NEC TurboExpress

The TurboExpress (Japanese: PCエンジンGT Pīshīenjinjītī PC Engine GT) is a handheld console made by NEC in 1990. It is essentially a portable TurboGrafx-16, capable of playing all of the console's standard TurboChip games. NEC had hoped to compete with Nintendo's Game Boy with this handheld.

Why It Flopped

 * 1) Its launch price in the U.S. was $249.99 and was briefly raised to $299.99, but it soon dropped back to $249.99. This was extremely high for a portable gaming system at the time and earned it the nickname of "the Rolls-Royce of handheld gaming."
 * 2) * Its launch price in Japan was 44,800 yen; it did not sell well in Japan either.
 * 3) * It was even more expensive than the standard TurboGrafx-16 console.
 * 4) The console was very large and bulky, making it awkward to handle and while the screen was in color, it was the same size as the Game Boy's.
 * 5) Poor battery life, at just 3 hours with new batteries. You can, of course use Ni-MH batteries, such as Eneloops.
 * 6) Some games can't save or load the player's progress on the system.
 * 7) There were technical problems with sound and the LCD graphics at the time of release.

The Only Redeeming Quality

 * 1) It was the first ever 16-bit portable game console, meaning it was way ahead of the Game Boy Color.

Trivia

 * There is another, Japan-exclusive handheld model of the TurboGrafx-16, the PC Engine LT, which had a "clam shell" form factor like a laptop or the Game Boy Advance SP. Unlike the TurboExpress, however, the PC Engine LT doesn't run off batteries and instead runs off an external power source.