The Video Game Console Library - NEC PC Engine Duo \ TurboDuo (Turbo Duo)

	NEC PC Engine Duo \ TurboDuo
	HANDS ON REVIEW by Marriott_Guy
	Page content, development and design by Marriott_Guy

Developer	Manufacturer	Release Date	Country(s)	Initial Price	Model Number	Game Releases	Overall Rating
NEC \ TTI	NEC \ TTI	Sep-91	Japan. North America	$399 JP $299 USD	PI-TG8 (Jp) HES-DUO-01 (USA)	Compatible with approx. 845	07
Ratings	Reviews	Pictures\Media	Specs\Manuals	Games\Emulation	Models	Clones	Links

Ratings
Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. Ratings based upon a 10 point scale (10 being excellent\very rare).
Console Design (appearance, functionality)	08
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile)	04
Controllers (design, response, feel, use)	06
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation)	08
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects)	07
Media (game media format, design, durability)	08
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging)	07
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library)	09
Innovations (technological industrial strides)	04
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?)	09
Collector Value (good collector investment?)	07
Games Rarity (general availability of games)	04
Console Rarity (general availability of a system)	06

Reviews

HANDS ON REVIEW
- by Marriott_Guy (10-Aug-11)

With the success of their PC Engine and CD-ROM2 line of systems in Japan, NEC looked to combine this technology into an ultimate gaming machine. NEC partnered with Hudson Soft, their largest third party game developer, in developing this extremely versatile console which they named the NEC Duo.

The Duo is a combination of the PC Engine and Super CD-ROM2 systems packaged in a modern, sleek, matte-black casing. The somewhat minimalistic design contradicts the machine's capabilities. The console integrated Super System Card technology within its motherboard and provided 192 KB of extra RAM. This extra memory was utilized to boost system performance in addition to providing space for internally saving game data (a first for any NEC console). The Duo was compatible with HuCards, CD-ROM2 and Super CD-ROM2 right out of the box (in addition to Audio CD and CD+G software). This provided great value for the gamer due to the huge library of compatible NEC titles that were available in 1991 (400+). NEC banked on this value quotient and set the price accordingly for obtaining one of these gems, debuting in September of 1991 in Japan for $399 (59,800 yen).

Duo console

Despite this high price point, the Duo was well received by critics and gamers alike. This spawned two additional models, the Duo-R and Duo-RX. Internally, they are the same machine encased in a slightly different chassis. The headphone jack and the locking HuCard door were removed from the latter two models. The Duo-RX also featured a six button controller opposed to the standard two button gamepad that was distributed with the Duo and Duo-R. Overall, all models received significant support from the gaming public.

Looking to capitalize on this success, NEC set its sights on expanding the Duo into familiar, yet less than friendly territory â€“ the United States. NEC had previously experienced minimal success in penetrating the US market with their release of the TurboGrafx-16 and its add-on, the TurboGrafx-CD. Poor marketing and a lack of software support (both first and third party) were its nemesis for these failures. NEC decided to take a different approach this time when entering the volatile and highly competitive US market. Distribution and marketing would not be done by its internal branch in the US (NEC Home Electronics USA), would be outsourced to a little know company named TTI.

Turbo Technologies, Inc. (TTI) was a US-based company comprised of NEC and Hudson Soft employees. They were tasked with penetrating a highly saturated market with this new Duo console, named the TurboDuo (Turbo Duo). The system launched in October of 1992 for $299, an extremely aggressive price point considering the TurboGrafx-16/CD lack of prior retail support. TTI packaged the TurboDuo with a variety of games that showcased its immense compatibility (TurboChip, TG-CD, SuperCD) in an attempt to enhance perceived value. Despite these overtures, a scrape would ensue with their long time foe - Sega.

Sega released the Sega CD just one month after the TurboDuo. Though not an "all-in-one" machine like the Duo, Sega had garnered a significantly greater percentage of the US market with its highly successful Sega Genesis system. This consumer loyalty, coupled with Sega's excellent marketing strategies, proved to be too much to overcome for TTI. NEC (TTI) ended their support for the TurboDuo in 1995.

The Duo (TurboDuo) is overall an excellent gaming machine. The console itself is rather fragile and is known for having issues with the CD drive and sound components. The good news is that these are easy machines to work on and there are many aficionados that can assist with needed repairs for a reasonable price. The plethora of games that are available for Duo systems (800+ now) make this a cherished and highly sought after console.

Pictures & Media

Various picture\media for this console. Click pictures to enlarge.

NEC Duo Monitor

PC Engine Duo - Front

$Duo \ TurboDuo logo$

Arcade Duo System Card

Arcade Duo System Card

Some nice technical shots of the Duo-R system. Picture credits unknown.

Various advertisements for the PC Engine Duo \ TurboDuo

$NEC Duo \ TurboDuo Advertisement$

TTI logo (Turbo Technologies Inc)

$NEC Duo \ TurboDuo Advertisement$

Specs & Manuals

For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
Two (2) HuC6280A (8-bit)	3.58 MHz or 7.16 MHz (determined by software)	HuC6260 VCE \ HuC26270A VDC	256 KB \ 64 KB
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
256 x 224 to 565 x 242	512 colors (9-bit), 482 on screen	N\A \ 64	Six PSG audio channels (3.58 MHz)
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
HuCard \ CD-ROM² \ Super CD-ROM²	20 Mb (HuCard) \ 640 MB (CD)	Compatible with approx. 825	Arcade CD-ROM², Audio CD, CD+G
Internal Storage	External\Removable Storage	Game Controllers	Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
192 KB	None	Gamepad (2 button + Run\Select) Duo-RX came with a 6 button model)	Duo Multi-Tap, Arcade Duo Card PC Engine Duo Monitor
Controller Ports	Network Ports	Other Ports	Audio \ Video
One (1)	None	Headphone jack (removed in the Duo-R \ RX models)	Composite (DIN)
Power Supply - External	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
AC 120V 60MHz 16W DC 10Vv 1000 MA	None	Included Super System Card 3.0 built into the system. Arcade CD-ROM2 required the Arcade Duo System Card.
Manuals
Not available. Can you help us out? You will receive full credit in addition to keeping the history of video gaming alive for all! Please contact me.

Games & Emulation

Games screen shots\media released for this system.

The Duo systems combined technology from previous game systems and thus did not have any exclusive games released for it. See the PC Engine \ TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine CD-ROM2 \ TurboGrafx-CD pages for game screen shots.

One of the peripherals you do want to snag is the Duo Tap. This allows up to five controllers to connect to your Duo system. This is compatible with both the two (2) and six (6) button controller models.

NEC Duo Pad Controller (Two Button)

Duo Pad

Third Party Emulators
Program	Website	Description
MagicEngine	http://www.magicengine.com	Excellent program for PC Engine and SuperGrafx emulation. Available for DOS, Windows and Mac OSX.

Models

Additional authorized releases for this console. Images from eBay auctions. Click pictures to enlarge.

NEC PC Engine Duo
Released : 1991 Country : Japan

NEC PC Engine Duo-R
Released : 1992 Country : Japan

NEC PC Engine Duo-RX
Released : 1993 Country : Japan

NEC TurboDuo
Released : 1992 Country : United States

NEC TurboDuo - Top

Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones). Click pictures to enlarge.

No clones of the Duo or TurboDuo system are known to exist.

Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

Name	Website	Description
PCEngineFX.com	http://www.pcenginefx.com	The best place on the net for everything NEC.
PC Engine Catalog Project	http://pcecp.com	Excellent site detailing PC Engine \ TG-126 games

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Page last updated 11-Dec-2011

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