SNK’s Neo•Geo
Many of the third-party publishers that had released games for the Famicom, such as Konami, Capcom and Enix, went on to produce games for the Super Famicom as well. However, SNK, a publisher of nine Famicom games, didn’t have anything initially available for the Super Famicom.6 Instead, SNK released an all-new type of system for the arcades. Its Neo•Geo MVS (Multi-Video System), which debuted in Japanese arcades on January 31, was the world’s rst cartridge-based arcade machine.
The Neo•Geo MVS was the next logical step in the arcade game evolution that began in 1985 with the JAMMA board. However instead of having PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) that had to be switched in order to change games, the Neo•Geo MVS merely required a switch of a game cartridge, which was no di erent than changing a cartridge in a home console. The cartridges themselves were VHS-tape-sized and could contain up to 330 megabits of code. Arcade operators liked the system because each cabinet could hold up to six cartridges, which allowed them to o er more games in a limited amount of space.
Gamers also liked the system. Besides providing fun, colorful graphics that featured large, detailed characters, the Neo•Geo MVS o ered a unique way for gamers to save their scores. The scores and positions of up to 27 games could be saved on 4K memory cards that could be inserted into the cabinets. Gamers could purchase the cards from the arcade operators and then use them in any Neo•Geo MVS machine in any arcade.
Check out more of the rich history of the industry in Leonard Herman’s book Phoenix IV available at Rolenta Press www.RolentaPress.com and make sure to sign up to get Old School Gamer Magazine for free by clicking here!
