Neo Geo

[pbj]

I’ve been around here a long, long time in various guises.  Since 2000ish.  And for various reasons there have been moments of introspection lately.  I woke up this morning to this and pondered that there’s fewer of these ahead of me than are already behind me.



It is what it is and I think most of us are in the same boat.

So, what are those things in our shared realm that have been haunting me…. And it turns out it was a Neo Geo.

Bust out the credit card and here’s what arrives here 3 days later.  Shipping from Japan is simultaneously the cheapest, fastest thing ever and also the most expensive and complicated.  Entirely dependent on the seller/scammer.



“Works but turns off randomly” = who the ---fudgesicle--- knows.  I probably got raped.  I had an MVS board I pulled out of a smoldering cabinet 20 years ago and quickly got bored with it, so I’m not sure what I hope to find with this…. Besides recreating the experience of playing Art of Fighting on a console like I did one time at Incredible Universe 30 years ago. 

I’ll also add that everything for this system is unbelievably ---fracking--- expensive.  I’m keeping a running tally and it’s gasp inducing.  I’ll share it if I ever get this thing running.

 

[bobbyb13]

At least you figured out what itch you really needed to scratch.

Presently I have 6 projects that I hope to finish and get to play even just once before I'm dust.

I'm totally unfamiliar with Neo Geo stuff so this should be even more of a fun learning experience than your Sega cart mayhem.

[lilshawn]

lift the skirt on that badboy and lets see some cracked solder joints!

[pbj]

So, if Neo Geo forum posts are to be believed, you can't really trust the sticker on the bottom of the console to indicate what power supply you really need.  And if you stick a 9V power supply into a 5V system, you run a very real risk of smoking the motherboard.  Meaning your only option is to physically inspect the board inside.

An old credit card made short work of the rubber feet and here's what was inside:



Thankfully the board is very clean and has had no previous work.  I took one look at the BIOS chip, and yeah I'll be desoldering and lifting pin 2 and soldering the Unibios chip on top of the old one.  It is surrounded by tiny, delicate traces and this isn't a $1 Genesis football game.

Here's the power switch area -



Now what's kind of interesting here is that the system is labeled to "USE PRO-POW AC ADAPTOR ONLY" which implies a 5V supply.  But there's a 5V voltage regulator.

 



Anyway, that means I can just toss a readily available Genesis 1 9V power supply at it and we're done here.  This was sold as, "Occasionally, power switch contact is bad.  Occasionally, the power switch turns on and off repeatedly."  Maybe the seller had it hooked to a 5V supply?  Maybe I won't lose ---my bottom--- on this?

Phones can do anything except hold me at night and take photos of things up close, but you get the general feeling here that we're not dealing with cracked solder on the power jack:



This, however, is giving me some hope.  I have had issues with old consoles turning off and on randomly, and it's been corrosion on the power jack.



Anyway, a little scrape scrape with a needle and we've got shiny metal again. 

The power supply... av cable... joystick... and actual game are all in the mail.... so no testing this thing for awhile....

 

[pbj]

Got bored, hit it with cleaning carnuba wax.

 

[KenToad]

Nice work, it really is a cool looking console and yours looks like it's in good shape. Looking forward to seeing how this project turns out.

[Malenko]

Looks great! I may have a neogeo memory card in the coin box of my cab, I'll check tonight or tomorrow.

Now I gotta go wax my Genny model 1 and hope it looks that good

[pbj]

Got my AV cable.

The one and only time a blue screen is a good thing….




Anyway, 12VDV 2A adapter pulled out of a trash pile.  Cut wires, flipped polarity. 

Blue screen means it passes all the RAM checks.  Wish I had tested it before I scraped up the power jack, but eh.  Did a lot of wiggling on the board, power switch, and all that and it seems to be solid.  Fingers are crossed this will work 100%.

[pbj]

More stuff arriving… some guy on arcade projects sells high capacity memory cards, so got my hands on one of those.

Also got my “great condition” joystick.  The seller very carefully cropped that dogshit cord out of the photos but at least it’s readily replaced if I bust out another twenty.  Did shine up very nicely, though.

