Old Turbografx Myth?

[Paisa49]

Do any of you recall hearing a myth about the Turbografx-16 being a dangerous system because it emitted radioactivity? I remember hearing kids talk about it when I was in school in Florida, but I was curious to see if this myth actually had any legs and reached any of you around the world.

[nat]

What the f*ck are you talking about?

I think that's something the kids at your school made up. Hahaha, it probably has roots in the "Higher Energy Video Game System" advertisements from the time. That's great!

[Paisa49]

I know, pretty crazy, but that's why it's a myth. Kids at my school had overactive imaginations way back when.  :-"

[ccovell]

I guess those kids have never heard of the FCC, and their stringent radio emission requirements for electronics.

It's been said the above was one of the reasons for the Turbo being shaped as clumsily as it was, compared to the compact PCE: they had to spread the board out and add shielding for FCC approval.

[spenoza]

Does the FCC have more stringent requirements than, say, the equivalent Japanese agency or regulation?

[Necromancer]

Never heard of this myth before, though I have heard the myth that it's not really a 16 bit machine (ducks for cover).

Does the FCC have more stringent requirements than, say, the equivalent Japanese agency or regulation?

I'd say yes, considering how many US market products have added shielding.

[guyjin]

Does the FCC have more stringent requirements than, say, the equivalent Japanese agency or regulation?

Yes. I remember reading articles in the game mags of the day, saying the TurboDuo was being delayed because NEC(TTI?) had to redesign it to comply with FCC rules.

I should open my duo and take pics of the inside, to compare with the inside of a JP Duo.

[Paisa49]

It's been said the above was one of the reasons for the Turbo being shaped as clumsily as it was, compared to the compact PCE: they had to spread the board out and add shielding for FCC approval.

Maybe that's where the rumor came from, and it also answers a life-long question. I've always wondered why the TG-16 looked so much worse than the PCE.

[nat]

I still think it's funnier to think that kids saw the "Higher Energy Video Game System" commercials and assumed it meant the system was radioactive.

[Necromancer]

I still think it's funnier to think that kids saw the "Higher Energy Video Game System" commercials and assumed it meant the system was radioactive.

Which totally makes sense to me - NEC just added a bit of Americium to a PC Engine to mutate it into something for the US market.  Well, it explains the healthy hunter orange coloring anyway.

[ceti alpha]

Never heard of this myth before, though I have heard the myth that it's not really a 16 bit machine (ducks for cover).

Dang! You're too quick for me to get a clear shot at ya.  I'll just have to be patient and find a better sniper nest.   

But yeah, I've never heard of that myth before. That was just some good ol' Turbo hatin' that was so popular back in the day.

[Turbo D]

It has an 8-bit processor and a 16-bit grafx chip. The processor is faster than the snes one too!

[nat]

8-bit/16-bit, as far as the CPU is concerned, doesn't mean much. How fast said CPU can actually process has a much bigger bearing on the speed of the machine.

But as we all know, a video game console is much more than the rating on the CPU. It's the sum of the combined parts that makes a console what it is.

[Kitsunexus]

Did you hear the one about the TG-16 with a hook for a controller port killing those kids in the woods?

[Paisa49]

Did you hear the one about the TG-16 with a hook for a controller port killing those kids in the woods?

No, but I saw a movie based on that. I think it was called "The Blair Bonk Project." Pud um cha!