dbCard from db Electronics promotes homebrew on TurboGrafx-16 / PC-Engine

Yet again René Richard, head of db Electronics and creator among other FM Power Base Converter or PC Henshin Turbo, presents us with a new and very promising project, as usual for one of his favorite consoles, the NEC TurboGrafx-16. The dbCard is a flash card for developers of homebrew games, and the idea being to facilitate their work in distributing their games on physical media i.e. a clone of HuCard. Indeed, one of the biggest challenges today when we want to sell a retro homebrew game is to find suppliers able to recreate our beloved game cartridges (electronic and plastic components) for any platform. The aim of this, is to sell a truly new game without destroying old games just to salvage the cartridge and possibly its components.

It wasn’t until the second version of the dbCard that René managed to correct the flaws of the first regarding the thickness and size of the card. The first version, which was more a prototype, enabled him not only to finish the electronic part but also to see that the card was still too thick. He decided to reduce the size of the PCB and adjust the size to the proportions of a real HuCard using a plastic model printed in 3D. The end result was very successful! René ensures that the cost of flashables chips is very low, which we believe should keep the cost of these cards low should he decide to produce and sell them in bulk.

The 8-bit NEC is not one of the better known of the homebrew console publishers, so this is great news that could give it a second life!