Some random thought about the vaporware Turbo Duo SCSI adapter

[7800fan]

Long ago when Mattel Electronics announced a computer add on for the original Intellivision but then discontinued it without releasing it. FTC got involved and sued Mattel Electronics, alleging that some customers bought the console with the intention of getting computer add on later and Mattel Electronics was forced to manufacture and sell some hundred bulky computer systems.

 

Fast forward to mid 1990s, NEC (or TTI) released a Turbo Duo and offered System 3,0 card for users with older TG-16 and CD system to play newer games. They also featured and showed a prototype SCSI adapter that could turn a Duo console into a SCSI CD-ROM system for PC and Macintosh but the adapter was never released.

 

FTC didn't jump on them? I wonder how many people bought a Duo and actually planned to have it connected to a computer?

 

PS SCSI adapter would probably never work. Computer monitors at the time were VGA for PC and propriety video standard for Macintosh and generally none of them had composite input so one would need to have a TV or composite monitor next to their computer to use the Duo as CD-ROM or to play games. Plus A Duo system + SCSI adapter would likely cost more than a plain vanilla 2x external SCSI CD-ROM back in the day. When they started planning, a Duo was $300 and the adapter was expected to be $100, and the price of external CD-ROM would have dropped a lot lower than $400 before TTI could finish and release them.

Edited October 23, 2016 by 7800fan

[MrMaddog]

That's because the Intelivision Keyboard was advertised in TV ads while the Turbo Duo (PC Engine) SCSI interface was never mentioned except in a few magazine articles (lots of vaporware gets previewed in computer/gaming mags).

 

I never knew it even existed until I saw an old Computer Chronicles video about CD-ROM drives and they had "Johnny Turbo" on the show. </snicker>

Edited October 23, 2016 by MrMaddog