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The is the second
home video game console A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. Home consoles are generally less powerful and customizable than ...
of SNK Corporation's
Neo Geo Neo Geo is a family of video game hardware developed by SNK. On the market from 1990 to 2004, the brand originated with the release of an arcade system, the Neo Geo MVS and its home console counterpart, the Neo Geo AES. The Neo Geo MVS was su ...
family, released on September 9, 1994, four years after its cartridge-based equivalent. This is the same platform, converted to the cheaper CD format retailing at per title, compared to the cartridges. The system was originally priced at , or . The system can also play
Audio CD Compact Disc Digital Audio (CDDA or CD-DA), also known as Digital Audio Compact Disc or simply as Audio CD, is the standard format for audio compact discs. The standard is defined in the ''Red Book'', one of a series of Rainbow Books (named fo ...
s. All three versions of the system have no region-lock. The Neo Geo CD was launched bundled with a control pad instead of a joystick like the AES version. However, the original AES joystick can be used with all three Neo Geo CD models. As of March 1997, there had been 570,000 Neo Geo CD units sold worldwide.


History

The Neo Geo CD was first unveiled at the 1994 Tokyo Toy Show. The console uses the same CPU set-up as the arcade and cartridge-based Neo Geo systems, facilitating conversions. SNK planned to release Neo Geo CD versions of every Neo Geo game still in the arcades. Three versions of the Neo Geo CD were released: # A front-loading version, only distributed in Japan, with 25,000 total units built. # A top-loading version, marketed worldwide, as the most common model. # The Neo Geo CDZ, an upgraded, faster-loading version, released in Japan only. The front-loading version is the original console design, with the top-loading version having been developed shortly before the Neo Geo CD launch as a scaled-down, cheaper alternative model. The CDZ was released on December 29, 1995 as the Japanese market replacement for
SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
's previous efforts (the ''"front loader"'' and the ''"top loader"''). The Neo Geo CD had met with limited success due to it being plagued with slow loading times that could vary from 30 to 60 seconds between loads, depending on the game. In response to criticism of the Neo Geo CD's long load times, SNK planned to produce a model with a double speed CD-ROM drive for North America, compared to the single speed drive of the Japanese and European models. However, the system missed its planned North American launch date of October 1995, and while SNK declined to give a specific reason for the delay, in their announcement of the new January 1996 launch date they stated that they had decided against using a double speed drive. Their Japanese division had produced an excess number of single speed units and found that modifying these units to double speed was more expensive than they had initially thought, so SNK opted to sell them as they were, postponing production of a double speed model until they had sold off the stock of single speed units. The CDZ was only officially sold in Japan during its production. However, its faster loading times, lack of a "
region lock A regional lockout (or region coding) is a class of digital rights management preventing the use of a certain product or service, such as multimedia or a hardware device, outside a certain region or territory. A regional lockout may be enforced ...
", and the fact that it could play older CD software, made it a popular import item for enthusiasts in both Europe and North America. The system's technical specs are identical to the previous models except that it includes a double-speed CD-ROM drive, and different CD controller circuitry. In response to reader inquiries about Neo Geo CD software, ''
GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' reported in an issue
cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...
d May 1997 that SNK had quietly discontinued the console by this time.


Reception

Criticism of the system's generally long loading times began even before launch; a report in ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...
'' on the Neo Geo CD's unveiling noted, "At the show, they were showing a demo of ''
Fatal Fury 2 ''Fatal Fury 2'', known as in Japan, is a 1992 fighting video game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, and later ported to several other home systems. It is the sequel to '' Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' (1991) and the s ...
''. The prototype of the machine that they showed was single speed, and the load time was 14-28 seconds between rounds. You can see that the screen hoton the right is a load screen." Approximately one month after launch, SNK reported that they had sold the Neo Geo CD's entire initial shipment of 50,000 units. Reviewing the Neo Geo CD in late 1995, '' Next Generation'' noted SNK's reputation for fun games but argued that their failure to upgrade the Neo Geo system with 3D capabilities would keep them from producing any truly "cutting edge" games, and limit the console to the same small cult following as the Neo Geo AES system although with less expensive games. They gave it 1 1/2 out of 5 stars.