Sadly, you can’t get into the memory card management without a cart, so I’m still staring at a blue screen.

 

[Howard_Casto]

So you going to pimp that joystick or not?   Just curious.   

[pbj]

Trying to staunch the financial bleed, so I’m not sure how many mods I’m doing.

I once saw an AES joystick with replacement snap in buttons to match the Neo Geo colors and thought it looked cheap.  I dredged up some snap in buttons from a parts box and I’m still not a fan of the look.

I do have a brand new 35mm white ball top off a Sanwa stick I never used.  The original 30mm ball is cracked (they all are).  Trying to decide if this looks too cheesy or not. 



A lot of people take a dremel to the underside of the reset button and mount an LED.  I’m not real crazy about carving out the original button, especially in the days of super bright lights.  I played around with a $1 harbor freight flashlight and it worked great… but then I’m out a flashlight.  So then I pulled out an old pinball led I use in those rectangular poker buttons.

My very high tech setup….



But damned if just lazily pointing it at the side of the button isn’t effective…



And with the lid on




And a pointless blurry photo taken in the dark




So, for being something I already own and can mount in a non destructive way, I think I’m proceeding with this one.

 

[KenToad]

Pic attached of what I did to my Neo Geo X stick. Sanwa buttons are a lot snappier than stock in this case. The bigger issue is that I can't find a decent spring to replace the crappy lightweight spring in the stick. I have a heavier spring coming from the UK that is reported to work, but shipping is taking forever.

[pbj]

Hm. I’m coming around to that look.  Still haven’t played any games but I can tell the stock buttons are going to piss me off.  Have you installed an octagon restrictor?

[csnow]

I have been thinking of picking up a CMVS.  I have been thinking of trying my hand at some fighting games and the four button controls seems like it might be easier to learn.   :dunnoI had a MVS cabinet but because I was a product of the 80s arcade scene and didn't visit arcades in the 90s, I didn't have any nostalgia attachment to any of the games, so I sold it. 

[KenToad]

Hm. I’m coming around to that look.  Still haven’t played any games but I can tell the stock buttons are going to piss me off.  Have you installed an octagon restrictor?

I saw that several people recommended the octagon, but I haven't gone that route. The stick just isn't great in general. I don't have any problem with circular motions in fighting games. The X sticks are greased to hell, too. The whole joystick shaft spins freely, which I hate. I've removed a lot of the excess grease, but it hasn't helped too much, hoping that the new spring stops the spin. If it doesn't I'll probably take it apart and give it a detergent bath. It's that annoying.

Generally, the Neo Geo X sticks are slightly worse than the original Neo Geo sticks I've tried at gaming conventions. The X is lighter and cheaper feeling, so your stock buttons may be better than what the X shipped with. Overall, all the Neo Geo sticks and control pads I've tried feel worse to me than real arcade controls, though I guess there is something cool and nostalgic about playing Last Blade or Blazing Star with the arched button layout.

The Sanwa snap-in buttons don't sit perfectly flush, but they are secure and haven't moved at all. The bezel does make them feel a little small compared to the stock buttons, which are closer to the full-sized arcade buttons, given the lack of bezel. Unless you encounter a lot of sticking buttons or other problems, I'd probably keep the buttons stock.

[chopperthedog]

I ordered the octagonal plate from an etsy seller, my mistake for doing purchase as a guest, couldn't leave product review. I think all these players are high that bought it, I saw the flaw instantly, sent the dude my video outlining how his product is worthless, said he'd look into it and never heard back, tried to poke him once after, no reply.

I did add black 24mm buttons, but the stick is fine for me stock. Stay away from "sanwa like buttons" they will start to squeak and develop white powder in the plunger fast.





good day.

[pbj]

You can’t post something like that without telling us the problem with the gate.  PL1 printed one for me, and it’s impossible for me to own a console without a mod from PL1 in it, so I’m installing it either way.

 

[chopperthedog]

The actuator never touches the plate, the switches become the "gate".


good day.

