx_libretro
mednafen_pce_libretro
mednafen_pce_fast_libretro 		   
        		libretro ✓ ✓ ~ Cycle[N 1] ✓ ✓ ✓
Virtual Console     N/A ✓ ? ? High ✗ ✗ ✓
TemperPCE 3DS   git ✓ ? ? Mid ✓ ✗ ✓
HuGo! GX Unofficial     2.12.1 ✓ ? ? Mid ✓ ✗ ✓
PCECast   06/01/07 ? ? ? Mid ✗ ✗ ✓
HuE   0.70 ~ ? ? Mid ✓ ✗ ~
NitroGrafx   0.7git ✗ ? ? ? ✓ ✗ ~
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Superseded by ares.

Comparisons[edit]

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 pce driver (and a child driver called tg16). 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[edit]

Name Mednafen ares Mesen BizHawk Higan
NEC CD ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ~
GE CD ✓ ✓ ✗ ? ✗
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

PCE-CD[edit]

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.[1]

GE-CD[edit]

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[edit]

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.[2]

Horizontal Overscan[edit]

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[edit]

Name Mednafen ares Mesen BizHawk Higan
Overclock Extra Scanlines?
Graphics High-Resolution Affine Transformations
Sprite Replacement
Widescreen hacks
Resizable Internal Resolution For emulation of 2D systems, the resolution can only be upscaled, making the pixels more apparent.
Audio Alternative audio interpolation methods
Higher sample rates
Input Run-ahead
Preemptive Frames ~[N2 1]
TAS features Macros/Scripts/Lua
Rewind
Fast-Forward/Turbo Speed
Savestates
Movie recording/playback
Quality of life Built-in Cheat Manager
Streamable compression format
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.
Per-Game Profiles
Command Line Options
Big Picture Mode
Post-Processing Filters ✓ ✓
AI-powered filter compatible
(Freestyle)
Shader Chain ~[N2 1] ✓ ~[N2 1] ~[N2 1]
Inverse tone mapping compatible
Misc Netplay
EmuVR support Exclusive to libretro cores at the moment.
Retro Achievements
PC Engine, PCE-CD 		~[N2 1] ~[N2 1] ~[N2 1]
Debug features
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Exclusive to libretro core.

Emulation issues[edit]

Color palette[edit]

 
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[1]. It can be downloaded for use in other emulators and devices.

References[edit]

Retrieved from "https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php?title=PC_Engine_(TurboGrafx-16)_emulators&oldid=88958"