The , stylised as NEO•GEO and also written as NEOGEO, is a cartridge-based

arcade system board An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an arc ...

and the fourth generation home video game console released on April 26, 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was the first system in SNK's Neo Geo family. The Neo Geo was marketed as the first

24-bit Notable 24-bit machines include the CDC 924 – a 24-bit version of the CDC 1604, CDC lower 3000 series, SDS 930 and SDS 940, the ICT 1900 series, the Elliott 4100 series, and the Datacraft minicomputers/ Harris H series. The term SWORD is ...

; its CPU is technically a 16/

32-bit In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in 32-bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform large calculati ...

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 ...

-based system with an 8-bit

Z80 The Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor introduced by Zilog as the startup company's first product. The Z80 was conceived by Federico Faggin in late 1974 and developed by him and his 11 employees starting in early 1975. The first working samples we ...

coprocessor A coprocessor is a computer processor used to supplement the functions of the primary processor (the CPU). Operations performed by the coprocessor may be floating-point arithmetic, graphics, signal processing, string processing, cryptography or ...

, while its GPU chipset has a 24-bit graphics data

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

. The Neo Geo originally launched as the MVS (Multi Video System) coin-operated arcade machine. The MVS offers owners the ability to put up to six different cartridges into a single cabinet, a unique feature that was also a key economic consideration for operators with limited floorspace, as well as saving money long-term. With its games stored on self-contained cartridges, a game cabinet can be exchanged for a different game title by swapping the game's

ROM cartridge A ROM cartridge, usually referred to in context simply as a cartridge, cart, or card, is a replaceable part designed to be connected to a consumer electronics device such as a home computer, video game console or, to a lesser extent, electro ...

and cabinet artwork. A home console version was also made, called AES (Advanced Entertainment System). It was originally launched as a rental console for video game stores in Japan (called Neo Geo Rental System), with its high price causing SNK not to release it for home use – this was later reversed due to high demand and it came into the market as a luxury console. As of 2013 it was the most expensive home video game console ever released, costing . The AES had the same raw specs as the MVS and had full compatibility, allowing home users to play the games exactly as they were in the arcades. The Neo Geo was revived along with the brand overall in December 2012 through the introduction of the Neo Geo X handheld and home system. The Neo Geo was a very powerful system when released, more powerful than any video game console at the time, and many arcade systems such as rival

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster Hunter'', ''Street Fighter'', ''Mega Man'', ''Devil ...

's CPS, which did not surpass it until the

CP System II The or CPS-2 is an arcade system board that Capcom first used in 1993 for ''Super Street Fighter II''. It was the successor to their previous CP System and Capcom Power System Changer arcade hardware and was succeeded by the CP System III hardw ...

in 1993. The Neo Geo MVS was a success during the 1990s due to the cabinet's low cost, multiple cartridge slots, and compact size. Several successful video game series were released for the platform, such as ''

Fatal Fury ''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system. Games Canon * ''Fatal Fury'' – The first game of the ''Fatal Fury'' series allowed players to select one of three characters, Terry Bo ...

'', ''

Art of Fighting is a fighting video game trilogy that were released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the ''Fatal Fury'' series and is set in the same fictional universe as a prequ ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' World Heroes'', ''

The King of Fighters ''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of ''The King of Fighters '94'' in 1994. The series was developed originally for SNK's Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. This serve ...

'' and ''

Metal Slug is a Japanese run and gun video game series originally created by Nazca Corporation before merging with SNK in 1996 after the completion of the first game in the series. Spin-off games include a third-person shooter to commemorate the 10th ...

''. The AES had a very niche market in Japan, though sales were very low in the U.S. due to its high price for both the hardware and software, but it has since gained a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

and is now considered a

collectable A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

. Neo Geo hardware production lasted seven years, being discontinued in 1997, whereas game software production lasted until 2004, making Neo Geo the longest supported arcade system of all time. The AES console was succeeded by the

Neo Geo CD The is the second home video game console of SNK Corporation's Neo Geo 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 ti ...

and the MVS arcade by the

Hyper Neo Geo 64 The Hyper Neo Geo 64 is an arcade system created by SNK, and released in September 1997, as the successor of the Neo Geo MVS, within the Neo Geo family. It is the first and only SNK hardware set capable of rendering in 3D, and was meant t ...

