NEC TurboExpress

The TurboExpress is a handheld video game console by NEC Home Electronics, released in late 1990 in Japan and the United States. Released as the TurboExpress Handheld Entertainment System in the States and as the PC Engine GT in Japan. It is essentially a portable version of the TurboGrafx-16 home console that came two to three years earlier. Its launch price in Japan was ¥44,800 and $249.99 in the U.S. The TurboExpress was technically advanced at the time, able to play all the TurboGrafx-16's HuCard games, featuring a TV tuner, and a backlit, active-matrix color LCD screen. The TurboExpress primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, Sega's Game Gear, and the Atari Lynx. However, 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. Regardless of its technical advantages upon its release, the TurboExpress was not widely recognized or adopted by consumers. In addition to NEC's marketing issues, the handheld was initially released for $299.99, significantly higher than popular competitors. Because of this price tag, it was labeled as the "Rolls Royce of handheld systems".