Neo Geo AES original release price not that bad?

[theoakwoody]

Everyone always talks about how the Neo Geo was way too expensive for the casual gamer back in the day but what about some other systems that came out? I mean the Saturn was originally $ 400 which is the same price as what the AES was originally priced at. The 3do, sega cd (including Genesis), turbo cd, and psx all retailed for at least $ 300 so I don't see why $ 400 was considered such a huge investment. Okay, so the games weren't cheap either but the games were great.

Okay now a question. I had a friend who worked at Babbage's when the Neo Geo CD system came out but he doesn't remember selling any AES systems. Did they ever lower the price of the AES to move stock as they were phasing it out to make room for the CD system?

edit: I was just reading that the AES was actually closer to $ 650 which included two games and a controller.

[Poofta!]

the reason the aes was considered too expensive was because it used cartridge media, no cartridge system cost that much. factor in price of the games (MUUUCH more than your standard cd game that youre comparing the console to) and the fact SNK was relatively unknown here in the states and you have a formula for failure. (lets face it, the AES was a commercial failure)

[C White]

Okay, so the games weren't cheap either but the games were great.

That's was the main problem right there. Paying $400 for the system once is steep, but not neccesarily a deal breaker, but having to pay $300 - $400 each time you wanted a different game sure was.

[DeputyMoniker]

First of all, with the exception of the PSX, every system you named had been considered overpriced by every gamer I grew up with.
So overpriced that nobody bought it...perhaps that’s why they all failed to hold any considerable portion of the market. Now I may be wrong here but I remember the Neo Geo being closer to $700 w/ a game when it was released. Maybe the basic system was only $400 though. Even so, $400 for the system alone was big $$ back when the Neo Geo was released. Plus the games were hella expensive...too hard to buy that big new game. (add to that the relatively long amount of time it took for games to come out.)

[PDorr3]

so neo geo aes cart games actualy retailed for $300-400 each when it first came out? omg....

[C White]

I remember the Neo Geo being closer to $700 w/ a game when it was released

I think you're correct, that does sound right. I just remember that when it came out, around when I was in Grade 10, I wasn't ever going to afford one. A situation made worse for us Canadians who had to pay 30%+ more for everything back then. Although I did cough up the launch price of a Sega CD x_x

[vincewy]

This is the MSRPs of Neo-Geo games when released based on time:

1. Launch to KOF 94 (launch to end of 1994) $200

This is the period when you could find those games at certain Babbages and EB stores in upscale suburbs, $200 is the price for most games from mail order companies, EB and Babbages were charging $220 to $240 in the sotres.

2. Early-Mid 1995 $240

Most chains stopped carrying it, this is the price of mail order companies, I still remember the games in this list, from Samurai Shodown 2 ($215), Galazy Fight, Super Sidekicks 3, Fatal Fury 3.

3. Late 1995 to early 2000, $260 to $270 depending on titles

Unfortunately, most games released in this period, they are as low as they got at original retail, many games now have sky-rocketed to 4 figures, especially US versions (ie: Neo Turf Masters, Metal Slugs 1,2,X, Ninja Masters)

4. Late 2000 to Summer 02, $299

This list starts from KOF 2000 to Metal Slug 4, the only game that was offered for less was Sengoku 3 for $259, the Jp version however has gone up in value.

5. Mid 02 til last release in 04, $325 to $359

Rage of Dragon til Samurai Shodown 5 Special. Ouch, the higher price is due to fallen US dollar values with Japanese MSRP of 40,000 Yen. Most games can still be found at this price or even lower, except Metal Slug 5, Enlgish version can command over $500.

The system original went for $700 (Neo-Geo Gold), 2 large joysticks and one game, most systems came with Top Player's Golf, some sotres let you pick other games like Nam 75 or Magicoan Lord.

In 92-93, SNK offered Neo-Geo Silver, unit with just one joystick and no game for $450, basicly you only save $50 for one less joystick.

Nowadays you can get used system with one stick for under $200, but the games will kill you, unless you're content with just common fighters and some very early titles.

[shai hulud]

The system price is pretty good (i think) when you factor in how long the platform lasted. When you add on the price of games it starts to become a bit outrageous.