[KenToad]

The actuator never touches the plate, the switches become the "gate".


good day.

Is that a Neo Geo original or an X stick? Nvm, saw the title of the video. Is it possible that there are slightly different sized gates for X or original? I have a memory of seeing some original stick owners being able to fit Sanwa joys in there with some slight modifications to the plastic base, but I don't think that's possible with the X version.

[PL1]

The actuator never touches the plate, the switches become the "gate".

The one PBJ asked for is a different design (smaller plate corner radius and 3d printed instead of laser-cut/milled acrylic) but the gate is the same size as the one in your video.

We'll see if it is the right size.

PL1 printed one for me, and it’s impossible for me to own a console without a mod from PL1 in it, so I’m installing it either way.

   

Here are some links for anyone else who wants to join in on the fun.

Gate:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3407862

Reset button, LED power switch, and non-LED power switch:
https://www.printables.com/en/model/79116-neo-geo-aes-power-reset-button-led-variant


Scott

[chopperthedog]

The actuator never touches the plate, the switches become the "gate".

The one PBJ asked for is a different design (smaller plate corner radius and 3d printed instead of laser-cut/milled acrylic) but the gate is the same size as the one in your video.

We'll see if it is the right size.

Top image is from the 3d print you linked which looks like how my piece of acrylic SHOULD look. So, if you didn't make the gate bigger and printed that as is, pbj should be happy.

Found this other print file, judging by the comment it's to the same specs as my worthless acrylic piece. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4333474/comments


good day.

[Malenko]

Pic attached of what I did to my Neo Geo X stick. Sanwa buttons are a lot snappier than stock in this case. The bigger issue is that I can't find a decent spring to replace the crappy lightweight spring in the stick. I have a heavier spring coming from the UK that is reported to work, but shipping is taking forever.

Just needs a custom red and white vinyl to make it look like a neocab

[PL1]

Found this other print file, judging by the comment it's to the same specs as my worthless acrylic piece. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4333474/comments

There was no file update after that comment.

Comparison print in progress.

We'll know how the two models compare in a couple hours.   


Scott

[PL1]

PBJ model print:
- 16.62mm point-to-point on octagon
- 15.50mm flat-to-flat on octagon
- 2.24mm thick plate

Chopper model print:
- 19.62mm point-to-point on octagon (1.5mm more from the center to the gate)
- 18.45mm flat-to-flat on octagon (1.475mm more from the center to the gate)
- 2.16mm thick plate (0.08mm thinner plate)

How do those measurements compare with your "worthless acrylic piece", Chopper?


Scott

[lilshawn]

maybe the original makers stick had a larger actuator on it... thus making the size of octagon appropriate... it's possible in later (or earlier revisions) there was a change in the actuator size.

[PL1]

maybe the original makers stick had a larger actuator on it... thus making the size of octagon appropriate... it's possible in later (or earlier revisions) there was a change in the actuator size.

Good point, lilshawn.   

PBJ and Chopper:  What is the diameter of the part of the actuator that engages the restrictor plate on your stick?


Scott

[chopperthedog]

acrylic plate:
point to point 20.2 mm
flat to flat 19 mm

Digital caliper battery dead, using ruler for my data.

The plate I bought was marketed for the neo geo X stick. But stick specs are same as original. Look close at my pic again, top is original stick and bottom is X stick and you can see how tight actuator is with the leafs between old and new.


good day.

[pbj]

Hm.  Interesting posts.  I’ll have to check all this out when my plate arrives.

Also got a line on one of the Furrtek MVS to AES converters.  About $70 shipped.  In theory, the MVS carts are cheaper.  No more $1 Fatal Fury Special or $15 Metal Slug like 20 years ago, tho.  But still cheaper.  You can get basically any game from China for $60-70 on MVS.  EPROM swapping seems better documented on MVS and I’m confident at this point I could do it.

On the other hand, I’m really just playing a waiting game on the Darksoft AES carts at this point and that’s going to set me back $500.

But the stupid converters are usually a couple hundred so I don’t know.

Sanity left the building a long time ago, so this is what vexes me now.

 

[pbj]

Got a copy of Fatal Fury Special with the box coming for $27 shipped.  I think it and Samurai Shodown 2 must be borderline worthless.  It’ll keep me busy until the bootleg clears customs I think….

 

[nitrogen_widget]

Hm.  Interesting posts.  I’ll have to check all this out when my plate arrives.

Also got a line on one of the Furrtek MVS to AES converters.  About $70 shipped.  In theory, the MVS carts are cheaper.  No more $1 Fatal Fury Special or $15 Metal Slug like 20 years ago, tho.  But still cheaper.  You can get basically any game from China for $60-70 on MVS.  EPROM swapping seems better documented on MVS and I’m confident at this point I could do it.

On the other hand, I’m really just playing a waiting game on the Darksoft AES carts at this point and that’s going to set me back $500.

But the stupid converters are usually a couple hundred so I don’t know.

Sanity left the building a long time ago, so this is what vexes me now.

 

I bought neo geo board with a bad battery i still havn't replaced....it's a big one cartridge job though so if i tried to make it a console it's would be about the size of an atari 5200.
anyway i got a multi cart off alliexpress for $30 last April. 151 games or something like that.
I tried multiple times to buy an MVS board and it didn't happen.
thus the reason i settled for one off ebay with an error common with a dead battery.
this thread makes me really want to pull it out of it's tote and replace the battery to see if the damn thing actually works.

[PL1]

PBJ and Chopperthedog:  PM sent day before yesterday.  LMK if it didn't arrive.


Scott

[Malenko]

Got a copy of Fatal Fury Special with the box coming for $27 shipped.  I think it and Samurai Shodown 2 must be borderline worthless.  It’ll keep me busy until the bootleg clears customs I think….

 

Sam Show 2 is inexpensive, not worthless. Its my fave game in the series, but its also one of the most mass produced carts and for some reason people think 5 is the best /shrug

Darksoft is the way to go, no regerts.

[pbj]

Hilariously, the 161 in 1 cleared Chicago customs the same day my Fatal Fury Special hit the mail stream.

That means both will arrive on the same day, I guarantee it.

PBJ and Chopperthedog:  PM sent day before yesterday.  LMK if it didn't arrive.

Chopper doesn’t respond to PMs and it’s hard for me to see the alert on my phone when I’m on the shitter.  Can I think about it another day or two? 

[PL1]

Can I think about it another day or two?

Take as long as you want/need to confirm that the adapter is "Rev. E" and the filament/color you want for the shell -- just asked to be sure the PM didn't get lost in the bit-bucket.   


Scott

[KenToad]

Got my heavy springs from the UK and it has made a big difference. I also went after the joystick and sleeve with rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs and removed most of the grease. The stick still spins easier than my Happ joysticks, but it's improved.

I still don't love the short throw that doesn't feel like any arcade cabinet I've tried, but it's a lot better with a stiffer spring. If you're looking for a replacement spring for the Neo Geo X stick, the Seimitsu LS-56 spring works. I tried Sanwa springs before and they didn't fit. I've also been to the hardware store and struck out, so it's not a standard size around here, apparently.

[pbj]

So, my copy of Fatal Fury Special arrived a day earlier than expected.

Case is a little rough and no manual but for $27 shipped I’m good with it.



Had a few heart stopping minutes where it wasn’t doing anything.  Cleaned the cartridge slot with a rag and some lighter fluid and I’m thankfully in business.  Have not had any problems with the system resetting and I’ve let it run a couple of hours.  If the problem with this was a low voltage power supply and a dirty connector, then I made out okay on it.  ($280 shipped as “occasionally resets”)

Anyway, Fatal Fury Special is a beautiful game and my home brew memory card is working fine.

I’d be very curious to learn more about the stiffer spring.  I’m also replacing this tiny 30mm ball top with a 35mm.

Mono sound out of the back of the console is complete BS and I lasted about ten seconds before I hooked up a headphone to RCA adapter in the headphone port. 

