U.S release dates of the Turbo Duo and Sega CD

[BigusSchmuck]

Just realized they came out within 5 days of each other in the U.S? October 10th for the Duo, October 15th for the Sega CD (according to Wikipedia). If there is some truth to this, then the Duo really was a stellar deal.

[Black Tiger]

They had a solid line up of Super CD titles on shelves months before that as well.

[TheClash603]

The Sega CD was a terrible value in comparison to the Duo when it came out at $299.

When the Sega CD Model 2 came out at $229 less than a year later, it was much more reasonable.  I bet the Sega CD would've been a game changer if it came out originally at $199 somehow.

[esteban]

Ha! That's closer than I thought it was. The promotional/marketing juggernaut of SEGA was incredible at that time...I don't think I talked to anyone about DUO...just Sega CD. I only knew a few people who had TG-16, but I don't think any of those folks upgraded to the CD-ROM lifestyle.

TANGENT: I tried, for months, to buy the System Card 3 upgrade for TG-CD, and I just gave up. Even after DUO launched, I couldn't buy the damn System Card (which had been heavily promoted to TG-16 fans)...

...it still irks me! I should let go, but, dammit, was it because folks were too lazy to take an order over the phone? Should I have sent in my order? These memories still haunt me. As a kid, it was a "big deal" because I had to ask my parents to order with a credit card...and I had saved up the cash ($100+) for months already...

In memory of Sega CD (which my brother had no problem buying with the money he saved up):

 

STATUS: Image successfully recycled (x37)

[Black Tiger]

After I got my TurboDuo, I sold my friend the Turbo-CD set and he ordered the System 3 card from Canada once it became available, but there was a delay.

[SignOfZeta]

It was a better deal for sure but because of the games (packed in and otherwise available). Most of what you got with a Duo had already been on the market for years whereas the Sega CD was a way more complicated add-on and was new at that time. People had already played Ys I&2 but seeing terrible grainy Night Trap video that couldn't be done (hopefully) on TG made people with no taste and $300 spontaneously shit themselves.

That's one way of putting it of course, but when I used to work at a rental place almost none of my customers had seen game on any CD before. Sega CD was their introduction to that.

[xelement5x]

The Sega CD was a terrible value in comparison to the Duo when it came out at $299.

When the Sega CD Model 2 came out at $229 less than a year later, it was much more reasonable.  I bet the Sega CD would've been a game changer if it came out originally at $199 somehow.

That seems unlikely for the model 1, but I bet they could have done the model 2 at closer to $200 if they'd started with that. 

I got my SegaCD much later after release and bought a used one from a friend's brother but loved the system, didn't get into the TG/PCE/Duo arena of stuff until much much later but the cinematics for games like Lunar and Popful Mail for the SegaCD just blew my mind at the time

[johnnykonami]

I might have told this story before, sorry for the repeat if so!  I saved up for the Duo the year it came out, but since I had to go to school during the day back then, my sister went to pick it up for me so I could have it waiting for me when I got home.  The guy at Babbages (I think, or Electronics Boutique, one of the two) sent her home with a Sega CD.  I don't know if he was an undercover FEKA agent or not, but I am betting.  I didn't even have a genesis  at the time, but even if I did, I still would have sent it back I wanted the Duo so bad!  We exchanged it a day or two later and to this day I have fond memories of every single pack-in game.  I lusted after Ys in the promotional Duo World for months before, so that was the main thing.  But Gate of Thunder, Ninja Spirit and Bomberman were all amazing.  I already had played and owned on Hu both Bonk games, but with those included it's easily the best pack-in set of all time in my eyes.

[SignOfZeta]

FEKA scum...

[Lost Monkey]

...  I already had played and owned on Hu both Bonk games, but with those included it's easily the best pack-in set of all time in my eyes.

Definitely the best pack-in set of all time.

Atari 2600 - Combat (fun for 2 players still)

Odyssey - Speedway/Spinout/SpeedShitout - (not fun at any speed)

Intellivision - Las Vegas Poker and BlackJack (fun - but not what any kid wanted)

Colecovision - Donkey Kong (pretty sweet - even gimped as it was)

Bally Astrocade - Basic (Yeah!)

NES - Super Mario Bros / Duck Hunt (pretty awesome)

SMS - Hang On / Safari Hunt (nope)

Genesis - Altered Beast (nope - wait for Sonic kids!)

TG16 - KEEF! (keef?)

SNES - Super Mario World (2nd best pack in ever)

Sega CD - ? was there a pack in at launch? I thought Sewer Shark came with model 2?

TurboDuo - Ys I&II, Gate of Thunder, Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge, Bomberman and random game!

Jaguar - Cybermorph (frustrating)

3DO - ""

Playstation - "' (demo disk)

Saturn - "" - (demo disk)

N64 - "" (2 games at launch - you think they are giving one away?)

Dreamcast - "" (demo disk)

Ps2 - ""

GCN - ""

Xbox - ""

Wii - Wii Sports (great!)

PS3 - ""

X360 - ""

Wii-U - ""

PS4 - ""

XBone - ""

Switch - ""

[SignOfZeta]

Combat was the Wii Sports of its day. Everyone got it for free and almost no other game ended up providing as much genuine fun.

[xelement5x]

Definitely the best pack-in set of all time.
Sega CD - ? was there a pack in at launch? I thought Sewer Shark came with model 2?

Model 1 Sega CD came with Sol Feace as a pack in game, it also came with Hot Hits/Rock Paintings combo pack.  Hot Hits was a CD sampler, Rock Paintings was a CD+G disc. 

The model 2 SegaCD  had a number of pack ins but Sewer Shark was the big one. 

Dreamcast - "" (demo disk)

Lol, there was also the Web Browser disc.

[Gypsy]

Dreamcast has some sports and Sonic pack-ins. Saturn I know had Virtua Cop/Daytona USA/Virtua Fighter 2 because my system box has that on there and I have that pack-in. Probably some others as well.

[Black Tiger]

The model 1 Sega-CD came with Shermatlock, Sol Feace and CD versions of Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi and Columns.

Tbe CDX came with Sonic CD, Ecco CD and a 5-in-1 game collection disc that has the mentioned titles plus Super Monaco GP.

The Saturn had sets at the pre-launch with either Virtua Fighter or Panzer Dragoon, VF Remix during the Playstation launch and within a year included Virtua Fighter 2, Sega Rally and Virtua Cop.

[Gypsy]

Yeah Virtua Fighter, I remember that now.

Gamecube had a bunch too. A shit ton. My first Cube was the MP one that was $100 at retail but I for sure remember a bunch of Mario and Zelda ones. Plus Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness.