In the history of computer and video games , the fourth generation ( more commonly referred to as the 16-bit era ) of games consoles began on October 30 , 1987 with the Japanese release of Nippon Electric Company 's ( NEC ) PC Engine ( known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North America ) .
The fourth generation ( also called the 16-bit generation ) began with the release of Nippon Electric Company 's ( NEC ) PC Engine .