Want to play Neo Geo, but it's so expensive

[crazydean]

So, I really want to play some Metal Slug at home. I've only played NG a few times, and that was on a cabinet. I don't have room for a cabinet in my house, but I do have an RGB monitor that I use for PCE, etc. Anyway, it seems like a CMVS is the way to go with a 161-in-one multicart. I know some people use the SuperGun, but I don't know much about it. Maybe I should just buy a modded Xbox? Are there better alternatives?

I don't play fighting or sports games, so maybe I'm just wasting my money altogether. What do you guys think?

[CrackTiger]

If you don't care about resorting to emulation, just use an Xbox.

I have an Omega cmvs, because playing on real hardware is a big deal to me and I like it better than custom cmvs and the AES.  You won't find a custom cmvs for a decent price outside the neo-geo.com forums. So buying an Omega direct would still be cheaper than the cmvs on various sites and eBay.

I have a good supergun, but it's still a pain in the ass to use. If I had to start start from scratch again, I'd still get an Omega. It also has unibios so you can play the version of each game you want and listen to the soundtrack.

[bob]

http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/191892495581

[Otaking]

I'm a massive Neo fan, I owned all the Neo AES carts back in the day, not all at the same time, I wasn't rich, just extremely dedicated, I used to trade a lot. Anyways I looked into getting back into Neo Geo AES again i think it was around 2006, to pick up all my old games, but the whole thing was just fucked, I found the Neo scene is full of super shady sellers, tons of fake carts, just a complete nightmare. I dabbled with MVS for a bit, but then settled on emulation. NeoRagex plus complete rom set is amazing.

[crazydean]

Thanks, didn't know about the Omega. Typically I don't like emulation since the "feel" is all wrong, but I've never tried the Xbox. I'll look into the Omega.

Does anyone like the NG CD?

http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/191892495581

Actually, I just read about the anthology collection after I started this thread. I may go this route after weighing my options.

[Otaking]

I forgot to say IMO Neo CD sucks dick, probably my single biggest disappointment in video games.

[bob]

Thanks, didn't know about the Omega. Typically I don't like emulation since the "feel" is all wrong, but I've never tried the Xbox. I'll look into the Omega.

Does anyone like the NG CD?

http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/191892495581

Actually, I just read about the anthology collection after I started this thread. I may go this route after weighing my options.

the disc plays well on wii.  might at least be a good short term option until you decide if you want to shell out for the real thing.  maybe it will even sway you to save the funds for a good system/other games.
(if you know what i mean)

*says the guy who just bought a bunch of PS1 sports titles*

[TheClash603]

It's cheap enough where you might as well grab the Anthology while you continue to weigh your options.  That is just one of those games everyone should have.

[bob]

they made a whole SNK/Neo compilation as well.

[crazydean]

It's cheap enough where you might as well grab the Anthology while you continue to weigh your options.  That is just one of those games everyone should have.

I would if I had a Wii. I do have a PS2,  but the price of the game on that is quite a bit higher. I'll keep an eye out for a Wii deal on Craigslist.

[TheClash603]

It's cheap enough where you might as well grab the Anthology while you continue to weigh your options.  That is just one of those games everyone should have.

I would if I had a Wii. I do have a PS2,  but the price of the game on that is quite a bit higher. I'll keep an eye out for a Wii deal on Craigslist.

My dad has a Wii and 700 games and he paid around $10 for it.  The amount of games is not an exaggeration, the price he paid is, but only slightly.

I wish I was more into the Wii, you can fill up storage lockers with Wii stuff for less than a small decent Neo Geo early release library.

[Otaking]

Typically I don't like emulation since the "feel" is all wrong

I've found it plays perfectly I can't find any criticisms. NeoRagex (with scanlines enabled) on my 42" LED TV looks stunning. Around 2007 I built a very small media PC for emulation and everything just worked great. You can get some USB controllers and the whole experinace is just faultless  http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEOGEO-STICK-2-Import-Japan-PlayStation-3-PS3-USB-/271934816502?hash=item3f509400f6:g:iPAAAOSw-jhUH70w

[crazydean]

It's cheap enough where you might as well grab the Anthology while you continue to weigh your options.  That is just one of those games everyone should have.

