The Power Console (Japanese: パワーコンソール Pawākonsōru) is an unreleased peripheral developed by NEC for the PC Engine SuperGrafx game console. It was slated to be released in the Spring of 1990 with a suggested MSRP of 59,800 yen (equivalent to about $390 USD by 1990's exhange rates).
Why it was Cancelled[]
The SuperGrafx console was a commercial failure, and its low userbase would not have been enough to cover the Power Console's production costs.
Features[]
The Power Console is a very large peripheral, as it has many features built into it that would justify its near-60,000 yen price tag.
It connects to the SuperGrafx by slotting into its controller port, while also overlapping much of it in the process.
Directional Controls[]
At the center of the Power Console is a control column that has a yoke with two triggers that would have been used for playing driving games or flight simulation games, with a throttle lever to the left of it.
At the lower far left end of the unit is an eight-way joystick. On the upper left corner of the peripheral is a jog dial with three switches and LED indicators next to it.
Buttons[]
Action Buttons[]
At the lower far right end of the unit are four action buttons, labeled I, II, III, and IV, which with the joystick at the opposite end, completes a set of arcade-style controls.
There are also two triggers on the grips of the control column.
Run/Select[]
Below the control column are the Run and Select buttons, typical for NEC's gaming controllers for the PC Engine line of the time.
Numerical Keypad[]
To the right of the control column is a sixteen-button numerical keypad, presumably for more complex games.
There are also two additional buttons below the keypad, likely Power and Reset buttons.
Other[]
Next to the jog dial are three switches with LED indicators.
Miscellaneous[]
On the upper center right area of the Power Console is a numerical LED display. The unit also features four additional controller ports for multiplayer gameplay in addition to a storage compartment for HuCard games. Because of the unit's bulkiness and potentially heavy weight, it also boasts a pair of carrying handles on the sides.
Trivia[]
- Years after the Power Console's cancellation, it became the subject of an online April Fool's joke played by Chris Covell [1] as a satire of, as he puts it, "many things, especially rare item hoarders."
External Link(s)[]
- Power Console @ NEC Retro (NOTE: The server that this article is hosted on had broken down, meaning that there is no text on it as of the current.)