Neo Geo Console Remake - OUT NOW -

[Op Intensify]

Yeah, that's the confirmed resolution. There's HDMI output, though it could be a blurry 16:9 mess.

And I too predict that hackers will have cracked this thing wide open to be able to play any Neo rom, and likely other emulators, within a matter of days. If that happens, I'll be a lot more willing to buy one.

But I have to admit, it would be pretty awesome to walk into Gamestop and see a rack of Neo games. Ninja Master's is the only non-built in game they have announced; they really need to have more before release.

[Ganelon]

Yeah, the resolution doesn't seem to fit well. 324x224 on a 480x272 LCD screen? Even if there was an option to use a ~4:3 aspect ratio, there would either be mangled upscaling or a really small visible area. Am I the only one who's suspicious that the only reason the Neo Geo X uses a 480x272 LCD screens is because SNK/Tommo got it for cheap on the PSP manufacturing plant? The only other explanation is that there are plans to have other systems emulated on the machine.

Anyway, I'm still skeptical of this product but am optimistic that all the rest of the details will be announced in these last 3 months. What are the 4 shoulder buttons used for? Are the buttons configurable (the NGCD pad layout is awful for some fighters)? Where are the other games? Are there any online options? Are there region switching options? Why would you tell everyone the OS used is Linux unless you want the system to be cracked?

[Op Intensify]

Why would you tell everyone the OS used is Linux unless you want the system to be cracked?

Tommo/Blaze probably think it's in their best interests for the device to be cracked, since hardware sales will shoot through the roof. They could have been dropping a hint to hackers without saying anything clear enough to raise SNKP's suspicions. Blaze's (shitty) Genesis handheld already had the ability to play roms on an SD card out of the box, because Sega didn't care.

I hope the shoulder buttons are for configurable macros. Also, it's imperative that all games have region settings; no one wants to play Metal Slug with soldiers vomiting milk, or the later KOFs without Mai's bouncy. I am also interested in the quality of the thumbstick, which had better have microswitches.

Am I the only one who's suspicious that the only reason the Neo Geo X uses a 480x272 LCD screens is because SNK/Tommo got it for cheap on the PSP manufacturing plant?

Nope.

[Ex-Cyber]

Why would you tell everyone the OS used is Linux unless you want the system to be cracked?

I'd do it because it's a bit impossible to comply with the GPL otherwise, and I wouldn't want my product's distribution threatened by an injunction. Companies like Blaze have never exactly been keen on license compliance, though. Heck, even the big boys have had some trouble with it from time to time.

[Op Intensify]

Video of the thing in action. No footage of the menus yet.

Seems the thumbstick does not have microswitches. The player doesn't use the shoulder buttons at all. Awful 16:9 stretching is displayed in its full glory. HDMI output is also stretched.

As for the AES replica dock, it actually opens up and the handheld sits inside it. Not what I expected.

[Ganelon]

The topic on the Neo-Geo.com news thread about this system has links to the 2 other unlisted videos from the now-missing Famitsu page. The games menu screen is incredibly basic. One of the videos does show what appears to be 4:3 aspect ratio through HDMI. That's a good sign but certainly no immediate cause for celebration.

[cools]

Seems the thumbstick does not have microswitches.

Sure sounds like it does.

[moh]

Seems the thumbstick does not have microswitches.

Sure sounds like it does.

yeah, I heard clear clicking.

[Op Intensify]

I'm pretty certain the clicking is coming from the buttons.

I think the biggest value I'd get out of this would be as a convenient emulator box (the AES replica dock) to bring to fighting game meets, assuming it's cracked to allow any rom. There's so few Neo fighters I've actually played against another human in person.

[trap15]

That's definitely the stick's microswitches clicking.

Nice 16:9

[dave4shmups]

Oh my god.

They're actually going to sell individual games on packaged SD cards.

Talk about collector exploitation.



I guess this confirms that you won't just be able to drag-and-drop roms onto any old card and play them, like on Blaze's Genesis handhelds.