I would if I had a Wii. I do have a PS2,  but the price of the game on that is quite a bit higher. I'll keep an eye out for a Wii deal on Craigslist.

My dad has a Wii and 700 games and he paid around $10 for it.  The amount of games is not an exaggeration, the price he paid is, but only slightly.

I wish I was more into the Wii, you can fill up storage lockers with Wii stuff for less than a small decent Neo Geo early release library.

Be careful, you don't want to turn into this guy:

[Psycho Punch]

Don't bother with the NEO*GEO unless you're a BIG TYMER or you're content with owning an arcade board with a 152-in-1 cart.

It's cheap enough where you might as well grab the Anthology while you continue to weigh your options.  That is just one of those games everyone should have.

I would if I had a Wii. I do have a PS2,  but the price of the game on that is quite a bit higher. I'll keep an eye out for a Wii deal on Craigslist.

My dad has a Wii and 700 games and he paid around $10 for it.  The amount of games is not an exaggeration, the price he paid is, but only slightly.

I wish I was more into the Wii, you can fill up storage lockers with Wii stuff for less than a small decent Neo Geo early release library.

You don't post something like that without PICS!!!

[CrackTiger]

Most of those Neo Geo collections for consoles like PS2 are supposed to have poor emulation. If all you want is Metal Slug games, then a cheap emulated set should be fine.

You mentioned before that you're not into fighting or sports games, which I'm not really either, but there's still a crapload of other cool games that you'll get most of on a multi-game cart. Also, you can get a multi-cart for a fraction of what people ask for on eBay if you buy from a place like aliexpress:

http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20160618083544&SearchText=neo+geo+mvs


Here's a list of every MVS game and which multi-carts they appear on:

http://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/MVS_Multicart


Lots of shooters, Bubble Bobble-style, puzzle, platformer/action, beat em up, misc style games.


The Neo Geo CD isn't worthwhile unless you're hardcore into Neo Geo and then only after you get a cart setup. Most games are compromised, you don't have unibios and not everything is available. There are a few cool exclusives, but some have already been hacked into mvs carts. I mainly got mine for Samurai Spirits RPG and back then, to play Kabuki Klash, since cmvs systems weren't really around.

[crazydean]

Thanks Black Tiger, for essentially confirming my suspicions. Gonna look into an Omega soon and get a multi cart. What do you guys like to use for controllers?

[EvilEvoIX]

I have Metal Slug 1-4 on the MVS so I use a Phantom 1 MVS to AES converter to play.  This was back when Metal slug 1 MVS loose was like $20 when I got it and my AES was $200 so nothing crazy like today.  You can always look into a MVS Mini.  You need to modify it for stereo sound but other than that it's Scan Line heaven.

[Groover]

Thanks Black Tiger, for essentially confirming my suspicions. Gonna look into an Omega soon and get a multi cart. What do you guys like to use for controllers?

I'm thinking this. I have always wanted a Neo Geo and I think I will continue to wait but some day I want an Omega and Multi cart. I'm researching the controllers. I recently discovered that Undammed the guy behind the UD-CPS2 has made an Arcade/Neo-geo connection to USB that works with TE sticks and PS3/360 future PS4/XB1.

http://udgametech.blogspot.com

[Medic_wheat]

Thanks Black Tiger, for essentially confirming my suspicions. Gonna look into an Omega soon and get a multi cart. What do you guys like to use for controllers?

I'm thinking this. I have always wanted a Neo Geo and I think I will continue to wait but some day I want an Omega and Multi cart. I'm researching the controllers. I recently discovered that Undammed the guy behind the UD-CPS2 has made an Arcade/Neo-geo connection to USB that works with TE sticks and PS3/360 future PS4/XB1.

http://udgametech.blogspot.com

I just heard about this as well on "my life in Tetris" YouTube video yesterday.

Seems like a god send so I can use other controllers for my super gun that are not AWS sticks.