. As of March 1997, the Neo Geo and the Neo Geo CD combined had sold 980,000 units worldwide. In 2009, the Neo Geo was ranked 19th out of the 25 best video game consoles of all time by video game website

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

History

The Neo Geo hardware was an evolution of an older SNK/Alpha Denshi M68000 arcade platform that was used in ''

Time Soldiers ''Time Soldiers'', known in Japan as , is a 1987 run-and-gun shooter arcade video game developed by Alpha Denshi and published by SNK, while later distributed in North America by Romstar. A Master System version was also produced, as well as ver ...

'' in 1987, further developed in the SNK M68000 hardware platform as used for '' P.O.W.: Prisoners of War'' in 1988. Contrary to other popular arcade hardware of the time, the SNK/Alpha Denshi hardware used sprite strips instead of the more common tilemap-based backgrounds. The Neo Geo hardware was essentially developed by

Alpha Denshi , formerly known as , was a Japanese video game developer founded in 1980. ADK began as a developer of arcade games and is best known for their library of SNK Neo Geo titles, including for its home consoles, produced in partnership with SNK. Mos ...

's Eiji Fukatsu, adding sprite scaling through the use of scaling tables stored in ROM as well as support for a much higher amount of data on cartridges and better sound hardware. The system's hardware specifications were finalized in December 1989. Takashi Nishiyama left

, where he had created the fighting game ''

Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may ...

'' (1987), to join SNK after they invited him to join the company. There, he was involved in developing the Neo Geo. He proposed the concept of an arcade system that uses

s like a game console, and also proposed a

home 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 tha ...

version of the system. His reasons for these proposals was to make the system cheaper for markets such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia,

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. C ...

, and South America, where it was difficult to sell dedicated arcade games due to piracy. Nishiyama also created the ''

'' fighting game franchise, as a spiritual successor to the original ''Street Fighter''. He also worked on the fighting game franchises ''

'' and ''

'', as well as the

run-and-gun shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charact ...

series ''

''. * The Neo Geo was announced and demonstrated on January 31, 1990, in Osaka, Japan. SNK exhibited several Neo Geo games at Japan's Amusement Machine Operators' Union (AOU) show in February 1990, including '' NAM-1975'', ''

Magician Lord is a side-scrolling action-platform arcade video game developed by Alpha Denshi and originally published by SNK on April 26, 1990. It was one of the launch titles for both the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and Neo Geo AES (home) platforms, in addit ...

'', '' Baseball Stars Professional'', '' Top Player's Golf'' and '' Riding Hero''. The Neo Geo then made its overseas debut at Chicago's American Coin Machine Exposition (ACME) in March 1990, with several games demonstrated. The system was then released in Japan on April 26, 1990. Initially, the AES home system was only available for rent to commercial establishments, such as hotel chains, bars and restaurants. When customer response indicated that some gamers were willing to buy a console, SNK expanded sales and marketing into the home console market in 1991. Neo Geo's graphics and sound are largely superior to other contemporary home consoles, computers (such as the Sharp X68000) and even some arcade systems. Unlike earlier systems, the Neo Geo AES was intended to reproduce the same quality of game as the arcade MVS system. The MVS was one of the most powerful arcade units at the time, allowing the game

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * R ...

to be loaded from interchangeable cartridges instead of using custom, dedicated hardware cabinets for each game. In the United States, the console's debut price was planned to be and included two

joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal con ...

controllers and a game: either '' Baseball Stars Professional'' or '' NAM-1975''. However, the price was raised and its American launch debuted as the Gold System at (). Later, the Gold System was bundled with ''Magician Lord'' and ''Fatal Fury''. The Silver System package, launched at , included one joystick controller and no pack-in game. Other games were launched at about and up. At double or quadruple the price of the competition, the console and its games were accessible only to a niche market. However, its full compatibility meant that no additional money was being spent on porting or marketing for the AES, since the MVS' success was automatically feeding the AES, making the console profitable for SNK. In January 1991,

Romstar Romstar Inc. was a video game distribution company based in Torrance, California that started operations in 1984. They originally started as the first American distribution arm for SNK (before SNK of America was founded in 1987). They were known ...

released an

arcade conversion In video gaming parlance, a conversion is the production of a game on one computer or console that was originally written for another system. Over the years, video game conversion has taken form in a number of different ways, both in their style a ...

kit version of the Neo Geo in the United States, allowing the conversion of an

arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...

into a Neo Geo system. The same month, the Neo Geo home console version made its North American debut at the

Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...

