Turbo Duo: too many pack-in games?

[Monster Bonce]

I was just watching an old commercial and saw that the TD shipped with five games. Does anyone else think this was too many and that it would have contributed to stunting software sales?

[FM-77]

Far too many. Had they included less games, the system would've been a lot cheaper as well. The whole "buy X and get X free games" is just a nasty scheme.

[offsidewing]

I wonder if there is a "Did NEC/TTI do ANYTHING right with the Turbo" thread.

[SNKNostalgia]

 

Hold on.....

 

 

[vestcoat]

Something I read gave me the impression the initial pricetag was going to be the same either way and the extra games and coupons were included to help offset the price.  Maybe this was PR nonsense, I wish I could remember where I read it.
Anyway, I don't think a couple extra pack-in games took away any significant software sales.
I also don't think there were too many pack-ins.  The 4-in-1 disc and Ys are awesome and would have instantly made the Duo my favorite console if I was a new gamer in 93.  I wish other systems would have included more than one stupid game.

Did the Japanese Duos include any games?

[Necromancer]

Correction: it shipped with six games (don't forget Bomberman).  I don't think that the pack in games hurt game sales too much as they were already a year or two old (excepting GoT).  I agree with vestcoat that the Duo wasn't exactly cheap, so the inclusion of a few extra games made it a better value without dramatically increasing the cost to TTI.

[vestcoat]

Correction: it shipped with six games (don't forget Bomberman).

Seven games, Ys Book 1 and 2!

[nat]

I always saw the inclusion of so many games as a last-ditch effort by TTI to try and build more support and loyalty to the failing TurboGrafx camp.

In fact, I clearly remember thinking at the time "Wow, they're really desperate now. This is the beginning of the end."

[td741]

When the duo came out, very few stores in my area sold TG-16 games and those that did kept little stock.

The pack-in games, in my case, helped stave off the delay it took for the new releases and additional stock.

I also think that some of the advertisements used the retail value of the pack-in games to help offset the initial "high-cost" of the DUO.  I figure that the pack-in HuCard was probably taken from overstock.  Out of the 3 duo's I bought over the years, I think I got one Ninja Spirit, one Splatterhouse and a Dungeon Explorer 1.

[Keranu]

Turbo Duo had the best pack-in of all time, hands down. Technically it was only three games though.

[vestcoat]

Turbo Duo had the best pack-in of all time, hands down. Technically it was only three games though.

What do you mean?  Even if you didn't get a turbochip, Got, Bonk1+2 and Ys equal four..

[nat]

And Bomberman.

[Keranu]

Turbo Duo had the best pack-in of all time, hands down. Technically it was only three games though.

What do you mean?  Even if you didn't get a turbochip, Got, Bonk1+2 and Ys equal four..

I meant you only got three hard copy games, just to clear up confusion when people thought too many games were included which was the reason for the high price.

[PhilBiker]

The Duo was DOA regardless.  The CD technology was pushing it price-wise.  Personally I wouldn't have bought the Duo if the pack-ins hadn't been there.  I had played the Bonk games on a friend's system and loved them, so they were a big incentive for me.  I already liked Ninja Spirit so that was cool, too.  Gate of Thunder blew my effing mind.  I didn't learn about Bomberman till months after I got the system.

[Necromancer]

I meant you only got three hard copy games, just to clear up confusion when people thought too many games were included which was the reason for the high price.

No, you mean that you received three pieces of media.  There's still six separate games (I refuse to count Ys separately - some may disagree, but they're wrong).