Neo Geo in 2024

[a3quit4s | 4,116]

Howdy do folks! Usually I post in the water cooler but I thought this might warrant a discussion. Neo Geo is way out of my league of knowledge and rather than Google myself to death I thought it might be fun to get some opinions of our esteemed members. 
 

So what say you? What is the best way to go about playing Neo Geo games in 2024? Emulate? AES vs. console modded MVS? Some sort of mini console? The best way may include more expensive options which I am not opposed to but I’m also probably not interested in trying to collect every game. Maybe just play some bangers? I can mod consoles no problem so is an AES with UniBios the way to go?

I await your opinions with great interest!

[SilverspoonGaming | 333]

Id say if I really wanted to do it the right way, Id go with a Neo Geo cab and pic up your favorite carts and swap them in and out as needed.

[DorkOverlord | 686]

I personally opted for a Neo Geo CD because you're getting virtually all the same games as AES at a fraction of the price (usually). Of course, you do have to deal with load times, but I don't think they're as bad as they're made out to be. 

A second option I've considered would be to get a consoled MVS and an Everdrive type device. It's a more expensive option, but still less expensive than collecting AES. 

[a3quit4s | 4,116]

1 hour ago, DorkOverlord said:

I personally opted for a Neo Geo CD because you're getting virtually all the same games as AES at a fraction of the price (usually). Of course, you do have to deal with load times, but I don't think they're as bad as they're made out to be. 

A second option I've considered would be to get a consoled MVS and an Everdrive type device. It's a more expensive option, but still less expensive than collecting AES. 

I like your suggestion of Neo Geo CD and will definitely be adding this to the list. Are the graphics as robust as on AES/MVS in your opinion?

[DorkOverlord | 686]

21 hours ago, a3quit4s said:

I like your suggestion of Neo Geo CD and will definitely be adding this to the list. Are the graphics as robust as on AES/MVS in your opinion?

Yeah, they look identical to me. The NGCD has the same hardware as the AES/MVS except more RAM and, obviously, a CD-ROM drive. 

[Nintegageo | 582]

I also vote get a cab and MVS carts. It ain't as cheap as it was, but at least the cartridges are ridiculous.

[Renmauzo | 1,203]

I've got a 4-slot 'Big Red' MVS cab with kits and an AES w/ROM cart, and I would say that an AES + Terraonion ROM cart (same as an Everdrive, really) is far more practical and economical. With a little patience and consistent looking, you can get a Japanese AES (they are region free) for a couple to few hundred (depending on if you want loose or complete and since the USD is outpacing the Yen by quite a bit), and the ROM cart for a few hundred more (I had pre-ordered mine through Stone Age Gamer); get the HD Retrovision component cables, and you're off to the races

Whatever route you choose to go - if you decide to pursue this - I'm sure you'll have a ton of fun with the library. I love the Neo...there's just some experiences you can't get anywhere else

 

[a3quit4s | 4,116]

13 minutes ago, Renmauzo said:

I've got a 4-slot 'Big Red' MVS cab with kits and an AES w/ROM cart, and I would say that an AES + Terraonion ROM cart (same as an Everdrive, really) is far more practical and economical. With a little patience and consistent looking, you can get a Japanese AES (they are region free) for a couple to few hundred (depending on if you want loose or complete and since the USD is outpacing the Yen by quite a bit), and the ROM cart for a few hundred more (I had pre-ordered mine through Stone Age Gamer); get the HD Retrovision component cables, and you're off to the races

Whatever route you choose to go - if you decide to pursue this - I'm sure you'll have a ton of fun with the library. I love the Neo...there's just some experiences you can't get anywhere else

 

I think a “Big Red” would definitely be the coolest way to go but finding one for sale and having to clean it up or find a working CRT for it and who knows whatever else work one might need or trying to find one mint would be very expensive and then buying the games on top of it….I dunno if I’m up for that kind of commitment lol. I think I’m definitely looking at a console version like AES with a UniBios or like @DorkOverlord suggested a Neo Geo CD since the games are on the cheaper side. 
 

I was also looking at the MVSX cabinets and they seem to be pretty cool and come with a good amount of the “bangers” that Neo Geo has. Sort of like a compromise to Big Red and no further money out on games. I might wander the vendor area at MGC and work a trade for an AES/NGCD if I can find one since I have an extra Sega Nomad I need to get rid of or go the MVSX route. 

Edited April 3 by a3quit4s

[Renmauzo | 1,203]

5 hours ago, a3quit4s said:

 was also looking at the MVSX cabinets and they seem to be pretty cool and come with a good amount of the “bangers” that Neo Geo has. Sort of like a compromise to Big Red and no further money out on games. I might wander the vendor area at MGC and work a trade for an AES/NGCD if I can find one since I have an extra Sega Nomad I need to get rid of or go the MVSX route. 

Maybe I'll see you around at MGC! My wife and I are road-tripping down and will be there all weekend Good luck on your hunt and I hope you have an awesome time at the show.

[Sumez | 2,971]

On 4/1/2024 at 7:27 PM, a3quit4s said:

Howdy do folks! Usually I post in the water cooler but I thought this might warrant a discussion. Neo Geo is way out of my league of knowledge and rather than Google myself to death I thought it might be fun to get some opinions of our esteemed members. 
 

So what say you? What is the best way to go about playing Neo Geo games in 2024? Emulate? AES vs. console modded MVS? Some sort of mini console? The best way may include more expensive options which I am not opposed to but I’m also probably not interested in trying to collect every game. Maybe just play some bangers? I can mod consoles no problem so is an AES with UniBios the way to go?

MVS is absolutely the way to go, as it has been since forever. Games aren't as dirt cheap as they have been, but compared to how much NES and SNES games, etc. have gone up, MVS isn't too far removed, and the motherboard ("console") system itself is still super cheap because they are so ubiquitous.
There are a few really cool titles that'll set you back over $100, but the majority of interesting games can be acquired for less, including every Metal Slug lower than 4 (ie. the good ones).

Compare AES games, most of which will set you back $1000 or more. 

If you're going with an AES console, definitely get a cart adapter. But honestly unless you really want your setup to look sleek, I'd just get a single-slot MVS motherboard and hook it up to your TV with a cheap supergun - no reason to modify it right off the bat IMO, and while a unibios is cool, it's by no means mandatory - I had my neo geo for nearly two decades before I got one.
Also, the RGB output from an MVS is better than what you get from an AES anyway.

Edited April 3 by Sumez

[TDIRunner | 2,754]

I won't argue that this is the best way.  This is just the way that worked out for me.  I own a consolized MVS that has component output and controller inputs for Neo Geo controllers and Saturn controllers.  For the most part, I just play the 151 in 1 cart because I don't want to put a lot of money into the games.  It's not perfect, but it allows me to scratch that Neo Geo itch whenever it comes up.  The controllers are setup with a "credit" button which functions as inserting a coin.  So you can push that button as often as needed to continue playing.  The console itself takes up about the same about of space as an SNES and the board sits inside a custom made case that gives it a clean look.  

Edited April 3 by TDIRunner

[glazball | 172]

Not sure exactly what kind of experience you are after, but the best way in 2024?  It's certainly emulation.  It's just about perfect and much cheaper!  Others mentioned NGCD but I would dissuade you from that option, mainly because not every Neo game is available on CD.  Plus, as a cart-based platform, waiting for loading times is just very un-Neo imo.

[a3quit4s | 4,116]

1 hour ago, Sumez said:

I'd just get a single-slot MVS motherboard and hook it up to your TV with a cheap supergun

Is there a specific supergun that you recommend? It’s my understanding there are many available. 

 

16 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

I own a consolized MVS that has component output and control inputs for Neo Geo controllers and Saturn controllers

I’ve seen this option as well - which consolizer are you using and which MVS board variant? I do like having to buy cheaper MVS games over the more expensive AES versions but logically if that were the case I could just do the NGCD

[TDIRunner | 2,754]

6 minutes ago, a3quit4s said:

I’ve seen this option as well - which consolizer are you using and which MVS board variant? I do like having to buy cheaper MVS games over the more expensive AES versions but logically if that were the case I could just do the NGCD

I bought it so long ago, that I can't tell you much about it.  It was obviously a single cart board, but that is about all I know.

[Nintegageo | 582]

It ain't cheap, but the unico novablast might interest ya?

[a3quit4s | 4,116]

28 minutes ago, Nintegageo said:

It ain't cheap, but the unico novablast might interest ya?

Not gonna lie that thing looks dope but $1,200 and I still gotta find a decent shape donor board for it and actually buy a game to play….seems like a lot. Not sure if this is your picture or just one you found. On the off chance it’s your setup what do you think of the MVSX?

