PC Engine
Released October 30, 1987 in Japan. Co-developed by NEC and Hudson Soft, the tiny white console offered surprising power and ushered in the CD-ROM era.
At a Glance
- Manufacturer: NEC (with Hudson Soft)
- Launch (Japan): 1987-10-30
- CPU: Hudson HuC6280 (8-bit with 16-bit graphics capabilities)
- Media: HuCard (credit card-sized ROMs), later CD-ROM² add-on
- Regional counterpart: TurboGrafx-16 (North America/Europe)
Design & Features
Despite its small footprint, the PC Engine packed impressive graphical capabilities thanks to its custom chipset. The use of thin HuCards made cartridges highly portable. Later, NEC expanded the ecosystem with the CD-ROM² add-on in 1988, pioneering the use of CDs in console gaming.
CD-ROM Pioneer
The add-on CD-ROM² system introduced larger storage, CD-quality audio, and full-motion video—redefining what console games could be.
Compact Form
At launch, the PC Engine was the smallest console of its era, yet visually outperformed many rivals, especially in 2D sprite handling.
Games & Impact
The PC Engine hosted arcade-quality shooters, colorful platformers, and early CD-based RPGs. It became especially beloved in Japan for its shooter library and contributed to the 16-bit console wars with Sega and Nintendo.
- R-Type, Bonk’s Adventure (PC Genjin), Ys Book I & II, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood
- Popular among shooter fans for titles from Hudson, Compile, and Konami
Collector’s Notes
- Variants: CoreGrafx, SuperGrafx, Duo (combined CD-ROM units), each with unique collector value.
- HuCards: Slim, fragile compared to standard cartridges—condition matters.
- CD media: Check disc rot and drive belt wear on older units.
Specs (Quick)
- CPU: Hudson Soft HuC6280 @ 7.16 MHz
- Graphics: 256×240 typical resolution, 482 colors available, 64 on screen
- Audio: 6 PSG channels, expandable with CD-ROM add-on
- Media: HuCard, CD-ROM²