(CES). SNK also announced that there would generally be a roughly six-month gap between the arcade and home releases of Neo Geo games. When real-time

3D graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...

became the norm in the arcade industry, the Neo Geo's 2D hardware was unable to do likewise. Despite this, Neo Geo arcade games retained profitability through the mid-1990s, and the system was one of three 1995 recipients of the

American Amusement Machine Association 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 ...

's Diamond Awards (which are based strictly on sales achievements). SNK developed a new console in 1994, called the

. A new arcade was also made in 1997, called

. However these two systems had low popularity and only a few games. While it ceased manufacturing home consoles by the end of 1997, SNK continued making software for the original 2D Neo Geo. Despite being very aged by the end of the decade, the Neo Geo continued getting popular releases, such as the critically acclaimed '' The King of Fighters 2002''. The last official game by SNK for the Neo Geo system, ''

Samurai Shodown V Special ''Samurai Shodown V Special'' is the ninth entry in SNK's '' Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits'' series of fighting games. It is an upgraded version of the game '' Samurai Shodown V'' and is the last official game for the Neo Geo platform. A furthe ...

'', was released in 2004, 14 years after the system's introduction. On August 31, 2007, SNK stopped offering maintenance and repairs to Neo Geo home consoles, handhelds, and games. The Neo Geo X, an officially licensed device with a collection of Neo Geo games pre-installed, was first released in 2012 by TOMMO Inc. After just one year and a lukewarm reception due to its price and poor quality of the emulation, on October 2, 2013, SNK Playmore terminated the license agreement and demanded an immediate cease and desist of distribution and sales of all licensed products.

Reception

The Neo Geo MVS was a worldwide commercial success upon release in arcades, becoming one of the highest-earning machines at various arcades across markets such as North America and Australia in 1990. In North America, three Neo Geo games were later among the ten top-grossing arcade software conversion kits in December 1992: ''

'' at number one, '' World Heroes'' at number two, and '' King of the Monsters 2'' at number ten. The Neo Geo MVS received Diamond awards from the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) two years in a row, for being among America's top four best-selling arcade machines of 1992 (with '' Street Fighter II: Champion Edition'', '' Mortal Kombat'' and ''

Terminator 2 ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' is a 1991 American science-fiction action film directed by James Cameron, who co-wrote the script with William Wisher. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong, it is t ...

'') and

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

. In 1994, the Neo Geo MVS was best-selling arcade printed circuit board (PCB) worldwide. In the 1990 ''Gamest'' Awards, the Neo Geo received the Special Award. At the 1991 AMOA Awards held by the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA), the Neo Geo won the "Most Innovative New Technology" award. In a 1993 review, ''

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 ...

'' gave the Neo Geo a "thumbs up". Though they voiced several criticisms, noting that the system was not as powerful as the soon-to-launch 3DO and had few releases which were not fighting games, they generally praised both the hardware and games library, and recommended that gamers who could not afford the console (which was still priced at $649.99) play the games in the arcade.

Technical details

Each joystick controller is 280 mm (width) × 190 mm (depth) × 95 mm (height) ( 11 × 8 × 2.5 in.) and contains the same four-button layout as the arcade MVS

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

. The arcade machines have a

memory card A memory card is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using flash memory. These are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices. They allow adding memory to such devices using a card in a soc ...

system by which a player could save a game to return to at a later time and could also be used to continue play on the SNK home console of the same name. The arcade version of the video game hardware is often referred to as the "MVS," or Multi Video System (available in 1-slot, 2-slot, 4-slot, and 6-slot variations, differing in the amount of game cartridges loaded into the machine at the time), with its console counterpart referred to as the "AES", or Advanced Entertainment System. Early motherboard revisions contain

daughterboard In computing, an expansion card (also called an expansion board, adapter card, peripheral card or accessory card) is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector, or expansion slot (also referred to as a bus slo ...

