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PC Engine/TG Appreciation and Collecting Thread, Because who needs a 2nd controller?

IrishNinja

IrishNinja

Member
^nah, how bad was it?

man, this finicky-ass thing...i swear it was working in the other power strip a minute ago; now not so much. it clearly does fine with extension cables to empty strips or open wall units, think i'm just gonna measure before i pass out & pick up a nice extension cable when i'm out tonight...if this were a lesser system i swear i'd just pack it up
 
T

Teknoman

Member
IrishNinja said:
fuuuuuuuuuuuuu just caught CS2 boxed for $40 but damn i wish i had $ left for Exile....ah well
Click to expand...

Well if you dont mind not having the box, there is one for 39 on ebay buy it now.

EDIT: Yeah, when in doubt, plug it in a wall. My Dreamcast fan just stopped working and wouldnt display while plugged in a power strip for some reason. Wall? Perfect.


Also how do we know its boxed? Sure its got the image of the box (which I had no idea they came like that until earlier in the thread) but it doesn't have a description. Unless Gamequest is pretty good about stuff like that.
 
bodine1231

bodine1231

Member
What would be the cheapest route if I just wanted to buy a flash cart (turbo everdrive) and play some shmups on og hardware? In the future I'd like to get a cd drive but I can't justify the price right now. There are so many different systems for this that it's a bit confusing on which to get.
 
Z

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
bodine1231 said:
What would be the cheapest route if I just wanted to buy a flash cart (turbo everdrive) and play some shmups on og hardware? In the future I'd like to get a cd drive but I can't justify the price right now. There are so many different systems for this that it's a bit confusing on which to get.
Click to expand...

Do you think you'll be buying many HuCards in the future?

Honestly I think getting a region modded system is the way to go for saving money long term, if you plan on getting a decently sized collection.
 
bodine1231

bodine1231

Member
ZealousD said:
Do you think you'll be buying many HuCards in the future?

Honestly I think getting a region modded system is the way to go for saving money long term, if you plan on getting a decently sized collection.
Click to expand...

No probably not, and if I did I would just keep them in the case and use the flash cart since it's more convenient.
 
R

RottenTanuki

Member
This thread brings back memories of 1995, when I was in Hong Kong and hit all the stores that were dumping their 16-bit games. Great games like Spriggan and Macross 2036 were going for $20. Crap I'm old...
 
bodine1231

bodine1231

Member
Screw it, I'm just gonna pick up a duo r from Doujindance. I'd rather spend the money on a nice console that's reliable than messing with a cd drive down the road. I contacted him to see if he'll have one soon and that I'll buy asap, hope he speaks english, lol.

I'll have to do some research on playing burned games though. I assume using high quality Yudins burned at a low speed is the best route?
 
baphomet

baphomet

Member
bodine1231 said:
Screw it, I'm just gonna pick up a duo r from Doujindance. I'd rather spend the money on a nice console that's reliable than messing with a cd drive down the road. I contacted him to see if he'll have one soon and that I'll buy asap, hope he speaks english, lol.

I'll have to do some research on playing burned games though. I assume using high quality Yudins burned at a low speed is the best route?
Click to expand...


Good luck, his auctions are usually up a few hours at most before they sell. I've been checking everyday for about a month now, and have yet to catch any of them.
 
D

Dicer

Banned
bodine1231 said:
Screw it, I'm just gonna pick up a duo r from Doujindance. I'd rather spend the money on a nice console that's reliable than messing with a cd drive down the road. I contacted him to see if he'll have one soon and that I'll buy asap, hope he speaks english, lol.

I'll have to do some research on playing burned games though. I assume using high quality Yudins burned at a low speed is the best route?
Click to expand...

I'm waiting on my IFU/PCE combo to arrive, all modded up for region and video.

A lot of original games can be had for reasonable prices out there, if you are going to have the real hardware, might wanna spring for some real software.

I did get Super Darius in the other day. damn this game is hard...
 
D

Dicer

Banned
Evenball said:
It's pretty easy to find Cosmic Fantasy 2 boxed and sealed. about 5 years ago someone was selling them on Ebay new old stock for $12 each. I wish I got in on that deal. It is still possible to get it under $40 though.
Click to expand...

Yeah I wish CF3 had a translation, hell so many PCE rpg's I'd love translations on...