Always tough to photograph this TV but you get the idea….




 

[pbj]

Cracked open the joystick, stretched out the spring, and replaced the ball top with the white one I had laying around.

I don’t hate the white….



Definitely not going back to 30mm.

[pbj]

So, here's the damage with taxes, shipping, and rounded up to the nearest dollar.  Only thing I didn't have to buy was a power supply. 

I chopped and flipped the wires off a trash pile supply meant for an external hard drive.  So add another $10-15 if you need that.



Price           Item
$281          AES Console
$103          161 AES Cart & Shockbox
$70            AES Joystick
$45            Aftermarket Memory Card
$27            Fatal Fury Special Cart & Shockbox
$8              M27C1024 EPROM (10 pack)
$6              AV cable
$4              10' extension cable
$3              40 pin socket (10 pack)
$2              Black ball top
$549




 

[pbj]

Well, this arrived.  Some games working great, some with weird vertical lines but still working.  Not sure what to make of it.



 

[BadMouth]

Phones can do anything except hold me at night and take photos of things up close

Get a magnifier app.  I can't ever get clear pics of chips with the regular camera, but the magnifier app works great.  It even keeps the light on while taking the pic.

The one I use is by app2u, but it is from a time when you could just pay a couple bucks and not be bothered with ads or location tracking.  The newest version appears to be all in on those things.

EDIT: Curious about how the app could focus when the default camera app couldn't, I played around with it a bit.  I think the trick is that the app starts out zoomed in (digitally) so you hold the phone further away.  If I hold the phone a few inches further away and zoom in with the default camera app, I get results almost as good, but with pinch to zoom it takes two hands.  I still like the app better.

Double edit: Using default camera app zoom in before even pointing the camera at the object.  It works fine. Make sure the camera is set to macro.

[pbj]

First - we must all solemnly swear that we will never piggy back a chip onto an old chip ever again.  Just don't do it.  Don't.  Stay patient and wait for your socket.  That old bios chip will desolder cleanly with patience.  It's not worth that many hours of your life reflowing, reflowing, reflowing and then realizing you don't have the cartridge fully seated and that's why you're still getting a white screen.

By the way - with Unibios and no cartridge you now get a white instead of blue screen!  Would have been nice if they mentioned that somewhere....

Anyway, Unibios installed and working.  Hooray.

Don't piggy back chips.

So, I'm having this weird issue with my 161 in 1 cartridge.  Some of the games work perfectly.  Some of them have weird vertical lines through the image.  These weird vertical lines even extend to the Unibios boot screen and Neo Geo boot screen.  The games play fine but have weird lines.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.  Samurai Shodown 1 & 2 - lines.  Shodown 3 & 5 - no lines.  Crossed Swords - lines.  Puzzle Bobble - no lines.  I read through every post on the Neo-Geo tech support forum with the word "vertical" in it.  Only things I see have the same effect on every game and not just selective like this.  My cartridge connector is gleaming clean... but I did drive all over the damn place trying to find electronics cleaner.  Third store was the charm.



 

[pbj]

Don’t do this.  Just don’t.  I cleaned it up a little after this was taken but don’t do this.



Some pics of the weird glitches that only affect some games…

[nitrogen_widget]

I searched Neo Geo lines on screen and AES lines on screen.

I don't know how different the hardware is but it appears general consensus is rom chip issue.
usually a bad trace.
sometimes under a chip unfortunately.

[lilshawn]

perhaps a bad solder joint on one of the flatpack chips.

looks like a single pin or trace issue. maybe video pallet ram or something?

https://wiki.neogeodev.org/index.php?title=Palette_RAM

i'm not sure how the sprites are laid out (if its a first bit error or somewhere else in the other 7 bits mid-stream.) IE i can't tell if its the edge of a sprite or the middle since they are all tiled. and i don't know how big they are.

try pressing down on one of the flatpacks and booting it and see if it goes away when pressing on any of them. maybe a pin has just lifted up...it's common in gameboy advance games

https://wiki.neogeodev.org/index.php?title=Category:Chips

see if one of these looks like it might cause a single bit error written to ram and causing the output you see

[pbj]

On the motherboard or on the cartridge?  It’s hard for me to believe that Crossed Swords and Capcon vs SNK are utilizing motherboard chips that Samurai Shodown and Magical Drop 3 aren’t. 

