The TurboGrafx-16 was a Forgotten Pioneer of 80s Game Systems

While there were many different options for home gaming during the 80s, the TurboGrafx-16 has long since become a forgotten pioneer of 80s game systems.

The 80s saw many changes, especially in the world of home entertainment. At the start of the decade, most people simply went to the local video arcade to play their favorite games. Then Atari started a home entertainment revolution that lasted until the video game crash of 83. Several years later, Nintendo reinvigorated the home gaming system industry with the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System. But, by the end of the decade, everyone wanted a 16-bit gaming system. And, the TurboGrafx-16 was the first one available to the mass market.

The Rise of TurboGrafx-16 in the 80s Games Systems Market

After the video game crash of 83, the video game industry became stagnant until Nintendo released its NES. By ensuring that every game was of high quality, they were able to reinvigorate the entire market. But people wanted more, they wanted to see something with more graphic capabilities and improved sounds. And in 1987 NEC in coordination with Hudson Soft, released the TurboGrafx-16 to the Japanese markets. And, it was an instant success which resulted in a high demand for the 80s game systems in North America. The TurboGrafx-16 was introduced to the North American market in 1989.

TurboGrafx-16 and 80s Game Systems Innovation

The TurboGrafx-16 introduced gamers to increased graphics capabilities and a huge library of games. And it was considered to be the first 80s game systems to use a CD-ROM format.    

Superior Graphics and Audio

Perhaps one of the most defining features of the TurboGrafx-16 was its 16-bit graphics chip. It’s important to remember that many of the 80s game systems featured an 8-bit graphics chip. So, this was a huge leap. Of course, the TurboGrafx-16 still used an 8-bit CPU but it was nevertheless capable of producing visuals that were way ahead of their time.

The system offered users vibrant colors and highly detailed sprites which provided people with a richer visual experience. One of their most popular games of the time was Bonk’s Adventure which showcased the system’s prowess. This particular game featured a large cartoonlike character and had extremely smooth animations that stood out from all of the competition. And, the sound capabilities of the TurboGrafx-16 were far superior to anything else available on the market at the time. All of this helped to create an extremely immersive playing experience.

Diverse Library of Games

When the TurboGrafx-16 was released, NEC knew that they had to compete with the very large library of Nintendo games already available on the market. With the help of third-party developers, they were able to offer a diverse game library that appealed to a wide range of gamers. More importantly, many of their games were simply not available on other consoles which helped it to be more successful. If you wanted to play games like R-Type or Blazing Lazers, then you would have to purchase a TurboGrafx-16.

A Pioneer in 80s Game Systems CD-ROM Technology

Of course, one of the most significant contributions that the TurboGrafx-16 to the 80s game systems was the adoption of CD-ROM formats. NEC wanted to develop a game system that made use of the CD format as this would allow them to produce larger and more complex games with built-in audio and even full-motion video. The use of these lengthy narratives and impressive sound capabilities helped push the TurboGrafx-16 to the top of the 80s game systems market. And, if it weren’t for NEC’s use of the CD format, we would never have had the Sony PlayStation. Nevertheless, the TurboGrafx-16 was not a very successful 80s game systems.

How the TurboGrafx-16 Changed 80s Game Systems

The TurboGrafx-16 was a joint venture between NEC and Hudson Soft. It was Toshio Tabata, the cofounder of Hudson Soft, who wanted to produce and introduce higher-quality games to the industry. The company teamed up with NEC in order to develop 80s game systems that could capitalize on 16-bit technology that would push the boundaries of gaming forever. And, while the system did not achieve mass-market dominance, helped to reshape the entire gaming landscape forever.

TurboGrafx-16 was an 80s Game Systems Cult Classic

Without question, the TurboGrafx-16 is a remarkable cult classic. Although it may not have achieved the same cultural penetration as many other systems of the time, its influence in the gaming industry was significant. The system focused on providing nothing but the highest quality graphics and audio available on the market at the time, and they popularized the CD-ROM format. In other words, the ingenuity built into the TurboGrafx-16 made them a pioneer of the gaming industry. Today, the legacy of the TurboGrafx-16 lives on through a dedicated fan base and their cult following.

Conclusion

In the end, the TurboGrafx-16 was a unique and fascinating 80s game systems. While it never achieved the commercial success of its competition, the technological innovations that it created completely reshaped the gaming industry forever. It was the first system to use CD-ROM formats, well before Sega Genesis, and long before the release of the Sony PlayStation.