Playstation Store Offering TurboGrafx-16 Games

Following in the footsteps of the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console, the Playstation 3 is getting a set of TurboGrafx-16 titles. The Virtual Console is one of the main components to the success of the Nintendo Wii. The service brings a collection of classic titles from a couple of retro video game systems in the past (including the TurboGrafx-16) onto the Nintendo Wii. For a small price, Nintendo Wii users can purchase a classic title off of the Wii Shop Channel and download it onto their system.

Sony also has a similar service to the Virtual Console. However, the scope of the service is limited to just one video game system, the Playstation. Under PSOne Classics, PSP and Playstation 3 users can download classic Playstation titles from the Playstation Store. However, the PSOne Classics started out of the gate slow as new releases were far and few between. It began to turn around earlier this year, however, as Sony made a recommitment to new releases after numerous complaints.

After the success of PSOne Classics, Sony decided to expand on their retro games download service by introducing TurboGrafx-16 games. The old-school video game system was first released in Japan as PC Engine during the year of 1987. The PC Engine came out two years later in North America under the name of TurboGrafx-16. Finally, it launch in European countries in 1990 known simply as TurboGrafx.

The TurboGrafx-16 was on the losing side of the 16-bit console war with the Super NES and Sega Genesis. It only sold a modest 10 million units worldwide throughout its years of availability on the market. That is still plenty enough for a few excellent games to be released, however. Thanks to modern technology, you no longer need to own a TurboGrafx-16 to play these titles.

The advent of standard storage and internet connection on video game systems enable the birth of downloadable games. As a result, retro games are given new life through the Virtual Console of the Nintendo Wii in addition to the Playstation Store of the PSP and Playstation 3.

The first four TurboGrafx-16 games to appear on the Playstation Store are Bomberman '94, Devil Crush, New Adventure Island and Sengoku Mahjong. Like most PSOne Classics in Japan, TurboGrafx-16 games will retail for 600 yen each on the Japanese Playstation Store. Furthermore, the classic titles can be played on the PSP and Playstation 3.

No words yet on when TurboGrafx-16 games are coming to the North American Playstation Store. Hopefully, this opens the door for more retro video game systems appearing on the digital store for the PSP and Playstation 3.