The TurboGrafx-16 Mini, also known as the in Japan and PC Engine CoreGrafx Mini in Europe, is a dedicated

home video game console A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few game ...

modeled on

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...

TurboGrafx-16 The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation of video game con ...

, released in 2020. It is developed by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

, who owns the properties of

Hudson Soft was a Japanese video game company known for releasing numerous titles across video game consoles, home computers, and mobile phones. Headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo, it also maintained an office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. F ...

, the designer of the original system. The Mini emulates the original's

8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit integers or other data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) architectures are those that are based on registers or data bu ...

hardware and comes with 57 or 58 games built-in.

Hardware

The Mini is half the size of the original

video game console and can support two controllers (instead of one) out of the box. It includes one full-size replica controller (that connects through

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...

, so that original controllers are incompatible), a USB-to- Micro-B power cable and an

HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a proprietary digital interface used to transmit high-quality video and audio signals between devices. It is commonly used to connect devices such as televisions, computer monitors, projectors, gam ...

video cable. Sold exclusively through Amazon, there are separate Mini console releases for North America, Europe and Japan, as the Mini and its included controller that reproduces the original console's regional decal and color variations.

Games

Sixty titles were announced between all regions for the Mini, 54 of which are unique. Konami lists the titles either under the category of "TurboGrafx-16" for the American games or "PC Engine" for the Japanese games; though this listing is heavily simplified as TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM², Super CD-ROM², Arcade CD-ROM² and SuperGrafx titles are also included on all regions of the Mini. The Japanese model includes 24 TurboGrafx-16 (American) games and 34 PC Engine (Japanese) games for a total of 58 games. The international model, however, includes 25 TurboGrafx-16 (American) games and 32 PC Engine (Japanese) games for a total of 57 games. Five of the games are counted twice by Konami as they are available in both their TurboGrafx-16 (American) and PC Engine (Japanese) versions on all regions' models. The title ''

Splatterhouse is a beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Namco in 1988. It was the first in a series of games released in home console and personal computer formats. This game would later spawn the parody '' Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti'', the ...

'' is also technically counted twice, with the uncensored PC Engine (Japanese) version being exclusive to the Japanese model and the censored TurboGrafx-16 (American) version being exclusive to the international models. In addition, three of the other PC Engine (Japanese) games are also exclusive to a specific region, with ''

Tokimeki Memorial is a dating simulation series by Konami. It consists of eight main games in addition to many spin-offs. The games are notable in the dating sim genre for being highly nonlinear. Their nickname amongst their fans is the contraction ''TokiMemo'' ...

'' and '' Tengai Makyō II: Manji Maru'' being exclusive to the Japanese model and ''

Salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

'' being exclusive to the international models. Aside from ''

'' and the five games listed as two game titles, all TurboGrafx-16 listed games remain in English only and all PC Engine listed games remain in Japanese only respectively on all region's model of the Mini (even if both an English and Japanese version exist due to the game being released in both regions during the original console's lifespan). ''Castlevania: Rondo of Blood'' Includes a mini-game named "Akumajyo Dracula Peke", ''Soldier Blade'' also has its Caravan edition, while ''Gradius'', ''Fantasy Zone'' and ''Salamander'' have received arrangements listed as "near arcade" versions. These five alternative versions can be played by highlighting them and holding Select while booting the desired game. ''Tokimeki Memorial'' and ''Salamander'' include the mini-games ''Force Gear'' and ''Twinbee'' ''Returns'', which are available through cheat codes.

Production and release

The Mini was first announced at the E3 show in June 2019. The announcement was part of a trend of releasing smaller versions of 1980s and 1990s

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. It has been argued that there is a nostalgia cycle in popular culture. Definition The term ...

video game consoles. Through its Japanese ''YouTube'' channel, Konami revealed all of the titles from the Mini's line-up, including American, European and Japanese line-ups. The Japanese game controller maker Hori also revealed some accessories for the Mini, including a Turbo Pad controller, a

multitap A multitap is a video game console peripheral that increases the number of controller ports available to the player, allowing additional controllers to be plugged in simultaneously in a manner similar to a power strip or a USB hub. A multitap of ...

that add the number of players up to five and an AC Adapter that accepts USB A to USB Micro-B connectors. American and European representative stores of Hori Japan sell them through their area of continents coverage. The Mini was originally set to be released worldwide on March 19, 2020, exclusively through

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

, but was delayed everywhere except for Japan because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Konami announced that the launch of the TurboGrafx-16 Mini and its peripheral accessories would be delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The console was shipped in North America on May 22, 2020. The CoreGrafx Mini was released in Europe on June 5, 2020.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Video games, Electronics Dedicated consoles 2020s toys Konami TurboGrafx-16 Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the video game industry 2020 in video gaming Retro style ARM-based video game consoles