TurboDuo + System Cards?

[Seiryu]

I do not have a TurboDuo, nor do I have the 3.0 Super System Card.  What I do have is an original TurboGrafx, the CD add-on, and a 2.0 System Card.  I've been thinking about trying to get some Super CD-ROM2 games, so my question is this:

Does the TurboDuo require the use of a system card to play CD games, or can you play CD-ROM2 and Super CD-ROM2 games in it without anything in the HuCard slot?

Seeing as there isn't too big of a difference between the price of a US 3.0 card and a Duo, I was thinking I could just get a Duo if it does not require the card.  I may even go as far as getting a Japanese Duo so that I could play PC Engine HuCard games as well, while continuing to use my current TG16 for US HuCards.

To add to this question, does the Japanese Duo require the Arcade card to be able to play those Arcade CD games?

If any of this has been asked/answered before then I apologize, but I did use the search function and could not find anything.

EDIT:  I just checked Ebay, and I guess I was a bit off on my price estimates.  The cheapest US 3.0 card is about $154 w/shipping, while the cheapest PC Engine Duo is about $250 w/shipping.  Still, I would much rather get the PC Engine Duo than pay over $150 for just a system card if possible.

[SignOfZeta]

Short answer: get a Duo R.

Long answer: The Duos all have the Super System card built in so no card is needed to play any CDs except Arcade Card CDs. The only thing it won't play are Arcade CDs and SGX games, so out of the 700+ PC Engine games that are out there the Duo R will play all but a dozen or so. You can also buy either of the Arcade Cards to play Arcade Card CDs which will leave you with a machine that will play everything but the 6 SGX games, which is no real loss.

[Seiryu]

Short answer: get a Duo R.

Long answer: The Duos all have the Super System card built in so no card is needed to play any CDs except Arcade Card CDs. The only thing it won't play are Arcade CDs and SGX games, so out of the 700+ PC Engine games that are out there the Duo R will play all but a dozen or so. You can also buy either of the Arcade Cards to play Arcade Card CDs which will leave you with a machine that will play everything but the 6 SGX games, which is no real loss.

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear, thanks!

Your recommendation of the Duo-R does raise another question though.  I just did a quick search and found that Wikipedia says this:

Duo systems

    * PC Engine Duo (1991)
          o Combination PC Engine + CD ROM system + System 3.0 card, dark grey, has a CD door lock and headphone port
    * PC Engine Duo R (1993)
          o Same as the Duo, but white/beige with a more streamlined case style, and lacks the lock and headphone port.
    * PC Engine Duo RX (1994)
          o Same as the Duo R, slightly blue in colour. The only PCE packaged with a six-button pad.

This makes it seem like the only differences between the three models are cosmetic, is this true?  If so, then I don't particularly care which model I get and would probably just go for whatever I can get for the lowest price.  Is there any reason that you are recommending the Duo-R specifically?

[SignOfZeta]

The original Duos are less common and have capacitor issues. If you get an original Duo its almost guaranteed that some day you'll start having audio issues and end up replacing all the capacitors. The Duo Rs (as far as we can tell so far) don't have this problem. The RX costs significantly more and the only real difference is the six button pad. The Duo R is the most practical compromise.

That Wiki is someone incorrect. The Duo R isn't really more streamlined. In fact, its slightly thicker. The RX is the same case as the R but with the logo changed and relocated.

All of them have 3.0 cards, btw.

[esteban]

Hey Seiryu... Zeta is providing sound advice (go for the Duo-R)... after much discussion on the reliability of hardware (you can read the older threads), we have reached a "consensus" that the Duo-R(X) is the least likely to break your heart.

Good luck