Every year when Halloween comes to a close and Thanksgiving is just on the horizon, I tend to get very nostalgic for my youth. Like most collectors, I long for the toys and games I had back then. I suspect this is the case with a lot of adults, whether they identify as collectors or not. My feelings of nostalgia are amplified by the fact that I was a Christmas-baby, being born within a week before the holiday. It is during this time, with the feelings of the holiday spirit set upon me and the acceptance that I am yet one year older, that I tend to look back and reflect on things. It is also this time of year that I tend to immerse myself with the memories and objects of my youth that I most identify with. In this article, I implore my audience to take a magical trip back to the Christmas holiday season of 1989. The 1989 holiday season was a special time for video game enthusiasts in particular. For it was during this time that Nintendo, with the successful launch of the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1985, had a near lock on the entire video game market. But all that was about to change thanks to the arrival of two new powerful competitors. On Aug. 14, 1989, the 16-bit Sega Genesis arrived on North American retail shelves eager to take a bite out of Nintendos lead. Not to be outdone by Sega, NEC (a major electronics company in Japan) brought their own 16-bit system to North American shores when they released the TurboGrafx-16 on Aug. 29, 1989. Both systems were twice as powerful as Nintendos 8-bit NES system and debuted with massive advertising budgets and incredible media coverage surrounding the launch. If you were a kid who owned a Nintendo you would not be able to avoid the frenzy surrounding these two new systems, and school-aged kids were already picking their favorite new contender by September of 1989. It is often said that history is simply propaganda for the victor, and while it is true that the Sega Genesis would go on to compete brilliantly with Nintendo and actually take a Pac-Man sized bite (pun intended) out of Nintendos market share, it was the NEC TurboGrafx-16 system that mesmerized me the most, even though it failed miserably and would be nearly discontinued in less than four short years after its over-hyped release. I would eventually go on to own both the TurboGrafx-16 and the Sega Genesis in the early 1990s, but it was the TurboGrafx-16 I chose to ask for for Christmas in 1989. The system just looked so incredible in the advertisements that graced the video game magazines of that era. Publications like Video Games & Computer Entertainment, GamePro, and Electronic Gaming Monthly featured page after page of all the upcoming games, and I was incredibly excited to play the intense outerspace shooting game called Blazing Lazers. The Turbografx-16 system retailed for $199.99 and came packaged with a unique game that no one at the time had any previous exposure to, called Keith Courage in Alpha Zones. I fondly remember this Christmas in particular because my family was set to go on vacation the week between Christmas and New Years, so I was allowed to open my Christmas presents a week in advance! I still recall the feelings I had when I carefully hooked up my TurboGrafx-16 to the television set and played Keith Courage in Alpha Zones for the first time. Make no mistake, Keith Courage in Alpha Zones was not as memorable as Super Mario Brothers, which came packaged with the original Nintendo Entrainment System when it premiered in 1985. There is a reason why the Super Mario Brothers franchise is still going strong to this day, but Keith Courage in Alpha Zones, and more importantly NEC (makers of the TurboGrafx-16), are long forgotten by most. Nintendo is still the unrivaled king of video games even in 2024. Unfortunately, even though NEC would release some incredible games for the TurboGrafx-16, games like Bonks Adventure (the companys answer to the Super Mario Brothers franchise), Splatterhouse (one of the first horror-themed video games to come with a mature audiences warning), The Legendary Axe (an incredible action adventure game that still stands the test of time), along with many more memorable titles and some not so memorable ones, Sega would ultimately dominate the 16-bit landscape and essentially kill off the TurboGrafx-16. By the time Nintendo released their own 16-bit system (known as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System) in North American retailers on Aug. 23, 1991, the writing was on the proverbial wall that the TurboGrafx-16 was in dire straits. NEC attempted to salvage what little market share they had and even attempted to release a new system that combined their core TurboGrafx-16 with the hyped CD-ROM expansion system. However, this was already too little, too late, and most retailers stopped carrying the TurboGrafx-16 by this time. Over the years, thanks in part to the popularity and collectability of vintage video games, the TurboGrafx-16 managed to become somewhat of a collectors item. I am biased towards this system simply because I have fond memories of the system and games and what could have been had NEC done a better job at promoting the system and bringing better games to the U.S. market. Even today, the TurboGrafx-16 is one of my favorite vintage video game systems to collect and play. For collectors and vintage video game enthusiasts looking to start a TurboGrafx-16 collection of their own, please know that this is not a cheap system to collect. Most of the popular games even in used condition can easily set you back a hundred to several hundred dollars apiece depending on condition and whether or not they are complete in their original boxes with manuals. Some obscure games can cost several thousands of dollars each, and if you are like me and attempt to go after factory-sealed and graded games, leave all hope behind, as some of the highly coveted graded games can sell for several thousand dollars each. I must admit that writing this article was bittersweet for me as I truly miss the Christmas 1989 holiday season that introduced me to the brave new world of the TurboGrafx-16. And while the world that system introduced me to in the form of the games would only last on the market for a few short years before disappearing entirely, the generations of video game fans that rediscover the power of the TurboGrafx-16 today are a testament to the fact that a product can fail and still be highly regarded. No one is paying several hundred dollars or more for a vintage video game because they dont value it in some way. Perhaps that is the true cost of nostalgia? What can I say, I miss the 1980s. Shawn Surmick has been an avid collector since the age of 12. He currently resides in his hometown of Boyertown, Pa., and is a passionate collector of antiques and collectibles. His articles focus on various topics affecting the marketplace.