[TR0N]

Thanks Black Tiger, for essentially confirming my suspicions. Gonna look into an Omega soon and get a multi cart. What do you guys like to use for controllers?

I just use a pair of modded sega saturn controllers for my cmvs.Still works well for my gaming needs on the system.

[SignOfZeta]

I find that a good Neo emulator is vastly more enjoyable than %95 of the ports. I pretty much only run real games on real hardware but if you can't justify that expense do try emulation. Honestly, even if you can justify the expense you should probably try emulation, unless you're one of those fucking assholes that has to compete a collection before you even play the games, obviously. It doesn't sound like you really know Neo that well yet so dropping $400 or whatever might be really dumb. You might not even like it.

You'll probably like it.

Personally, I love it. The Neo is a very special system. There hasn't been anything like it before or since. If I had to choose between Neo and PCE it would be *really* hard. I've been in love with the same games for so long it's pretty obvious I'm never going to get tired of them.

[cabbage]

Is the extra cost of the Omega worth it over the DIY/Supergun option? Sure, Omega looks pretty, but costs like 5x as much...

[SignOfZeta]

Thanks Black Tiger, for essentially confirming my suspicions. Gonna look into an Omega soon and get a multi cart. What do you guys like to use for controllers?

I made my own stick. I also have a standard AES stick and a CD pad. My system is a two-slot based CMVS so they plug right in just like the home console. It also takes memory cards.

[CrackTiger]

Is the extra cost of the Omega worth it over the DIY/Supergun option? Sure, Omega looks pretty, but costs like 5x as much...

The Omega is now $530 direct from the guys who make them. If you're handy enough you can make your own supergun, but if not an mvs board and cheap supergun + bulky power supply will still cost $200. And if you can only find a cheap supergun which only does RGB, you might need to buy a component transcoder.

You'd be better off trying to track down a cheap cmvs. I've had issues with homemade cmvs and superguns in the past, but the Omega runs as perfect as a console. With everything accepting the video output (unlike some of my consoles with video mods) and a simple power cable instead of a loose ATX power supply in the mix. Plus they come with the latest unibios and built-in memory card. You can buy a unibios chip if you're able to convert an mvs board yourself. But the Omega is much higher quality than an AES and looks nice, so you definitely get what you pay for.

[TheClash603]

Don't bother with the NEO*GEO unless you're a BIG TYMER or you're content with owning an arcade board with a 152-in-1 cart.

It's cheap enough where you might as well grab the Anthology while you continue to weigh your options.  That is just one of those games everyone should have.

I would if I had a Wii. I do have a PS2,  but the price of the game on that is quite a bit higher. I'll keep an eye out for a Wii deal on Craigslist.

My dad has a Wii and 700 games and he paid around $10 for it.  The amount of games is not an exaggeration, the price he paid is, but only slightly.

I wish I was more into the Wii, you can fill up storage lockers with Wii stuff for less than a small decent Neo Geo early release library.

You don't post something like that without PICS!!!

No pics here, but basically my dad babysits my brat nephew and the only time he shuts up is when he is playing wii.  He started getting a game here or there and buying lots off craigslist where there was like 50 games and a system for $100.  He's been doing that for a while and has amassed around 700 unique games.  My nephew is spoiled and he needs a room for his wii stuff.

This might be a stupid question,  but why are MVS multi-carts so cheap, but AES carts so rare and expensive?  Aren't they basically the same thing?

[Arkhan Asylum]

FUCK NEO GEO.

/thread.

lock it.

[Medic_wheat]

Don't bother with the NEO*GEO unless you're a BIG TYMER or you're content with owning an arcade board with a 152-in-1 cart.

It's cheap enough where you might as well grab the Anthology while you continue to weigh your options.  That is just one of those games everyone should have.

I would if I had a Wii. I do have a PS2,  but the price of the game on that is quite a bit higher. I'll keep an eye out for a Wii deal on Craigslist.

My dad has a Wii and 700 games and he paid around $10 for it.  The amount of games is not an exaggeration, the price he paid is, but only slightly.

