Questions about Neo Geo home consoles

[mhsy2a]

Hello all, recently I have become emerged with the classic gaming scene (again), and I have been hearing some really good things about Neo Geo. However, I know next to nothing regarding their systems. I need a few basic questions answered:

1. How many different types of systems are there?
2. Which system do you consider to be the best?
3. How much can I except to pay for these systems?

Thanks for the help

[tholly]

1. there is the AES...the home version and the MVS...the arcade version
2. i never played on the AES and i own and MVS cab and i love it...but they are basically the same thing except for different shaped carts, so if you dont have the room for an arcade cab pick up the home version
3. i paid $350 for a mint MVS, but you can expect to pay a lot more on eBay for one....as for home systems...i have seen BIN on eBay for $180 or less from Japan....but the shipping is a hell of a lot

expect to pay a good deal either way you go

[ghostangelofcky]

Well dude this is what I know, there was the Neo geo AES ( the cart system) , then there was a feww different models of the neo geo cd system, front load, top load. Pretty much the games are the same. The CD system was created to get the cost of the games down, so there cheap but the draw back is the CD ROM is 1x speed, in other words really long load times, they released a CD-Z system with a faster CD drive but not by much, The Neo Geo AES cart system is the way to go as far as bang for your buck but and you'll shell out a few per game trust me! But worth it in the end. Or you can do what I did, buy both system and then see what ya think, But the AES gets my vote if ya got the $$$$

[ddockery]

It's also my understanding that the MVS is MUCH cheaper than the AES in terms of the game prices. If you don't have room for a cab you could always use a SuperGun and just hook it up to your TV.

[esquire]

I've also heard there are differences between the US and Jap versions of the AES. I guess the US version has some form of lockout built-in that prevents certain games from displaying added gore such as blood etc. I've heard the Jap console doesn't have this feature. You can play both US and Jap games on the Jap console so its better to have that console.

There are also ways to mod MVS carts to play on the AES. There are lots of people out there that do this. They do it since the AES carts tend to run more than their MVS counterpart.

As for the CD version, keep in mind that not all AES/MVS games were released on the CD. For instance Metal Slug 3 is not available on CD.

For a good reference, check out www.neo-geo.com. Their master list is very helpful.

[Ze_ro]

It's also worth pointing out that MVS games are often easier to find than their AES counterparts. The original Metal Slug is one of the more obvious examples of this. It also seems that there are more games for MVS, as some of them were never released in AES versions (Puzzle Bobble was one of these I think). I think you can get adaptors to use MVS carts on an AES system, but last I checked they were awfully expensive.

The AES is an actual home console, just like any other. You might see on eBay people advertising them as the "NeoGeo AES Gold" or Silver or whatnot... these aren't different machines, it was just different packaging (I think the Gold version came with a second controller and a game, while the Silver version was just the console and a controller).

The MVS is (of course) the bare arcade board. A lot of people buy whole arcade cabinets for MVS boards, but if you're handy, you can build yourself what is called a SuperGun... a SuperGun is basically an adaptor that lets you use arcade boards (including the MVS) with a regular TV. If you're interested in this, do some web searches and you'll find more information. Keep in mind that a NeoGeo cabinet is probably less expensive than you think. If you can find one locally, it might end up only costing you a bit more than an AES would cost, and you'll save tons on cartridges.

Ghostangel already describer the NeoGeo CD pretty well... the games are essentially the same, and they're super cheap over eBay... but you'll have to deal with some pretty nasty load times. The CDZ has a 2x CD drive, so it's faster, but still a huge pain.

--Zero

[vision89]

I've also heard there are differences between the US and Jap versions of the AES. I guess the US version has some form of lockout built-in that prevents certain games from displaying added gore such as blood etc.

I hadn't heard about this before, can anyone confirm if it's true?

[tholly]

I've also heard there are differences between the US and Jap versions of the AES. I guess the US version has some form of lockout built-in that prevents certain games from displaying added gore such as blood etc.

I hadn't heard about this before, can anyone confirm if it's true?

im almost positive this is true, but you could switch out the bios chip or something and make a us work just like the jap version

[AB Positive]

It's not built in lockout, lemme describe Neo Geo regions for y'all:


Every game (if it's meant to have multiple versions) will have the code for US, JP, and EURO in the cart. It will essentially have all three languages and versions in the game. SNK (and SNK/P) has been very very reluctant to put blood in the US code for games, so when you play on a US system, you get 'sweat'


The system you have determines what region the game plays, not the game. If you have a US game, and a JP system, you get the JP game. The system tells the game which of its three versions to use.


You can get a Debug Bios (AES) or a Uni-Bios (MVS) installed in your system which allows you to not only determine region, but whether you want the game to act like a Home Cart or Arcade game. Yes, the home/arcade code is built into each game as well. An arcade game with the Uni-Bios can act like the home version, giving you practice and survival modes.


hope this helps!

-AG