Consolized MVS Solutions?

[insektmute]

This might be a question best directed to Kimimi, but after seeing recent prices just on Neo-Geo AES consoles (not to mention the games), I'm thinking an MVS is probably going to be the way I go for my Neo needs. The Phantom-1 + AES setup used to seem pretty reasonable, but prices have absolutely skyrocketed on both in recent years.

Does anyone have suggestions for what's needed for a consolized MVS? I know someone on neo-geo.com does them, but I'd like to avoid that crowd if possible, especially if it's something I can do myself.

I'm mainly looking to snag JP editions if possible, for what it's worth, though I seem to recall reading that the region can easily be changed in BIOS and make the US censorship stuff a non-issue.

[kingrat101]

If you don't want to do it yourself a consolized MVS can get pricey, Neotropolis does great work, and he's got a lot of different options but kind of expensive. When I emailed him about a supergun and a consolized PGM he was quick to respond and knew what he was talking about. Maybe give him a shout for some detailed info.
If I remember correctly you're right you can bypass all the censorship with a BIOS chip, Im not a hundred percent sure but that's how it works with the AES.
From what I've heard it is pretty simple to Consolize one with some soldering and electrical skills. Also, check out Ben Heck's little mini cab he made with an MVS board. It turned out pretty cool and it might be a unique way to go about doing that. I think he used an old Commodore monitor for it

[kimimi]

You really don't need a consolised version, a regular MVS+supergun will take up the same sort of room and cost a fraction of the price. If you scroll down to the bottom here - http://shinjuforest.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/demystifying-arcade-hardware.html (sorry for the blog link) you'll see what my supergun looks like when it's hooked up to my MVS. Simple, neat, safe, and cheap.

Speaking only for myself, I don't see the point in those consolised MVS'. Looking at Neotropolis they want $689 USD for a basic one slot - my own MVS motherboard cost about $50, and my supergun cost about $30. Thinking about it, $689 is more than I spent on my entire AES collection (including the console), and I had something like seven or eight games when I had it. Thinking even more about it, if I had $689 to spend I could get myself an AES, an MVS *and* a few games for each.

Err, so if you're asking me - if you want cheap Neo Geo get a proper MVS board and a supergun. If you think spending almost $700 on a "console" is a sensible choice, at least make it the real thing and get an AES. Buying a supergun setup also allows you to buy other arcade hardware in the future too.

Re: BIOS changes - so long as you buy an MVS with a socketed BIOS (see here - http://www.hardmvs.com/html/PCBcompare.htm) it's a 5 minute tops job switching out the factory BIOS for a UniBIOS - http://unibios.free.fr/

[insektmute]

Ah, I *knew* I remembered something on your blog about it, but couldn't recall. I think the only thing that made me inclined toward a consolized one was concerns about controllers, but to be fair, I was looking all this up far too late at night to think too clearly about it.

The $600+ price tag is what I'm trying to avoid, and soldering (while I wish I had the skills) is probably not gonna happen, so the supergun + 1-slot MVS route seems ideal. I had no idea the MVS boards were that cheap o.O

[scott]

I have 2 MVS2 boards. Neither are tested and I have the parts to consolize one for myself (so if the other works, you can have it). But I have a video converter wired to JAMMA that I can use to hook both up to a TV and see if they work.

Personally, I still like the idea of consolizing an MVS board and setting it up with 2 plug in joysticks. I've read up on it a few times and with the soldering skills it's not going to be that tough. But to each their own.

[insektmute]

I'll probably take some time this weekend to figure out all the details more, since I've officially given up on the AES route (I seriously held out hope for a long time, but the prices are nuts), but if you do wind up with an extra, definitely let me know!

On a related note, check out eBay - people are seriously hawking AES consoles for upwards of $1000! o.O

[kimimi]

Ah, I *knew* I remembered something on your blog about it, but couldn't recall. I think the only thing that made me inclined toward a consolized one was concerns about controllers, but to be fair, I was looking all this up far too late at night to think too clearly about it.

Almost all superguns are set up to accept Neo Geo joysticks/pads, or at worst Mega Drive controllers - you just plug them in and off you go! Some superguns don't (like this one), so that they can sell you overpriced controllers to go with their overpriced supergun, but a Vogatek or a MAK Strike are the ones you want to go for anyway.

The $600+ price tag is what I'm trying to avoid, and soldering (while I wish I had the skills) is probably not gonna happen, so the supergun + 1-slot MVS route seems ideal. I had no idea the MVS boards were that cheap o.O

You do get people going nuts over them every now and then, but by and large MVS boards really aren't expensive.

Personally, I still like the idea of consolizing an MVS board and setting it up with 2 plug in joysticks. I've read up on it a few times and with the soldering skills it's not going to be that tough. But to each their own.