Esp this, which was teased to come to the US

tumblr_n104qkt0qT1sv5uqro1_500.gif
 
7

7DollarHagane

Banned
i have wanted to get a tg16 or pc engine for so long but its such an expensive road to start down.

I feel like I might just be good with buying games on Wii Virtual console. I'm sure there are a handful of games i'm missing out on but are there really that many that aren't available on there?

Plus the expense/hassle of getting an rgb mod done, and if i really wanted to go all in, gettting a turbo duo r, that's like $300 minimum. Plus $100 for the everdrive if i go that route.
 
bodine1231

bodine1231

Member
7DollarHagane said:
i have wanted to get a tg16 or pc engine for so long but its such an expensive road to start down.

I feel like I might just be good with buying games on Wii Virtual console. I'm sure there are a handful of games i'm missing out on but are there really that many that aren't available on there?

Plus the expense/hassle of getting an rgb mod done, and if i really wanted to go all in, gettting a turbo duo r, that's like $300 minimum. Plus $100 for the everdrive if i go that route.
Click to expand...

If you are going for the cheapest route then virtual console is a good option. But I can tell you that playing the games on a crt with the original controller is a completely different experience. Whether that difference is worth all that extra $ is up to your bank account I guess.

If you do pick one up and decide it's not worth the cost you can always resell it for little or no loss.


Dicer said:
I'm waiting on my IFU/PCE combo to arrive, all modded up for region and video.

A lot of original games can be had for reasonable prices out there, if you are going to have the real hardware, might wanna spring for some real software.

I did get Super Darius in the other day. damn this game is hard...
Click to expand...

I may pick up my favorites down the road like I did with my snes. For now I just want to sample everything.
 
Z

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
bodine1231 said:
I'll have to do some research on playing burned games though. I assume using high quality Yudins burned at a low speed is the best route?
Click to expand...

I've been using Silver MAM-As with some success. Only a couple games I couldn't burn, but I don't know if its because my laptop could only burn as low as 10x or if its the discs themselves. Seem to work fine with Sega CD. Ive heard MAM-As are comparable to the Taiyo Yudens.

Make sure any discs you buy are 650MB though.
 
B

bishopcruz

Member
bodine1231 said:
Screw it, I'm just gonna pick up a duo r from Doujindance. I'd rather spend the money on a nice console that's reliable than messing with a cd drive down the road. I contacted him to see if he'll have one soon and that I'll buy asap, hope he speaks english, lol.
Click to expand...

Define "speak english". I had to help out IrishNinja with some tech stuff early on with the Duo-R that he got. Doujindance is a good dude, but his English is painfully bad. He send directions on how to fix stuff, but it was nigh indecipherable.

I'll have to do some research on playing burned games though. I assume using high quality Yudins burned at a low speed is the best route?
Click to expand...

From what I hear, the Taiyos are the best, though I haven't had many problems with the gold LightScribe Verbatim discs I have been using. Slower has seemed to work better than faster, but no real issues, outside of Audio stopping at times on some of the faster burns I made.
 
7

7DollarHagane

Banned
bodine1231 said:
If you are going for the cheapest route then virtual console is a good option. But I can tell you that playing the games on a crt with the original controller is a completely different experience. Whether that difference is worth all that extra $ is up to your bank account I guess.

If you do pick one up and decide it's not worth the cost you can always resell it for little or no loss.




I may pick up my favorites down the road like I did with my snes. For now I just want to sample everything.
Click to expand...

Playing on wiiu with component cables on a crt would be almost the same experience, just different controller, though.

I think TG16 and Neo Geo will always be out of reach for me. I love retro games but i didn't play either in my childhood and I think I'm okay with just playing re-releases/emulation.
 
S

sniperpon

Member
his auctions are usually up a few hours at most before they sell
Click to expand...

I bought one of his modded Duo Rs lately-- absolutely in love with the thing incidentally, as is my 3.5 year old daughter ("Papa, can I play Legendary Axe on the PC Engine???")-- and I too was checking every morning, for about a week.

I practically dove out of my chair to hit the "Buy" button the morning when one was actually available :)
 
bodine1231

bodine1231

Member
7DollarHagane said:
Playing on wiiu with component cables on a crt would be almost the same experience, just different controller, though.

