SNK cease support for Neo Geo

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 4th June 2007
Comments (6) Stumble
The Neo Geo was a popular arcade platform as well as a home console.

The Neo Geo was a popular arcade platform as well as a home console.

SNK has announced it will be taking the final steps to bow out of the console market, finally ceasing support for the Neo Geo line of home and arcade consoles, as well as the games and accessories.

The Neo Geo was a popular arcade platform when it launched in 1990, and was also released as its fourth generation home console. The complete Neo Geo line includes the Neo Geo CD, Neo Geo CDZ, Neo Geo Pocket and Pocket Color.

The home console version of the Neo Geo featured games like the Metal Slug series and the controversial Samurai Shodown and was considered a very powerful system at the time. Oddly though the home console was only available to rent at first until customers indicated a strong desire to purchase a full system.

Still, with games for the home version often costing $200 each, the retail version was a major flop and was driven into cult status, especially as trends moved towards 3D graphics.

SNK, which declared itself bankrupt in 2000, abandoned the hardware shortly before due to extensive amounts of piracy on the systems games.

Sixteen years after its initial release, new games are still in development by some independant teams and companies such as GameTap still make emulation software for the system widely available. Collecting cartridges and extras is still a lucrative hobby for some, with games like the European verson of Kizuna Encounter fetching prices as high as $12,000 as there are only believed to be four copies in existence.

SNK will cease support for the Neo Geo systems as of August 31st, citing the difficulty and cost of finding replacement parts as the main cause behind the move.

Ever own a Neo Geo? What's your favourite retro game? Do you collect geek paraphenalia, or just sell everything at GameStation? Supply the answers to these, and other thrilling questions, in the forums.
Quote DougEdey 4th June 2007, 11:27
Most of those machines are probably in private ownership (i.e. in peoples garages) now
Quote WILD9 4th June 2007, 12:50
Fair enough, its had a good innings. I remember renting one for a week, there were some superb games on there but the cost was absurd.
Quote DXR_13KE 4th June 2007, 14:29
to expensive and i have never seen one here.....
Quote mmorgue 4th June 2007, 14:45
Had one when I was in Canada. Heheh -- traded my "Jaguar 64" for it over the newsgroups (way back when..)

Stunning system, at the time. I really only wanted it for SSII and as it was the "arcade" version, it was perfect.

But as mentioned, the games at the time we almost prohibitively expensive so I stuck to SSII.

The old Geo was a really good system in it's time. Very fun. ;)
Quote devdevil85 4th June 2007, 17:08
Metal Slug was so badass, and it also had a game called Gundam I think (or something like that), where you had a fighter jet and you would shoot vertically and you would gain more and more weapons as you stayed alive and OMG it was so sweet. They had one up at my local Pizza Hut and it was totally worth the 50 cents to play. Wish I had one......
Quote koola 4th June 2007, 22:02
I have fond memories of my Neo Geo Pocket. It was and still is my fav handheld gaming device as the games made for it are good.

My fav fighting game has to be Capcom vs SNK millenium Fight and fav platform the one and only Metal Slug 1st Mission
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