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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...
 

Various picture\video media for this console.  Click pictures to enlarge.

For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Games, media format, emulators and screen shots for titles released on this system.

Software for the Neo Geo AES was distributed on massive cartridges that truly dwarf any media format that has ever been utilized for a home video game console.  These beasts were packaged in a monstrous clamshell style casing that was constructed of hard plastics.  Most titles proudly featured the size (in MB) of the cartridge along the spine and front of the game box.  A SNK Quality Seal was also present on the spine, either in the Dog-Tag format (used for early US game releases) or the standard Neo Geo logo version.  Trust me when I tell you this - there is truly nothing more satisfying that slapping your paws around a boxed AES game.  You just feel like you are getting an excellent bang for your buck.  Speaking of which, collecting for the Neo Geo AES can be an expensive venture.

Due to the limited production run for many of the games (especially the English versions), titles within the AES library routinely command top dollar.  Over one third of the entire AES library routinely sells for over $250 USD.  Metal Slug, Ninja Masters, Last Hope, Blazing Star and Neo Turf Masters are among the top prizes for Neo Geo AES collectors.  A title released specifically for the AES might be 2-3 times (if not more) more expensive than its MVS arcade cabinet counterpart.  An alternative approach that has gained popularity in recent years is the use of the MVS to AES Converter.  Though this unofficial adapter is rather pricey (around $250 USD), this accessory will quickly pay for itself in the long run.

Another savings opportunity exists with the Neo Geo CD.  If you have this system, many of the games can be purchased at a fraction of the price of their respective AES counterparts.  Though cost effective, I would not recommend this course of action due to the severe loading times you will experience with these Neo Geo CD ports.

Additional authorized releases for this console.  Click pictures to enlarge.

Non-licensed releases (clones).

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

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