A unicorn got away... The "PC Duo", model# HES-DUO-02

[Psycho Nulltard]

http://ebay.com/itm/252255385713

I can find no information about this... anywhere.  At first glance it is a plain vanilla DUO-R, but closer inspection reveals a "PC-DUO" name.  Manufactured in June 1993 and a model# which succeeds the PC Engine Duo (HES-DUO-01)... could this be a Duo-R prototype?

[Otaking]

Rarer than the glossy Duo!

[elmer]

Interesting ... I wonder if the new owner knows that it's a bit different.

Would be interesting to get a look at the motherboard.

[NecroPhile]

I suppose it could be a prototype of sorts (the main difference being the different screened label and a sticker for preliminary regulation stuff that ended up being molded in the production units), but more of a production validation test unit; that's the last step before full production, as opposed to a prototype that likely wouldn't look quite so finished.  I wonder if there's any differences on the inside, maybe something as simple as a different pcb number.

It could conceivably also be a scam, as the sticker and labels would be easy enough to fake.  I doubt it, though, seeing as it wasn't pushed off as teh rarez or sold for substantially more than other Duo-Rs.

[CrackTiger]

Although it may very well have been painted that way in the factory, chances are that's all that was unique about it and all we nissed out on is Malibu Stacy with a hat.

[Sarumaru]

Nulltard pointed this out to me and I tried to bid last minute but didn't win, unfortunately. I was curious as to see what the board for this unit looked like. The name suggests that it was before the DUO-R but sequential to the naming convention to that of the TurboDuo which I found quite interesting. If it was a fake, it's a very good one. It would have meant that whatever company manufactured it is familiar with these numbers already and mimicked them to look legitimate. However, I do not think this is the case. I am going to take a guess that there were at least 200 of these units made, likely sent to retailers/testers or what have you, to showcase the new, sleek unit prior to its inception and when the final product was made, it was renamed to the DUO-R... or at least, it's my speculation.

[mickcris]

looks to me like that was meant for the USA since it has the HES code on it and and FCC sticker.   I glanced at that auction and put in a fairly low snipe.  I would have put in a higher bid had I been paying a bit more attention and looked at all of the pictures.

HES-ACA-06 would have been the next code for a US power supply as the Turbo Duo's supply was HES-ACA-05.  It is the US Turbo Duo that has the code HES-DUO-01 not the PC Engine Duo.  The FCC regulation stuff (be it molded or a sticker) would not have been on a Japanese unit.

Too bad it did not have the original power supply and controller with it too.  He states it plays PC Engine Hu Cards though so it probably was just a mock up with a Duo-R board in it.  Would be really interesting though if it did play USA cards

I doubt it was a scam as the seller did not seem to know they had something unique.

[blueraven]

Had pretty much the same experience here... I didn't realize that there was no "R" in the duo, and had I been aware of that I probably would have made a run for it.

[mickcris]

hopefully when the buyer gets it, they post some pics and info somewhere.  i am thinking probably someone bought it that knew it was not a normal Duo-R as I think the price should not have gone that high with it being just the console and those 2 controllers.

Would be interesting to see if it has more shielding inside than a normal Duo-R.  Also curious about if the CD bios is English and if it plays US or JPN cards.  Would be crazy if it ended up being a Turbo Duo 2 prototype.  I would kick myself though for not bidding higher.

[esteban]

This model was going to marketed along with DUO Link cable as an external CD-ROM for PCs.

[mickcris]

This model was going to marketed along with DUO Link cable as an external CD-ROM for PCs.

Do you know if it was for the Japanese or USA market?  Just seems odd that it has the FCC sticker and USA model codes for the console and power supply.

[SignOfZeta]

This model was going to marketed along with DUO Link cable as an external CD-ROM for PCs.

That makes the most sense as an explanation for the weird name.

This is truely an auction both very special and also incredibly mundane.

[SignOfZeta]

Well, the SCSI adaptor went into the HuCARD port so if it was intended for US then it would have to be wired as such.

However, the only picture I've ever seen of the CD-ROM setup for computers showed a very early prototype board and a standard black Duo. If they made 100 of these they all stayed in Japan.

Fuck, I don't know, after than SNES CD-ROM turned up, something I would have bet $100 was never that far along but clearly it was, I suppose anything is possible.

I hope it turns up again some day.

[rcantor77]

This is an awesome spot... never seen one of these before.

I'll add it to my site so we don't lose the pics...

[ParanoiaDragon]

Although it may very well have been painted that way in the factory, chances are that's all that was unique about it and all we nissed out on is Malibu Stacy with a hat.

But it's got a new hat!!! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT!

[incrediblehark]

I saw this auction and didn't realize it was unique, as I was interested in getting a new duo-r. wish i had payed more attention.

[shubibiman]

 

Even in 2016, we're still discovering new things about obey !

[wilykat]

Even in 2016, we're still discovering new things about obey !

Now if we can find a boxed SCSI adapter board to plug Duo to a PC. 