s, used to enhance the clarity of the video output. The MVS and AES hardware can execute identical machine code. Owners can move EPROMs from one type to the other, and the game will still run. The program specifics for both MVS and AES game options are contained on every game ROM, whether the cartridge is intended for home or arcade use. However, the arcade and home cartridges do have a different

pinout In electronics, a pinout (sometimes written "pin-out") is a cross-reference between the contacts, or ''pins'', of an electrical connector or electronic component, and their functions. "Pinout" now supersedes the term "basing diagram" that was the ...

. They were designed this way to prevent arcade operators from buying the cheaper home carts and then using them in arcades. In a few home version games, the arcade version of the game can be unlocked by inputting a special code.

ROM sizes and startup screens

The original specification for ROM size is up to 330

megabits The megabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information. The prefix mega (symbol M) is defined in the International System of Units (SI) as a multiplier of 106 (1 million), and therefore :1 megabit = = = 1000 kilobits. The megabit ...

, hence the system displaying "Max 330 Mega Pro-Gear Spec" upon startup. While no technical advances were required to achieve it, some games over 100 megabits, such as '' Top Hunter'', followed this screen by displaying an animation proclaiming "The 100Mega Shock!". The original ROM size specification was later enhanced on cartridges with

bank switching Bank switching is a technique used in computer design to increase the amount of usable memory beyond the amount directly addressable by the processor instructions. It can be used to configure a system differently at different times; for exampl ...

memory technology, increasing the maximum cartridge size to around 716 megabits. These new cartridges also cause the system to display "Giga Power Pro-Gear Spec" upon startup or during

attract mode This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...

, indicating this enhancement. File:neogeo_100megashock.png, The 100Mega Shock! File:GigaPower.png, Giga Power

Specifications

The system uses seven different specialist processors, which divide the workload for the visuals, audio and gameplay.

CPU

* Main CPU 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 ...

(often a

second source In the electronics industry, a second source is a company that is licensed to manufacture and sell components originally designed by another company (the first source). It is common for engineers and purchasers to avoid components that are only av ...

d version, usually by Toshiba or

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo G ...

, initially a Hitachi HD68HC000PS12) @ 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 ...

( 16/32-bit instructions @ 1.75 MIPS) * CPU

co-processor A coprocessor is a computer processor used to supplement the functions of the primary processor (the CPU). Operations performed by the coprocessor may be floating-point arithmetic, graphics, signal processing, string processing, cryptography or ...

Zilog Z80 The Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor introduced by Zilog as the startup company's first product. The Z80 was conceived by Federico Faggin in late 1974 and developed by him and his 11 employees starting in early 1975. The first working samples were ...

@ 4 MHz (also used as audio controller) ( 8/16-bit instructions @ 0.58 MIPS)

Memory

RAM: 214 KB SRAM * Main 68000 RAM: 64 KB (32 KB SRAM ×2) *

Video RAM Dual-ported video RAM, or VRAM, is a dual-ported variant of dynamic RAM (DRAM), which was once commonly used to store the framebuffer in graphics adapters. Note that most computers and game consoles do not use this form of memory, and dual-port ...

: 84 KB SRAM ** Main VRAM: 64 KB (32 KB SRAM ×2) ** Palette memory: 16 KB (8 KB SRAM ×2) ** Fast video sprite RAM: 4 KB (2 KB SRAM ×2) * Z80 sound RAM: 2 KB SRAM * Battery-backup save NVRAM: 64 KB SRAM On-board

: 512 KB *Zoom look-up table: 128 KB *Fix layer graphics: 128 KB *Z80 sound: 128 KB *68000

BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization during the b ...

: 128 KB

Display

The SNK custom video chipset allows the system to draw sprites in vertical strips which are 16 pixels wide, and can be 16 to 512 pixels tall; it can draw up to 96 sprites per scanline for a total of 380 sprites on the screen at a time. Unlike most other video game consoles of its time, the Neo Geo does not use scrolling tilemap background layers. Instead, it has a single non-scrolling tilemap layer called the fix layer, while any scrolling layers rely exclusively on drawing sprites to create the scrolling backgrounds (like the

Sega Y Board Sega is a video game developer, publisher, and hardware development company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with multiple offices around the world. The company's involvement in the arcade game industry began as a Japan-based distributor of coin ...

