Why is the TurboBooster as big as the console itself?

[Gentlegamer]

I just got a TurboBooster, and I'm enjoying composite video and stereo sound on my Turbografx-16. But why is the thing so big?

[Joe Redifer]

Probably to make you think you spent your money wisely... or to make you think it would be worth spending your money on.  Back in the 80's people were complete dipshits (unlike these days where everyone is smart) and were impressed by things that were big.  People would see the TurboBooster and think "Wow!  There must be some awesome technology in that thing.  Look how big it is!!!!"  Then they'd spend the outrageous price that NEC charged for it. 

In reality, the thing didn't need to be much bigger than the actual expansion slot at all (which is much smaller than the cover itself) and it didn't need to cost more than, say, $9.  The Turbo and its accessories were a rip-off when they were new.

[Tatsujin]

The Turbo and its accessories were a rip-off when they were new.

that's probably the reason why they sucked instead of successed in the states!

[CrackTiger]

Because of the way they designed the TG-16 into a "T" shape to conform to the standard PC Engine expansion slot while still changing/enlarging the rest of the console for whatever reasons (shielding, size = power, etc).

They wanted the TG-16 to look the way it does with the expansion cover on, which is why they included that ridiculous shell in the first place(instead of designing a new expansion port similar other consoles).

So the Booster fills in the gap to retain the similar shape instead of revealing and lengthening the hidden "T" shape.

[Sparky]

its a big'n but i like how it fills the TG16 out but why sell the booster and the booster plus!!! hells the kid with the regular booster would be teased from the booster plus crew

[Tatsujin]

NEC USA showed us well, how to convert the probably smallest game system ever made (portables not included) into one of the biggest in competition.

[CrackTiger]

its a big'n but i like how it fills the TG16 out but why sell the booster and the booster plus!!! hells the kid with the regular booster would be teased from the booster plus crew

The Booster came out first and from what I remember, the Booster Plus got delayed several times. I never did get to see a Booster Plus in Canada.

I was very happy with my Booster until I got a Turbo-CD.

[CrackTiger]

NEC USA showed us well, how to convert the probably smallest game system ever made (portables not included) into one of the biggest in competition.

They had nothing on NEC JP's SuperGrafx + Super CD-ROM combo.

The SuperGrafx alone is the size of a TG-16 + Turbo-CD, save for an inch or so of thickness around the discman area.

[nectarsis]

That combo is soooooooo sexy though ;)

[Peluso8]

I've never actually seen one of those. I use a homemade A/V wire that a friend made for me.

[Tatsujin]

They had nothing on NEC JP's SuperGrafx + Super CD-ROM combo.

yeah..but this is a completely other story and not the must-go way for the user

[nat]

I've never actually seen one of those. I use a homemade A/V wire that a friend made for me.

That's the way to do it. I've made a ton of those over the years. FWIW, I've never seen a Booster in 'real life' either for this precise reason.

[CrackTiger]

They had nothing on NEC JP's SuperGrafx + Super CD-ROM combo.

yeah..but this is a completely other story and not the must-go way for the user

You mean like the Duo systems?

[Tatsujin]

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[Keranu]

Hey I'm a strong supporter of "bigger is better". Usually when things are made small, they are made cheap and break easily (though certainly not in the PCE's case), which is part of the reason why a lot of electronics suck these days compared to the 80's. Just imaging dropping an Atari Lynx and a PSP and then comparing the damage results ;) .

[CrackTiger]

/tgvscglolmf5.jpg

You still can't plug composite/stereo cables into a Coregrafx, which didn't even exist at the time. The PCE equivalent is the mismatched AV Booster, which aside from the difference in color, turns your PCE into a diving board.

Most kids in Japan (sitting in front of a TV) probably turned it sideways to use it. Where as TG-16 players probably just stacked it in with their entertainment centre.

[Tatsujin]

You still can't plug composite/stereo cables into a Coregrafx, which didn't even exist at the time. The PCE equivalent is the mismatched AV Booster, which aside from the difference in color, turns your PCE into a diving board.

BIG FAIL. why do you think i've choosen the core grafx instead of the white original pce?

[Tatsujin]

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[NecroPhile]

You still can't plug composite/stereo cables into a Coregrafx, which didn't even exist at the time. The PCE equivalent is the mismatched AV Booster, which aside from the difference in color, turns your PCE into a diving board.

BIG FAIL. why do you think i've choosen the core grafx instead of the white original pce?

Don't the Cores have DIN connectors?  I believe Black Tiger is talking about plugging RCA type cables directly to the console.

[Tatsujin]

Don't the Cores have DIN connectors?

your're fantastic right! DIN with an A which stands for "Audio in stereo" and a V for "Video".

I believe CrackTiger is talking about plugging RCA type cables directly to the console.

as for the white this is right. but its successors, they couldn'd do that anymore.

[CrackTiger]

Don't the Cores have DIN connectors?

your're fantastic right! DIN with an A which stands for "Audio in stereo" and a V for "Video".

I believe Black Tiger is talking about plugging RCA type cables directly to the console.

as for the white this is right. but its successors, they couldn'd do that anymore.

The original TG-16 + Turbo Booster = the original PCE + AV Booster.

The PAL TG-16 (DIN) = Coregrafx.

