Why is the TurboGrafx so popular regionally or? Where are you from Poll

[DragonmasterDan]

I decided to make this very strange poll because it seems to come up quite frequently in the shotbox. The TurboGrafx seems to be in proportionately popular in certain regions of the country. I thought it might be a good idea to test this out and find out where you're from, and also what got you into the TurboGrafx in the first place.

[nectarsis]

Chicagoland (includes Indiana and Wisconsin)...this = MEGA FAIL

[DragonmasterDan]

Chicagoland (includes Indiana and Wisconsin)...this = MEGA FAIL

I used it based on the Wikipedia definition, basically states that border the Chicago area.

Added in edit: I've renamed that grouping.

[ccovell]

In Vancouver, Canada, department stores like Sears, the Bay, etc. all carried the Turbo, but after 1991(?) when the system was clearly dying and the games slowed to a trickle, the only noticeable holdouts to the very end were Radio Shack and Compucentre.  That was my experience, at least.

[kattare]

"The West Coast" is a pretty big place.  ;-)

[PunkCryborg]

I had to pick the South even though in central to southern Florida we consider ourselves "South of the South" or "America's Wang". Please add "America's Wang" to the poll.
Thank you.

[DragonmasterDan]

I had to pick the South even though in central to southern Florida we consider ourselves "South of the South" or "America's Wang". Please add "America's Wang" to the poll.
Thank you.

Adjusted, slightly

[chany60126]

Chicagoland (includes Indiana and Wisconsin)...this = MEGA FAIL

I am guessing Southern Canada would have been more a more appropriate region description for Wisconsin.

[chany60126]

If Texas got its own category, I think California should have gotten it's own as well apart from the 'west coast' category.

[DragonmasterDan]

If Texas got its own category, I think California should have gotten it's own as well apart from the 'west coast' category.

Adjusted

[BlueBMW]

I voted the South.  I guess Knoxville, TN is the south, but I consider it the northern south

[nectarsis]

Chicagoland (includes Indiana and Wisconsin)...this = MEGA FAIL

I used it based on the Wikipedia definition, basically states that border the Chicago area.

Added in edit: I've renamed that grouping.

I have NEVER heard anyone describe even parts of Wisconsin, or Indiana that way (peeps from any of those 3 states).  

P.S.  You guys can have Beloit, Kenosha, and Racine...we don't really want em

[chany60126]

I have to agree with nectarsis on that one

[PunkCryborg]

I had to pick the South even though in central to southern Florida we consider ourselves "South of the South" or "America's Wang". Please add "America's Wang" to the poll.
Thank you.

lol thanks.

I've actually wondered though if Turbo fans are still concentrated in the areas of where they were originally most popular and marketed. I know When I was a kid in California I saw Turbo stuff at game stores often. When I moved to Florida in '94 I didn't know anyone with one and only 1 person traded in any Turbo stuff to my friends mom's game store. It was a Duo with Air Zonk Rockabilly Paradise and Bonk's Adventure. I didn't see anything else till I found my Turbo in 2005 in a thrift store.

Adjusted, slightly

[hizaygizirlz]

Chicagoland.  I am 90% sure I got mine from the Toys R Us in North Riverside.  Where I would eventually work many years later.  I think I bought most if not all of my games there too. (Prior to internet TZD, eBay, etc). 

I do remember being pissed that Funcoland carried used games for seemingly every other console but the TG when they opened up.

[BigT]

Here in California (LA area), the Turbografx was relatively popular... I knew about 5 other people in my circle of friends who had one.  Of course, this was still nowhere near the market penetration of the NES!  Also, I knew no one around me who had a Turbo CD attachment or TurboExpress.  From personal experience, I can attest that the high prices of these items made them a tough sell to parents... I was able to get a TG16 when it went down to $99.99.  Eventually, they were selling it for $49.99 with an extra pack-in game...  I didn't move to the CD until after the Duo came out.

Back in the day, most of the big stores around me carried TG16 games... still remember seeing that Toy's R Us had Magical Chase for $49.99 and I felt that it was overpriced     At that time, I had already moved to the SNES or CD games and turbochips seemed quaint... Babbages also usually had a good selection...

Oh and I think I read that NEC/TTI mainly focused on large markets for advertising and distribution... so that probably explains the regional aspect.

[guyjin]

I'm from Iowa. the only place I ever saw Turbo ads was on Cable and in Magazines, the former only rarely. Most stores in my area did not carry turbo goods (I know Toys R us did, but that's the only one I know of.) I know of only one person in this area who had one back in the day.

[chany60126]

I am from Chicagoland as well. Back when the turbo was relevant, I remember asking for that system, but my parents got me a SNES instead. Time went by, and I eventually forgot about it since no one I knew had one.

Fast-forward to 2007, Retroware TV did a Special
on the Turbografx and focused specifically on the game Ninja Spirit, which really caught my attention.  A couple of weeks later, I sought out this system, and was able to obtain one from a Craigslist seller that lived in Bloomingdale. The game that came with the system was Blazing Lazers, and that immediately won me over and I have been hooked ever since.

