It is a shame, but it was bound to happen. Konami recently announced their launch of the TurboGrafx-16 Mini is delayed. The reason given is the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Unfortunately, we are not sure when the mini console will launch.

Catching up with the TurboGrafx-16 Mini

For those that don’t know, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini will feature 50 games. We covered it a while back for those interested in the full games list. The popular ones that got gamers talking include Castlevania: Dracula X and Gradius making their first official appearance in North America along with staples like the Bonk games.

According to Kotaku, Konami stated COVID-19 has interrupted production in China. This sucks, but it was to be expected when the coronavirus first started making the news. It was just a matter of when.

The mini console a lot of us wanted

For once, the powers that be got one right. The TurboGrafx-16 was a console that was never really able to get beyond niche ownership. It simply did not have the marketing power behind it that Sega gave their Genesis, and later Sega CD. Nintendo dominated in the 8-bit days with tons of advertising, which they continued with the Super NES.

While some great games did make the jump across the pond, a lot of the better games did not. This was odd because for the most part, the TurboGrafx-16 was still in retail after the stranglehold of Nintendo on the 8-bit world was ended. Konami is one company many of us back then expected to release games like Castlevania, Gradius, Salamander, Contra, etc. on the TurboGrafx-16. Sadly, they did not do that.

What you can do

Honestly, not much. You can check out eBay or Amazon if you want to grab some physical copies of certain games. Fair warning, some games are expensive. Those are also affiliate links which help us here to keep the lights on (don’t worry, they cost you nothing extra).

Other than that, it is a waiting game. There is currently no way to tell how long the COVID-19 situation will last. Just keep your hands clean, watch the surfaces and such you touch, and follow basic good hygiene regimens.

Originally the TurboGrafx-16 Mini was scheduled for release on March 19^th, 2020. Pre-orders are still available on Amazon, the exclusive marketplace for the TurboGrafx-16 Mini.

Carl Williams

It is time gaming journalism takes its rightful place as proper sources and not fanboys giving free advertising. If you wish to support writers like Carl please use the links below. https://www.paypal.me/WCW https://www.patreon.com/CarlWilliams