Neo Geo AES

[lisitsa]

Hey guys,
I was wondering if anyone here is a collector of some Neo Geo systems/games. I recently picked up the Pocket Color and was looking into the AES. The only information I've found is that it's stupid expensive and that the MVS is better. I'm not really fan of the arcade setup so that's not really an option for me.

If anyone has some experience with buying systems and games and where to start it would be awesome.

[maximo310]

Not a Neo Geo collector, but the main reason why AES is more expensive than the MVS version is that there are overall less copies AES versions of games. That's due to low sales of the AES systems overall compared to MVS.  The only way to get around the pricing issue of aquiring AES carts is to get bootleg carts from trusted sellers which are alot cheaper as a result.

Honestly, if you are going to get into Neo Geo collecting for the long time, an MVS setup+ games will save you an great amount of money, vs an AES setup. I'd only reccomend the AES setup if you have the money.

Here's AES and MVS guides to compare prices between the two: http://www.neogeokult.com/aes-price-guide/  http://www.neogeokult.com/mvs-price-guide/

[fredlepirate]

I have a NeoGeo AES for about 15 years and I own 13 games (love the system), it was a great system to collect 10-20 years ago, but now the prices are really to high for my budget.

MVS is a cheaper alternative, there is adapters out there that allow to play MVS cartridge with a NeoGeo AES.

A alternative to the NeoGeo AES its the NeoGeo CD, the games are a lot cheaper, but you will have to deal with the loading time.

[zenimus]

From a hardware standpoint, Neo Geo AES and MVS are exactly the same. The games for each version are identical in every way. The difference is that the MVS arcade hardware was meant for commercial use, and was initially much more expensive than the AES versions (about 600 bucks for an MVS kit for each game). The AES was meant for home consumer use, and the games were cheaper originally (around $200 for each game). Since the games were identical on each version, SNK made the board sizes inside the cartridges slightly different, so they wouldn't fit each other and arcade operators couldn't purchase the cheaper AES versions for their cabs.

But there were a lot more arcades with Neo Geo MVS machines than rich kids with Neo Geo AES home consoles, so over time the AES versions became more valuable on the secondhand market since they're more rare.

There's no getting around it: the Neo Geo AES is the most expensive video game console in existence to collect for. I had around 25 games at one point, but prices went crazy and I sold them to pay for my wedding. It got to a point where I wasn't playing them for fear of damaging them.

The MVS isn't exactly cheap to collect for either, but it's slightly more manageable. The prices for MVS carts have gone up in recent years due to the rise of "consolized MVS" units, which are the guts of a 1-slot MVS arcade machine transplanted into the form of a video game console. The idea is that you get the home Neo Geo experience without having to hunt down the insane rarities (and dubious bootlegs!) of the AES scene.

Consolized MVS makers include:
https://www.arcadeworks.net/omega-neo-geo-mvs-home-console
and http://www.analogueinteractive.com/pages/analogue-store

One final note of pros and cons:

MVS
+ All Neo Geo games were released for it
+ Arcade cabs look awesome
- Expensive
- Carts are kinda ugly

AES
+ The coolest home console ever
+ Cartridges and boxes are beautiful
- Not all Neo Geo games were released for it (but most were)
- Beyond expensive
- Some games are so rare that there might be less than 10 in existence

Neo Geo CD
+ Cheapest way to play Neo Geo hardware
+ Some games have enhanced CD-exclusive soundtracks
- Nearly all of the Neo Geo games after 1997 are unavailable for it
- Long loading times

[theflea]

I'm a Neo Geo Collector.

I own...

Neo Geo AES
Neo Geo MVS (custom console)
Neo Geo CD (model 1)
Neo Geo CD (model 2)
Neo Geo Pocket
Neo Geo X Gold

Don't buy games for AES and MVS often just because it's so costly.

[kingrat101]

I'm a big fan of the Neo Geo too. Mostly the AES, it's really tough to recommend. I've seen a lot of people buy an AES and then immediately try to sell it again because of the price and they don't like the types of games on the system. Make sure, if you really want one, that you can deal with 90's fighting games. Personally I love them but it's not for everyone.

[zenimus]

One cool thing I forgot to mention, it makes no difference whether you buy an English version or a Japanese version of a Neo Geo game. The cartridges are 100% identical, aside from the label and packaging. Both languages (and sometimes others as well) are contained inside the games. The language that it boots up in depends on the region of your system.

For example, if you bought a Japanese "Gekka no Kenshi" game and put it into your US region system, it will show up as "The Last Blade" and be in English.

Or Engrish, I should say. I believe all the English translations were done in-house by the Japanese developers, so the text is often unintentionally hilarious. They probably picked whatever random employee raised their hand when the bosses asked "Who here got a good score on your English exams? Anybody?"