TurboExpress

The TurboExpress is an <a href="/facts/8-bit/2CkhLNoH">8-bit</a> <a href="/facts/Handheld_game_console/l1hmKVPx">handheld game console</a> by <a href="/facts/NEC/YnlUsMBA">NEC Home Electronics</a>, released in late 1990 in Japan and the United States, branded as the PC Engine GT in Japan and TurboExpress Handheld Entertainment System in the U.S. It is essentially a portable version of the <a href="/facts/TurboGrafx-16/MBWz7xPU">TurboGrafx-16</a> home console that came out one to three years earlier. Its launch price in Japan was ¥44,800 and US$249.99 (equivalent to $600 in 2024) in the U.S.
The TurboExpress was technically advanced for the time, able to play all the TurboGrafx‑16's <a href="/facts/HuCard/Ge57Ptjb">HuCard</a> games, featuring a <a href="/facts/Backlight/sDbctXaA">backlit</a>, <a href="/facts/Active_matrix/rDM2fHfb">active-matrix</a> color <a href="/facts/LCD/8B6xGBEz">LCD</a> screen, and optional <a href="/facts/TV_tuner/Vg0Tov5e">TV tuner</a>.
The TurboExpress primarily competed with <a href="/facts/Nintendo/dMrLpaHu">Nintendo</a>'s <a href="/facts/Game_Boy/GlyN6e2W">Game Boy</a>, <a href="/facts/Sega/f9TY2kyl">Sega</a>'s <a href="/facts/Game_Gear/RmXkbC3t">Game Gear</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Atari_Lynx/40k4Mmvz">Atari Lynx</a>. With 1.5 million units sold, far behind its two main competitors, NEC failed to gain significant sales or market share in the handheld market.

TurboExpress open-in-new

TurboExpress