[Nintegageo | 582]

Ya, it ain't cheap. Super cool though. And nope, not mine. 

[Sumez | 2,971]

MVSX is really cool because it looks like a classic red Neo Geo cabinet, but it's actually quite space effecient and can fit into many discreet locations.

BUT it really is "just" emulation. It's an emulated Neo Geo on a modern flat LCD. You get the exact same experience out of just booting up MAME on your PC, except that comes with a bunch of other advantages as well. The big distinction to me between going the MVSX route or MAME is whether it's important to you that you own the games legit (and even then, every MVSX setup I've seen, has been loaded with pirated roms anyway, so they could play any Neo Geo game )

Like @glazball said, if the goal is merely just "playing the games", emulation is in many ways the "ideal" way. At least if minimal extra setup and zero money spent are important factors to you. A MVS system itself isn't too expensive, but a few games can be a bit spicey at this point.

Of course, this depends a lot on how you look at this. I rarely play emulated games at all, and if I'm interested in a system, and not just curious about a few individual games, getting the actual system means a lot to me. I also prefers playing these sorts of games on at least somewhat original setups, ideally on a CRT. Personally, I play all my Neo Geo games on my Astro City cabinet, and I wouldn't want it any other way. This may matter less to another person.

Also, if you're considering emulation but want to keep it legal, the Neo Geo Arcade Archives series released across all modern console platforms, offer a vast majority of the best Neo Geo games at this point, available to purchase individually at a ridiculously low discount price.

[Sumez | 2,971]

14 hours ago, a3quit4s said:

Is there a specific supergun that you recommend? It’s my understanding there are many available. 

A supergun is really just a mapping between controller ports, power supply, and RGB+audio outputs on the arcade connector, so IMO you're not gonna get a meaningful better quality out of more expensive solutions, I guess they're just less likely to break (and some times come with extra bells and whistles you don't know if you'll ever need).

 

That said, depending on where you live, the stock RGB output from an MVS might not be too useful for you. If you're in Europe (or have a PVM or similar professional monitor) you can just hook it into a CRT, but if you live somewhere else or only have a HDTV that's of course a challenge.

I wouldn't want to invest in a supergun with any built in video encoding, however, as you're always gonna get a better and more future-proof result with an external box.
For example, if you get one that outputs component or s-video instead of standard RGB, that's not gonna help you with a HDTV that needs HDMI input - that's just gonna result in more useless conversion steps and a slightly lower quality.
Instead I'd use a RetroTink or OSSC for lag-free HDMI upscaling - this is something that any video game nerd with an interest in old-school console hardware should probably have at this point anyway, unless they are still hauling a bunch of CRTs around.

And if you do intend to hook it up to a CRT, but don't have the option of an RGB input, there are also cheap s-video or component encoders out there you can get. These should all be lag-free, so no worries there.

I'm sorry, this ended up sounding a lot more convoluted than it needs to be. You probably already know how to deal with RGB video.

[Trifecta | 235]

It is expensive, but I chose the AES route and have no regrets. I'm a console guy so this was the way for me. I looked into the Neo-Geo CD, but some of the later games have horrendous loading times according to my research. And graphics-wise, it always isn't the same either. For example, I believe Art of Fighting 3 has smaller sprites on the Neo-Geo CD.

[Tanooki | 4,943]

On 4/1/2024 at 1:27 PM, a3quit4s said:

Howdy do folks! Usually I post in the water cooler but I thought this might warrant a discussion. Neo Geo is way out of my league of knowledge and rather than Google myself to death I thought it might be fun to get some opinions of our esteemed members. 
 

So what say you? What is the best way to go about playing Neo Geo games in 2024? Emulate? AES vs. console modded MVS? Some sort of mini console? The best way may include more expensive options which I am not opposed to but I’m also probably not interested in trying to collect every game. Maybe just play some bangers? I can mod consoles no problem so is an AES with UniBios the way to go?

I await your opinions with great interest!

Well things are a lot different from about a decade ago vs the last 5 years or less, and this is coming from someone with 35 MVS carts and a pretty cherry 2 slot cabinet, and I've had probably around 50-60 total carts swapped over time.

