There were many classic game consoles that were popular during the 80’s and the 90’s including Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, PlayStation, and the Neo Geo.  Such game systems are generally known by most people as some of the best consoles to be released in international markets worldwide prior to the 2000’s.  However, when most of us think about game systems there are usually some consoles that we often forget about.  An example of such as console would included the PC Engine also known as the TurboGrafx-16 developed by NEC Home Electronics and released in Japan during 1987.  The graphics of the Turbografx-16 were great for its time and could definitely challenge the likes of the Nintendo Entertainment System  in terms of gameplay.

The TurboGrafx-16 was unique because it was a cross between 8-bit gameplay and 16-bit color design which arguably in some ways make the games for this console appealing.  Despite, being a game system with potential to rival the NES the TurboGrafx-16 was released a year before the Sega Master System made its debut in fall of 1988.   While the graphics for the TurboGrafx-16 games resembled a refined version of many NES titles the Sega Master System provided innovative 16-bit graphics and gameplay with popular titles such as the Phantasy Star series.  As many of us know the TurboGrafx-16 did not perform as well in terms of sales especially in countries such as the United States.  One of the problems was the fact that the TurboGrafx-16 was released a few years to late.   Ever since the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the summer of 1983  8-bit gaming was very popular in arcades worldwide.  The early to mid 80’s was the time period where people  had become well acquainted with 8-bit games such as the Mario, Megaman, and Zelda series.

The NES had a three plus year advantage in sales over the TurboGrafx-16 following its release along with the fact that the gaming industry was evolving.   As we progressed into the late 80’s and early 90’s 16-bit gaming became popular and the TurboGrafx-16 found itself competing with the likes of Sega Genesis and the NES.  Even though the TurboGrafx-16 had impressive graphics for its time the original price for the console was $199.  The TurboGrafx-16 was had the same price the NES had during its initial release a few years earlier.  Almost a year after the TurboGrafx-16 was released the Sega Genesis was priced for approximately $189.  Some people would probably argue that if the TurboGrafx-16 was released between 1983-1984 it could have sold much more internationally.  Despite, not selling as much as the NES the TurboGrafx-16 managed to sell at least 10 million units worldwide which was great considering the amount of competition that both Nintendo and Sega provided in the late 80’s and early 90’s.