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The Video Game Console Library - SNK Neo Geo AES \ MVS

SNK Neo Geo AES \ MVS

  DW FACTS by Dark Watcher
Page content, development and design by Marriott_Guy
Developer Manufacturer Release Date Country(s) Initial Price Model Number Game Releases Overall Rating
SNK SNK 1990 Japan, USA $650 USD NEO AEC Appox. 117 N\A
Ratings Reviews Pictures\Video Specs Games\Emulation Models Clones Links
Worlds of Wonder Action Max
Ratings
Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release.  Ratings based upon a 10 point scale (10 being excellent\very rare).
Console Design (appearance, functionality) N\A
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile) N\A
Controllers (design, response, feel, use) N\A
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation) N\A
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects) N\A
Media (game media format, design, durability) N\A
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging) N\A
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library) N\A
Innovations (technological industrial strides) N\A
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?) N\A
Collector Value (good collector investment?) N\A
Games Rarity (general availability of games) N\A
Console Rarity (general availability of a system) N\A
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Reviews

 

 

DW FACTS
 - by Dark Watcher

SNK (Shin Nihon Kikaku, translated as "New Japanese Project"), a small third party software developer for the Nintendo NES, decided to try their hand in the arcade market in 1989. It seemed like a bad business decision since gamers no longer flocked to arcades. Nonetheless SNK released the MVS (Multi-Video System). The MVS allowed the arcade operator to house many different video games in a single cabinet.

The MVS's strengths lay in the design of its hardware. Its brain was composed of a 16-bit microprocessor (68000) and an 8-bit microprocessor (Z80). They were plentiful, cheap, and quite powerful for the time. Using them kept production costs down and made coding much easier. Both the 68000 and the Z80 were in common use at the time (Sega's Genesis had the same CPU combination, for example).

The real magic of the MVS lay in its custom graphics chipset, and its ability to hold up to four games at once while switching between them at will. While this multi-game concept had been tried before (one example being Nintendo's Playchoice system), SNK's hardware was far superior to any of the multi-game systems currently available, and its vast ROM storage capacity allowed for detailed graphics.

SNK took another gamble and created a home version of the MVS in 1990. The NEO GEO AES was released at a high cost of $650, and came with either Baseball Stars Professional or NAM 1975 . Other game cartridges came at a cost as high as $200 a piece. These cartridges played the exact same software as its MVS counterpart, but were quite expensive due to the game's high ROM capacity requirements and large PCM boards.

At first SNK marketed the Neo Geo falsely by calling it a "24-Bit System" (due to its combination of a 16-bit and 8-bit processor). After the initial advertising campaign, SNK decided not to advertise their home system anymore, since games could be seen in nearly every arcade (advertising themselves).

SNK's gamble of entering the arcade / home game markets eventually paid off. In 1992, an game called Street Fighter 2 brought gamers back to the arcades. SNK took advantage of this by releasing similar arcade games such as Fatal Fury, and Art of Fighting. The games were quite successful, and many more were spawned. Third party developers such as Data East began also producing titles for the Neo Geo AES / MVS.

SNK also created an innovative accessory that would become quite popular later. The Neo Geo 'memory card' could reportedly hold from 19 to 27 save game positions, and worked on both the home and arcade systems. So a gamer could save their place in the arcade and take it home, and vice versa.

The Neo Geo was a phenomenal machine, but the high price tag catered to the hardcore arcade lovers only. Nonetheless it was an amazing machine that stood the test of time. The MVS alone managed to last over eight years in the demanding arcade environment, and its hardware has out-lived every other arcade hardware. Walk into any arcade, and you're bound to see a Neo Geo MVS.

FACT: "330 Meg Pro-Gear Spec" always seemed to appear in Neo Geo game intros, and was the ROM addressing technology of the Neo Geo. Truth is that the machine has no such limit. Back in 1990, SNK had to give a certain Megabit count as their maximum, and so 330 was used. However, Neo Geo titles eventually surpassed this 330 megabit standard. For example the game King of Fighters 2001 was 892 megabits in size.

Neo Geo was also the first console to make use of memory cards to save game progress.


  HANDS ON REVIEW
 

Coming soon...
 

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Pictures & Video

Various picture\video media for this console.  Click pictures to enlarge.
Rise and Fall of SNK - Part I
Video courtesy of SupremeJudge. 		Neo Geo AES (US Gold) - Front

 Neo Geo AES (US Gold) - Front
 Rise and Fall of SNK - Part II
Video courtesy of SupremeJudge.
Nice SNK History Video
Video courtesy of barukamura.		 Neo Geo AES (US Gold) - Back

 Neo Geo AES (US Gold) - Back
 NEO GEO MVS/AES Converter
Video courtesy of jedite1.
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Specs

For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.
 Processor Type  Processor Speed  Other Processor Information RAM \ Video RAM
16-bit Motorola 68000
& 8-bit Zilog-80A		 12 MHz \ 4 MHz None 64 Kb + 2Kb \ 68 KB

Screen Resolution

Color Palette

Polygons \ Sprites

 Audio
320 x 224 65,536 \ 4,096 On Screen N\A \ 380 Yamaha YM2610 15 Sound Channels. 7 Digital, 4 FM synthesis, 3 PSG, and 1 Noise Channel

Media Format

Media Capacity

Games Released

Other Supported Formats
Cartridge 716 MB Approx. 117 None

Internal Storage

External \ Removable Storage

Game Controllers

Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
None Memory Card Arcade-style Joystick None
Controller Ports Network Ports

Other Ports

Audio \ Video
Two (2) None None  

Power Supply

Other Outputs

 Other Details \ Notes
External DC 5 V or DC 9 V None None
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Games & Emulation

Games screen shots and\videos released for this system.  Click pictures to enlarge.
User's Top Ten Neo Geo Games
Video courtesy of nintoolfan85.		 Neo Geo AES Memory Card
 Excellent Game Compilation
Video courtesy of peterjn6853.
Another User Compilation
Video courtesy of butch405.		 Neo Geo AES - Art of Fighting 3
 Compilation of Fighting Games
Video courtesy of PITG001.
Neo Geo AES - Aerofighters 3
 Neo Geo AES - Football Frenzy
 Neo Geo AES - Metal Slug 3
Third Party Emulators
Program Website Description

NeorageX

http://neoragex.en.../d454-free-download-windows

 NeorageX is a great emulator for DOS that should work well on most PC's. There are others out there that may be better, but this one is simple and user friendly.
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Models

Additional authorized releases for this console.  Click pictures to enlarge.
Neo Geo AES (Japan & US)
Released : 1990
Manufacturer : SNK
Neo Geo AES (US Gold) - Front

 Neo Geo AES (US Gold) - Front
 Neo Geo AES - Nice General Picture w/Carts

 Neo Geo AES - General w/Carts
 Neo Geo AES (US Gold) - Back
Neo Geo AES (US Gold) - Back
Neo Geo MVS (Japan)
Released : 1990
Manufacturer : SNK
Neo Geo MVS - Modded Creation 1

 Neo Geo MVS - Modded Creation 1 (picture credits unknown)
 Neo Geo MVS - Modded Creation 2

 Neo Geo MVS - Modded Creation 2 (picture credits unknown)
 Neo Geo MVS - Modded Creation 3

 Neo Geo MVS - Modded Creation 3 (picture credits unknown)
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Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones).
No clones were released for this system.
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Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.
Name Website Description
Neo-Geo.com http://www.neo-geo.com Everything Neo Geo related - the best site out there!!
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