2 years ago

In this episode, we unbox and test out the TerraOnion Super HD System 3 Pro for the PC Engine and Core Grafx.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
1:56 - Unboxing
4:39 - Device Inspection
5:49 - Final Setup Tips
6:29 - Setup Issues
8:39 - Menu Overview
13:01 - Splatterhouse
14:32 - Pack-Land
15:50 - Fantasy Zone
16:29 - Street Fighter II
18:14 - Rondo Of Blood (Chi no Rondo)
20:50 - RetroTink5x Testing with Insurrection Industries SCART Cable
21:22 - Zero Wing
23:16 - How to Dump and Backup Your HuCard Games
24:12 - Darkwing Duck
26:19 - Initial Thoughts
28:06 - Final Thoughts

When I heard about the Super HD System 3 Pro, I was immediately interested. And when the guys over at Stone age gamer reached out and asked if I would like to review it, & of course, I jumped at the chance. What This does is take your PC Engine to the next level in a couple of different ways. First and foremost, it provides an HDMI output and up to 720p resolution, plug and play, no adapters or cables are needed. This is absolutely wonderful. It also allows you to play any region HuCard games, and play ROMs and ISOs from Super CD games. Essentially, you can have the entire PC Engine, TurboGrafx16, or CoreGrafx16 libraries available on one micro SD card.

For me, I am not a huge proponent of downloading ROMs from the Internet, so that capability was not super appealing to me. However, one of the things that I absolutely love is the fact that you can dump the ROM from your existing HuCard library, so that way you can preserve and maintain the integrity of your collection. While I don't have any of the crazy expensive games for the platform, I love the fact that I can back up and have all of my TurboGrafx16 or PC Engine games to play without needing to get them out of the cases. That's awesome.

Before you go and use it for the first time, you'll want to go to the Terra Onion website and register your product. From here, download the latest and greatest firmware to make sure that you have access to all of the latest features. I do wish that Terra Onion would have provided a full-blown instruction slip sheet in with the unit itself, but you can download it using a QR code. If you don't have your phone on you, however, that can be a bit of a pain.

While you do have the option of connecting a 9-pin DIN connector, similar to what the Sega Genesis Model 2 used, I much more preferred getting the HDMI output. I thought the images were sharper, the picture was brighter, and I was overall just more pleased with the result. Even going through my RetroTink 5X, I still preferred the HDMI directly out of the Super HD System 3 Pro.

Why it RoX:
- Plug and Play HDMI output
- Plays HuCard, Super CD ROM, Arcade CD-ROM, and standard CD-ROM games
- RGB output
- Allows you to preserve your own collection by dumping your own games
- Loads Games faster
- It just works

What could be improved:
- Performance comes at a price, this is not cheap
- Not compatible with US TurboGrafx16
- Instructions not included in the box

Should you buy one?
If you are a fan of the PC Engine or the TurboGrafx, this is definitely something you want to consider. While I am not a fan of straight-up Everdrives due to the piracy concerns, the Super HD System 3 Pro really eliminated that concern for me because you can create and play your own backups. To me, that makes this a killer app and something you really should have in your collection. I felt that the HDMI output was better looking than the analog output even going through a RetroTink 5X, and it simplifies my connection. This is a wonderful device, and I can see myself getting many years of use out of it. Job well done.

#TerraOnion #PCEngine #StoneAgeGamer

The footage used in this review are used under the Fair Use laws, referenced below:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)

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