[Sarumaru]

There will never be any more rarer than the GLOSSY DUO!!

[shubibiman]

In case you were wondering, here is a pic of the back of a japanese DUO-R :



And here is a pic of a Turboduo :



Makes things even clearer.

[sirhcman]

It will be for sale again soon guys.. Good luck getting it for a cheap price though!

[esteban]

There will never be any more rarer than the GLOSSY DUO!!

Glossy DUO!

Dipped in Armor All...

[Psycho Punch]

Bling-bling.

[jperryss]

Is anyone considering sending a message to the seller about it? Just something like "We'd love to know more about his unit, can you ask the buyer to contact us?" and leave it at that.

Maybe wait a week so he doesn't say "OMG RAER!" and try to screw the winning bidder.

[stlpaul]

Oh man, I saw that one too when I was shopping for a Duo-R and skimmed past it for whatever reason. 

[rcantor77]

Is anyone considering sending a message to the seller about it? Just something like "We'd love to know more about his unit, can you ask the buyer to contact us?" and leave it at that.

Maybe wait a week so he doesn't say "OMG RAER!" and try to screw the winning bidder.

I have already messaged the seller... all he told me is that he recently found it locally to him.

[technozombie]

I just saw Pat the NES punk talking about this on youtube. I was surprised to hear that that Signofzeta is friends with Ian. 

Also, Pat tells why he doesn't come to this forum any more.

link for those interested in watching.

[Otaking]

I saw earlier that Pat the NES Punk was reading this thread.

[johnnykonami]

I just saw Pat the NES punk talking about this on youtube. I was surprised to here that that Signofzeta is friends with Ian. 

Also, Pat tells why he doesn't come to this forum any more.

link for those interested in watching.

I want to get this guy some armrests so bad, watching him sit makes me uncomfortable.

[Otaking]

Also... Was there a capacitor issue with the original duo? I mean, sure they started failing 20 years later.... But in the early 90s they should have been solid, no?

Exactly what I was thinking, first I heard of Duo capacitor problems was in the 2000s.

Also as far as I remember reading at the time the Duo-R was a cheaper replacement for original Duo. As in the Duo-R had cheaper components, so it retailed for cheaper. Just turned out 20 years later that the capacitors were actually better in the Duo-R. But this was not NEC's intention, they thought they were making a cheaper model. I only mention this as Ian says in the video the point of NEC releasing the Duo-R was to improve the capacitors, this was not the case.

[CrackTiger]

Wow, that Pat guy can't say anything about Turbo/PCE without getting it wrong. Sounds like he skimmed a TG-16 wiki page for a minute before doing the video.

[Dicer]

I just saw Pat the NES punk talking about this on youtube. I was surprised to here that that Signofzeta is friends with Ian. 

Also, Pat tells why he doesn't come to this forum any more.

link for those interested in watching.

I want to get this guy some armrests so bad, watching him sit makes me uncomfortable.

I cant look at him sit like that, ow...

[esteban]

Yeah, the YouTubesPat&Company had some wacky ideas.

(1) I was flattered they took my tongue-in-cheek PCDUO proposal (branding for external PC CD-ROM drive/IntelligentLink https://archives.tg-16.com/EB/big_intelligent_link.jpg https://archives.tg-16.com/TURBOFORCE/TF-03-04.jpg https://archives.tg-16.com/archive-four/TF-04-27.jpg ) seriously, but I don't know how much credence I would put into it. The timeline might fit...but TTi was sitting on a warehouse of unsold stock DUOs IN 1993, so there was 0% chance of bringing the DUO-R over.

(2) No capacitor issues in 90's, so this item would not have been a "replacement DUO-R" for "defective DUOs" (DUO-R = hardware revision to allow REDUCED PRICE https://archives.tg-16.com/Gekkan_PC_Engine_1993_05.htm#duo_r_reduced_price )

(2.5) TTi was sitting on a LOT of unsold DUO consoles, so even if they were to replace a defective console, TTi would have unloaded the old stock DUOs that tested as "functional"...

(3) The DUO-R was released in May 1993 in Japan...it is conceivable that TTi had an existing (old) contract for a North American version of DUO-R to be mocked-up... *just in case* the NA DUO sold well.

However, this contract/commission would have to *pre-date TTi's official October 1992 launch of NA DUO to make any sense, though*....because when TTi actually launched the NA DUO, they realized that sales were anything but brisk.

So, did TTi contract/commission PCDUO prematurely in mid-1992, pre-DUO launch? When TTi was hopeful? Optimistic?

PCDUO remains a conundrum.

[NecroPhile]

It's standard youtube know nothing bullshit.

[xcrement5x]

I just saw Pat the NES punk talking about this on youtube. I was surprised to here that that Signofzeta is friends with Ian. 

Also, Pat tells why he doesn't come to this forum any more.

link for those interested in watching.

I want to get this guy some armrests so bad, watching him sit makes me uncomfortable.

I cant look at him sit like that, ow...

