My timeline:
Around 1992 I saw the logo on the side of a kiosk next to a Game Boy kiosk at a department store. Couldn’t see the screen. I was on an outing with a youth-group or a baby sitter or something and they didn’t allow me to go check it out. For whatever reason, the group was split and my twin brother was allowed to go check it out, which made me insanely jealous. They all repeatedly told me that I’d be able to see it “next time,” but it was gone the next time. I’ve felt cheated ever since.
Around 1993, my friend from school brought over his TG16. He traded his Genesis to his uncle for it. I remember Devil’s Crush, Pacland, Bonk, and more. It left a lasting impression. I had only played SNES in stores back then and my home console was still the NES.
My twin brother and I collected cans and mowed lawns and saved birthday/Christmas money and sold our NES, scrimping and saving until February 1994 when we bought... an SNES. After all, we had just sold our NES with SMB/SMB3 and the free Super Mario All*Stars deal that Nintendo extended was a big reason to sell the NES. We couldn’t even afford the set with SMW. I still remember the night before when I had a sudden realization that maybe I was making a mistake with the SNES, so I called up my friend from school and asked him if I should get an SNES or a Genesis. I failed to even consider TG16.
I probably didn’t even realize that it ever had a CD-ROM or that the Turbo Duo existed until I was on the Internet around 1996. I was intrigued, but it was far too late considering that the PlayStation, Saturn, and N64 were the new thing, but I soon discovered emulation... and Strip Fighter II.
This was the SNES96, NESticle, GeneCYST, and Virtual Game Boy years, so I was there for a lot of the major developments in console emulation and followed VG-Network.com religiously. This is around when I got interested in getting older consoles but I needed to get another SNES after (regrettably) selling that to get my N64. I was still a jobless teenager with no allowance so the time scale to rebuild my SNES collection while building an N64 collection was YEARS. All the while, I knew I’d buy a TG16 if I ever found a good price in the wild. Heck, I even had a brief stint with an Atari Jaguar when K-B Toys has it for $29.99... but still no TG16.
Strangely, I finished the ‘90s without ever coming across a TG16 in local thrift stores, yard sales, or flea markets despite checking often. I did finally luck out on a Turbo Express at Goodwill in the mid 2000s, it by that time I had lots of old or obscure stuff, like CD-i, 3DO, imports, etc. Goodwill had a $1 sticker on it in a section for $1 toys but the register person peeled back the sticker to reveal som old yard sale sticker or something and ended up charging me three times as much. I was insulted at the insinuation that I tried to scam them but I was still excited to get it for so cheap. It included Falcon (ugh).
With no audio and poor picture quality, I soon realized that it needed work and as a budding electronics hobbyist I did what we all do with the stuff we want to work on... put it in the projects bin for nearly a decade while I work on other projects. I can’t tell you how many times I dreamed of getting to play Devil’s Crush again but it just sat there, taunting me. I did eventually get a cap kit and take care of it right before finding a TG16 in the wild around 2013 (FINALLY!).
The “in the wild” TG16 was at a game store that wanted $120 for it. I stayed there for months but I eventually came back in 2014 with $120 only to find that it had finally just sold. To add insult to injury, there was a $90 top loader NES with it the whole time and that had also just sold (Hi-Def NES had just been announced).
2015 had my back though. I was still a regular at the flea markets and someone finally showed up with a TG16. He agreed to sell it for $15 because there were no cords to test it, but he found them when I came back by the next day... and he didn’t want any extra for them. Score! Original RF switch, controller, Keith Courage HuCard, and AC adapter. Still had the shipping film over the logo!
2016 brought my Turbo Everdrive, so I finally got my fix.
2017 saw me trade my Turbo ED for my CD dock just a couple weeks before the Super SD System 3 was announced. I also ordered a “junk” CD-ROM^2 drive which arrived right around the new year. I waited until Black Friday to order a replacement Turbo ED but it has yet to arrive.
2018, I’ve (hopefully) repaired my “junk” CD-ROM^2 drive and started a small CD collection but I still can’t play them until I get my replacement Turbo ED (no System Card). I swapped the laser and tweaked the pots to get it playing pressed CDs and I made my own 11v 1.5A PSU so hopefully I’m ready.
What’s next: I plan to build a 2P NeoGeo stick to TG16 adapter based on a design from OSHPark and then I’ll look into making a DIY 6 button version. I’ve long wanted to play Rondo of Blood but I’m aware of just how much else I have missed and I’ll try to save that for the future (perhaps after playing the series in order).
