Simulation is back. The company that markets itself as a Rolls-Royce of retro gaming is back with its latest hardware—and it’s arguably its most niche product yet.
While past Analogue machines were based on the most mainstream and successful video game consoles (SNES, Mega Drive, Game Boy, etc.), the Analogue Duo is truly a device for hardcore gamers. However, the pitch is the same: through the wonders of FPGA technology, it makes old games look glorious on modern monitors. What’s really different is the machinery it’s reviving.
iGamesNews
The main difference this time is that I bet a lot of you have never played TurboGrafx-16 (aka PC Engine), let alone owned it. When Analogue’s boss emailed me to ask if I’d like to try out Duo, he included an extra question I’d never seen him ask before: Do we have a game to test it with? I couldn’t stand it, so I did it, but I bet a lot of people didn’t. That’s telling: This analog product has a smaller audience.
That doesn’t mean the company no longer takes their role in building machines seriously. It’s a gorgeous, high-end device at a high-end price ($250) for those who take retro gaming seriously.
The way I used to explain Analogue was with a vinyl record analogy. If you want to play old (or new) vinyl records, you can go to an audiophile store and buy beautiful bookshelf speakers and hundreds of turntables. Alternatively, you can go to your local supermarket and probably find a cheap turntable that connects to a Bluetooth speaker for $50. Retro video games have gone through the same thing, with devices like the Super Pocket being cheap gifts and what we call the enthusiast’s version of video games. Rebel? Game fan? Definitely not the second one. shudder.
Even at first glance, this is a premium experience. The box is cute again. Slide it open and you’re greeted by a compact machine whose shape is based on the TurboDuo, after which Analogue’s products are named. In both cases, “Duo” means dual compatibility – since it can accommodate both the cassette “Hucard” version and the CD. It also refers to the architecture of the original machine because of its duality, having an 8-bit CPU and a 16-bit GPU running in tandem.
Analogue’s Duo architecture returns to FPGAs, which are the basis for all of the company’s products. The term stands for Field Programmable Gate Array, but basically what it does is it allows a chip to be built exactly like the original hardware, down to the tiniest detail of its circuitry. In fact, this is very different from “software emulation,” where an emulator program running within another operating system attempts to approximate real hardware. According to Analogue, this results in 100% accuracy across all games – although anyone who’s ever owned one of these machines knows that’s not entirely true. It’s pretty close, though.
In fact, I’ve become an FPGA convert over the years. This is my primary way of experiencing older machines if there are FPGA alternatives available, as it saves the hassle of messing with the original hardware.
In testing, the Duo appears to be another FPGA winner. I have to adm it that I’m not nearly as authoritative on the Turbografx stuff as I am on things like the Mega Drive or Game Boy, as I never owned either of those machines as a child – I came late to the party due to historical curiosity . But everything seems to run fine on all supported machines. Again, it felt lag-free, bug-free, and everything I threw at the machine “just worked” after a few random clicks in the OS.
Some features are currently missing, such as saving states. However, analog technology often does this. It’s frustrating, but the company has proven itself time and time again when it comes to delivering on its software update promises. At this point, I’m confident that the duo will achieve what’s promised in a short enough time. Now, without save states, it functions much closer to the original hardware.
However, the operating system can be a sticking point for some. Duo is the first machine to run Analogue’s proprietary operating system No Supporting OpenFPGA allows users to play more types of games in more ways, including through SD cards. The Analogue Pocket is the flagship OpenFPGA device, but it is not supported by the Duo and the upcoming Analogue 3D (N64) machines. This means that, initially, the only thing you can do with this machine is play original cards and discs; the reliance on the main operating system means that jailbreaking will likely be slower than on machines before emulated operating systems existed (if at all ).
This is a tricky topic to tackle in a hardware review, because obviously, you should own every game you play, even the ancient ones. Otherwise I wouldn’t endorse anything. But the Duo offered compatibility with less popular machines, making their best games rare. I went on eBay and bought some games beyond what I already had, and ended up spending money on the machine, you know? This is an expensive requirement.
Of course the analogues will say they have nothing to do with it. They build fancy new machines to play old games. That’s it. It is compatible with the original controller and also supports Bluetooth and WiFi to connect new wireless controllers. I liked that the original’s built-in 3.5mm headphone jack and volume rocker are also replicated here, so you can play with headphones – although a menu option to mute the TV’s output is desperately needed when doing this. Overall, it feels like a lovely, solid piece of hardware.
Slot-loading CD drives always make me a little nervous – the mechanisms can break – but it’s hard for me to be too mad at the Analogue considering how nice it looks and how luxurious the machine feels. Every touch exudes quality.
It’s certainly niche, though. Since there’s no way to play games from an SD card, legal or otherwise, it’s likely to be more niche due to the nature of the system. I deeply respect Analogue for making more than just big, heavy products, and while repeated productions of the Analogue Pocket have sold to more casual users, the company has stayed true to its roots, which are hardcore collectors.
Regardless, this is probably the best new way to play NEC Turbografx games in a modern environment. It’s a lovely curiosity and a must-have for those who have the most stalwart and fondest memories of machines.
Due to its nature, you probably already know whether you need Analogue Duo. If you’re a true PC Engine enthusiast, chances are you’ve already pre-ordered it. But even for those outside that group, it’s a lovely device – albeit pricey for such a narrow niche. I’m enjoying the history lessons it’s opened up for me, while still eager for Analogue 3D when it comes out next year. My N64 cart collection is waiting.
