Anyone want to spot me $1,400 so I can buy this boxed PC Engine LT?

OK, so I'm pretty sure everyone's answer to the question posed in this post's header is going to be a resounding "no," but you can't blame a guy for trying, can you?



After all, the PC Engine LT--which combines a PC Engine, a PC Engine controller and a five-inch monitor all in one lovely, kinda-sorta portable package--has long been perched at the very top of my personal "holy grails of gaming" list.

If you'd prefer to buy this beauty for your own enjoyment, though, I'd totally understand. I think.

Buy: complete-in-box PC Engine LT system

What would you rather spend 950£ on: Food, rent or a PC Engine LT?

It's a fairly well-known fact that I fancy the portable PC Engine--branded the "PC Engine LT" because it folds up like a laptop--that the ballsy folks at NEC released back in 1991. (Or, rather, it should be a well-known fact, since I've mentioned this sexy system in a number of posts--including this one and this one. Oh, and this one, too.)

Will I ever actually buy one of these sexy-but-bulky (for a handheld) systems? I'd love to tell you "hell yeah," but I'm not so sure--especially after seeing this eBay listing.

For those of you who aren't interested enough in the PC Engine LT to click on the link above, it takes you to an auction for an unboxed PC Engine LT, a blue-and-gray PC Engine controller and copies of four shoot 'em ups (Final Soldier, GunHed, Solider Blade and Super Star Soldier).

Oh, and the whole shebang will set you back just 950£ (about $1,500).



Hey, at least shipping is included.

As appealing as that price is, I think I'll pass--especially since I've seen plenty of unboxed PC Engine LT's appear on eBay with much smaller price tags (usually between $600 and $800).

Also, if I were to drop that kind of dough on a PC Engine LT--you know, if I somehow won the lottery and didn't mind spending nearly $2,000 on a game system--I'd drop it on a complete-in-box PC Engine LT like this one.

(Via retro-treasures.blogspot.com)

A little PC Engine LT love

At least once a year, I become a wee bit obsessed with the PC Engine LT.

I've wanted one of these sexy, laptop-esque portables ever since I saw a photo of one in an old issue of either Diehard GameFan or Electronic Gaming Monthly (or maybe it was Super Gaming, an EGM spin-off) magazine as a youngster, but I've never bought one because they're so darn expensive.

That hasn't kept me from dreaming about the day I throw caution--and my credit card--to the wind and purchase one, though. Until that day arrives, I'll waste my time reading blog posts about and watching YouTube videos of NEC's little gray wonder.

Speaking of the latter, the following video--produced by YouTube user futurematt5--is helping me get through my most recent phase of PC Engine LT obsession. (I wonder if that'll be considered a diagnosable and treatable disorder when the DSM-5 is published in 2013?)



Here's part two of the video, by the way, and here's (actually, go here and here) a series of videos in which futurematt5 attaches the PC Engine LT to the Super CD-ROM2 peripheral. Oh, and here's a fabulously porn-ish video that features "high-quality footage and close-ups" of the system.

Anyway, here's to hoping that next year at this time I'll be posting my own photos and videos of the portable system that futurematt5 says is the gaming world's equivalent of an eccentric uncle.

Note: This post originally appeared on my PC Engine-focused blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com.

Another day, another Nintendo-inspired t-shirt design (or two)

There are a lot of things I'd blow my money on if I ever won the lottery. A PC Engine LT would be one such thing; a copy of All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. would be another.

Also, I'd buy every game-inspired t-shirt that caught my eye--with t-shirts bearing the designs below (created by artist Glen Brogan) being among my first post-lottery purchases.

The top design is called "Bottled Fairy," by the way, while the bottom one is called "Great Shelled Dragon."

If you've already won the lottery and you'd like to add either or both of the above-mentioned shirts to your wardrobe, pay a visit to Brogan's Split Reason store.

Five gaming-related items I'd buy if money weren't an issue

I know this probably seems like a silly and even stupid waste of time, but when has that stopped me in the past?

Anyway, as the header above implies, this post is all about the five gaming-related items I'd buy if money weren't an issue.

1) A Bubble Bobble, Donkey Kong or Ms. Pac-Man (below) arcade cabinet--No explanation needed, right?

2) Copies of Coryoon, Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire and Madou Monogatari--The first is an expensive PC Engine HuCard game, while the second and third are expensive (PC Engine) Arcade CD-ROM games.

3) A Japanese Mega Drive and a copy of Panorama Cotton--The latter is an extremely rare Mega Drive cart that, unlike other entries in the Cotton series (well, except this one--but it doesn't count because it supposedly sucks), is a 3D shoot 'em up à la Sega's Space Harrier.

4) A PC Engine LT--Only the coolest handheld system ever. I mean, it has a four-inch screen and looks like a little laptop--who wouldn't want something like that?

5) A copy of Punch-Out!! Special--5,000 of these gold-colored carts were awarded to high-scoring participants of a Nintendo Famicom Golf competition, while another 5,000 were given away during a pair of raffles.

Honorable mention: A copy of Rakugaki Showtime--The obscure "arena combat" game created for the original PlayStation by the geniuses at Treasure. Sadly, I owned a copy of this game for quite some time before (stupidly) selling it a few years ago.

Which games or gaming-related items would you buy if money weren't an issue?

Be still my heart

I've wanted a PC Engine LT ever since I saw the sexy little laptop-esque system in the pages of an early issue of Diehard GameFan magazine.

So why haven't I bought one? Well, they're expensive. Really expensive. A recent eBay search, for instance, brought up auctions for three used, boxless systems, with the cheapest priced at $550 and the most expensive priced at $799.

A guy who calls himself dcmaster on Flickr recently acquired the PC Engine LT above for a bit less than that. In fact, said system--bought at a "car boot sale," whatever that is--set him back just £5 (approximately $6.75).

Assuming the thing works, I'm not sure whether I should pat this dcmaster fellow on the back (virtually, of course) or put a hex on him.

Note: This post originally appeared on my other (rarely udpated) gaming blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com.