Introduction to the PC-Engine
Sakharu Baguette has created an excellent documentary which explores the history of the PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North America), detailing its rise as a major rival to Nintendo in Japan and its struggle to find footing in the US 1.
How were games distributed for the PC-Engine?
Instead of bulky cartridges, games were released on HuCards (credit-card-sized chips), which were cheaper to make and futuristic for the time.
How did the PC Engine work?
Retro48K has an excellent video diving in to the low level details of the PC engine hardware:
What CPU did the PC-Engine use?
The PC-Engine used the 8-bit Hudson Soft HuC6280, an enhanced 65C02 derivative running at selectable 1.79 or 7.16 MHz. It added a memory management unit for bank switching, integrated timers and IRQ handling, and simple I/O functions, making it a compact but efficient control CPU for the system.
Hardware
Retail Hardware
If you’re interested in learning more about the hardware architecture of the NES, we highly recommend checking out the post on Copetti.org.
Consumer Development Hardware
Develo box
The Develo box was a development kit sold to consumers allowing development of PC-Engine software via either an interface that can connect to either the MSX or PC-9801 2. It was created by Tokuma Shoten Intermedia.
From the book “The untold history of Japanese Game Developers Volume 2” we can see a photo of the Develo Box in action:
There were two books released for the plaform, one for assembly language and the other for basic, you can find out more on Develo Books
For more images of the Develo Box check out the page on Generation MSX: Tokuma Shoten Intermedia - DEVELOでべろBOX - Generation MSX
Sound on the PC-Engine
Interview with Takayuki Hirono where he explains the differences between the sound capabilities of the Famicom compared to the PC-engine: An Interview with 8ing and developers from Compile and TechnoSoft - YouTube
Magazine Interviews
The magazine index collects developer interviews tagged for this system across all indexed magazines.
| Magazine | Issue | Pages | Developer | Platforms | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retro Gamer | 135 | pp. 36-41 | Alex Davis and TurboGrafx-16 developers | TurboGrafx-16 | Developers recall Western games for the TurboGrafx-16. |
| Retro Gamer | 174 | pp. 56-62 | Toshihiro Kondo | PC-88, PC Engine, PSP, PlayStation Vita | Falcom’s president discusses the design and evolution of the Ys series. |
| Retro Gamer | 177 | p. 26 | John Brandstetter | PC Engine | The former NEC and Hudson representative discusses the PC Engine hardware and US launch. |
| Retro Gamer | 204 | p. 20 | Hiromasa Iwasaki | PC Engine | The veteran developer answers questions about programming Ys Book I & II and Tengai Makyou II. |
| Retro Gamer | 214 | pp. 6-7 | Christopher Taber | PC Engine | Analogue’s founder discusses the design of the Analogue Duo. |
| Retro Gamer | 220 | pp. 18-27 | Kazuma Kujo | Arcade, PC Engine, PlayStation | Kujo traces the R-Type series and discusses its forthcoming sequel. |
| Retro Gamer | 224 | pp. 58-63 | Toshihiro Kondo | PC-88, PC Engine, PSP | Kondo recounts the history and games of Nihon Falcom. |
| Retro Gamer | 231 | pp. 69-70 | Shinya Nagatomo and Toshinobu Kondo | Arcade, PC Engine, Nintendo Switch | The developers discuss creating Cotton and revisiting it for modern hardware. |
| Retro Gamer | 235 | pp. 18-29 | Ryuichi Nishizawa | Arcade, Master System, PC Engine | The series creator traces the design and history of Wonder Boy. |
| Retro Gamer | 242 | p. 45 | Mark Kirkby | Mega Drive, PC Engine, Game Boy | Kirkby answers technical questions about converting Turrican to three consoles. |