[Tatsujin]

i never talked about the PAL monstrosity. watch the picture, it's self explaining

[Ceti Alpha]

its a big'n but i like how it fills the TG16 out but why sell the booster and the booster plus!!! hells the kid with the regular booster would be teased from the booster plus crew

The Booster came out first and from what I remember, the Booster Plus got delayed several times. I never did get to see a Booster Plus in Canada.

I was very happy with my Booster until I got a Turbo-CD.

They had the Booster Plus here in Halifax, IIRC.

I love the TG look though. It's not as nice as the PCE on its own, but you hook the TG-CD to it and it is gorgeous. I never got the booster BITD, but I teetered on the decision.

[Joe Redifer]

[Turbo D]

  Being an American; that system is of my dreams! lol! Does the Super TurboBooster II' EX + Alpha allow me to play super grafx games?

[Joe Redifer]

No.  It allows game saves, composite video out, RCA stereo out AND a headphone jack.

[nat]

hahahahaha, oh shit that just made my week.

[Keranu]

Is this sponsored by John Holmes? I'm buying it.

[Ceti Alpha]

It looks like the Turbografx is jumping to warp.

[esteban]

A match made in heaven:

[Alt-Nintega]

Back in the 80's people were complete dipshits (unlike these days where everyone is smart)

I strongly disagree because in this decade, many people let George W. Bush stay in the White House for another 4 years. 

[guyjin]

A match made in heaven:

it's like the mutant child of a TG16 and a neo geo! 

[Tatsujin]

THIS IS MADNESS!!

[Ceti Alpha]

So this is why George Bush is opposed to stem cell research! 

[Turbo D]

George Bush doesn't want me to use stem cell research to bond a turbo with ps3 for bluray arcade cd madness!

[spenoza]

You forgot to change the name to Military Fatness.

[Alt-Nintega]

Oh my Sara looks different with that Super Turbo Booster II EX+ Alpha 

[esteban]

You forgot to change the name to Military Fatness.

Hahahahhaaaa. I was going to recycle my old (lame) comment that HuCard was short for HumongousCard, but Fatness puts that nonsense to shame.

[Keranu]

Oh my Sara looks different with that Super Turbo Booster II EX+ Alpha 

How exactly would you play a CD with the booster on? Perhaps the Super Turbo Booster II EX+ Alpha already includes CD support (as well as HD DVD/BluRay/Laserdisc support, of course).

[Joe Redifer]

I know the Super TurboBooster II' EX + Alpha can play Blu-ray, LaserDisc and Vinyls, not sure about 8-track cassettes or CDs, though.

[nectarsis]

The 8 track player was a seperate addon w/cassette capability.

[Keranu]

I heard it can run CEDs as well.

[sideshow]

Turbo Booster plus was such a ripoff.  I mean if it gave you digital 5.1 suround it would of been worth it but come on.  The turbo CD expansion was worth it mainly because of Ys I and II but booster is a not go.  It was a marketing hoax of the 80's.  Good idea making it a huge piece of hardware.  Tricked most people in thinking it could tap into the pentagon and such.

[CrackTiger]

Turbo Booster plus was such a ripoff.  I mean if it gave you digital 5.1 suround it would of been worth it but come on.  The turbo CD expansion was worth it mainly because of Ys I and II but booster is a not go.  It was a marketing hoax of the 80's.  Good idea making it a huge piece of hardware.  Tricked most people in thinking it could tap into the pentagon and such.

The Booster Plus was the equivalent of a back up ram cart in the 32+-bit generation. It was still worth it just for composite out. Getting to replace the shell in the back with something you never have to remove just to plug in the ac adaptor was a bonus too.

The PS3 shipping with only composite cables for hundreds of dollars more than the Xbox 360 is a way bigger rip off than the TG-16 requiring a Turbo Booster to use a video connection most TVs didn't even support at the time.

Where I lived the Turbo-CD was $800 and the Turbo Booster was $50. Not only were dollars much more valuable back then, it was more so if you weren't an adult. The Turbo-CD only ran two games for quite a while. Even after Ys I & II finally came out, that was a huge amount of money to run a single game. Plus the Turbo-CD was such a huge piece of hardware that the combo was the largest console since the pre-8-bit generation.

Try telling a kid who doesn't want to continue keeping pages of password logs just to play Dragon's Curse or continue guessing at all the password icons in Neutopia that look identical to others on TV sets of the time in RF that they should steal a few cars to finance a Turbo-CD instead of simply skipping their next game purchase to make many of the games they've already own playable.

[Gentlegamer]

I've discovered that the Xbox makes a great Turbografx-16 + TurboBooster shelf in your entertainment center since it has pretty much the same footprint. 

[CrackTiger]

I've discovered that the Xbox makes a great Turbografx-16 + TurboBooster shelf in your entertainment center since it has pretty much the same footprint. 

The Xbox would make a good shelf for most consoles, except that the top isn't flat. Mine has a permanent spot near my projector and usually when I hook up a different console, they sit on top of the Xbox. The problem is that they often slide around, even something heavy like the 360.

[Tatsujin]

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[Joe Redifer]

....

[Ceti Alpha]

/flounderzm6.jpg

haha. I wonder what it tastes like.

[Tatsujin]

i guess it tastes of big failure.