Earlier than they supplied to ship me a unit for evaluate, I had the Analogue Duo preordered. It will have been the primary of the corporate’s consoles that I ponied up for. That’s as a result of, past simply being a really good boutique console, it solves just a few issues for me.

The Turbografx-16 is a nightmare to gather for. Sketchy capacitors imply that plenty of them simply die on the shelf, and the everyday value of a Turbografx sport is ridiculous. Pricecharting has the typical value of a sport for the console at over $100. Neglect the perfect video games the console has to supply; if you’d like something apart from sports activities titles, you’re paying out the nostril. And that’s not even bearing in mind Turbografx-CD video games.

Due to this, the Analogue Duo is a reasonably unusual console to provide. Somebody who’s interested in accumulating for the console might be going to get discouraged rapidly. That is nearly a “who is that this even for?” state of affairs, however there’s a solution to that we’ll get to. It’s extraordinarily area of interest. The niche-est console Analogue has taken on.

“It isn’t actually financially viable by way of growth funding,” Analogue CEO and founder Chris Taber informed me. Analogue didn’t make the Duo to usher in a pile of cash, they did it as a result of they love the platform, and you’ll simply inform.

I’ve a modest stack of Turbografx-16 video games already in my assortment, however that isn’t the explanation I needed an Analogue Duo. I wish to begin accumulating for the PC-Engine, which is the Japanese equal to the TG16. Whereas the Turbografx was an incredible flop right here in North America, the PC-Engine was an enormous success. NEC was capable of compete with Nintendo, initially outselling the Famicom earlier than holding a agency second place available in the market subsequent to the Tremendous Famicom.

As such, much more video games had been printed in Japan, and the market, as a complete, is loads cheaper. It’s nonetheless form of pricy if you’d like the case they got here in, however it’s not as galling because the North American costs.

However the TurboGrafx-16 and the PC-Engine are each region-locked. I spent plenty of time contemplating how I used to be going to start out accumulating. Was I going to purchase a core PC-Engine console and construct from there? Was I going to spring for the PC-Engine Duo that comes with a built-in disc drive (and can be the place the Analogue Duo takes its aesthetic)? I couldn’t determine on a chic answer that will cowl all my wants.

Then, the Analogue Duo got here alongside and offered that. It will possibly play all of the video games that the TG16, the PC-Engine, and their attachments can. Plus, if I used to be planning on springing for the PC-Engine Duo, I might already be placing myself within the value vary of Analogue’s providing. Greater than only a handy improve, the Analogue Duo is strictly what I used to be in search of.

Out of the field, the Analogue Duo is a slick piece of equipment. It’s barely much less extensive than a TurboGrafx-16, however it has loads much less top. It’s flat sufficient that if I flip round and have a look at the shelf it’s on, I can barely see it. There’s additionally a lot much less junk within the trunk in comparison with a TG16 with a Turbo-Booster. It feels sturdy, it seems to be trendy, and I don’t wish to contact it an excessive amount of and wreck its pristine look. Talking of which, it is available in TurboGrafx black and PC-Engine white. I went with the black as a result of I hate white electronics. They simply don’t age as nicely.

If there’s one draw back to the design, it’s that the controller port is on the facet of the unit somewhat than the entrance. Additionally, it makes use of the PC-Engine miniDIN port, so if in case you have TurboGrafx controllers, you’re going to wish an adapter to plug them in. That’s form of a bummer as a result of these adapters aren’t notably straightforward to search out.

It’s additionally value noting that the TurboGrafx-16 supported 5 gamers. It solely had one controller port, however utilizing a TurboTap, you can plug 5 controllers in. You possibly can nonetheless do that with the Analogue Duo, however there’s a caveat: it solely helps 4 wi-fi controllers. If you need a fifth participant for one thing like Bomberman ’93, it’s essential to plug a controller in alongside the 4 wi-fi ones or plug in a TurboTap and join all 5 controllers the old style means. You possibly can’t have, say, two wi-fi controllers and three unique by way of a TurboTap. You both have one basic controller or 5. There is no such thing as a in-between.

Analogue shipped two 8BitDo 2.4G PCE controllers alongside my unit. These controllers are (very) barely smaller and sleeker than the inventory TG16 controllers whereas sustaining the identical type issue. The largest distinction is an simply missed house button and turbo buttons somewhat than switches. The draw back to that’s there isn’t a approach to management the velocity of the turbo until there’s a setting that may be tweaked with 8BitDo’s software program. Sadly, the TG16 controller isn’t very ergonomic. The d-pad is small and crammed within the bottom-left of the controller, too near the sting. My thumbs would at all times cramp up throughout lengthy periods.

