Neo-Geo is the name of a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released in 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. The system was years ahead of other home systems of its time, offering huge, colorful 2D graphics, and high-quality sound. A platform for arcade games, the system was also available as a costly home console. The two versions of the system were known as the AES (Advanced Entertainment System) and the MVS (Multi Video System).
| Neo-Geo logo | |
| The original Neo-Geo console was advanced for its time. | |
| Manufacturer | SNK |
|---|---|
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | 16-bit era |
| Lifespan | 1991 |
| Media | Cartridge |
- Neo-Geo is also a style of contemporary art, engendered in the East Village in the 1980s.
History
Initially, the home system was only available for rent or for use in hotel settings, but SNK quickly began selling the system through stores when customer response indicated that people were willing to spend the money. Compared to the other consoles of the time, the NeoGeo AES was incredibly powerful. The home system featured two CPUs: a 16-bit Motorola 68000 main processor running at 12 MHz and a ZiLOG Z-80A backup processor running at 4 MHz. The system's main CPU was 50 percent faster than the 68000 processor found in Sega's Genesis console. The NeoGeo AES also had the benefit of specialized audio and video chipsets. A custom video chipset allowed the system to display 4,096 colors and 380 individual sprites onscreen simultaneously (compared to 64 simultaneous colors and 80 individual sprites for the Genesis), while the onboard Yamaha 2610 sound chip gave the system 15 channels of CD-quality sound with seven channels reserved specifically for digital sound effects.
Nonetheless, this type of power carried a large price tag; the console debuted at $599 USD and included two joystick controllers and a game (either Baseball Stars or NAM-1975). The term "Gold System" is used to describe a console that included two joysticks (after a sticker on the front of the larger box), and distinguish it those that did not, as within a few months of the system's introduction in North America, SNK lowered the cost of the system to $399 and added Magician Lord to the list of pack-in options. Other games cost $200 and up—each. Even with these price cuts, most gamers weren't able to afford those prices and so the console was only accessible to a niche market.
The Neo-Geo was only to be driven further into cult status by changing mainstream tastes which soon demanded flashy, 3D graphics. Yet, the quality of Neo-Geo games kept it alive in arcades, particularly in Japan, where the newest installment of the flagship King of Fighters was certain to cause a stir with each release.
Each joystick controller was a full 2½ inches tall, measured 11 inches long by 8 inches across, and contained the same four-button layout as the arcade MVS cabinet.
The arcade machines had a memory card system by which a player could save a game to return to at a later time, as well as high scores, and remarkably, to be used to continue play on the SNK home console of the same name.
The arcade version of the hardware is often referred to as the "MVS", or Multi Video System (available in 1-slot, 2-slot, 4-slot, and 6-slot variations, the latter being capable of up to six cartridges loaded into one machine), with its console counterpart referred to as the "AES", or Advanced Entertainment System (most likely to distinguish it from the Nintendo Entertainment System, the dominating console on the market at the time).
The programming code is the same on both the MVS and AES hardware. In fact, you could move EPROMs from one type to the other, and the game would still run. The program specifics for both MVS and AES game options were contained on every game ROM, whether the cartridge was intended for home or arcade use. However, the arcade and home cartridges do have a different pinout. SNK designed them this way to keep arcade operators from buying the cheaper home carts and then using them in arcades.
SNK continued to produce arcade systems (and limited console cartridge runs) using the same 1980s technology until its collapse in 2000. In 2001, a new company called Playmore was formed by SNK founder Eikichi Kawasaki. By 2002, it had succeeded in obtaining the intellectual properties that SNK had once owned, including the SNK name. The company then published games for Neo-Geo and other consoles under its new name, SNK Playmore. The last game for the Neo-Geo system, Samurai Spirits Zero Special, was released on October 19, 2004. Originally, there was no form of copy protection on the system's cartridges, though it was later added, and it managed to prevent software piracy for a period of time. One of the major factors bringing an end to the system's longevity came when bootleggers managed to defeat the copy protection, leading to the eventual pirating of the cartridges' ROM data. While SNK ceased to manufacture home consoles by the end of 1997, software for both formats and arcade hardware was produced for many years after. Measured from the introduction of the arcade hardware in 1990 to the release of the last home cartridge in 2005, the Neo-Geo's 15-year life-span make it the longest-lived arcade system (and arguably home system also), significantly longer-lived than either the the Sega Naomi or the now-dead Capcom Play System 2 .
The system's original specification for ROM size was up to 330 megabits, hence the system displaying "MAX 330 MEGA - PRO GEAR SPEC" upon startup. While no technical changes were required, some games over 100 megabits displayed a screen touting "The 100 Mega Shock". The original ROM size spec was later enhanced on cartridges with bank switching memory technology, increasing the maximum cartridge size to around 1 gigabit. These new cartridges also caused the system to display "GIGA POWER" upon startup, indicating this enhancement.
Specifications
- Processors: Motorola 68000 (12 MHz), Zilog Z80 (4 MHz)
- Sound chip: Yamaha YM2610 15 Sound Channels (7 Digital, 4 FM synthesis, 3 PSG, 1 Noise Channel)
Display
- Display resolution: 320x224
- Color Palette: 65,536
- Maximum Colors On-Screen: 4,096
- Maximum Sprites On-Screen: 380
- Minimum Sprite Size: 1x2
- Maximum Sprite Size: 16x512
- Maximum Planes: 3
- Aspect ratio: 4:3
Storage
- Internal RAM: Work RAM: 64 KB, Video RAM: 68 KB, Z80 RAM: 2 KB
- Removable Memory Card: 8kb or 68-pin JEIDA ver.3 spec memory
- Any 68-pin memory that fits the JEIDA ver.3 spec will work
Collecting
There is a thriving collectors' scene for the Neo-Geo home systems, mainly because of the limited runs received by cartridges, and the system's reputation as a 2D powerhouse. It is common for both Neo-Geo consoles and cartridges to fetch high prices on eBay.
Other Neo Geo systems
Several home console systems were created based on the same hardware as the arcade games, as well as two handheld systems under the name Neo Geo Pocket.
- Hyper Neo-Geo 64 (arcade game system)
See also
- List of Neo-Geo games
- SNK Original creator of the Neo-Geo, now known as SNK Playmore.
External links
- Neo-Geo.com "The Net's Largest Neo-Geo Base", a popular site with information on Neo-Geo collecting. Also housing the largest community of Neo-Geo fans.
- NeoGeoFreak "The Original NeoGeo site. Tons of pictures of various NeoGeo collectibles and rarities. Authorized distributor of NGF Corrected Inserts."
- NGFUSA "NeoGeoFreak and NGF-USA collector site. More pictures and insider information!"
- SNK Playmore USA official web site Through no longer producing Neo-Geo consoles or games, still produces newer versions of Neo-Geo games for current consoles and handhelds.
- Daddelkingz "A German NeoGeo community & NeoGeo review archive"
- NeoGeoForLife "UK based Neo Geo and SNK fan site, with a massive database of SNK reviews and other material."
- Neo-Alec's Unofficial Neo Geo Page "Older fan site that used to be one of the largest, and housed one of the biggest online Neo Geo communities on its message boards for a time before Neo-Geo.com."
- Universe Bios "Unofficial homebrew alternative bios for Neo Geo systems that allows you to unlock arcade and home options on any system, as well as cheats and a jukebox player."