[lilshawn]

i'm thinking mainly the motherboard since its across multiple carts.

[nitrogen_widget]

On the motherboard or on the cartridge?  It’s hard for me to believe that Crossed Swords and Capcon vs SNK are utilizing motherboard chips that Samurai Shodown and Magical Drop 3 aren’t.

thread where people have line issue with only some games.
https://www.neo-geo.com/forums/index.php?threads/aes-graphic-glitches-vertical-line-syndrome-now-w-pics.181876/

[Malenko]

i'm thinking mainly the motherboard since its across multiple carts.

its across multiple games on 1 multi cart.  I think its more likely cheap components or bad ROMs on the bootleg cart.

[pbj]

Yeah, it's various games on the multicart.  Some with the lines, some without.  Seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.  The behavior is consistent with the glitched games no matter what I do.  Anyway, I'll see what the seller wants to do about it, I guess. 

Pick and Mix works with the cartridge, which is a pleasant surprise.  It's actually remarkable how bad the documentation is for the Unibios.

Anyway, hold down select and boot up the system.  When you get to the title screen, let select go.  Press and hold it again to pull up the game list.  Pick your game and hit A.  If you want to change games, pull up the Unibios menu (Select + Start or Start + ABC) and select the soft reboot option.  Hold down select while it resets and you're back in business.  If you leave the game in attract mode, it will cycle through to different games automatically and play their attract modes.  Pretty cool, actually.

 

[pbj]

Yeah, so just hold down select for a few seconds and you get the pick and mix menu.  No need to do a soft reset.

 

[pbj]

Got some 3D printed parts from PL1 today.

Here’s the translucent reset button with a flashlight laying inside the case and pointed at it.  I really need to decide on an LED and just go with it.



And here’s the octagon gate installed.  I didn’t test it before I put everything back together.  Oops.  Can’t hit diagonals.  I’ll crack the stick open again and adjust the switch levers, but this definitely does not have the issues that chopper experienced.




A guy on discord that actually does a lot of repairs tells me my graphics issue is a bad connection from the bios chip to one of the downstream chips.  I’m skeptical but it’s worth a shot.

 

[PL1]

Here’s the translucent reset button with a flashlight laying inside the case and pointed at it.

Looks good.   

And here’s the octagon gate installed.  I didn’t test it before I put everything back together.  Oops.  Can’t hit diagonals.  I’ll crack the stick open again and adjust the switch levers, but this definitely does not have the issues that chopper experienced.

Before you adjust the levers, try the flat blue plate with no microswitch nubs.

That's this model that Chopper linked to earlier with an extra 1.5mm travel for hitting a diagonal.

Chopper model print:
- 19.62mm point-to-point on octagon (1.5mm more from the center to the gate)
- 18.45mm flat-to-flat on octagon (1.475mm more from the center to the gate)
- 2.16mm thick plate (0.08mm thinner plate)

While you've got the stick cracked open, what is the diameter of the part of the actuator that engages the restrictor plate on your stick?


Scott

[pbj]

This morning I buzzed out every connection on the bios chip to the downstream chips.  I did not find any breaks.

Opened up the 161 cart and didn’t see any obvious problems.  Pushing on chips and stuff didn’t change anything.

I think at this point I’m going to have to buy a legit copy of one of the glitchy games and see if the problem persists there. 

For now, I put it all back together and I’ll enjoy the ones that work.

Pinball led soldered in and pointing at PL1s translucent reset button.

 

[nitrogen_widget]

for historical purposes.

[Zebidee]

lol, @nitrogen_widget, back in the era when games producers assumed only men (well, boys) could get into computer games.

There is an implied assumption that the gamer would be incapable of snaring a hot chick, so the ad tries to make them feel better about it by further implying that if they get a Neo-Geo they will then have a monster penis (with a face and drool!) that would require at least three hands to properly masturbate.