No joke, eeesh.

I have to "watch" this in the background.

[Enternal]

Just going to add a few things

100%
-Since it has FCC approval there should be a record that might give a clue when this thing was planned.


-I think its safe to assume these are the controllers that came with this system. which doesn't make sense.....but does it if its a prototype?

-I wonder if it plays turbografx or pc engine games...or both

-Did anyone contact the seller asking him to contact the buyer to try and get some more information?

And some ideas ranging in possibility

-It could be a prototype to save costs. I know Turbo Duo sales were on life support, but sometimes different teams are working on different products. It's possible when the Duo R was being designed early plans for US implementation was green lit resulting in this unit, and possibly more that were scrapped.

-Maybe it was a unit being planned by possible partnership with another company like Majesco did with Sega products.

-There has been multiple "lost" or unknown consoles and prototypes discovered with the SNES CD last year so although i'm surprised, im not shocked.


-As far as it being a unit to work in conjunction with a computer, I would put that at unlikely. Although at least this was the time to do it.

Examples

3DO Blaster (Add on for the computer to play 3do games)

Diamond Edge 3d (Card that allowed PC play of saturn ports also used regular saturn controllers)

And finally the most likely reason:

[NecroPhile]

There is no actual FCC approval.  Like the TurboDuo before it, it's self certified to comply with FCC regulations.

[SignOfZeta]

Yeah, the capacitor theory is way off. My first US Duo was defective (replaced at EB in early 93, IIRC), but I seriously doubt the issue was caps. The drive made an obnoxious singing sound and would occasionally take forever to load. I honestly doubt that NEC *ever* came to understand the capacitor plague as it existed in the black Duos, although I'm sure they encountered it in the thousands of other products they sold during that time. The white Duos not having cap issues was just pure luck and by the time the black Duos started failing NEC had already washed itself completely of all things video game except for Power VR and maybe a few Avenue releases on other people's systems.

The Duo R was a cost saving revision, that's it. Just like the SNES Jr, top loading SNES, PSOne, etc. I don't know why people can't seem to understand this.

[SignOfZeta]

Also, the idea that this was a prototype aimed at people who would buy it with PC CD-ROM functionality in mind makes as much sense as anything I can imagine so I don't have a problem with declaring, tentatively, that this was the main idea.

Another thing I'll mention, don't get too hung up on product release dates when trying to gauge what was going on with prototypes. It can lead you down the wrong path. Also, don't get too hung up on feasability. Sometimes things were in development long before it was actually possible to make them, and sometimes things stay in development longer after they could ever realistically go into production. Keep in mind that this product was never released, so there probably *was* something stupid about it. That's why it didn't come out.


It sure would be nice to see inside that thing...

[esteban]

Also, the idea that this was a prototype aimed at people who would buy it with PC CD-ROM functionality in mind makes as much sense as anything I can imagine so I don't have a problem with declaring, tentatively, that this was the main idea.

Another thing I'll mention, don't get too hung up on product release dates when trying to gauge what was going on with prototypes. It can lead you down the wrong path. Also, don't get too hung up on feasability. Sometimes things were in development long before it was actually possible to make them, and sometimes things stay in development longer after they could ever realistically go into production. Keep in mind that this product was never released, so there probably *was* something stupid about it. That's why it didn't come out.


It sure would be nice to see inside that thing...

I agree: I think that, assuming this isn't an elaborate prank to tease 3-4 humans, the concept for the PCDUO predates NA TurboDUO launch.

[MattJ]

This "PC Duo" is certainly an interesting discovery, if it does turn out to be the real deal.

I've been trying to see if I could find any information on it through the FCC. I figure if it has a FCC sticker on it, like the American TurboDuo, then there must be some sort of record if the HES-DUO-02 was registered with them.

Well, the FCC's record search is not the most user-friendly site. There are various grantee and product code numbers you need to know to narrow down your search. (I'm a librarian so I deal with this sort of stuff every day).

After digging around a bit I did manage to find info on the original TurboGrafx-16. It was registered under "NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc" with a grantee code of A3D. The grantee code is important because it makes it easier to search for an item.
https://fccid.io/A3D

The full FCC code is A3DHESTGX01, using HESTGX01 as the product code brings up this:
https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/GenericSearchResult.cfm?RequestTimeout=500

However, entering various versions of "HES-DUO-01" turns up no results. Even looking under the A3D grantee code, I cannot find any other Turbo-related products. I was hoping I could find FCC info on the American TurboDuo HES-DUO-01 and see if that led to a new grantee code, or one connected to the PC Duo listing of the HES-DUO-02. So far, no luck.

I'm going to keep looking, and see if any other listing for a NEC brand or subdivision leads anywhere. Am I missing something, or does anyone have any other information they would like to add in?  :

[shabba]

Well, it's been a month. Any new info on this? It's an intriguing story for sure.

[Bernie]

It will be for sale again soon guys.. Good luck getting it for a cheap price though!

No it wont........


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