Technical specifications

*Main Processor:
Motorola 68000 The Motorola 68000 (sometimes shortened to Motorola 68k or m68k and usually pronounced "sixty-eight-thousand") is a 16/32-bit complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, introduced in 1979 by Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector ...
running at 12
MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...
**Although the original
68000 The Motorola 68000 (sometimes shortened to Motorola 68k or m68k and usually pronounced "sixty-eight-thousand") is a 16/32-bit complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, introduced in 1979 by Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector ...
CPU was designed by
Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent p ...
, many of the 68000 CPUs in Neo Geo hardware are manufactured by second-sources. The most common CPU is the TMP68HC000 manufactured by
Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...
. * Coprocessor: Zilog Z80 running at 4 MHz * Colors On Screen: 4,096 * Colors Available: 65,536 * Resolution: 304 x 224 * Max Sprites: 384 * Max Sprite Size: 16 x 512 * Number of Planes: 3 (128 sprites per plane as the Neo Geo does not use tiles for its planes like with most game systems at the time) The system is also capable of reading
Redbook ''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the " Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publication as of January 2019 and now operates an article-comprise ...
standard compact disc audio. In addition to the multi-AV port (nearly identical to the one used on the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
model 1, though they are not interchangeable), all Neo Geo CD models had composite RCA A/V and S-Video out jacks on the rear of the console. The CD system's 56 Mbit / 7 MB of RAM was split accordingly: *68000 Program Memory: 2 MB *Fix Layer Memory: 128 KB *Graphics Memory: 4 MB *Sound Sample Memory: 1 MB *Z80 Program Memory: 64 kB *VRAM: 512Kb (For graphics attributes) *SRAM: 2 KB (For high scores / general save data)


Game library

While the Neo Geo CD library consists primarily of ports of
MVS Multiple Virtual Storage, more commonly called MVS, was the most commonly used operating system on the System/370 and System/390 IBM mainframe computers. IBM developed MVS, along with OS/VS1 and SVS, as a successor to OS/360. It is unrelated ...
and AES titles, there are a few MVS arcade games which were not officially released for the Neo Geo AES and ported instead to the Neo Geo CD. These include ''
Puzzle Bobble internationally known as ''Bust-a-Move'', is a 1994 tile-matching puzzle arcade game developed and published by Taito. It is based on the 1986 arcade game ''Bubble Bobble'', featuring characters and themes from that game. Its characteristically ...
'', ''Janshin Densetsu: Quest of Jongmaster'' (a
Mahjong Mahjong or mah-jongg (English pronunciation: ) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players (with some three-play ...
game also released for the
PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, though ...
), ''
Power Spikes II is a volleyball arcade video game developed by Video System and originally published by Taito on October 19, 1994. A follow-up to ''Hyper V-Ball'' on Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was first launched for Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and later p ...
'', '' Neo Drift Out: New Technology'', and '' Pleasure Goal: 5 on 5 Mini Soccer'' (''Futsal: 5-on-5 Mini Soccer''). A few games which were unreleased in MVS and AES formats were also released exclusively for the Neo Geo CD. These include '' Ironclad: Tesshō Rusha'' (''Chōtetsu Burikingā'', ''BRIKIN'GER''), ''
Crossed Swords II is a hack and slash action role-playing video game developed and published by ADK exclusively for the Neo Geo CD in Japan on May 2, 1995. The sequel to the original '' Crossed Swords'', It is one of the few exclusive titles to be released for th ...
'', '' ZinTrick'' (''Oshidashi Zintorikku''), '' ADK World'', '' Neo Geo CD Special'', '' The King of Fighters '96 Neo Collection'', ''
Samurai Shodown RPG were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the ''daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They had ...
'' (''Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidō Retsuden''; an RPG spin-off of the ''
Samurai Shodown ''Samurai Shodown'', known in Japan as is a fighting game series by SNK. The series began in 1993 and is known for being one of the earliest in the genre with a primary focus on weapon-based combat. Plot The stories in the series take place in ...
'' series that was also released for the
Sony PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divi ...
and
Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
), and '' Idol-Mahjong Final Romance 2'' (an
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...
which is not an MVS game, but was ported directly to the Neo Geo CD).


Prototype games

* ''Bang² Busters'' 'Bang Bang Busters''(Made by Visco in 2000. Released in 2010 for Neo Geo CD by N.C.I.); * ''Treasure of the Caribbean'' 'Caribe no Zaihō''(Made by
Face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
in 1994. Released in 2011 for Neo Geo CD by N.C.I./Le Cortex).


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neo Geo Cd Products introduced in 1994 Computer-related introductions in 1994 1990s toys Products and services discontinued in 1997 CD-ROM-based consoles Regionless game consoles Home video game consoles Fourth-generation video game consoles CD 68k-based game consoles