Geez   

[pbj]

Yeah, so that’s Sharon Stone’s face shopped onto someone else’s body.  And nobody has ever proven that ad is real.

 

I spent some of Nephasth’s money on Samurai Shodown 2.  That will let me compare a real cart to my bootleg and will settle the question of where the issue lies.

Also picked up Art of Fighting 2 pretty cheap.  I’m treating it as a conversion candidate.

 

[pbj]

Some of that sweet, sweet Genesis bootleg money well spent arrived today from Japan.



Samurai Shodown 2 on the legit cart has none of the graphical glitches present on my 161 in 1, so at least I know now that the console is good.  It hilariously came with some neo geo cd version manual.  I can’t read it anyway so whatever.

I did try my hand at a bootleg manual for Art of Fighting 2.  Result was quaffable but far from transcendent.

[KenToad]

I've often wondered what it would be like to invest in a Neo Geo system, as I've never seen one outside of a convention. This has been a great read. Thanks so much for sharing.

Are you going to get a replacement multicart?

[pbj]

Nah, I'll just hang onto the one I have.  Seller won't give me a return shipping label and spending $50 to return a $100 multicart feels like throwing good money after bad.  Frankly, once you start facing the realities of AES cartridge costs, you'll be damn thankful that more than one game works correctly.  As it stands, everything is playable but a good portion of the games have vertical lines in the graphics.  In Crossed Swords, it's minor, and in the King of Fighters games it's really bad.  Plus it works with the Unibios PickNMix so meh.

Before I bought one, I had only ever seen an AES in the wild twice.  Once at Incredible Universe where I got to play Art of Fighting.  They literally had the console and controllers bolted down to the shelf, and directly on the side of the TV.  So you had to stand a foot away from the screen and twist sideways to play.  It was the worst setup I've ever played.

Other time was at the Houston arcade show. 

It's been hilarious to play through some of these games with the Unibios cheats.  Legend of Success Joe may be the worst game I've ever played.  The second to last boss is extremely difficult to beat even with infinite health and time.  Samurai Shodown 2 has a cheat that lets you play as the final boss.  I don't think it's possible otherwise.

 

[Malenko]

And nobody has ever proven that ad is real.

The only neogeo ads I remember were one with a hotdog and one with a big dog barking at you or something.

[lilshawn]

The only neogeo ads I remember were one with a hotdog and one with a big dog barking at you or something.

i just remember them being stupid expensive and me and all my friends would pine for the day when we could buy one.

[pbj]

Don't let your dreams be dreams, bro.  Grab that sausage with both hands and shove it down your throat.

For all their graphical powerhouse boasts, the non-fighting games are shallow and unpolished as hell.


Anyway, turns out I'm not terminally ill, which is nice.  The Neo Geo seemed only a little more expensive and like far less drama than two chicks at the same time, so I stand by my choice.


 

[lilshawn]

i got a neo-geo mini. i'm good with that for now.

playing on the machine itself is a 4/10, but hook it up to a TV with the HDMI and plug in a controller and it goes up to a 7...ish.

i heard you can hack the firmware and dump new games in it... so that could be fun.

[Malenko]

i got a neo-geo mini. i'm good with that for now.

I just play neogeo on this guy


the option to consolize the mobo is always an option when I run out of CRTs. The important take away is that James is gonna be around for the foreseeable future.

[Zebidee]

@lilshawn, classic, that ad demonstrates how the computer games sector failed to accept that their market could be larger than male incels.





Why would women want to play games when faced with marketing like that?

Computer games makers refused to invest in making games that appeal to females and refused to invest in marketing them beyond their target (young males), believing it would be like casting their seeds onto barren ground.

This was the mindset and it was a real problem with the whole industry in the 80's/90's, which also contributed to there being very few women being interested in IT & computing as a career.

Things have turned around a lot since then and now there are lots more female gamers out there, good thing for everyone. Things have also improved at the professional levels, though female techs are still rare.

