What's the cheapest way to get into Neo Geo?

[dsheinem]

I know you are looking for original hardware but for me, the PS2 route was significantly cheaper and got me a "good enough" solution. You could always buy one of these PS2 Neo Geo sticks
http://www.neogeoforlife.com/viewpage.php?page_id=282

and pick up great titles such as:
Metal Slug Collection
SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1
Samurai Showdown Anthology
World Heroes Anthology
Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol 1 and 2
Art of Fighting Anthology
King of Fighters (various games)

You could even play them on a backward compatible PS3 to clean up the textures and load times a bit. This ended up being the best bang for the buck for me.

Yup, I have all those. I was still considering getting the actual system at some point, primarily for the games not covered by those collections.

[presicion25]

Well,

It depends on what you want. Ive gone every route except the CD system. I started with AES then realized some of the games were way too expensive and sold it. The I got a consolized MVS board, then Supergun, now Ive got a Super Neo 29 Candy. The multi-carts are the best bang for you buck unless you like emulation which is free. If you'd like actual hardware, then there exist MVS multi-carts that go from 10-in-1 all the way to 150-in-1. Although they are not "real" MVS carts, they are the closest thing. But, previous posters are right, there are alot of repeats on the multi-carts that take up space that could be used for other Neo Geo games. Theres alot of hacked versions of King of Fighters on these multi-carts that are un-necessary such as King of Fighters 96 plus. The reason the 309 in 1 Blue Elf doesn't work as good is because it uses flash memory. BUT, the Blue Elf does have alot of CPS1 and 2 games that are good.

Although some guy did a nice job making a super gun out of it:

http://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_nuevo-ch ... un_1302768

Heres my CMVS:









Mine doesn't have the SCART plug, its got a (yellow) composite video and S-Video outs. These pics are of a friend of mine who built one, then built me one just like it without SCART since I'm in the U.S. Its built specifically for Neo Geo MVS games and for play from a TV, but looks the best on a CRT TV, not an LCD, unless I had it built with a Component out. I bought the encoder that had the composite/S Video out instead. Its basically a consolized MVS board with its own speaker.

MVS Multi-cart
http://www.jammaboards.com/store/150-in ... ff139ae696

[fedexin]

Mine doesn't have the SCART plug, its got a (yellow) composite video and S-Video outs. These pics are of a friend of mine who built one, then built me one just like it without SCART since I'm in the U.S. Its built specifically for Neo Geo MVS games and for play from a TV, but looks the best on a CRT TV, not an LCD, unless I had it built with a Component out. I bought the encoder that had the composite/S Video out instead. Its basically a consolized MVS board with its own speaker.

MVS Multi-cart
http://www.jammaboards.com/store/150-in ... ff139ae696

That is the coolest thing I've seen today. I've found my next project, off to ebay for parts!

[presicion25]

Ive had it since 2008. Its still pretty neat.

[Niode]

If you're handy, build a consolised MVS. That's by far the cheapest way to get into it.
If authenticity is your thing, acquire/build an MVS cab.
If you've got patience, get a NeoGeoCD.
If aesthetics mean a lot to you, get an AES + MVS adaptor.
If you have a lot of money and want the ultimate collection, go pure AES + AES games.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

[presicion25]

If you're handy, build a consolised MVS. That's by far the cheapest way to get into it.
If authenticity is your thing, acquire/build an MVS cab.
If you've got patience, get a NeoGeoCD.
If aesthetics mean a lot to you, get an AES + MVS adaptor.
If you have a lot of money and want the ultimate collection, go pure AES + AES games.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

Well said.

[Purkeynator]

I was curious about how much of the Neo Geo collection could be obtained without buying an actual Neo Geo unit and did some quick math. Here is what I came up with:

According to Wikipedia there were about 117 Neo Geo games released in America.

Of those I was able to locate about 54 individual Neo Geo games on other sources including:
Playstation 2 original releases
Playstation 2 compilation discs (released in America, I know of at least 1, maybe more didn't)
Dreamcast releases
Wii Virtual console
Wii releases (such as Data East Collection with Magical Drop 3)

According to my math that's nearly half (46%) of the Neo Geo games can be played on other consoles for much cheaper than investing in a Neo Geo system plus expensive carts. I would guess the half that is available is the better half heheh

[christoph]

If you're handy, build a consolised MVS. That's by far the cheapest way to get into it.
If authenticity is your thing, acquire/build an MVS cab.
If you've got patience, get a NeoGeoCD.
If aesthetics mean a lot to you, get an AES + MVS adaptor.
If you have a lot of money and want the ultimate collection, go pure AES + AES games.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

CMVS is the way to do it.

[Niode]

I was curious about how much of the Neo Geo collection could be obtained without buying an actual Neo Geo unit and did some quick math. Here is what I came up with:

According to Wikipedia there were about 117 Neo Geo games released in America.

Of those I was able to locate about 54 individual Neo Geo games on other sources including:
Playstation 2 original releases
Playstation 2 compilation discs (released in America, I know of at least 1, maybe more didn't)
Dreamcast releases
Wii Virtual console
Wii releases (such as Data East Collection with Magical Drop 3)

According to my math that's nearly half (46%) of the Neo Geo games can be played on other consoles for much cheaper than investing in a Neo Geo system plus expensive carts. I would guess the half that is available is the better half heheh

There's no getting away from the fact that it's emulated. They will all have their issues/slowdowns. Not to mention loading times. It's not really an option if you're wanting an authentic experience. Might as well just download Kawaks and plug in a USB Neo Geo stick...

[daito_kid]

You're on the right track when you're looking into a Japanese AES. The Neo Geo is region free and everything that is secondhand in Japan is greatly reduced in value. It's a strange culture thing, where you usually buy things new as gifts for people and never second hand (it makes you look cheap/poor if you do-- remember this is Japanese culture). Side track aside. I got my AES with 6 games for about $90. The shipping will be rough from the States, but there is another option that would be cheaper when considering games.

So far, I haven't seen anyone mention the Neo Geo CD-Z. It was released only in Japan, but the disk drive is MUCH quicker than the original CD and it's region free. If you consider that and how cheap the CD games are in comparison. This would probably be your best way to get into the Neo Geo world. Of course, the CD has the controller instead of the Arcade stick. You can always upgrade, but if the controller doesn't bother you than you should be dandy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0jdvL5jln0

Here's a video showing some load times comparisons between the CD and the CDZ, it's kind of boring, but gets the message across.

GL