PC Engine Duo-R

Summary

After the considerable success of the PC engine and the CD-Rom Add-on in Japan, it was obvious that NEC would also publish a console that would combine all the advantages of both devices. In September 1991, the PC Engine Duo was released in Japan.

In the classic black but simple and elegant case, the console was quite an eye-catcher. All well-known games from Japan can be plugged into the front HuCard slot, US TurboChips unfortunately don’t work here. Inside the console, a built-in Systemcard 3.0 Bios sleeps. This allows almost all CD-ROM and Super-CD Rom games to be played on the duo. In addition, you can play the handful of released arcade CD-ROM games. However, you need an Arcade Card Duo, which is then inserted into the HuCard slot. Furthermore, an internal memory of 2KB is built in, so high scores or playing levels can be saved.

The Duo also benefited from the CD-ROM medium. Games could now feature impressive soundtracks, speech and elaborate introductory videos, without being restricted to a 20 MBit HuCard. Unfortunately, like the original PC Engine, the console never reached Europe. This was a pity, as it was a match for the Sega Mega Drive with Sega CD and even surpassed it in some respects.

It’s a bit annoying that NEC gave the Duo only one joypad connector. Therefore, you have to buy a multiplayer adapter if you want to play with friends in 2-5 player mode. The composite video image quality is unfortunately very modest. You can only advise to have the console converted to RGB. But then nothing stands in the way of perfect playing pleasure.