Evaluation: Analogous Pair

I had preordered the Analogue Duo before they offered to give me a unit for evaluation. I would have paid for it as my first console from the firm. This is because it fixes a couple issues for me in addition to being a really lovely boutique console.

A nightmare to collect for is the Turbografx-16. Many of the Turbografx games merely break on the shelf due to shoddy capacitors, and the average cost of a game is absurd. According to pricecharting, a console game often costs more than $100. You'll have to shell out a lot of money for everything other than sports titles, so forget about the finest games the platform has to offer. And that's without even including games on Turbografx-CD.

This makes the Analogue Duo a really peculiar console to manufacture. It's likely that someone who is interested in collecting for the console will give up shortly. It's almost as if you're asking, "Who is this even for?" but we'll get to it. It's very specialized. The console that Analogue has embraced the most niche.

"In terms of development investment, it's not really financially viable," Chris Taber, the founder and CEO of Analogue, informed me. It is evident that Analogue created the Duo out of love for the platform, not to gain a ton of money.

Although I already own a modest stack of Turbografx-16 games, it is not the reason I was hoping for an Analogue Duo. The Japanese name for the TG16 is PC-Engine, and that's what I want to start collecting for. The PC-Engine was a big hit in North America, while the Turbografx was a complete failure. NEC was able to fight with Nintendo, outpacing the Famicom at first and eventually securing a solid second position in the market, just behind the Super Famicom.

As a result, Japan released a great deal more games, and the market there is generally far less expensive. If you want the case they came in, it's still a little pricey, but not as much as the costs in North America.

However, both the PC-Engine and the TurboGrafx-16 are region-locked. I gave it a lot of thought as to how I would begin gathering. Was I going to start with a basic PC-Engine console and work my way up? Was I going to spend the extra money on the PC-Engine Duo, which has an integrated disc drive and has the same appearance as the Analogue Duo? I was unable to choose a sophisticated answer that would satisfy all of my requirements.

That was then supplied by the Analogue Duo. It is capable of playing any game available for the TG16, PC-Engine, including its add-ons. Also, I would already be placing myself inside Analogue's pricing range if I had intended to purchase the PC-Engine Duo. The Analogue Duo is excellent; it's more than just the handy update I was hoping for.

The Analogue Duo is a feature-rich piece of equipment right out of the box. It has a lot less height but is somewhat less width than a TurboGrafx-16. It's sufficiently flat that I can hardly see it when I turn to face the shelf it's on. In addition, the trunk has a lot less crap than a TG16 with a turbo-booster. It seems contemporary, feels substantial, and I don't want to handle it too much and tarnish its flawless appearance. In relation to that, it is available in PC-Engine white and TurboGrafx black. Because I detest white devices, I chose the black option. They just don't age as quickly.

The controller port is located on the side of the device rather than the front, which is a drawback to the design. Additionally, it requires an adaptor to connect in TurboGrafx controllers since it utilizes the PC-Engine miniDIN interface. That's unfortunate since it's not very simple to locate such adapters.

Not to mention, the TurboGrafx-16 could accommodate up to five players. It featured a single controller port, but five controllers could be connected by using a TurboTap. The Analogue Duo still allows you to do this, but there's a catch: it can only accept four wireless controllers. For games such as Bomberman '93, adding a fifth player requires either connecting all five controllers via an analog connection method using a TurboTap or plugging in a controller in addition to the four wireless ones. With a TurboTap, you cannot have, for example, three traditional controllers and two wireless controllers. You may have five or just one traditional controller. There's no middle ground.

Two 8BitDo 2.4G PCE controllers were sent by Analogue with my equipment. While keeping the same form size, these controllers are (very) little sleeker and smaller than the default TG16 controllers. The primary distinction is the use of turbo buttons in place of switches, and an easily overlooked home button. The drawback of it is that, absent a setting that can be adjusted using 8BitDo's software, there is no method to regulate the turbo's speed. Regretfully, the ergonomics of the TG16 controller are lacking. The controller's bottom-left corner, where the d-pad is located, is too near to the edge and is tiny. Long sessions would always cause my thumbs to cramp.