[DeputyMoniker]

Nowadays you can get used system with one stick for under $200, but the games will kill you, unless you're content with just common fighters and some very early titles.

Or forget all that and head over to Neo-Geo.com. Hit up the forum users and get yourself a consolized MVS arcade board so you can collect the arcade versions instead. They’re WAYYYYYYYY cheaper.

What’s a "consolized MVS arcade board", DeputyMoniker?
Why it’s a motherboard taken out of a NEO GEO arcade cabinet! Joysticks have been added and it’s been modified so it has the ability to hook up to your TV! (Among other things) Just be sure to get one with the latest UNI-BIOS upgrade! That "Pause" function is priceless.
It's also been mounted in a handy protective case so it’s like having a special little animal that’s been bread just for you! It's an easy process and you'll be the envy of all your friends! (That’s assuming you have friends...I sure don’t) Sure the price of a consolized MVS board can be 50% or so higher than the price of a real NEO GEO home AES system but an arcade MVS version of a game could cost you about 20% of what its home AES counterpart would cost you.

There are more options too, theres a supergun and whatever else but if you're really interested in getting into NEO GEO collecting then in my humble and insignificant opinion...I'd say head over to that other place I mentioned and read up on it. (consolized is the easiest, cheapest [compaired to AES] and coolest way to go though)

[StealthLurker]

Nowadays you can get used system with one stick for under $200, but the games will kill you, unless you're content with just common fighters and some very early titles.

Or forget all that and head over to Neo-Geo.com. Hit up the forum users and get yourself a consolized MVS arcade board so you can collect the arcade versions instead. They’re WAYYYYYYYY cheaper.

What’s a "consolized MVS arcade board", DeputyMoniker?
Why it’s a motherboard taken out of a NEO GEO arcade cabinet! Joysticks have been added and it’s been modified so it has the ability to hook up to your TV! (Among other things) Just be sure to get one with the latest UNI-BIOS upgrade! That "Pause" function is priceless.
It's also been mounted in a handy protective case so it’s like having a special little animal that’s been bread just for you! It's an easy process and you'll be the envy of all your friends! (That’s assuming you have friends...I sure don’t) Sure the price of a consolized MVS board can be 50% or so higher than the price of a real NEO GEO home AES system but an arcade MVS version of a game could cost you about 20% of what its home AES counterpart would cost you.

There are more options too, theres a supergun and whatever else but if you're really interested in getting into NEO GEO collecting then in my humble and insignificant opinion...I'd say head over to that other place I mentioned and read up on it. (consolized is the easiest, cheapest [compaired to AES] and coolest way to go though)

Yes that is correct sir. Going consolized, supergun and/or cab is the cheapest way to get games. AES collecting is more for fanatical collectors (like myself hehe) than pure gamers.

BTW, just stumbled upon this site today... new visitor from my normal stomping grounds over at neo-geo.com

:D


.

[DeputyMoniker]

BTW, just stumbled upon this site today... new visitor from my normal stomping grounds over at neo-geo.com

:D


.

Well let me be the first to welcome you! I'm no seasoned pro here but I can tell you this is most definatly the best place I've found for everything that isnt NEO GEO.
Sometimes they give us free stuff to pay us off for the secrets we keep...you'll find that for yourself if you sort through the archives like I have. :evil:

[C White]

The system original went for $700 (Neo-Geo Gold), 2 large joysticks and one game, most systems came with Top Player's Golf, some sotres let you pick other games like Nam 75 or Magicoan Lord.

Great $700 and the pack in is a golf game :)

[Tron 2.0]

Nowadays you can get used system with one stick for under $200, but the games will kill you, unless you're content with just common fighters and some very early titles.

Or forget all that and head over to Neo-Geo.com. Hit up the forum users and get yourself a consolized MVS arcade board so you can collect the arcade versions instead. They’re WAYYYYYYYY cheaper.

What’s a "consolized MVS arcade board", DeputyMoniker?
Why it’s a motherboard taken out of a NEO GEO arcade cabinet! Joysticks have been added and it’s been modified so it has the ability to hook up to your TV! (Among other things) Just be sure to get one with the latest UNI-BIOS upgrade! That "Pause" function is priceless.
It's also been mounted in a handy protective case so it’s like having a special little animal that’s been bread just for you! It's an easy process and you'll be the envy of all your friends! (That’s assuming you have friends...I sure don’t) Sure the price of a consolized MVS board can be 50% or so higher than the price of a real NEO GEO home AES system but an arcade MVS version of a game could cost you about 20% of what its home AES counterpart would cost you.