The best way, if you can live without using real hardware, are your emulator options.  If you want to be a legal eagle, ACA Hamster went hog wild on most the titles over the Switch, almost as many on Sony...PC is lagging bad into the 20s which is a loss (or not, due to emulators, roms.)  And that's the other, micro pcs/android boxes/mobile phones-tablets emulate the thing using Final Burn Alpha which is far easier to setup and better off than migraine inducing MAME.  The whole ROM library is less than an old CD worth of storage, you won't be hurting for space whatever you do.

AES is a nightmare, avoid.  MVS has been increasin gin recent years to toxic levels, but not AES by a long shot.  NeoCD tends to be cheapest, but the crappiest with a smaller library and god awful load times.

Another choice, it took years to safely crack the thing, but the Neo Geo MINI that can be played as a tabletop or run to a TV/monitor with minihdmi-hdmi cabling can have the console library thrown on that too (like Hakchi for NES/SNES.)

Yet another choice, a year ago (lazy I know...after a year of it being bug ridden) a v3 of the 161in1 cart arrived on the market you can snag for $50-60 range, it has about 100 legit (of a 150 library) MVS games on it.  So you could go as far as a supergun or a consolized MVS one slot board and use that on your TV and you'd largely be set just buying a few legit carts you really love that it lacks.

 

There are two flash kits on the market, the prices are disturbingly high.  One is made from terraonion and it has some bugs in the newer model they sell so it can glitch, also load times on it are bullshit so if you like waiting up to 5min for the largest game (KOF2003) to load I'd avoid.  Darksoft has another, it puts stuff I guess into its memory a different way or has better storage but it will load like 3-4 games into memory far faster and retain them so you can swap things on the fly.  Both I think are around the $500 mark before memory card and shipping.  I wouldn't suggest it.

[a3quit4s | 4,116]

Thanks to all those who replied and shared their wisdom. I think at this point it’s either a consolized/supergun MVS for me or trying something emulated as the price to get into this just seems pretty steep for basically fighting games and Metal Slug. I’m not sure I will take the plunge unless something really comes up that makes it worthwhile. Thanks again to everyone who posted!

[Tanooki | 4,943]

22 hours ago, a3quit4s said:

Thanks to all those who replied and shared their wisdom. I think at this point it’s either a consolized/supergun MVS for me or trying something emulated as the price to get into this just seems pretty steep for basically fighting games and Metal Slug. I’m not sure I will take the plunge unless something really comes up that makes it worthwhile. Thanks again to everyone who posted!

Well if you're curious, of the roughly 150 games the MVS has, despite the bs reputation SNK caused largely on their own, only around 30% of the library is fighting games shockingly enough, and yeah +6 metal slug games maybe inching things toward 35-40%.

You maybe surprised to know of the games I do have, they're a solid minority with 6 fighters and 2 slugs.  I specifically prefer their non-offerings of that type.  The system is pretty oddly overlooked yet rich in shooters both vertical and horizontal and I've got 8 of those.  I've got what are considered the systems platformers, the run n gun (cyber lip), a few of the brawler(belt scroller), and a few of the solid sports games too and some puzzles.

I strongly suggest you get this, seriously: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832648130385.html

That's what I have, they're now onto a new sticker/ shockbox art / tourquoise shell (mine is yellow) than what I got March a year ago.  The price is still in that $50s value too, which is a solid deal given even the cheapest MVS carts these days should set you back nearly that shipped at least for the worst of the worst.

While this is out of date as far as the glitches of the 161 go as this v3 fixed it, the check boxes are accurate to the titles you'll get.  https://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/MVS_Multicart

Trust me, it's damn near a one and done investment.  After that just cherry pick what you care about it lacks.  Don't bother trying to find the others on the list they're out of production (especially the 138) and toxic is hell to pay for it if you find it because it has a few $500+ carts on it in particular (TSS & Sengoku 2)

 

What I have that isn't on there are old favorites: Magician Lord, NAM 1975, Ghost Pilots, League Bowling, and a few others.  I do have some overlap because when I grabbed them the price was irresistible for a real copy since the old 161 was flaky.

 

I'd also look into a flashing service it's cheap, get the UNIBIOS v4 done.  It has a unique pick n mix feature on the MVS side that removes all the crap hacks from the cart and creates this popup window where you can pick the nearly 100 legit games on the fly, or just leave it in demo mode and like an old arcade cabinet it'll cycle ALL the games (like the old 2-6 would do.)