I wish I was more into the Wii, you can fill up storage lockers with Wii stuff for less than a small decent Neo Geo early release library.

You don't post something like that without PICS!!!

No pics here, but basically my dad babysits my brat nephew and the only time he shuts up is when he is playing wii.  He started getting a game here or there and buying lots off craigslist where there was like 50 games and a system for $100.  He's been doing that for a while and has amassed around 700 unique games.  My nephew is spoiled and he needs a room for his wii stuff.

This might be a stupid question,  but why are MVS multi-carts so cheap, but AES carts so rare and expensive?  Aren't they basically the same thing?

The Neo hero forums probably have a more accurate answer but I belive it has to do with availability.


AES. Very small market with each game new costing $200 ish. So not many games or systems are really available second hand.

MVS. Butt load of arcades and arcade owners to buy the cab and various games released. Sure your average MVS game will run you $80-$120 loose (non-kit) and some of the harder to come by games in the range of $200-400. But that is still a fraction of a AES game. Which is probably why the only two AES games I own which are JP copies are so common I got them for $40 a game.

[SignOfZeta]

Well, multi-carts are pirate and still being made whereas legit AES games were often super low production runs and haven't been made for a decade.

I can't believe I had to explain why bootlegs are worthless...

[Medic_wheat]

Well, multi-carts are pirate and still being made whereas legit AES games were often super low production runs and haven't been made for a decade.

I can't believe I had to explain why bootlegs are worthless...

He added about the MVS games that were in the arcade cabinets. Not the bootlegs.


Granted this hobby can be 80% bootlegs if you dot. Check every PCB before buying.

[SignOfZeta]

This might be a stupid question,  but why are MVS multi-carts so cheap, but AES carts so rare and expensive?  Aren't they basically the same thing?

[Medic_wheat]

This might be a stupid question,  but why are MVS multi-carts so cheap, but AES carts so rare and expensive?  Aren't they basically the same thing?

Completely missed the multi cart part.

[csgx1]

I've been wanting to get back into playing the Neo Geo for years now. I have a 1slot cabinet that's basically been in storage ever since i've moved to a very small place.

I'd like to possibly consolize the mvs board (unsure of what board version). Would a supergun be the easiest way to swap the board between home use (with an rgb monitor) and cabinet? If I ever move to a bigger place i'd like the option to easily swap the board back in the cabinet.

Are the bootleg multi carts reliable?  Any serious issues or significant differences with loading/playing a game compared to a real mvs cart?

[jtucci31]

Man upon looking at the list the 138-in-1 looks the best to me, but what is that board sticking out? Can I just use the cart or do I need to utilize that other thing too?

Been meaning to get a multi cart for my cmvs for awhile. I got one built from jamma nation X, did whatever mods and such I wanted. RGB, S Vid, unibios for pretty reasonable price.

[CrackTiger]

I've been wanting to get back into playing the Neo Geo for years now. I have a 1slot cabinet that's basically been in storage ever since i've moved to a very small place.

I'd like to possibly consolize the mvs board (unsure of what board version). Would a supergun be the easiest way to swap the board between home use (with an rgb monitor) and cabinet? If I ever move to a bigger place i'd like the option to easily swap the board back in the cabinet.

Are the bootleg multi carts reliable?  Any serious issues or significant differences with loading/playing a game compared to a real mvs cart? 

There are some compatibility issues with some MVS boards. I believe that it's broken down at the top of that game list I posted earlier. On my first homemade cmvs, games would sometimes rest randomly. Some games are supposed to have imperfect sound and I believe that Aero Fighters 3 on every multi-cart doesn't work correctly. I've read about mods that can be done to multi-carts to fix the issues.

Still worthwhile paying $50 - $100 to play/sample $20,000 worth of mvs games. I got a multi-cart first, but still bought around 20 original games so far since then, as well as a couple more multi-carts to cover every game available through them.

Man upon looking at the list the 138-in-1 looks the best to me, but what is that board sticking out? Can I just use the cart or do I need to utilize that other thing too?