There are more options too, theres a supergun and whatever else but if you're really interested in getting into NEO GEO collecting then in my humble and insignificant opinion...I'd say head over to that other place I mentioned and read up on it. (consolized is the easiest, cheapest [compaired to AES] and coolest way to go though)
You got the right the idea there.
That's my current set up a (consolized MVS 4 slot).
Wich in the end has save me a lot on games.

[Bratwurst]

Great $700 and the pack in is a golf game :)

Never underestimate the marketing power of a good looking golf game in the early 90s.

Still, waste of the system's resources yeah.

[le geek]

Consolized MVS is my choice as well...

Neo Geo Home Metal Slug $1000+

Neo Geo MVS Metal Slug $50

Cheers,
Ben

[Richter]

The system original went for $700 (Neo-Geo Gold), 2 large joysticks and one game, most systems came with Top Player's Golf, some sotres let you pick other games like Nam 75 or Magicoan Lord.

Great $700 and the pack in is a golf game :)Nam '75

[imanerd0011]

I have a question.... does anyone know why the games are so damn expensive??? It may seem like a dumb question, but does it cost the company alot to make one of these games? I personally wouldn't think so, considering most of them use similar engines, and the graphics are pretty primative. I have always wanted a Neo Geo, but I highly doubt I will ever get one due to the insane price in the new games.

[theoakwoody]

The games are so damn expensive because of the capacity of the carts. You know like the Genesis always used to advertise the size of the carts as 8 meg or whatever. Neo Geo games started at 24 and went up to almost 900 meg I think. To have a cart that big was very expensive back in the day. That's the same reason N64 games were more expensive than psx and saturn games back in the late 90's.

[Kroogah]

and the graphics are pretty primative.

Hoo wow. Compare something like King of Fighters '95 to any SNES or Genesis game released in 1995.

It's arcade technology converted for the home market, I'd say that's a pretty good explanation of the cost.

[Aussie2B]

I have a question.... does anyone know why the games are so damn expensive??? It may seem like a dumb question, but does it cost the company alot to make one of these games? I personally wouldn't think so, considering most of them use similar engines, and the graphics are pretty primative. I have always wanted a Neo Geo, but I highly doubt I will ever get one due to the insane price in the new games.

Primitive graphics? O_O Are you crazy? By today's standards, yes, but when the games were new, they were above and beyond EVERYTHING at the time. Not until the Dreamcast could any "normal" console attempt to make a close to accurate port.

And yes, they were very expensive to produce. They basically had to cram an arcade, exactly the same, in a cart. It was very high-tech stuff, and all those parts in both the system and the carts cost big bucks. As theoakwoody said, the meg counts just couldn't compare. If you're paying $50 (and even up to $90) for a Genesis game, how much do you expect to pay for a game that's numerous times the size?

SNK knew their market. I'm sure we all would've liked to own an AES back then, but that was pretty much just the territory of rich kids and older hardcore gamers. With the cost so high to produce carts and the cost needed to make a decent profit even higher, SNK made low print runs and hoped to find their niche. They never expected to compete with the mainstream consoles because they weren't offering a mainstream product. Sadly, that's why many games are only going up in value these days. With the very small print runs and hardcore gamers not willing to part with their copies, it only gets harder and harder to get certain titles.

[DeputyMoniker]

I have a question.... does anyone know why the games are so damn expensive??? It may seem like a dumb question, but does it cost the company alot to make one of these games? I personally wouldn't think so, considering most of them use similar engines, and the graphics are pretty primative. I have always wanted a Neo Geo, but I highly doubt I will ever get one due to the insane price in the new games.