You can already preorder the thing for $200. The screen's 16:9 and the same resolution as the PSP, so I hope there's at least an option for letterboxing.

Yeah but that game only comes with the pre-order of the Gold unit. Do we know for certain that there will be other games on packaged SD cards? AFIK, there have not been anymore announced.

[fagin]

All the haters!!


It's new and it's a gadget..... Day 1 purchase for me.

[KBZ]

How about a completely open handheld with a proper 4:3 320x240 LCD?

http://game-consoles-worldwide.com/

[dave4shmups]

All the haters!!


It's new and it's a gadget..... Day 1 purchase for me.

I'm not a hater, I just want more games to come out for this-because, if they do, I'd like to buy it (not the Gold version, though). I certainly don't want to spend the money for AES games, and the loading times on Neo Geo CD games are notoriously long. I could always go for the CDZ model, but people charge extortionist prices for the faster loading times. Consolized MVS units are also pretty pricey, so this handheld seems like a good option.

[gray117]

Hmm if it wasn't for the screen I'd be thinking these are all part of the same exploitive [but fun] family. Some more clues may be garnered from the game gadget and/or megadrive version ... appears some kind of download store maybe the order of the day...

http://www.blazeeurope.com/

[Ex-Cyber]

Whatever it is, it'll almost certainly be cracked. The depth of encryption and authentication needed to really button it up is just too expensive for a company like Blaze. Theoretically, they could pull it off. Realistically, they have no chance. I'll be floored if it's not pwned within a month of release, and I won't be shocked if there's a zero-day exploit to run arbitrary roms. I can't be the only person who remembers Gekko Teaser, right?

[Fudoh]

mine shipped from Amazon.com yesterday. Should be within the next 2 days. I'll do some extensive testing and comparison to a consolized MVS soon !

[KBZ]

pete dorr has a video uploaded

I'm actually much more impressed than I thought I'd be. The handheld actually looks decent. Very brave of them to go with the microswitch stick. Certainly not something one can market to casuals very easily. The rubber backing looks comfortable. And from what I can tell, L2+R2 sets to native res.The AES style controller looks to be the exact size, but maybe different plastic. Stick uses microswitches. The Dock is a bit smaller than an AES.

I was expecting some crappy controls, cheap flimsy case, and stretched widescreen uglyness. Happy to see they just might have avoided any of those problems.

[Fudoh]

Got mine today. Will try with the Framemeister TONIGHT and report back after that.

[Ed Oscuro]

LCD screen, emulation, wrong aspect ratio - sorry these are huge sticking points for me. You can get microswitched sticks for systems that don't lock you into a dead-end goofball system. Prediction: disappointment

[trap15]

You want a CRT on a handheld?

Aspect ratio can be set to the correct one by hitting L2+R2.

Not much you can do about the emulation part short of rewriting all of the games, entirely, from essentially scratch.

[Ed Oscuro]

You want a CRT on a handheld?

I don't want a handheld. The microswitched joystick won't count towards that use, either (if I'm correct in remembering that the joystick plugs into the "base unit"), so you're left with something that could've been done on pretty much any standard piece of hardware that supports emulators.

[trap15]

But the NEOGEO BRANDING!!

Really though, the biggest thing about this for me is the glorious NeoGeo Pocket clicky joystick. Absolutely the best.

I probably won't buy one of these either way though

[Ed Oscuro]

I probably won't buy one of these either way though

[Fudoh]

Ok, here we go:

Is there the english expression "barrel burst" for gadgets like this ? If there is, then the NGX is one. The idea behind the system was great and while part of technical realization went quite well, other (crucial) parts are a complete failure.

The unpacking experience is great. A large glossy box with two white cardboard boxes inside. On includes the handheld and the docking station while the other contains the stick and the bonus game card. The white cardboard boxes are a clear ode to the white boxes used for the official AES accessoires back in the day. The people designing those knew what they were doing. The SNK branded stickers used to sell the boxes are a nice extra and it's just fun unpacking the system.



