PCE pet peeves

[HercTNT]

So thats what happened  :-"

[guyjin]

And the controller pinouts were large and easy to snap and break. I went through quite a few controllers as a kid because one of the pins would get bent or snap.

Really? I never had that problem. In fact, I kind of thought the larger connector was sturdier than it really needed to be.

[turbokon]

wait are we talking about the 6800 or the 68000.

There is a massive difference, lol

Oops, my bad, I meant the 68000.

Again not really a pet peeve but would be nice:

Longer cords,
Composite a/v
Power on LED
Another controller port

[turbokon]

The larger controller connecter on the tg16 can be a pain to pull out, sometime it comes out of the controller altogether.

[DragonmasterDan]

The larger controller connecter on the tg16 can be a pain to pull out, sometime it comes out of the controller altogether.

I had that happen to one controller as well.

[HercTNT]

I always liked the larger plugs because they were more firm. Made me feel like my bumbling hands were not gonna break anything. The smaller plugs on my duo have alittle to much play in them for my liking. Always makes me nervous.

[motdelbourt]

I had one Turbo Pad where the entire metal part of the plug would slide out. It wasn't a huge problem because you could just slide it back it, but I seem to remember it occasionally getting stuck in the TurboTap.

[DragonmasterDan]

I always liked the larger plugs because they were more firm. Made me feel like my bumbling hands were not gonna break anything. The smaller plugs on my duo have alittle to much play in them for my liking. Always makes me nervous.

I don't like the fact that whether it's a tap or controller, they never seem firm while plugged into the Duo.

[nat]

You guys must have all got a gimpy run of TG16 controllers when you were younger. When I was a kid playing with this shit, I never had any controller connector issues. I always thought those things were as robust as they come!

[vestcoat]

Many of these have been touched on, but here's my full list.

I think the TG16 designers made a lot of trade-offs, so peeves with corresponding good qualities are listed first.

Trade offs
*One controller port - first 16-bit system for $99
*No AV out - see above
*No battery backup - sleek media
*No light gun - no stupid light gun games
*2-player games almost nonexistent on TurboExpress - TE shares TG library
*Poor CDR compatibility - no region protection
*Multiple system cards - games released from '87-99

Peeves
*Only three tip books were published
*Barely covered in gaming magazines
*Frequently "discovered" by modern retro enthusiasts
*Side-mounted AV out (Duo)
*Cheap, leaky capacitors
*Short controller cords
*2-button controllers
*Janky controller pins stop working (Turbopads)
*Low-quality joysticks (U.S.)
*No first party wireless controllers (U.S.), system cleaner, or TE battery pack
*21 hucards sold without cases
*Crappy hucard adapters

[roflmao]

Wow, this is a well thought-out list.  My comments are below in bold.

Many of these have been touched on, but here's my full list.

I think the TG16 designers made a lot of trade-offs, so peeves with corresponding good qualities are listed first.

Trade offs
*One controller port - first 16-bit system for $99
*No AV out - see above
*No battery backup - sleek media
*No light gun - no stupid light gun games
*2-player games almost nonexistent on TurboExpress - TE shares TG library
*Poor CDR compatibility - no region protection It's funny that my TG16 w/ CD will play any CDR I throw at it, but the PCE Duo won't play hardly ANY of the CDR's I've tried.  But the original discs load noticably faster in the Duo.
*Multiple system cards - games released from '87-99 There's also been some great homebrew stuff released and more seemingly around the corner, which I guess could be said for other systems, but it's still awesome. 

Peeves
*Only three tip books were published ...and only 2 are worth owning. .
*Barely covered in gaming magazines
*Frequently "discovered" by modern retro enthusiasts
*Side-mounted AV out (Duo)
*Cheap, leaky capacitors
*Short controller cords
*2-button controllers Back when I had an Ave Pad 6 and the Hori Stick, I thoght they were awesome 6 button options, so I don't get this complaint, aside that they weren't pack-ins.  However didn't the RX have a 6-button pack-in? EDIT: Aha, the title of the thread reads PCE, but it's posted in the TG16 area.
*Janky controller pins stop working (Turbopads) Never experienced this, but don't doubt it.
*Low-quality joysticks (U.S.) See above
*No first party wireless controllers (U.S.), system cleaner, or TE battery pack
*21 hucards sold without cases This was a pretty sucky move, imo.
*Crappy hucard adapters My green diving board has been pretty trusty for 10+ years, though I have had one issue with Sapphire loading funny once.

[guyjin]

*Only three tip books were published

you sure about this? What are the 3 tip books?

[DragonmasterDan]

You guys must have all got a gimpy run of TG16 controllers when you were younger. When I was a kid playing with this shit, I never had any controller connector issues. I always thought those things were as robust as they come!

Part of the problem might have been the fact that the metal design of those controllers only allowed for so many insertions and removals from a turbo tab or system. Generally speaking when I was done with the system I would have to put it away neatly due to my parents being picky about cleaning. This meant Unplugging the AC adapter from the wall, unplugging the RF from the system (though leaving the RF connected to the TV), then removing the controllers from the system or tap, rolling the cords up and putting them neatly into a cabinet. If you just left the controllers plugged in all the time they probably received a lot less wear and tear from being inserted and removed repeatedly.

[Necromancer]

you sure about this? What are the 3 tip books?

The four Turbob books I know of are TurboGrafx-16 and TurboExpress Secrets - Volume 1, TurboGrafx-16 and TurboExpress Secrets - Volume 2, Winner's Guide to TurboGrafx-16, and The Official TurboGrafx 16 Game Encyclopedia.

[vestcoat]

*Multiple system cards - games released from '87-99 There's also been some great homebrew stuff released and more seemingly around the corner, which I guess could be said for other systems, but it's still awesome.  

I'm just talking about official releases (PCE Wonderboy in Monsterland in 87 to Dead of the Brain in 99).  All of the system cards are annoying, but they account for the PCE's surprising longevity.

What are the 3 tip books?

Bantam's Official TurboGrafx-16 Game Encyclopedia and Prima's two Secrets of the Games series.

You guys must have all got a gimpy run of TG16 controllers when you were younger. When I was a kid playing with this shit, I never had any controller connector issues. I always thought those things were as robust as they come!

Part of the problem might have been the fact that the metal design of those controllers only allowed for so many insertions and removals from a turbo tab or system. Generally speaking when I was done with the system I would have to put it away neatly due to my parents being picky about cleaning. This meant Unplugging the AC adapter from the wall, unplugging the RF from the system (though leaving the RF connected to the TV), then removing the controllers from the system or tap, rolling the cords up and putting them neatly into a cabinet. If you just left the controllers plugged in all the time they probably received a lot less wear and tear from being inserted and removed repeatedly.

Yeah, I've had two die on me and I was the original owner of one.  I take pretty good care of my stuff and I've never had any other controller failures since I got my first NES 23 years ago.  These days I keep my usual Turbopad permanently connected to an official NEC extension cord and that works well.