The reason theyre so expencive is because when you buy the game, youre buying an exact arcade duplicate. If youre a fan of the arcade, you dont have to settle for some assed up console port. Think about Sega. With as popular as their arcade games are, there would be millions of people who wish they could afford to buy a bunch of Sega arcade cabinets. Most of us dont have room or the $$ it would require to do so. What if Sega made a "cheap" option! They sell a system for $500 and then they release exact duplicates of their arcade games for only $200 each. Thats a fraction of the price youd pay for a real arcade cabinet! Theres NEO GEO in a nutshell. Unfortunatly, it sounds better on paper than it does in reality. (If youre wondering...Dreamcast/NAOMI isnt the same as NEO GEO...not even close)

[StealthLurker]

I have a question.... does anyone know why the games are so damn expensive??? It may seem like a dumb question, but does it cost the company alot to make one of these games? I personally wouldn't think so, considering most of them use similar engines, and the graphics are pretty primative. I have always wanted a Neo Geo, but I highly doubt I will ever get one due to the insane price in the new games.

The reason theyre so expencive is because when you buy the game, youre buying an exact arcade duplicate. If youre a fan of the arcade, you dont have to settle for some assed up console port. Think about Sega. With as popular as their arcade games are, there would be millions of people who wish they could afford to buy a bunch of Sega arcade cabinets. Most of us dont have room or the $$ it would require to do so. What if Sega made a "cheap" option! They sell a system for $500 and then they release exact duplicates of their arcade games for only $200 each. Thats a fraction of the price youd pay for a real arcade cabinet! Theres NEO GEO in a nutshell. Unfortunatly, it sounds better on paper than it does in reality. (If youre wondering...Dreamcast/NAOMI isnt the same as NEO GEO...not even close)


For the most part the arcade version and home version are on the same cart! If your neo-geo motherboard has the "special" uni-bios chip you can choose to play the arcade version (MVS) or home version (AES)! Plus you can choose your country region. Besides the connectors, an AES home game and arcade MVS game all have the same data.

[vincewy]

I have a question.... does anyone know why the games are so damn expensive??? It may seem like a dumb question, but does it cost the company alot to make one of these games? I personally wouldn't think so, considering most of them use similar engines, and the graphics are pretty primative. I have always wanted a Neo Geo, but I highly doubt I will ever get one due to the insane price in the new games.

The later games (over 500 megs) cost $200 each just to produce, with retail price of $300, stores and SNK weren't really making money, leaving only online retailers and enthusiasts like Shawn at neostore the only options for gamers.

Having the most up to date technology means nothing, games themselves matter, Neo Geo games are mostly fun to play. Just like the most sought after games on Xbox like Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Capcom vs SNK 2 EO, probably the least technologically advanced on Xbox.

[DeputyMoniker]

Having the most up to date technology means nothing, games themselves matter, Neo Geo games are mostly fun to play.

I agree but I'd like to add the following:
Many NEO GEO fans, including myself, also love the hand drawn animation. To me, NEO GEO is an excelent system. Beautiful graphics and the highest quality gameplay.
FYI: I don't own one but I've been a fan for a considerable amount of time and I've logged a lot of hours playing with friends. I'll be getting me a consolized MV-1C as soon as I get the $$ and find one with UNI-BIOS 2+ for a fair price. I'd breed one myself but I think the MV-1c would be too much for my soldering buddies to handle since they have no experience with the board.

[vincewy]

Ahh, I forgot to emphasize the term 2d/cartoon animations, what's amazing about Neo-Geo (both MVS and AES), it came out during the heydays of NES, throughout the years, games got ported from SNES to current PS2/Xbox, the ports, even 32-bit systems like PSX and Satrun couldn't match the 2D power of Neo-Geo, the near perfect ports of Neo-Geo didn't materialize until Dreamcast (KOF series, Twinklestar Sprites, Last Blade 2, and Fatal Fury:MOTW). That's 10 years after initial system launch.

I can't comment on Xbox and PS2 ports as I've not played them yet. BTW, the most expensive Neo-Geo AES games are (current market values)

-Metal Slug $3000
-Neo Turfmasters $2200
-Ninja Masters $1000

I doubt you'll see a lot of those games for sale, most games for sales are from gamers selling games with defect conditions after they've found their wanted conditions and/or switched parts they were looking for (manual, insert, cartridge, etc) from 2+ games and leave the ones they don't want to the buyers. I'd recommend go into MVS route, but start getting the most popular games now since even MVS games have started drying up, some games have gone up in value just like AES versions.