Video game publisher Konami has some new hardware on the way and for a change it has nothing to do with a Pachinko machine (long story). In keeping with Sony, Nintendo, and Sega launching throwback mini-consoles of their own, Konami is bringing back the TurboGrafx-16 with the TurboGrafx-16 Mini, a smaller version of the 1980s console released by… Hudson Soft. Konami now owns Hudson Soft’s stuff, sooo… yeah.
It might prove to be a little difficult to locate if you don’t know all of its designations, though. The US-centric TurboGrafx-16 Mini will launch in Japan as the PC Engine Mini (it was launched as the PC Engine in Japan in 1987) and in Europe as the PC Engine Core Grafx Mini. Since we tend to get our gear from the UK, at least when it comes to gaming, we may have to be on the lookout for the PC Engine Core Grafx Mini. Maybe. That’s not an unwieldy naming convention at all.
A relic of a lawless time
We’re not sure what to make of this console, though. Here in South Africa, it didn’t have the widest reach — though Stuff is aware of at least a few folks who played the original. And since everyone else is making one, we’re not about to begrudge Konami their mini-retro-hardware bandwagon leap. The 1980s was a wild time for gaming in general, with the whole industry almost collapsing in 1983. By 1987, the time of the TurboGrafx-16’s release, the industry was on an upswing that continues to today. If you’re fond of your miniature versions of history, or just this console specifically, then Konami’s announcement should tick a few boxes.
Only a few games have been confirmed for the Western versions of the console so far, with more on the way. They are:
- R-Type
- New Adventure Island
- Ninja Spirit
- Ys Book I & II
- Dungeon Explorer
- Alien Crush
The console will launch with the bits we’ve come to expect from a mini-games station. That is: support for save states, HDMI, the ability to emulate a CRT screen (why?!), and the original aspect ratios (4:3) — from a time before widescreen, folks. It existed. Never forget that. There will also be a multitap available, that will allow up to five-player multiplayer. The European and Japanese editions will supposedly also have a different form factor to the one seen here.
What we don’t know is when the console will launch, where it’ll appear first, and what it’ll cost when those things do take place. But we’re going to be keeping an eye out of this one, just like the other members of the band(wagon).
Source: via Ars Technica