Fortunately, a wide variety of Bluetooth and 2.4G controllers, along with certain USB ones, can be synchronized. I've assembled a sizable array of 8BitDo controllers, and everything from my Arcade Stick to my M30 works flawlessly. A RetroBit Sega Saturn Pro controller was another device I tested, and it connected without any issues. Common controllers like DualSense and the Switch Pro (as well as the Wii U) are also included in the literature. Although you may sacrifice some authenticity, your thumbs will be grateful.

When you boot into the console, Analogue OS's functions are briefly explained. I quickly forgot the instructions after reading them. The only reason I know Select+Down navigates to the home menu is because I often press it by accident, which makes me want to eliminate the button combination. This I was unable to do under the OS settings.

On the vintage console, the Analogue OS is a quite tasty piece of cheese. It records the games you've played and their duration. Additionally, you can adjust the parameters to customize the images to fit whatever version of the console you want. There are filters that mimic the Turbo Express and PC-Engine LT handhelds, as well as the Sony Trinitron (a CRT screen). Since they are designed at the hardware level using the FPGA, Analogue claims they are not "Filters," but I'm at a loss for words. Additionally, they claim that FPGA is not emulation, but in reality, they are referring to software emulation. Since it's not exactly the same, I can see why they want to be explicit about the differences, but hardware emulation is still emulation.

The "filters" hold up well. You'll probably like them if you believe that classic video games are only visually appealing on CRT displays. Depending on how I'm feeling, I could like soft glow or crisp pixels. I notice that the screen loses a lot of color in the Trinitron mode. HDR has been used by other folks working with FPGA for this kind of stuff, but it's not a possibility at the moment. Firmware upgrades may be able to fix that, but if not, there won't be much of an issue.

Regarding firmware, the Analogue Duo claims to have a function that allows for saving states, but it hasn't been put into practice yet. According to Chris Taber, the reason is that CD games are difficult to play. However, an upgrade to the firmware is expected to enable this feature at some point after launch. Similarly, sleep mode has not been activated yet, which I assume is because of the same issue.

You may choose to boot straight to the HU Card or CD when it is identified if you don't want to bother with the OS. Still, I think it's quite nice, even if it might be better.

But as far as running games go, everything works perfectly. The 1080p picture you see is crisp and bright, and the images above do not do it credit at all. As far as compatibility is concerned, it's likewise flawless. I can only test to the degree that I have eight TG16 games. I bought several PC-Engine and CD-ROM² games after being given a review unit, thinking they would come in time for my review, but sadly, they did not.

But still...

The kind of disk you placed in the CD-ROM2 and TurboGrafx-CD didn't really matter. Nintendo went with cartridges for the N64 because of this issue with early disc machines. I then assembled a Little CD-R, and presto! We have Super Air Zonk. The game was even detected by the OS. I then attempted Tengai Makyou: Ziria . It worked well with the fan translation patched into it, even if the Analogue Duo just called it "CD."

While we're talking about it, Analogue claims that Everdrives and other devices running on the original hardware are compatible with the Duo. Although I won't condemn you if you put an Everdrive in there, I believe that those who like collecting the physical software are the ones who would benefit most from purchasing a console for this. If nothing else, it would facilitate fan translations.

My first console from the firm is the Analogue Duo, and I'm pleased. It does what it promises to do with ease and has the capacity to do far more in the future. Save states are still not implemented, and I'm not really sure if they were even advertised since the shop website doesn't identify them as a feature.

To really benefit from an Analogue Duo, you most likely need to be a very certain kind of person. A retro-loving, TurboGrafx-appreciating, import-willing gamer makes a strange crossover. It's astounding that Analogue went to such lengths to recreate the console in such opulent richness since it's such a unique item. I'm rather impressed. Additionally, I'm grateful since it's the precise console I was searching for.

The only reason it can be improved is because Analogue let it to exist. Even if there were no more upcoming firmware updates, I would still suggest the Analogue Duo to my fellow niche-goblins. With a 1080p HDMI output and other contemporary conveniences, this sleek modern take on the TurboGrafx 16/PC-Engine platform takes the classic platform into the current day. The team's obvious insistence on getting it perfect the first time shows how enthusiastic they were about the project.