[pbj]

Must you bloviate in every thread on this forum?  Did that ad truly need to be replicated in full size 4 posts down from its original appearance?

Look at the contributions of other members on this thread - sharing stories of Neo Geo, posting photos of modifications they've done, 3D printing, trouble shooting, and then it's you ranting about 90s marketing pushing women away from IT. 

I appreciate that you are relatively new here, but we generally keep it on topic on threads outside of Everything Else. 

 

[Zebidee]

Must you bloviate in every thread on this forum?  Did that ad truly need to be replicated in full size 4 posts down from its original appearance?

lol, why are you "ranting" at me? Did I touch a sensitive nerve or something? I didn't accuse you anything and have only been supportive to you.

I reduced the size of the image. Note that I'm not the one who posted it in the first place.

Look at the contributions of other members on this thread - sharing stories of Neo Geo, posting photos of modifications they've done, 3D printing, trouble shooting, and then it's you ranting about 90s marketing pushing women away from IT. 

It was definitely not a rant. I made a important point that needs making. I'll continue making points that need to be made, so that they don't get buried and forgotten. I can't promise that you will always like them.

The standards you walk past are the standards you accept. You always have the choice to just not say anything.

I appreciate that you are relatively new here, but we generally keep it on topic on threads outside of Everything Else. 

Don't patronise me. I've been an active member of this forum for over 15 years. We talk about all kinds of stuff and yes, it IS on topic because that ad was posted here.

I made my point in the earlier post, take it or leave it. Move on.

[KenToad]

I'd always assumed that that ad with the giant cock monster was legit and even have potentially false memories of seeing it in a gaming mag back in the day. 

She's definitely not as hot as Sharon Stone, though. Looks a bit like the chick from Corpse Killer.

[bobbyb13]

That SNK ad is hilarious.
I really wish I wasn't so damn busy with two dozen other things I can't avoid right now!
Hopefully I'll have time for jumping this train before the progenitors have shifted focus.

[bobbyb13]

I realize that once again my noob is showing with this question but am I delusional in thinking that the same carts that work in this beast also work in the 4 slot MVS board for SNKs upright cabinet?!

I may be on the edge of another precipice as a gent I just met here has a spare 4 slot that I may be bartering for soon.

May have wished too hard on tilting at windmills alongside pbj.
 

[pbj]

The console and arcade boards use different cartridges.  There are converters to use the much cheaper arcade carts on a home console.  You would be insane to go the other direction these days.  All revisions of the roms are present on both types of carts, and your experience is determined by your bios.  The Unibios allows you to run the home and arcade motherboards as any variation of the hardware, selectable on the fly.  The home versions have limited continues but tend to allow more progress saving.  You can also generally start on the level you lost your last continue on, so the limited continues on the home games are just a mild annoyance.  You have to buy an external memory card for saves, but it’s just a PCMCIA SRAM card which are universal but not commonly used.  Very expensive, too.  I just bought some homebrew FRAM cart off Arcade Projects that has like 16 times the capacity and two different memory banks.

 

[bobbyb13]

Ah... the Unibios thing finally explained.
Thanks pbj.
I'll need to look down the Arcade Projects rabbit hole also then it appears.
My island companion Falkenhawk did quite generously give me that 4 slot board so I have learned a little about the MVS world as a result recently.
Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- are there a lot of games here.
Whoooiee are some expensive and damn are some silly fun.
I don't know what stimulants the designers were on, but Metal Slug 3...?
Didn't realize I could love being a zombie barfing arcs of fire.

There is a bloke in the UK I need to look to who repros a bunch of ancillary items crucial to a legit cabinet build (for those going that route I suppose) and the progress saving ability makes this all seem quite a bit more fun with some games.

I got a few originals and a 161 cart (which seems to play fine so far) to try out games that looked fun but either seem unobtanium or are $100s-$1000s for originals.
I will do my part to hold out hope for another round of Darksoft MVS carts otherwise.

And happy to read that you aren't terminally ill of course.
Health scares really suck.
Passing on the two chicks thing though...?