). By laying multiple sprites side by side, the system can simulate a tilemap background layer. The Neo Geo sprite system represents a step between conventional sprites and tilemaps. * GPU chipset: ** SNK LSPC2-A2 (line sprite generator & VRAM interface) @ 24 MHz ** SNK PRO-B0 (palette arbiter) ** SNK PRO-A0, NEO-B1, NEO-GRC * GPU graphics data

Display resolution The display resolution or display modes of a digital television, computer monitor or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is ...

: 320×224 px (many games only use the centermost 304 px), progressive scan * Color palette: 65,536 (

16-bit 16-bit microcomputers are microcomputers that use 16-bit microprocessors. A 16-bit register can store 216 different values. The range of integer values that can be stored in 16 bits depends on the integer representation used. With the two mos ...

) (not RGB565, but RGB666, where the lowest bit of each channel is shared, being common to the three RGB components) * Maximum colors on screen: 4096 (

12-bit Possibly the best-known 12-bit CPU is the PDP-8 and its relatives, such as the Intersil 6100 microprocessor produced in various forms from August 1963 to mid-1990. Many analog to digital converters (ADCs) have a 12-bit resolution. Some PIC micr ...

) * Maximum sprites on screen: 380 * Minimum sprite size: 16×16 px * Maximum sprite size: 16×512 px * Maximum sprites per

scanline A scan line (also scanline) is one line, or row, in a raster scanning pattern, such as a line of video on a cathode ray tube (CRT) display of a television set or computer monitor. On CRT screens the horizontal scan lines are visually discernible, ...

: 96 * Maximum sprite pixels per scanline: 1536 px * Static tilemap plane: 1 (512×256 px fix layer) * Background planes: Up to 3 planes, which enable parallax scrolling (large sprites can be chained together to make objects that function similarly to tilemap backgrounds) * Aspect ratio: 4:3 * A/V output: RF,

composite video Composite video is an analog video signal format that carries standard-definition video (typically at 525 lines or 625 lines) as a single channel. Video information is encoded on one channel, unlike the higher-quality S-Video (two channels) ...

/RCA audio,

RGB The RGB color model is an additive color model in which the red, green and blue primary colors of light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additi ...

(with separate 21 pin RGB cable FCG-9, or European standard RGB SCART cable).

Sound

The onboard

Yamaha YM2610 The YM2610, a.k.a. OPNB, is a sound chip developed by Yamaha. It is a member of Yamaha's OPN family of FM synthesis chips, and related to the YM2608. The YM2610 was used in Taito's arcade system boards from 1987, including the Taito Z System. It ...

sound chip gives the system 15 channels of sound. * Sound chip:

* 4 concurrent

FM synthesis Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitud ...

channels (voices), four operators per channel * 3 SSG channels * 1 programmable

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...

channel * 7 pulse-code modulation (PCM) channels ** ADPCM-A: 6

ADPCM Adaptive differential pulse-code modulation (ADPCM) is a variant of differential pulse-code modulation (DPCM) that varies the size of the quantization step, to allow further reduction of the required data bandwidth for a given signal-to-noise rati ...

channels, 18.5 kHz sampling rate, 12-bit audio depth ** ADPCM-B: 1 ADPCM channel, 1.85–55.5 kHz sampling rate, 16-bit audio depth * 2 interval timers * 1

low frequency oscillator Low-frequency oscillation (LFO) is an electronic frequency that is usually below 20 Hz and creates a rhythmic pulse or sweep. This is used to modulate musical equipment such as synthesizers to create audio effects such as vibrato, tremolo ...

