Multitaps

[soop]

I was just thinking... unlike most consoles.. ever, the PC Engine never came with a 2p controller port.  However, there's a fair few awesome multiplayer games on the system, so was it a genius move?  I mean you have one and you want two.  So you'd buy a multitap, and (as long as you bought the good one) now you have 5.  And probably an extra pad too.  So if a friend pops around with his control pad, you can have a 3 player game.  etc etc.

I guess the point is, multitaps for the PC Engine were probably (I'm guessing) more prevalent for this system than others at the time?  Who here had a multitap back in the day?

It was probably more so in Japan TBH given its prevelance there.  Maybe I should have posted this in the PCE/SGX thread... meh

[Samurai Ghost]

Or they figured that most gamers have no friends and stay holed up in their rooms alone playing games all night. And they were right.

[soop]

yeah, there is some truth to that.

But good lord, we have some fantastic multiplayer games on this system.  Motoroader, Bomberman, Street Fighter II - the PC Engine is possibly the best party system.

At the moment, I've been grabbing up gameboy multiplayer games, and GBA multiboot carts.  Then I stuff 'em in my bag whenever I meet friends out so we can play bomberman at the pub or something.  You know I'd take a PC Engine if it was possible (not a GT though, 2 players is not enough for bomberman!)

[Black Tiger]

I bought a TurboTap and extra Turbopads asap. I did the same with DuoTap/Pads after I got a TurboDuo. The Taps and Pads were so cheap that it never seemedclike a big deal and the Turbo/Duo pads were a premium controller at a budget controller price.

My friends and I had lots of fun playing Bomberman, Bomberman '93, Motoroader, Dungeon Explorer, Dungeon Explorer II and as a side benefit, 2 player games like Aeroblasters, Monster Lair and SFII'.

I knew many people who bought and rented multi-taps for NES and SNES who never had any fun with 3+ player games and wasted their money. My Genesis and SNES fanboy friends had as more fun playing 3+ Turbo games than any 2+ player games for Genesis or SNES and that includes street fighting games.

[SignOfZeta]

All of what you say is probably true, except for the party game system part. I'd actually argue Saturn or Gamecube on that front. Death Tank Zwei and Bomberman SS (Saturn) are amazing. Pac Man Versus and Kinnikuman are pretty awesome as well.

When you look at an original PC Engine...there really isn't much room for another controller port. The thing is puny. Of course on the TG-16 there is room for a dozen or so, even at their WTF increased size. I think this "one controller port" thing was really just NEC grabbing money left and right with high margin accessories. They did it all through the life of the system.

[Shrapnoid]

When you look at an original PC Engine...there really isn't much room for another controller port. The thing is puny. Of course on the TG-16 there is room for a dozen or so, even at their WTF increased size. I think this "one controller port" thing was really just NEC grabbing money left and right with high margin accessories. They did it all through the life of the system.

EXACTLY. I didn't fall for that crap even as a young punk, I knew better than to be duped into buying a ton of extra stuff just to have what should have been built-in already.

I've always felt that this is one of the moves made by NEC where they shot themselves in the foot.

[SignOfZeta]

I don't know about "shooting themselves in the foot". Because the system required a multitap, everyone ended up getting one. Because of this PCE owners have a much more intimate understanding of how awesome Bomberman really is. Everyone wins.

It would be nice if they had made a few more multiplayer games though...

[Sadler]

I'm curious how many people who owned one of the systems back in the day didn't have taps. I know I had one for both TG16 and later the Duo.

[Shrapnoid]

Well, I do have a Turbo Tap that I found in a second hand store that is currently in storage out at my Dad's place with some other cool stuff I haven't seen in years but, if all goes well, I should be getting a Duo Tap soon and then I'll set out to get a few Duo Pads.

EDIT: I wonder if the batts in my keyboard are starting to go dead. I keep having to go back and add missed words to my posts.

[Samurai Ghost]

Yeah, I always wonder why they didn't incorporate at least one other controller port on the later systems like the DUO, as there was plenty of room. But maybe it had something to do with the wiring? As in the multitaps can have up to five controllers attached to one port, but if you already split it to two separate ports on the console, would it still be able to recognize a multitap attached to one of the ports? I mean I'm sure they could have figured out a way, but it's a possibility at least. Maybe they didn't want to screw the people who had a multitap and five controllers who bought a later system only capable of playing two.

[Tatsujin]

Until Bomberman games came out on the PCE there where just few multiplayer games requiring the multi-tap. Anyway, since bomberman requires more than two ports in most of the cases, even a 2nd port at the console itself wouldn't have been enuff, and a multi-tap was required either way.

[MotherGunner]

It was all purely for add-on sales.  Classic retail strategy.

[SignOfZeta]

Maybe they didn't want to screw the people who had a multitap and five controllers who bought a later system only capable of playing two.

Heh heh, no. NEC is not that considerate. This is the company that sold both the Turbo Booster, and the Turbo Booster Plus, in the US even. They had zero shame.

[Shrapnoid]

It was all purely for add-on sales.  Classic retail strategy.

Yep! Just like with the Turbo Booster and Turbo Booster Plus. I've often wondered if they ever stopped to think about the way Turbo Booster owners felt when the Plus version came out or if they even cared.

[Retrocool]

I was a sucker for buying all of the attachements.. ... but i am happy i did, i never sold my games nor my systems. 
I have both my original turbo grafx 16 with CD as well as the turbo duo.  I really did think this system was great at the time,
but trying to convince everyone else was virtually impossible because the big N really had a hold on a lot of great games
from 3rd party companies.

But back to the question. I did buy the Tap 4 other conotrollers the Plus and then got the turbo duo got the attachement to use my tap as well.