Fortunately, you may sync fairly a variety of Bluetooth and a pair of.4G controllers, in addition to some USB. I’ve constructed fairly a set of 8BitDo controllers, and the whole lot from my M30 to my Arcade Stick works nice. I additionally tried a RetroBit Sega Saturn Professional controller, which related with out criticism. The documentation additionally lists frequent controllers just like the Change (and Wii U) Professional and DualSense. You may lose a number of the genuine really feel, however your thumbs will thanks.

Booting into the console will get you a fast walkthrough of the options of Analogue OS. I learn the directions, then promptly forgot them. I solely know that Choose+Down takes you to the house menu as a result of I maintain mistakenly hitting it, leaving me eager to disable the button combo. Which I couldn’t discover a means to take action within the OS settings.

The Analogue OS is a reasonably neat slice of cheese on the retro console. It retains monitor of video games you’ve performed and for a way lengthy. You’re additionally capable of change settings to change the visuals to go well with no matter model of the console you need. There are filters that emulate the Sony Trinitron (a CRT display screen), in addition to the Turbo Specific and PC-Engine LT handhelds. Analogue says these aren’t “Filters” since they’re created on a {hardware} degree by way of the FPGA, however I actually don’t know what else to name them. In addition they say FPGA isn’t emulation, however actually what they imply is it’s not software program emulation. I perceive why they wish to make the excellence clear, as a result of it actually isn’t the identical factor, however it’s {hardware} emulation, which remains to be emulation.

The “filters” are convincing. Anybody who feels that previous video games solely look proper on CRT screens will most likely admire them. Whether or not I personally choose sharp pixels or smooth glow varies with my temper. I discover that the Trinitron mode sucks plenty of the colour out of the display screen. Different folks working with FPGA for this form of factor have been utilizing HDR to spice up the colour, however that’s not an choice proper now. Maybe it may be patched in with firmware updates, but when not, it’s not an enormous drawback.

Talking of firmware, the Analogue Duo touts the characteristic of permitting save states, however it’s not carried out but. Chris Taber says that the reason being as a result of CD video games are proving to be a problem, however it’s purported to be added by way of a firmware replace someday after launch. Likewise, sleep mode isn’t but carried out, which I think about is as a result of identical complication.

When you don’t wish to take care of the OS, there may be the choice to simply boot on to the HU Card or CD when it’s detected. I feel it’s fairly neat, although, even when there’s room for enchancment.

When it comes to operating video games, nevertheless, it’s flawless. The picture that you simply get is shiny and sharp at 1080p, and the screenshots right here don’t actually do it justice by any means. Compatibility can be excellent, so far as I do know. I’ve eight TG16 video games, so I can solely take a look at to that extent. Upon getting supplied a evaluate unit, I ordered some PC-Engine and CD-ROM² video games in hopes that they’d arrive in time for this evaluate, however alas, they didn’t make it.

Nevertheless…

The CD-ROM² and TurboGrafx-CD weren’t precisely choosy about what sort of disc you set in them. It was an issue with early disc consoles and one of many causes Nintendo caught to cartridges for the N64. So, I put collectively a Little CD-R and, bam, we’ve bought Tremendous Air Zonk. The OS even acknowledged the sport. I then tried Tengai Makyou: Ziria with the fan translation patched into it, and whereas the Analogue Duo simply referred to it as “CD,” it ran simply high quality.

Whereas we’re on the topic, Analogue states that the Duo will run something the unique {hardware} would, and this consists of Everdrives. I really feel like shopping for a console for that is Most worthy for individuals who like accumulating the bodily software program, however I’m not going to evaluate when you stick an Everdrive in there. It will at the least assist with operating fan translations.

The Analogue Duo is my first console by the corporate, and I’m impressed. It effortlessly does the whole lot it says on the tin with potential to do extra sooner or later. Save states have but to be carried out, however the retailer web page doesn’t record them as a characteristic, so I’m not sure in the event that they had been ever even introduced.

You most likely should be a really particular kind of individual to essentially discover worth in an Analogue Duo. It’s a bizarre crossover of a retro-loving, TurboGrafx-appreciating, import-willing gamer. It’s such an unbelievable area of interest factor, that it’s superb that Analogue went to such efforts to breed the console in such luxurious depth. I’m deeply impressed. I’m additionally grateful, as a result of it’s precisely the console I used to be in search of.

There’s solely room for enchancment as a result of Analogue allowed it to be there. I’d nonetheless be recommending the Analogue Duo to my fellow niche-goblins even when there weren’t nonetheless forthcoming firmware enhancements. It’s a slick trendy model of the TurboGrafx 16/PC-Engine that brings the retro platform into the current with a 1080p HDMI output and different trendy comforts. You possibly can inform the staff was passionate concerning the venture as a result of they had been clearly insistent on getting it proper on the primary strive.