The docking station makes a solid impression. The closing mechanism works better than expected. Unfortunately there are no LED indicators anywhere, so you're prone to forget to turn the system off now and then. The base is considerably smaller than a real AES. It's about the size of a Mega Drive / Genesis (model 1). Why they used a Mini HDMI connector on the dock - I've got no clue. Fortunately a Mini to Standard HDMI cable is included.

The handheld has a rubberized back with a shiny SNK logo right in the middle. Feels great ! The unit is much nice than expected. The buttons and the controller feel good. The controller has a thud click to it. The micro switches on the Neo Geo Pad controller (also the PS2/3 versions) are better. The L buttons are used to switch between 4:3 with native line mapping and 16:9 full screen and the R buttons are used to Pause. Brightness and volume controls are on the bottom.

Ok, first try on the handheld. The unit boots up without any sound, then you get to the menu where you chose your game. Click on it and the game loads (3-5 seconds). Play!

The graphics are kinda ok. Nowhere as pixel perfect as a good emu on a PSP. Set to 16:9 the graphics get quite blurry and set to 4:3 the graphics looks aggressively sharpened. The handheld forces a 4:3 ratio although the original Neo Geo does not utilitze square pixels. This causes some scaling on the horizontal, even when set to 4:3. The music sounds ok, but many of the sound FX have a high pitch to them - something I don't recall from my MVS.

Next, the handheld inside the docking station. The unit connects through Mini-HDMI, a 3.5mm jack and a USB connector at the same time, so it's not THIS easy to get it fit properly. Once it's in, you can close the dock and switch the console on through the front button.

The Sticks are replicas of the AES originals, but not as good. They are VERY light, even lighter than the PS2/3 remakes and those were already lighter than the originals. Buttons and stick are fine though and since you can use them on a PC and on a PS3 as well, they're a bargain !



With the handheld in the dock and stick connected, HDMI into the TV, we're ready to go: *drum rolls* oh, what a disappointment ! 480p quality through HDMI is somewhere between s-video and RGB through a crappy scaler. The line alignment is off (224 lines are scaled to full 480p), edges are blurry and there's some tearing caused by the framerate conversion from 59.1 to 59.94Hz without VSync. At least the emulation feels very responsive without any noticeable lag. (Na, strike that. Played ASO2 and it feels pretty laggy - at least with the combined lag from the emulation and the TV).

Directly connected to my Sony TV I can't get any sound from the HDMI port. I checked on the bed room TV (a Samsung) and there it works, so it's a sample frequency issue and other TVs might also not deliver sound. Analogue stereo should be available though from the back of the dock at the same time.

Through the framemeister I was able to overlay scanlines, but since the scaling is off (alignment!), the scanlines help only little to cover all the bluriness going on.

So, what do I think ?

The NGX is a great idea, with a great approach. The unpacking experience rocks and the look and feel is nice. But the technical implementation is shoddy at best though and if you ask me, there won't be any more games coming for this It might make a nice collector's item though - just because it's SNK branded


Magician Lord - 4:3 - without scanlines.






Magician Lord - 4:3 - with scanlines.

[ryu]

ew. that almost looks like it was sent through one of those terrible filters modern emulators include...

[moh]

You want a CRT on a handheld?

YES, TRAP15, YES I DO.

I'd be the coolest kid on the block :]

[BuckoA51]

Is there the english expression "barrel burst" for gadgets like this ?

I think the closest thing is "Schoolboy error" that is often said in England, meaning a mistake so obvious/fundamental that only a schoolboy would make it, though I think the problems with this unit go beyond schoolboy errors!

[Ed Oscuro]

Sheesh, fudoh, you took one for the team alright. Actually I'm somewhat surprised it performs even THIS decently with the 480p output.

Two white boxes within another box - story of our lives.

[Fudoh]

haha, you make it sound silly



compared to