Neo Geo vs A1200

[Kesa]

I'm planning on getting a new gaming machine.

First i was going to get a PS4 but to be honest i don't really find it interesting. It's really just a lower powered pc in a fancy case. I don't like the touchscreen on the controller (too gimicky). But most of all it cannot do proper 1080p for most of its games (I love pixels). Probably be limited to 30fps forever.

I'm definitely not going to get another gaming laptop. The one i already have is perfectly fine except the fan needs to be cleaned which requires me to completely disassemble the machine. No more laptops. No. Next PC i will build a tower.

Now i'm thinking about a Neo Geo. Doe anyone have one of these? If yes are they worth the hassle? Which model is best? How well do they age? What about the controllers? How does the Neo Geo compare to the A1200/CD32 in terms of software and hardware? They seem to be similarly specced out but the games just look so awesome on YouTube.

Or is the Neo Geo an overrated piece of siht?

If i do get a Neo Geo i will probably get an X-Arcade joystick as the Neo Geo ones look a bit dated.

[SamuraiCrow]

Have you tried any of the NeoGeo emulators for your PC?  I'd imagine the games are great since they use similar hardware to the NeoGeo arcade machine if not identical.  Back when they first came out somebody told me that the game disks were the same ones used by the arcade machine anyway so that there were unlimited continues on all the games.  Also, a quick Google reveals that there are multiple NeoGeo emulators for Windows but only two Amiga emulators.

WinUAE may be the best Amiga emulator but since all the software worth having on Amiga is designed around a decade of design kludges that never were fixed, it will probably be best to have the real hardware to run the software with.  (Not to mention WinUAE and FS-UAE are single-threaded emulators.)

[Rob]

The Neo Geo is better specced as a games machine than the A1200 but the carts are likely to be very expensive and a large proportion of the game are beatemups.  I'd definitely use an emulator first to help making a decision.

[spirantho]

The NeoGeo is THE best 2D platform, no exceptions.
Massive graphics, big levels all with no loading time, an awesome joystick as standard, great sound and some fantastic games (I'm looking at you, Metal Slug....).
You have two options: the AES (which I have) is the home console. Looks good and comes with  by far the best joystick I've seen on a home console. The problem is that the games vary from cheap to massively expensive, with the great games like MS selling for hundreds of dollaris/pounds/euros.
The MVS needs a supergun and so has no joystick or nice case. The games are identical but are not interoperable with the AES. Of course the games are just grey carts with a bit of paper... no snazzy artworked plastic cases here.

The big problem with the NeoGeo is the lack of games. If you don't like shooters, sports and most of all beat-'em-ups then the NeoGeo is not for you.

The NeoGeo has it's drawbacks but it's simply an awesome machine.... if you can afford it. Each game is expensive but this does mean you play them more.

I'm not selling mine, that's for sure!

(ans of course, an emulator will give you a taste, but it's nowhere near the same as the real thing in my opinion.)

[commodorejohn]

I'll echo the "try an emulator" sentiment. There are some damn fine games for the NeoGeo (Twinkle Star Sprites in particular is just a nutty but awesome concept for a two-player competitive shmup that I've never seen anyone else attempt,) but there's not a lot of variety, and in my case while I enjoy some of the titles it's just not enough to justify the investment it would take to get the real deal. Maybe you'll feel differently, who knows, but given the amount it can cost, I'd do some checking in first.

[som99]

I would go with a good arcade stick for your x86 machine and then download the big Mame pack and you are set.

I could share the latest 311GB MAME 0.152 CHDs set to anyone here from my fileserver, then you got tons to do forever!

If you do not know what Mame is here is a quick quote from wiki:

MAME (an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten. The aim of MAME is to be a reference to the inner workings of the emulated arcade machines; the ability to actually play the games is considered "a nice side effect". Joystiq has listed MAME as an application that every gamer should have.

Then we also have MESS, the complete latest MESS pack is 1.3TB large but it have consoles also and not only arcade machine games, for some it's huge but it is worth it.

MESS supports 668 unique systems with 1748 total system variations and is constantly growing

I could also share that set on my fileserver if there is any interest.

Something I also recommend for people who want to game is the HyperSpin project, it's lovely and is the nr1 reason tho why im currently building an arcade cabinet!

Take a look! EDIT: This is the font-end where you can preview games and systems and all "stick" compatible!
[youtube]2LbtvmdRgo8[/youtube]

I have the most recent collections of most systems, all from TOSEC, REDUMP to Turip etc so if anyone wants anything I can share

[Kesa]

Thanks guys. I use winuae but don't enjoy it as i feel it doesn't really capture the energy of a real Amiga. I think the same would happen with the Neo Geo emulator. The first impressions are always the most important and the thing you will remember the most (at least with me) and i want mine to be using the real thing. Emulators will ruin it. But you guys have a good point that it's probably a good idea to try it first.

What about the build quality of the machines themselves? The CD32 has a really weak lid and the standard controller is mediocre in build quality.

I remember playing the arcade version of King Of Monsters and i remember that it rocked!

[hishamk]

How about a Neo Geo X? Comes preloaded with Metal Slug as well.

