HuCard
Card-like ROM cartridge for the PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16)
The HuCard (Japanese: ヒューカード, Hepburn: HyūKādo) (known as the TurboChip in regions where the PC Engine was marketed as the TurboGrafx-16) is a ROM cartridge in the form of a card, designed by Hudson Soft for NEC's PC Engine and PC Engine SuperGrafx video game consoles, which were originally released in 1987 and 1989, respectively.
01Development
The HuCard is an evolution from an earlier Hudson Soft technology, the Bee Card, which it developed in the early 1980s as a distribution medium for MSX software. The Bee Card is an EEPROM device that is slightly thinner than the HuCard. It has 32 connectors whereas the HuCard has 38.
In July 1985, Hudson approached and pitched Nintendo a new add-on for the Famicom that played games using the patented Bee Cards. Nintendo liked this concept, as it had the ability to store full games and overwrite existing ones. However, as the technology for it was expensive, and that they would have to pay royalties for each card sold, Nintendo decided to pass on Hudson's proposal and would go on to develop the Famicom Disk System instead.
Hudson next approached NEC, who would end up partnering with Hudson to use the HuCard on its consoles.
Most video game cartridges have a large plastic housing to protect the PCB while providing enough space inside for radiant heat and, in some cases, a button cell battery. The PCB in a HuCard or Bee Card is protected by a rigid, glossy polymer that conducts heat; since one side of the card is left partially exposed while inserted in the console, heat disperses with less obstruction.
02Releases
Video game developers made new releases on HuCard until December 1994, when 21 Emon: Mezase! Hotel Ō was released in Japan for the PC Engine. It was the last official release for the platform in any region.
Hudson Soft, NEC, and other vendors published seven HuCard games specifically for the PC Engine SuperGrafx. Hudson Soft called this enhanced medium the Super HuCard.
Atlantean, an independent game released on a HuCard, was made available in August 2014. Jessie Jaeger in Cleopatra's Curse is a new title in development with a planned release in 2022.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “HuCard”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- PC Engine HuCARD.jpg by SACHEN at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
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