Been meaning to get a multi cart for my cmvs for awhile. I got one built from jamma nation X, did whatever mods and such I wanted. RGB, S Vid, unibios for pretty reasonable price.

I'd avoid those kind, they're made for arcade boards. There are better cart-only ones that cover most of the games you'd want. I believe I got the 120, 108 and 161 to cover everything that's on any multi-game cart.

[TheClash603]

This might be a stupid question,  but why are MVS multi-carts so cheap, but AES carts so rare and expensive?  Aren't they basically the same thing?

Completely missed the multi cart part.

My apologies if I should've said "why are the ###-in-1 MVS carts so cheap, whereas the ###-in-1 AES carts so expensive?"  I always see the MVS multi-carts fairly cheap and think it would be cool to nab one for my AES, but every time I see one for sale on AES it is 5x the cost.  I understand why MVS carts are cheaper in general than AES carts and I even understand why modern (?) aftermarket bootleg games would be made in larger quantity in the MVS format.  However, I think if one of these bootlegers could produce an AES ###-in-1 carts at a reasonable price I am sure it would fly off the shelf (ie. - website/ebay), at least in a quantity which would let them turn a profit.

[Medic_wheat]

This might be a stupid question,  but why are MVS multi-carts so cheap, but AES carts so rare and expensive?  Aren't they basically the same thing?

Completely missed the multi cart part.

My apologies if I should've said "why are the ###-in-1 MVS carts so cheap, whereas the ###-in-1 AES carts so expensive?"  I always see the MVS multi-carts fairly cheap and think it would be cool to nab one for my AES, but every time I see one for sale on AES it is 5x the cost.  I understand why MVS carts are cheaper in general than AES carts and I even understand why modern (?) aftermarket bootleg games would be made in larger quantity in the MVS format.  However, I think if one of these bootlegers could produce an AES ###-in-1 carts at a reasonable price I am sure it would fly off the shelf (ie. - website/ebay), at least in a quantity which would let them turn a profit.

I still wish and hope for a ever drive MVS or AES to be made.

[csgx1]

Still worthwhile paying $50 - $100 to play/sample $20,000 worth of mvs games.

When you put it that way, the multi carts sound like a bargain.  I'm not too picky as long as most of the games are playable and the cart doesn't break easily or damage anything.   It sounds like most of the issues are minor or acceptable for the price.   I'll definitely look into getting one.  Thanks for the info and I appreciate your assessment.

[in99flames]

I have a USA version AES and a 4 slot MVS cabinet in my house. Neo Geo is a ton of fun and does have cool games that arent just fighting. Its expensive so I wouldnt recommend if you obly really want Metal Slug. I only have the First metal slug MVS cart. I couldn't see if anyone mentioned this...but if you want a more "authentic feel"....try looking for a Neo Geo X Gold. I think they are still on amazon for under 200. It has a portable system with it and a lot of great games. Might be worth a look.

[crazydean]

Have you seen the Game Sack episode on the Neo Geo X? It doesn't make me want to go out and buy it.

[Otaking]

Avoid the Neo Geo X Gold, it's just bad.
Massive missed opportunity though, it could of been amazing if SNK Playmore had handled it themselves.

[Medic_wheat]

Avoid the Neo Geo X Gold, it's just bad.
Massive missed opportunity though, it could of been amazing if SNK Playmore had handled it themselves.

Tell me about it. I pre-ordered it at the time thinking it would be great as it was officially licensed by play more.


I was so disappointed.


I almost returned it. But. It's still something I own. Never bothered with any of the game collections. They made after words. I saw Amazon trying to sell off what they had left two years ago at a dramatically reduced price

[Otaking]

Avoid the Neo Geo X Gold, it's just bad.
Massive missed opportunity though, it could of been amazing if SNK Playmore had handled it themselves.

Tell me about it. I pre-ordered it at the time thinking it would be great as it was officially licensed by play more.


I was so disappointed.