I think TG16 and Neo Geo will always be out of reach for me. I love retro games but i didn't play either in my childhood and I think I'm okay with just playing re-releases/emulation.
Click to expand...

I hear ya,hell,I'm wondering if rocking a modded (or legit with VC) Wii into a Framemeister would end up being the ultimate retro experience. You'd have every game on one console with scanlines on a large ass TV.
 
baphomet

baphomet

Member
bishopcruz said:
Define "speak english". I had to help out IrishNinja with some tech stuff early on with the Duo-R that he got. Doujindance is a good dude, but his English is painfully bad. He send directions on how to fix stuff, but it was nigh indecipherable.



From what I hear, the Taiyos are the best, though I haven't had many problems with the gold LightScribe Verbatim discs I have been using. Slower has seemed to work better than faster, but no real issues, outside of Audio stopping at times on some of the faster burns I made.
Click to expand...

Lol, Yea the "instructions" Irish showed me that were sent to him were basically gibberish. For it not being his first language he does alright, but those instructions were incomprehensible.
 
T

Teknoman

Member
I keep thinking older CD based systems are so fragile, I dont want to ship the duo out to get modded...but then again...it had to be shipped here anyway lol.
 
K

Krelian

Member
Guys, I'm pretty sure I want a PC Engine. Ever since learning that Mega Bomberman is the same game as Bomberman '94 I've been reading up on everything PCE like crazy. I never really knew about the system because it was basically import only here. There are so many great games I never knew existed. And I just love the design of the little white/grey Japanese consoles. Too bad that's not the way to go though. After everything I've read I should probably start with a Duo R or RX and mod it to play US games if necessary. Though I'll probably just get an unmodded Duo R/RX and be done with it for the moment.

Also, PSA: doujindance has a new Duo R up. If anybody on GAF wants to grab it they should probably do so quickly. The price is a little too steep for me at the moment.

EDIT: And it's gone.
 
Z

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
Krelian said:
Guys, I'm pretty sure I want a PC Engine. Ever since learning that Mega Bomberman is the same game as Bomberman '94 I've been reading up on everything PCE like crazy. I never really knew about the system because it was basically import only here. There are so many great games I never knew existed. And I just love the design of the little white/grey Japanese consoles. Too bad that's not the way to go though. After everything I've read I should probably start with a Duo R or RX and mod it to play US games if necessary. Though I'll probably just get an unmodded Duo R/RX and be done with it for the moment.

Also, PSA: doujindance has a new Duo R up. If anybody on GAF wants to grab it they should probably do so quickly. The price is a little too steep for me at the moment.

EDIT: And it's gone.
Click to expand...

I think getting a region modded system is definitely the way to go, myself. There are some games where the NA version is actually cheaper (Splatterhouse, Blazing Lazers/Gunhed) and it's always nice to have options.
 
M

Mzo

Member
Krelian said:
Guys, I'm pretty sure I want a PC Engine. Ever since learning that Mega Bomberman is the same game as Bomberman '94 I've been reading up on everything PCE like crazy. I never really knew about the system because it was basically import only here. There are so many great games I never knew existed. And I just love the design of the little white/grey Japanese consoles. Too bad that's not the way to go though. After everything I've read I should probably start with a Duo R or RX and mod it to play US games if necessary. Though I'll probably just get an unmodded Duo R/RX and be done with it for the moment.
Click to expand...

It's true that the newer models R and RX are more reliable, even though they had a more cost-effective construction.

The good part is that no matter what model you have, if you get in good with the PC Engine community there are a lot of guys that can strip these things apart and rebuild them with blindfolds on. Any model is sustainable these days... but you'll have to ship them around and pay for costs. At the very least bad capacitors will need replacing and, for the older, add-on model, there's a gear that likes to break which can easily be replaced with a sturdier version.

Oh, and happy belated Valentine's Day, RetroGAF: http://kawaiikochan.tumblr.com/post/17618203806/for-a-valentain-thats-sugoku-kawaiikochan-even

A chocolate in shape of "PC Engine DUO..." such a thing.
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Mzo said:
It's true that the newer models R and RX are more reliable, even though they had a more cost-effective construction.