(LFO) * Sound/Work RAM: 2KB * Sound ROM: 128 KB on-board (only less than 32 KB used), up to 512 KB sound ROM on cartridges

Other

;Power * Source: separate DC 5 V (older systems) and DC 9 V adapter (newer systems). * Consumption: 8 W older Systems, 5 W newer Systems ;Dimensions * Console: 325 mm (width) × 237 mm (depth) × 60 mm (height). * Controller: 280 mm (width) × 190 mm (depth) × 95 mm (height). Neo-Geo-Memory-Card

;Console storage * Removable memory card: 2KB or 68-pin

JEIDA The (Formerly ) was an industry research, development, and standards body for electronics in Japan. It was merged with EIAJ to form JEITA on November 1, 2000. JEIDA was similar to SEMATECH of the US, ECMA of Europe. JEIDA developed a number ...

ver. 3 spec memory. Any 68-pin memory that fits the JEIDA version 3 spec will work. ;Arcade storage * Removable memory card: 68-pin. Cartridge is composed of 2 PCBs.

Legacy

The Neo Geo is the first home game console to feature a removable memory card for

saved game A saved game (also called a game save, savegame, savefile, save point, or simply save) is a piece of digitally stored information about the progress of a player in a video game. From the earliest games in the 1970s onward, game platform hard ...

s. The

GameTap GameTap was an online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) in 2005. It provided users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content. The service was acquired by French online video game service Met ...

subscription service has included a Neo Geo

emulator In computing, an emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run software or use peri ...

and a small library of Neo Geo games. In 2007 Nintendo announced that Neo Geo games would appear on the Wii's Virtual Console, starting with '' Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'', ''

'', '' The King of Fighters '94'', and '' World Heroes''. Neo Geo games were released through Xbox Live Arcade and

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

(For the PlayStation 3/PlayStation Network, the service was called

NEOGEO Station NEOGEO Station was a brand by M2 for downloadable Neo Geo games that were previously available to be purchased from the PlayStation Store for Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation Portable (PSP) and PlayStation Vita (PSV) video game consoles i ...

), including '' Fatal Fury Special'', ''

Samurai Shodown II ''Samurai Shodown II'', known in Japan as is a 1994 fighting game released as the second entry in SNK Playmore, SNK's ''Samurai Shodown'' series. Like the original Samurai Shodown (1993 video game), ''Samurai Shodown'', the sequel was initially ...

'', ''

Metal Slug 3 is a run and gun video game developed by SNK. It was originally released in 2000 for the Neo-Geo MVS arcade platform as the sequel to '' Metal Slug 2''/'' Metal Slug X''. The music of the game was developed by Noise Factory. The game was port ...

'', '' Garou: Mark of the Wolves'' and ''

The King of Fighters '98 ''The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest'', known in Japan as ''The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends (KOF '98)'', is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1998. It is the fifth game in ''The King ...

''. Many Neo Geo games were released on the

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

, Xbox One, Windows, and

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...

through the

Arcade Archives is a series of emulated arcade games from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch, published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called is focused on rereleasing Neo Ge ...

service. Homebrew activity began after the console's discontinuation, both by noncommercial hobbyists and commercially. Neo Geo has a community of collectors. Because of the limited production runs received by cartridges amongst the sizable available arcade library, some of the rarest Neo Geo games can sell for well over $1,000. The most valuable game is the European AES version of ''

Kizuna Encounter ''Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle'' is a 1996 weapon-based fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sequel to ''Savage Reign''. The European Neo-Geo homecart PAL release was rare, with only five known c ...

''. The MVS market provides a cheaper alternative to the expensive and rare home cartridges, and complete arcade kits are priced at a premium. It is also possible to play the MVS cartridges, which generally cost much less, on the AES home system through the use of adapters.

Notes

References

External links

*
NEOGEO Museum

A complete software and artwork resource for the Neo Geo

The NeoGeo Development Wiki

Video of Neo Geo AES
hardware and features fro
FamicomDojo.TV
{{Home video game consoles Products introduced in 1990 Products introduced in 1991 Computer-related introductions in 1990 Computer-related introductions in 1991 Products and services discontinued in 2004 Arcade system boards Home video game consoles Fourth-generation video game consoles Regionless game consoles SNK 1990s toys 2000s toys 68k-based game consoles

History

Reception

Technical details

ROM sizes and startup screens

Specifications

CPU

Memory

Display

Sound

Other

Legacy

See also

Notes

References

External links