I almost returned it. But. It's still something I own. Never bothered with any of the game collections. They made after words. I saw Amazon trying to sell off what they had left two years ago at a dramatically reduced price

I was really hyped for the Neo Geo X Gold and bought it on release (maybe even pre ordered, can't remember) but sent it back the same day it arrived. This was before the truck load of hate backlash it received, so my decision was completely unbiased, it just felt really cheap and nasty and the screen quality looked awful.

The concept was awesome though and I dream about if SNK Playmore had done it and it had been successful enough that they started making new Neo Geo games for it.

[BigusSchmuck]

I managed to pay around $200 for my voga supergun and mvs setup with memory cards, unibios and controllers. I don't recall the motherboard I used for the build, but it is one of the MVS boards that you could use the memory board support. Just need a damn enclosure, bare circuit boards no bueno.
Edit:
MV-1.
http://www.hardmvs.com/html/MV-1.htm

Rock solid, new caps too.

[crazydean]

I managed to pay around $200 for my voga supergun and mvs setup with memory cards, unibios and controllers. I don't recall the motherboard I used for the build, but it is one of the MVS boards that you could use the memory board support. Just need a damn enclosure, bare circuit boards no bueno.
Edit:
MV-1.
http://www.hardmvs.com/html/MV-1.htm

Rock solid, new caps too.

Did you build this yourself or buy it assembled?

[BigusSchmuck]

I managed to pay around $200 for my voga supergun and mvs setup with memory cards, unibios and controllers. I don't recall the motherboard I used for the build, but it is one of the MVS boards that you could use the memory board support. Just need a damn enclosure, bare circuit boards no bueno.
Edit:
MV-1.
http://www.hardmvs.com/html/MV-1.htm

Rock solid, new caps too.

Did you build this yourself or buy it assembled?

If you mean assembling it, yeah I connected the super gun and memory card stuff to the board. lol I did make my own home made supergun, but I haven't done a whole lot with it yet. Very functional, about the only complaint its rather massive and bare.

[majors]

I still wish and hope for a ever drive MVS or AES to be made.

Slight issue with that. Some games (looking at you Windjammers) have custom chips that cannot be Everdrive'd. Think of the Famicom games with kick ass audio using MM5 or VRC7. Plus, from what I understand, only the games that are currently on xxx-in-1's would be possible on a MVS flashcart...so, nothing you can't already get. Of course the hacker magicians never cease to amaze, so something might be brewed up to get around the issue of custom chips.

[BigusSchmuck]

I still wish and hope for a ever drive MVS or AES to be made.

Slight issue with that. Some games (looking at you Windjammers) have custom chips that cannot be Everdrive'd. Think of the Famicom games with kick ass audio using MM5 or VRC7. Plus, from what I understand, only the games that are currently on xxx-in-1's would be possible on a MVS flashcart...so, nothing you can't already get. Of course the hacker magicians never cease to amaze, so something might be brewed up to get around the issue of custom chips.

I didn't realize the Neo used specialized chips lol. Had to research it for shits and giggles. https://wiki.neogeodev.org/index.php?title=Category:Chips

[Medic_wheat]

I still wish and hope for a ever drive MVS or AES to be made.

Slight issue with that. Some games (looking at you Windjammers) have custom chips that cannot be Everdrive'd. Think of the Famicom games with kick ass audio using MM5 or VRC7. Plus, from what I understand, only the games that are currently on xxx-in-1's would be possible on a MVS flashcart...so, nothing you can't already get. Of course the hacker magicians never cease to amaze, so something might be brewed up to get around the issue of custom chips.

I didn't realize the Neo used specialized chips lol. Had to research it for shits and giggles. https://wiki.neogeodev.org/index.php?title=Category:Chips

That was news to me as well. Guess it wasn't just Nintendo using special chips to push graphics and visual past system limitations.

[in99flames]

Oops. I guess the neo geo x wasnt the best recommendation...I've never used one but it seemed like it would be something nice..sorry! Too bad its crappy :-(

[EvilEvoIX]

Neo Geo Multicart being made here, MVS and AES Variants.

http://www.arcade-projects.com/forums/index.php?board/31-neo-geo-multigame-cart/






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