Analogue announces its take on the PC Engine Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Analogue announces its take on the PC Engine Optical drive, Hucard support and plenty more in the Analogue Duo. News by John Linneman Senior Staff Writer, Digital Foundry Updated on 16 Oct 2020 28 comments After announcing the Pocket earlier this year, Analogue has another trick up its sleeve with the Analogue Duo, and this stands as perhaps the most exciting release yet. This new machine is designed to play NEC PC Engine, TurboGrafx-16, SuperGrafx and PC Engine CD-ROM² based games from a single device. While the American release of the TurboGrafx-16 wasn't exactly a huge success, the PC Engine received a tremendous support in Japan with a vast library of amazing games. Unfortunately, PC Engine hardware itself is often expensive to purchase and maintain due to a reliance on low quality capacitors. While the community has developed a wide range of fixes and enhancements for the system, it's not an easily accessible machine for most western gamers. Which is why the Analogue Duo is so exciting. On paper, it offers a feature-set comparable to the Mega Sg and Super Nt before it with support for resolutions up to 1080p, DAC support for 15khz analogue output, an original controller port and plenty of customisation options. We'll certainly put it through its paces when it releases, however. What is unique about this machine is its optical disc drive - a first for Analogue. Yes, the Duo includes an optical drive designed to play CD-ROM based games which is something we've yet to see in this space from Analogue. Naturally, a Hucard slot is also included for card based games. Well certainly be curious to check out the performance on the optical drive. Furthermore, the system supports Bluetooth and 2.4g controllers directly without relying on dongles - a key feature given that the PC Engine itself only features a single controller port instead relying on a multi-tap to enable multiplayer support. Of course, it still offers an original style controller port for PC Engine peripherals as well as a USB port. Analogue also announced an adapter for the upcoming Pocket allowing users to enjoy PC Engine, TurboGrafx-16 and SuperGrafx games on the portable system using original media. This will be sold for $29.99. The Analogue Duo itself is set to go on sale next year for $199 which, considering the price of original Duo systems, is an exceptional deal provided it delivers. From a design perspective, this might be the nicest looking piece of kit Analogue has produced to date and it's even offered in both Japanese and US color schemes. The big question is how video output will be handled as the community recently discovered some quirks with the composite video output which are lost when using RGB. Will this system take that into account? We'll have to wait and see. For now, though, it's very promising. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 10 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store