The TurboGrafx-16 Mini will launch in North America on May 22nd.
Konami’s miniature console was initially set to come out on March 19th through Amazon for $99.99. However, Konami delayed the console a few weeks before its release after suspending manufacturing and shipments of the system as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new release date for the console in Europe has yet to be announced.
The TurboGrafx-16 Mini already launched in Japan on March 19th under a different design and name, the PC Engine Mini. The console features more than 50 built-in titles from the 16-bit era of gaming, such as Bomberman ‘93 and Ys I & II. Like other miniature consoles, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini includes one wired controller, however, a wireless third-party controller is also available for $24.99.
My colleague, Andrew Webster, checked out the TurboGrafx-16 Mini last month. Although the console is not exactly “mini” compared to the size of competitors like the NES Classic, he said the console “doubles as a history lesson,” allowing owners to revisit classics in an accessible format.
The novel coronavirus has continued to disrupt the gaming industry. Gaming conventions have been canceled or replaced with virtual events, and video games have been delayed. Those games include the Nintendo Switch port of Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds and Sony’s highly anticipated first-party exclusive The Last of Us Part II, which received a new release date in late April following an indefinite delay earlier that month.
Though consoles remain mostly unaffected, buying a Nintendo Switch during the pandemic has shown to be quite challenging. Both Microsoft and Sony are still planning to launch their next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, during the 2020 holiday season.
