Why are Neo-Geo AES games so expensive?

[GameNinja]

I have just started collecting, and I am curious as to why Neo-Geo AES games are so expensive. I understand that they are rare, but I have seen some sites selling pre-releases of AES carts for hundresd of dollars. Can somebody clarify this for me? Thanks!

[Parodius]

Look at them! They are rather hefty. Plus, if you only make a few hundred or a couple of thousand of something they will:

A. cost more to make
B. be rare.
C. spread the development cost of the game over very few units.

[ubersaurus]

The cost of the hardware used in the carts, the cost of producing what are essentially small runs, and the fact that neo geo owners are generally willing to pay a higher price for the carts means they sell high. The last reason is probably why they stay at so high a price, too.

[Richter]

http://www.arcadeshock.com/page_50.asp has 14% off all AES carts, that might help you :)

$10 off total if you enter "Arcade Shock Anniversary" in the coupon field @ checkout

[Gamereviewgod]

The newer games are, sure. But, when you can get a game like Samurai Shodown II for only $20, who cares???? The older stuff is cheap enough that you can quickly and cheaply build a solid collection. After that, you can slowly pick up what you want. Of course, owning stuff like Kizuna Encounter is practically impossible.

[omnedon]

Good God! Why did you have to remind me of the Arcade Shock Sale!! X_x I just bought MS5 AES JP.

Damn You!!!!!! LOL

EDIT- HOLY CRAP! I think I may have gotten the last one! LOL

[Videogamerdaryll]

http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/

[Azazel]

There's expensive cause people keep paying that much for them.

[omnedon]

There's expensive cause people keep paying that much for them.

Oversimplification.

I try to only spend $$$ on games that (if I ever decide to part with them) will sell for more than I paid for them.

It can be like renting a game, except you get paid to play it. LOL

[Azazel]

I hope you know I was being somewhat sarcastic with that comment.

[SoulBlazer]

But you ARE partly correct, my friend. :)

The Neo Geo community, from what I have seen of it, is nuts. ;)

They are WILLING to pay the high prices for the game, and then come back for more with a 'Thank you Sir, can I have another?' :P

[omnedon]

The Neo Geo community, from what I have seen of it, is nuts

I can find no fault in this statement. LOL The sweet find I had of a minty boxed AES (with 4 games) on the cheap was the beginning. Once I registered at neo-geo.com, the insanity began to take root.

[The_EniGma]

The newer games are, sure. But, when you can get a game like Samurai Shodown II for only $20, who cares???? The older stuff is cheap enough that you can quickly and cheaply build a solid collection. After that, you can slowly pick up what you want. Of course, owning stuff like Kizuna Encounter is practically impossible.


Er... Maybe owning the Japanese Version isn't but the Euro version is another matter......

[AB Positive]

take what it used to cost to produce high end Genesis/SNES carts, multiply that by 6 or so (more ROM chips = more $ to make), add a short print run and you get the reason. Wholesale prices for AES games to retailers are around $285 USD a cart. That's wholesale.

-AG

[Ed Oscuro]

I hope you know I was being somewhat sarcastic with that comment.
Indeed; that was a bit of an obvious non sequitir. I think that was pretty funny, actually (didn't catch it the first time though LOL )

Anyhow...What's there not to like about AES games? Even the box art for the US releases is good! Everything about them screams quarlity (yesh), right down to the trasnlations (...that is the way of samurai). Really though - the games were always outstanding, and the hardware wasn't really that cheap.

I think the biggest factor, though, is that SNK/P decided that they'd only have a relatively hardcore following, and the production/media format issues only served to force their hand towards a very high initial sale price.

My guess is that this is actually just the recent history of the console - I've only read that The Legend of Success Joe had a price tag of $100, which really the same as some contemporary SNES and Genesis games. The premium apparently always was there, though. In any case, though, a very expensive $100 in the early 1990s is still a far cry from the last $350+ AES titles. The tradition apparently cemented when SNK realized that the same folks came back year after year...or thought they had realized it, anyhow. Obviously, something wasn't working with their formula, good as the games are.

[Jorpho]

My understanding was that the system itself actually contained very little RAM, and so RAM had to be included in each cart - and RAM wasn't always as cheap as it is today. Or is this completely wrong?

[omnedon]

As far as I understand it with all cartridge based systems: cart = RAM.

[Jorpho]

I meant RAM as in blank Random Access Memory into which the program is loaded and executed, not ROM as in Read Only Memory where the program and its data is initially stored.

[omnedon]

I do understand the difference between RAM and ROM. I was under the impression that cart based systems never had to 'load' the programming data into anything. On a CD based system , I understand that proggie data is loaded into system RAM, and then executed from there.

On a cart based system, I was under the impression that there were no load times, as it executes directly from the cart. Like a computer, where the game is alreadly loaded onto the RAM chips. Snap in your RAM, and you are good to play. It can't write to it of course, but it doesn't need to right?

I really don't know a thing about programming. If data is literally transferred elsewhere to be executed, I'd live to be corrected. I might learn something. :)

[fahrvergnugen]

I really don't know a thing about programming. If data is literally transferred elsewhere to be executed, I'd live to be corrected. I might learn something. :)

ROMs are just long-term storage, much like any disk drive. Data is read from them into RAM, and then executed from there. Cartridge games are unique in that since they have their own bus, they can sometimes include co-processors (SNES FX chips), potentially extra system RAM, and the like.

[Ed Oscuro]

In the case of the Neo Geo, though, I don't think they ever had a need for extra RAM (look at MAME's gameinfo files if you don't believe me) or Super FX style chips. The sound chip was already excellent, and the miniscule 68K of "work RAM" (plus 2K with the Z80, and 68K of video RAM) meant that you were constantly dropping data, bussing in new data, and then bringing back old data...but the system can do it easily due to the pretty nice sized bus.

By the way - This page is totally, completely wrong (http://www.emulationzone.org/consoles/neo-geo/neo-geo.htm). Unintentionally hillarious, too!