Neo Geo X

Edit: Or maybe not. It's an emulator.

[Duce]

PS4 has no issues with 1080p at 30/60 FPS that I've seen.

http://ca.ign.com/wikis/xbox-one/PS4_vs._Xbox_One_Native_Resolutions_and_Framerates

[psxphill]

WinUAE may be the best Amiga emulator but since all the software worth having on Amiga is designed around a decade of design kludges that never were fixed, it will probably be best to have the real hardware to run the software with.

What do you mean ? Are you saying WinUAE can't run all the software worth having?
 

(Not to mention WinUAE and FS-UAE are single-threaded emulators.)

That is largely irrelevant, nearly all emulators are single threaded. Communicating between threads is too slow to be of any practical use.
 
If you were emulating an accelerator you could push that to another thread with it's own fast ram that only it could access and then sync to the other thread when any motherboard access is required. This would mimic what happens on real hardware and possibly could get faster speeds for 68060.
 
But on a modern PC you can already run faster than any real 68060 ever could, so it's uncertain if the effort is worth it.
 
The maximum increase would likely only be what the blitter/copper/etc takes to emulate, which is going to be only be a very small percentage. The speed decrease could outweigh that if software was doing a lot of chipram access.

[save2600]

Neo*Geo is definitely not overrated. On top of excellent titles and gameplay, the machines are built like tanks and the controllers are even better. Okay, maybe not the Neo*Geo gamepad that was released for their CD system.

Some random thoughts:

Neo*Geo X portable system - great if you're into portables, don't mind that it's emulated, sounds are a little off, aspect ratio problems, limited library and tough to get different games into the system unless you have one of the early models that can be modded. On the plus side, the packaging is great, quality of the hardware is good, can be hooked up to your TV and the 4-button USB Neo*Geo X joystick is excellent. I use one for MAME, among other things.

Neo*Geo cartridge system - built like a tank, easy to mod, MVS carts are generally cheap, much of the AES games are too, joystick is excellent, built to last and comfortable. Downsides include system and carts being humongous and some games are getting tougher to find and when you do, tend to be a little pricey.

Neo*Geo CD - a contradiction if there ever was one IMO. Single speed optic based system for loading huge amounts of data - yawn, literally! Original premise was to get the cost of the games down for the general public, but nope - they were still overpriced. Sub par controller included to appeal to the NinSega crowd too. I really don't see the point of getting one of these, other than if you scored one one the cheap. Really cheap.  

CD32 - love this machine and disagree about the controller and lid, BUT... it is what it is: a stripped down A1200. Besides maybe Fightin' Spirit (Neo*Geo folks behind this IIRC), you really can't be comparing the style of games between a Neo*Geo and an Amiga computer.

Multitude of problems playing games on an Amiga vs. simple plug and play of a Neo*Geo console. All boils down to what you expect and the kind of experience you're looking for.

Are you after arcade perfect titles with great re-playability and love button mashing? Neo*Geo hands down.

Or are you content being disappointed with scaled down versions of arcade games? Many of which hampered even more thanks to crummy inferior least_common_denominator computer conversions. Most all played on a single Atari 2600 style, single button controller.

Bottom line: Get both! Neo*Geo for awesome arcade action and an Amiga computer for all the other great games.  

[XDelusion]

Buy a NeoGeo... spend life's savings trying to collect games. Impress your self with that feeling that "hey, I've got the real hardware", then realize "hey there is not OS, might as well just emulate the games". Impress a few friends here and there with your new hardware... the moment passes, life goes on, you learn to regret it.

No sir, owning an actual NeoGeo isn't the same as owning a real Amiga. The only thing you will be lacking in your experience will be the original Joystick that came with this puppy, and the feel of the HUGE carts. Beyond that, you ain't missing anything through emulation (who cares if a pixel is off?!), and you can always compensate for the lack of joystick with another fine joystick such as the one's used in Mame machines and the like. Buying one or two of them would be cheaper than buying a NeoGeo set up.

[vince_6]

Neo-Geo is great but there is not a solution like the everdrive cartridge for it.
The new system is not based on the real hardware, if it was I would buy one too.

[rvo_nl]

@vince you are wrong there!
 
The Neo Geo is an excellent console, as said its very well built and the games are of a very high quality. They're expensive though, that's why you should consider getting one of the xxx-in-1 cartridges that can be found on ebay from time to time:
 
https://www.google.com/search?hl=nl&q=350-in-1+neo+geo#hl=nl&q=in+1+cartridge+neo+geo&safe=off
 

Illegal? Well.. playing the games on MAME isnt legal either, so..

Also, the Neo Geo is not similar to the Amiga in any way other than the CPU. Its full of custom hardware to get better quality sound, graphics and for example, more sprites on screen.

Oh and forget about the X and the CD, for reasons already pointed out.

[commodorejohn]

Thanks guys. I use winuae but don't enjoy it as i feel it doesn't really capture the energy of a real Amiga. I think the same would happen with the Neo Geo emulator.

Yeah, I get you there, but it would at least let you know whether you like the game selection. Of course, if you can find someone in your area with a Neo Geo, there's always that option.

Also, NeoRage is much more usable than MAME or MESS.