The good part is that no matter what model you have, if you get in good with the PC Engine community there are a lot of guys that can strip these things apart and rebuild them with blindfolds on. Any model is sustainable these days... but you'll have to ship them around and pay for costs. At the very least bad capacitors will need replacing and, for the older, add-on model, there's a gear that likes to break which can easily be replaced with a sturdier version.

Oh, and happy belated Valentine's Day, RetroGAF: http://kawaiikochan.tumblr.com/post/17618203806/for-a-valentain-thats-sugoku-kawaiikochan-even

A chocolate in shape of "PC Engine DUO..." such a thing.
Click to expand...
Also, Duo-R and Duo-RX models aren't cheap. A PCE + CD or TG16 + CD, with region mod and repair, are in the same price range as a Duo R + mod, and a Duo + cap replacement + mod will be that much or more too... just get whichever model you like the look of the best, probably, price-wise they're not that different. The Super CD-ROM drive and SuperGrafx are more expensive, but not the other setups I first mentioned.
 
baphomet

baphomet

Member
Man Puncher said:
I just bought a DoujinDance DUO-R.


Oh god what have I done?
Click to expand...

Did you buy the boxed one for $309? I saw it but it was a bit too much. I'd rather have a non boxed one and regular controller for like $250 or whatever he usually sells them for.

You'll definitely enjoy it though. I loved having Irish's over here for a week or so.
 
B

bishopcruz

Member
Damn it, I need my Tennokoe bank to come in. I'm already full up on my save slots for my Duo, did the PCE Duo have less space for saving than a CD add on unit, because space was never an issue before, but now my Ys saves and Dragon Slayer saves are pretty much taking up the entire memory. Insane.

I'm just annoyed, I have on on the way from hit-japan, along with some games, and I payed for EMS, but I have trouble believing it was, it says Special Services Mail or some crap like that, EMS has always gotten here within 2-4 days, it's been nearly 2 weeks. Hope the package didn't go missing, that would be the second time it's happened in as many months.

Never had trouble shipping from Japan before buying stuff from Ebay.
 
Ban Puncher

Ban Puncher

Member
baphomet said:
Did you buy the boxed one for $309? I saw it but it was a bit too much. I'd rather have a non boxed one and regular controller for like $250 or whatever he usually sells them for.

You'll definitely enjoy it though. I loved having Irish's over here for a week or so.
Click to expand...

That's the one. I've been lurking his eBay listings for months waiting for a good quality boxed DUO-R. Can't wait to hook it through my Framemeister. Now I can hurl my old unmodded DUO into a ditch. A/V cord out the side? Get outta here.

Also, it seems I was wrong about the catfood situation. Steak as big as a toilet seat for dinner tonight. Ballin'
 
K

Krelian

Member
A Black Falcon said:
Also, Duo-R and Duo-RX models aren't cheap. A PCE + CD or TG16 + CD, with region mod and repair, are in the same price range as a Duo R + mod, and a Duo + cap replacement + mod will be that much or more too... just get whichever model you like the look of the best, probably, price-wise they're not that different. The Super CD-ROM drive and SuperGrafx are more expensive, but not the other setups I first mentioned.
Click to expand...
Maybe I should get a small PCE then. Does the interface unit for the PCE + CD include memory to save games on? I could start out with these two units then and buy a CD ROM unit later.
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Krelian said:
Maybe I should get a small PCE then. Does the interface unit for the PCE + CD include memory to save games on? I could start out with these two units then and buy a CD ROM unit later.
Click to expand...

Interface units, Duos, Duo-Rs, and Duo-RXes all have the exact same 2KB internal capacitor-backed RAM for save memory. Yes, it's tiny and will fill up very quickly; this is why things like Tennokoe Banks and Memory Base 128s are great. But see my post on page one for lots more details about that stuff.


On the note of the MB128, I have one thing to add about that -- it not only holds a charge for a little while (yes, it's short, don't expect that internal backup to hold a save for long), but also can draw power from the system, so it'll also hold a save with no batteries in it as long as you don't turn off your system. Interesting. There is a light on it telling you when the batteries are dead (or low I hope), but if you see the light it might be too late, so maybe replace the batteries every six months or a year or something, if you don't want to lose your files... one set of 4 AAs does seem to last six months at least, maybe more. that it gets power while the system is on is nice, though. And the batteries go in separate holder you remove, so it'd be easy enough to take out while power is on I'd think, as long as you're a little careful. Though with that internal capacitor saving things, that shouldn't be necessary.

