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NEC PC Engine console with controller

PC Engine

PCエンジン

No. 00430 Oct 1987

PC Engine

Manufacturer
NEC / Hudson Soft
Type
Home video game console
Note
Model PI-TG001

03

Overview

Overview

A home console jointly developed by Hudson Soft and NEC Home Electronics and released in Japan in 1987. Games were supplied on credit-card-sized HuCARDs, and from 1988 the CD-ROM² add-on allowed the system to run CD-ROM software.

Name in Japan
PCエンジン
Name in North America
TurboGrafx-16

04

Industrial Design

Industrial design

A compact body of about 140×135×40 mm and roughly 350 g, frequently cited as one of the smallest home consoles ever released.

PC Engine controller connector
PC Engine controller plug

05

Technical Specifications

Technical specifications

Model number
PI-TG001
CPU
Hudson HuC6280 (1.79 / 7.16 MHz)
Memory
RAM 8 KB, VRAM 64 KB
Graphics
HuC6260 + HuC6270
Display
Up to 512×240; up to 481–482 colors on screen from a 512-color palette
Bits (period term)
8-bit CPU with dual 16-bit graphics processors
Generation (Wikipedia)
4th generation

Values are from the sources below. Where sources differ, see the notes under Sources.

06

Controller

Controller

A detachable standard pad; with the optional multitap up to five controllers could be connected for five-player play.

07

Media Format

Media format

  • HuCARD
  • CD-ROM (with CD-ROM² add-on)

  • HuCard

    A thin, credit-card-sized ROM cartridge designed by Hudson Soft, introduced in 1987 as the PC Engine's software medium.

  • CD-ROM

    Optical discs sharing the audio CD format, used for data. Sources describe the PC Engine's CD-ROM² (1988) as the first use of CD-ROM as a home console game medium.

08

Launch & Context

Launch & historical context

Release (Japan)
30 Oct 1987[1]
Release (North America)
29 Aug 1989[1]
Launch price (Japan)
¥24,800(定価2万4800円（文春オンライン）)[4]
Units
5.84 million(shipped / sell-in · Japan · FY1995)[2]

Launched into a market dominated by Nintendo's Famicom, it was built around a 'core concept' of expanding the system through peripherals. Japanese Wikipedia reports a 24.7% domestic share in 1992.

09

Notable Games

Notable games

10

Gallery

Gallery

  • NEC PC Engine console with controller

    PC Engine with controller

  • PC Engine controller connector

    PC Engine controller plug

11

Timeline

Timeline

  1. 1983.07.15Family ComputerNintendo
  2. 1983.07.15SG-1000SEGA
  3. 1986.02.21Famicom Disk SystemNintendo
  4. 1987.10.30PC EngineNEC
  5. 1988.10.29Mega DriveSEGA
  6. 1988.12.04PC Engine CD-ROM² SystemNEC
  7. 1989.04.21Game BoyNintendo

12

Related Consoles

Related consoles

About NEC Home Electronics →

13

Sources

Sources

  1. [1]
    TurboGrafx-16

    Wikipedia (EN)

    ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
  2. [2]
    PCエンジン

    Wikipedia (JA)

    ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
  3. [3]
    「PCエンジン」生誕37周年！ カートリッジではなくHuCARDを採用。コンシューマ機世界初のCD-ROMにも対応

    GAME Watch (Impress)

    NewsAccessed 2026-09-26
  4. [4]
    ご存知ですか？ 10月30日はゲーム機「PCエンジン」が発売された日です

    文春オンライン

    NewsAccessed 2026-09-26
Notes on conflicting sources

Dimensions: GAME Watch gives 140×135×40 mm; EN Wikipedia gives 14×14×3.5 cm — GAME Watch value used. Units: EN Wikipedia cites 10 million HuCard systems worldwide (plus 1.92M CD units); 文春オンライン cites ~3.92 million domestic; JA Wikipedia 5.84M domestic shipments used. On-screen colors: JA 481 vs EN 482. EU (UK) release 1989-12-21 per EN Wikipedia, not cross-checked. No manufacturer (NEC) page available.

14

Image Credits

Image credits

  • PC Engine with controller

    NEC PC Engine console with controller

    PhotoEvan-Amos

    Wikimedia Commons·Public domain

  • PC Engine controller plug

    PC Engine controller connector

    PhotoEvan-Amos

    Wikimedia Commons·Public domain