pc-engine 2 or any info on the namco nec/hudson deal

[QuickKash]

yes I was just wondering if anybody on this board had any info on the namco 16-bit home system or the 16-bit pc-engine 2 I am looking for any info. Thanks

[AM2forever]

Hi. The only things I read about the 16-Bit P.C. Engine 2 and the Namco 16-Bit Super System (plus that deal between Namco & NEC/Hudson) were in EGM number 2 and number 3 from 1989.

The Namco system was supposed to rival the Super Famicom and be released in 1990.

The NEC P.C. Engine 2 was (at first) ment to be a true 16-Bit machine, unlike the 8-Bit SuperGrafx,  with better graphics and sound.  The Namco 16-bit system almost *became* the P.C. Engine 2, but the deal fell through. Namco & Hudson could not come to an agreement, from what was said. I wish I had more info but I don't. There isn't much of anything on the internet on either the Namco machine or the true 16-bit P.C. Engine 2 from what I have seen.

Anyone else know more, beyond what was in EGM? Would really like some insight. Edited by: AM2forever at: 11/10/02 10:42:16 pm

[Pcenginefx]

Other than what you listed AM2forever, that'a about all the info that is currently available.  Too bad we never saw this system.... Aaron Nanto
Webmaster Pcenginefx.com
www.pcenginefx.com

The ultimate resource for NEC console information!

[animekenji]

It was supposed to rival the Super Famicom?? A couple of monkeys with a screwdriver and a soldering iron could make a 16 bit system that rivals the Super Famicom.  The Sega Megadrive (Genesis here), was probably the best mainstream 16-bitter ever. I know Neo Geo had better graphics, but there weren't many of those, I am talking about volume machines. The only thing that saved Nintendo back then was that all the RPGs were on the SFC. I don't really know what happened when the PC Engine evolved into the TG-16, why so many PCE titles looked so good and so many TG-16 games looked like they were ported from a Sega Master System. If NEC had a better system in the pipeline, it most likely blew the doors off the SFC.  

[AM2forever]

It was the Namco 16-Bit system was said to rival the Super Famicom in specifications.  The never released NEC 16bit system is very much unknown. no specs were given
other than it was going to have a true 16bit cpu, better
graphics and sound than that PC Engine. of which, the SuperGrafx had only slightly better graphics, no cpu or sound improvement other than more memory available.

I am certain that a 16bit PC Engine 2 would have blown away the SuperFamicom, much like the original PC Engine blew away the Famicom. Nintendo chose a WEAK CPU for the SFC, one that was not much better than the 8-bit one in the PCE. NEC would have use an ultrafast 16bit cpu or perhaps even twin 16bit CPUs. And much better graphics. better than the SG, Mega Drive and SFC. probably NeoGeo quality or better.  It was only at some point did NEC try to get the Namco 16bit system to use that as the PC Engine 2. The real PC Engine 2 would've been different, I believe. More like the PCE or SG, but much more powerful, so yeah, you're right. And I agree that the Mega Drive/Genesis was the best mainstream 16bit system around.

Edited by: AM2forever at: 11/10/02 10:47:21 pm

[AM2forever]

Here's a revalation for you. About the Namco 16bit home console. Apparently, it became a Namco arcade board.
Someone called deadsoul pointed this out to me on the assembler website message board for rare videogame hardware.  

pub39.ezboard.com/fassemb...=201.topic

he said it was originally called NX-1. The arcade version is called NA-1.

www.system16.com/namco/hr...emna1.html

this looks awfully console like. very few chips for an arcade board.... Edited by: AM2forever at: 11/10/02 10:48:33 pm

[NEC Avenue]

"It's really interesting that Husdon designed the X68000 graphics chipset. the graphics and CPU blow all of the 16bit systems out of the water, except the NeoGeo. Yet the X68000 predates the P.C. Engine!"

Wow  I wasn't aware of that! That's a MAJOR accomplishment in anyone's book! BTW I posted at the system16 BB under the name PC-Engine  

[AM2forever]

NEC Avenue - I myself was not aware of that, until last year when i became interested in X68000 for all of its terrific, near-identical renditions of Sega, Konami and Capcom arcade classics...

I'm so amazed by X68000 concidering it was released in 1986. only thing it lacked (that NeoGeo and SNES had) was hw scaling & rotation. I agree it was a major accomplishment for the time, especially since later consoles and computers PALED in comparasion.