Also, I have my MB128 plugged in to my (region-switched) TG16 + base unit + Turbo CD drive, connected through a controller adapter between the MB128 and the system, and tested that with a Japanese multitap (that I plugged in to the MB128) with several controllers plugged into it in a game. Yes, it all worked fine.
 
B

bishopcruz

Member
A Black Falcon said:
Interface units, Duos, Duo-Rs, and Duo-RXes all have the exact same 2KB internal capacitor-backed RAM for save memory. Yes, it's tiny and will fill up very quickly; this is why things like Tennokoe Banks and Memory Base 128s are great. But see my post on page one for lots more details about that stuff.


On the note of the MB128, I have one thing to add about that -- it not only holds a charge for a little while (yes, it's short, don't expect that internal backup to hold a save for long), but also can draw power from the system, so it'll also hold a save with no batteries in it as long as you don't turn off your system. Interesting. There is a light on it telling you when the batteries are dead (or low I hope), but if you see the light it might be too late, so maybe replace the batteries every six months or a year or something, if you don't want to lose your files... one set of 4 AAs does seem to last six months at least, maybe more. that it gets power while the system is on is nice, though. And the batteries go in separate holder you remove, so it'd be easy enough to take out while power is on I'd think, as long as you're a little careful. Though with that internal capacitor saving things, that shouldn't be necessary.

Also, I have my MB128 plugged in to my (region-switched) TG16 + base unit + Turbo CD drive, then with a controller adapter connecting the MB128 to the system, and tested that with a Japanese multitap with several controllers plugged into it in a game. Yes, it all worked fine.
Click to expand...

I have a Tennokoe bank on the way, do I have to worry about it dying over time?
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Oare said:
Definitely.
There's a battery in those (CR2320).

Edit: I should add the battery is tabbed and soldered.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Perhaps the trickiest part, though, is once you have managed to get the thing apart, desoldered the tabs, and replaced the battery (if you can even find a replacement with attached tabs; if not, then, well, good luck cutting the tabs off the battery!), then you have to figure out how to get that lid attached again... the cover on the thick HuCards (Tennokoe Bank, Super/Arcade Card, Street Fighter II, Populous) is just glued down, not screwed, after all. That doesn't matter for those other thick-HuCard games, since they don't have batteries in them, but the Tennokoe Banks do.

Also, Tennokoe Banks are only 8KB, four blocks, which goes quickly. And this is why I got a MB128; it has restrictions, as I explained back in that list on the first page, and you need specific games in order to copy files back and forth from it, but at least it's big (128KB) and with timely battery replacements will keep working.
 
B

bishopcruz

Member
A Black Falcon said:
Yeah. Perhaps the trickiest part, though, is once you have managed to get the thing apart, desoldered the tabs, and replaced the battery (if you can even find a replacement with attached tabs; if not, then, well, good luck cutting the tabs off the battery!), then you have to figure out how to get that lid attached again... the cover on the thick HuCards (Tennokoe Bank, Super/Arcade Card, Street Fighter II, Populous) is just glued down, not screwed, after all. That doesn't matter for those other thick-HuCard games, since they don't have batteries in them, but the Tennokoe Banks do.

Also, Tennokoe Banks are only 8KB, four blocks, which goes quickly. And this is why I got a MB128; it has restrictions, as I explained back in that list on the first page, and you need specific games in order to copy files back and forth from it, but at least it's big (128KB) and with timely battery replacements will keep working.
Click to expand...

Ugh, this is ridiculous. Man, I love the PCE but the hardware can be such a pain in my ass.
 
O

Oare

Member
A Black Falcon said:
you have to figure out how to get that lid attached again...
Click to expand...

Double-sided tape maybe?

There's also the solution to replace the battery with a holder and get rid of the lid entirely. This way, the battery becomes easily replaceable (that's what I'm doing).

Or use a tabbed cr2032 instead of the cr2320. Tabbed cr2032 are fairly easy to find, so that's a solution.
Although the extra thickness might (or rather probably will) make it impossible to close the lid properly.
 
Bog

Bog

Junior Ace
How often does doujindance update his ebay store with new Duos? I've been watching for weeks and never see them...
 
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