[BigT]

I'm from Iowa. the only place I ever saw Turbo ads was on Cable and in Magazines, the former only rarely. Most stores in my area did not carry turbo goods (I know Toys R us did, but that's the only one I know of.) I know of only one person in this area who had one back in the day.

Yeah, it was totally different in Southern California... there were a bunch of turbo grafx commercials on TV.  Toys R Us, Circuit City, Best, Babbage's, Fedco, Sears, Montgomery Ward all carried it.  Many of the stores had playable displays.

I think that if they made the CD attachment more affordable or just included it standard from the get-go (kind of like an americanized pc-engine + CD-ROM2), things may have been a bit different...

[Jesse813]

Northeast in Pottstown, Pennsylvania which is 45 mins from Philadelphia. I don't remember seeing TurboGrafx-16 ads when I was younger just a bunch of stuff for Nintendo, Sega & Sony

[nat]

I've been in the Seattle area for the past 20+ years, and I can say that Seattle was a pretty major market for the Turbo. I knew of a bunch of other people that had one back in the day, but everybody knew about it.

[Bernie]

Virginia here, so I voted South as well.  I want to say we got out Turbo Grafx 16 from Toys'R Us and I got my Duo from Electronics Boutique which is now Game Stop I believe.  We actually had games and systems for sale in my area up till my graduation year of 1994.  Of course the amount of shelf space it got was pitiful....

[CrackTiger]

In Vancouver, Canada, department stores like Sears, the Bay, etc. all carried the Turbo, but after 1991(?) when the system was clearly dying and the games slowed to a trickle, the only noticeable holdouts to the very end were Radio Shack and Compucentre.  That was my experience, at least.

This was pretty much how it was in northern BC. Although I was lucky enough to have an independent store locally and a couple in the next town that carried Turbo for a while, in the end Radio Shack was my savior.

[roflmao]

During the Turbo's heyday I lived in Hawaii, so I checked "Other".  It had a pretty good sized following back then, I knew one or two other people who had one.  I remember seeing commercials for it on TV, and there were a lot of game shops that carried pretty good sized import libraries, especially after the CD attachment was released.  I'll never forget the day I came home with Spriggan.  That game blew me away!

[Mathius]

Chigacoland area. Oddly enough, I remember seeing Turbo goods all over the Indianapolis area, but I never bought one until a few years back, and I never had any friends who had one either.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Cleveland, OH is a tiny classic gaming hub.  We've got the tiny local show, and then another in Columbus.

the local game shop owner is a Turbo fan.

all the cool kids are turbo fans.

and then theres the wannabes.   They show up every year at the convention.

OH, THE TURBO GRAPHIXS (you know thats how theyd spell it if they typed it), YEAH THAT THING DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO COMPETE WITH BLAST PROCESSING.  NEC DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.  THERE WEREN'T EVEN ANY GOOD GAMES.  SONIC WAS BETTER THAN BONK.

Shut up and keep walking please.  Its for your own safety.

[NecroPhile]

I'm from Iowa. the only place I ever saw Turbo ads was on Cable and in Magazines, the former only rarely. Most stores in my area did not carry turbo goods (I know Toys R us did, but that's the only one I know of.) I know of only one person in this area who had one back in the day.

You should've crossed the river - Babbages, Sears, Toys Я Us, Montgomery Ward, and Service Merchandise all had Turbobs.

[bartre]

I'm in nebraska, but again, i can't remember even hearing about the TG until after the ps2 came out.
now that i have one, i get to feel superior to all of my gamer buddies, as i'm the only guy who has one, and any games that aren't keith courage.

[Eltigro]

Am I the only one in Texas?

[OldMan]

I'm sorry, I know this is off-topic and mean, but I can't resist the setup.....

Look Left. Look Right. Look Behind you. If you don't see anyone else, yes....You're

the only one in Texas?

I'm in Cleveland, Ohio, btw. Feel free to make with the jokes now...

[Arkhan Asylum]

Theres what, 5 of us on here from Ohio?

Me, Fragmare, OldMan, Spenoza

theres another PCEdevver from Ohio also, and I think someone else, and soon Rover will be OhioToledoDOOM.

so, WE WIN.

[Damaramu]

Texan here.

[SamIAm]

Originally from Montana. I never met a local who even knew what a TG-16 was back in the day, much less actually owned one. Aside from a couple retro-game fans, it's still that way now.

[neoxeno]

I could vote for 2 choices but I choose Canada. I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that is also in the North East . I got my first TG16 around 5 years ago but when I was young, I was always intrigued by this console. It was in all big retailers.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

Got my turbob in '94, right towards the end.  The only place I've ever seen them were at gaming/used game stores.  I heard they were also being sold in Sears (funtronics) in the early 90's too in the local Mall, but never saw them first hand.


So, if WI is in the Chicagoland area, does that mean we have to root for the Bulls now?