NEC Unit Expected to Be a Big Hit

There’s a new entry in the portable video-game sweepstakes: NEC’s TurboExpress, which is much more sophisticated than anything else on the market and, it can be argued, features more entertaining games than any other portables.

But will it dominate? Not a chance.

Nintendo’s Game Boy, which pioneered the high-tech portable market last year, is still king of the hill--even though, unlike Turbo-Express and Atari’s Lynx, it features a black-and-white screen. According to Bill White, Nintendo’s director of advertising and public relations, 5 million units of Game Boy have been sold, along with 20 million game cartridges.

Last year, Game Boy revolutionized the portable market, being the first unit that used interchangeable game cards. Previous hand-held units featured one built-in game.

Portables account for about 20% of the total video-game market, which is projected to hit $5.1 billion this year.

NEC’s TurboExpress, with 55 games in the $30-to-$60 price range, hit the market last month and is expected to be a big hit, particularly among veteran players. It’s the only portable to boast 16-bit computer power, twice Game Boy’s eight-bit power. That allows for high-resolution color screens and superior graphics, sound and speed.

The games used in 16-bit systems tend to be much more challenging. Once players are exposed to them, many say it’s hard to return to the less sophisticated eight-bit systems.

The advanced technology costs more, however. Whereas Game Boy is priced at about $90, Turbo-Express is $250. Atari’s Lynx costs $180; it uses cartridges that sell for $35-$40. Like the Game Boy, it’s an eight-bit system, but has a back-lit, color screen.

Dedicated video game players know that the biggest expense, though, is stocking up on games. And Ken Wirt, NEC’s vice president of home entertainment, said that one of the biggest selling points for TurboExpress is that, unlike Game Boy, it uses the same game cartridges as NEC’s desk-top video game unit, the TurboGrafx-16. That makes the price of the portable seem less formidable, he said.

Another drawback to the Turbo-Express is that it is what one 13-year-old player called “a battery guzzler,” meaning it uses up its six AA batteries in a few hours. With Game Boy, batteries last much longer. An adapter that allows the TurboExpress to be plugged into a wall socket won’t be available until next year.

An accessory that is available now, for $100, is a tiny tuner, featuring an antenna that plugs into the side of the unit and turns it into a TV set.

Nintendo’s White predicts that Game Boy, despite the 16-bit challenge, will continue to control the portable market: “Next year, we’re looking to sell 5 million Game Boy hardware units and 25 million units of Game Boy software.”

But White was careful not to downgrade the 16-bit systems because Nintendo plans to introduce a unit in this country late next year. A desk-top, 16-bit system with 12 games debuted in Japan last month. Right now, he said, Nintendo’s U.S. plans don’t include a 16-bit portable.