If you're doing it yourself then that's a different matter because you aren't going to be charging yourself the insane prices these shops do and you'll enjoy a little electronic project too, but there's no way I'd ever tell someone to buy a consolised MVS.

[kimimi]

I'll probably take some time this weekend to figure out all the details more, since I've officially given up on the AES route (I seriously held out hope for a long time, but the prices are nuts), but if you do wind up with an extra, definitely let me know!

On a related note, check out eBay - people are seriously hawking AES consoles for upwards of $1000! o.O

That price is crazy - Hit-Japan have a *selection* from $200 - $400 - http://stores.ebay.com/Hit-Japan-Video-Games-and-Anime/Neo-Geo-Console-System-/_i.html?_fsub=1780939015&_sid=35910635&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

[insektmute]

$200-400 is a price I could at least tolerate, though the added expense of a Phantom-1 would push the cost up too high to justify. The MVS route sounds great though, and I've wanted the real thing for such a long time that I figure it's time to start saving a little bit... provided I still have a job after the holidays :p

Edit: I remember this post of yours now, kimimi. Very helpful and concise in terms of the layout, which I knew was simple, but it's still good to have the reassurance that it's pretty plug-and-play overall.

[kimimi]

I'm just glad to be of some use!

[zenimus]

know someone on neo-geo.com does them, but I'd like to avoid that crowd if possible, especially if it's something I can do myself.

I'm from that crowd. 

By far, this is the most elegant solution you'll find: http://www.analogueinteractive.com
It's expensive at $649 for the console, but the quality of the craftsmanship simply can't be beat. I have one of their early models, and it still runs like a champ, and the picture quality is perfect. They also come pre-installed with the Universe BIOS, an invention by a guy called "Razoola" that bypasses the original Neo Geo bios. Basically, all Neo Geo games are multi-regional, meaning the cartridges are identical whether they were distributed in Japan or the US or elsewhere. The regional BIOS of the Neo Geo machine is what dictates whether a game will be in English by default, or have censorship turned on, etc. The Universe BIOS lets you pull up a menu and switch the machine's region setting, censorship options, cheat codes. It's awesome.

There's also this cheaper option, done by a guy I've met: http://arcadeworks.net/omega-entertainment-machine.html
You might think it's expensive as well at $500, but you're paying for a custom molded plastic case with working dustflaps, and all the trimmings that the wooden console has. A lot of work goes into them.

I would avoid the Phantom-1. It's slightly buggy, isn't completely compatible with every game and is overly expensive.

The Neo Geo is by far the most expensive console to collect for. It's sketchy too, as there are a lot of fakes of rarer titles out there nowadays too. I used to be an AES guy, but switched to MVS a few years ago. Prices got too high for me!

[insektmute]

Haha, no hate toward NG - there are some REALLY resourceful folks over there, but they're unfortunately sometimes lost in the noise of blathering idiots. I have a similar love/hate relationship with the SRK, which is why I tend to only read those forums rather than post :p

That Analogue Interactive stuff looks fantastic, but gahhh, dem prices. I'm sometimes willing to go to pretty crazy lengths on things, but I'm trying to dial in my expectations and lusts the past few months, so I suspect such pretty electronic goodness will remain a dream item. The region aspect is alluring somewhat, but to be honest, I'll probably be sticking with Japanese releases just for simplicity... charming as the horrific translations can be sometimes.

Definitely one to bookmark though, juuuust in case.

[kimimi]

To (perhaps) clear up some confusion - the MVS and AES are both region free.

A US or EU MVS will play Japanese MVS games and a Japanese MVS will play US or EU games.
However, the language and censorship options are decided by the *motherboard*, not the game. So a US Fatal Fury will always play as Garou Densetsu on a Japanese MVS motherboard.
Some games have language select options. Some don't. In any case language options on an English motherboard tend to be English/Spanish, etc rather than English/Japanese.

The UniBIOS is a totally separate item from the Analogue Interactive CMVS, and the only link between the two is that AI will pre-fit one into their own CMVS's. You can, and IMO should, buy it yourself and pop it into your own MVS motherboard (as I mentioned in a previous post).

The UniBIOS completely replaces the original BIOS chip and allows you to boot a game using any region setting. This is possible because 99% of MVS games have all information for all languages/regions on the cart.

So you can still enjoy all the benefits of a UniBIOS without having to splash out on a CMVS! I have a UniBIOS in my own MVS motherboard, and I wouldn't be without it

[zenimus]

Correct, Neo Geo games are a little different than most games.

Suppose you had a Japanese Super Mario 64 cart, peeled off the sticker, and put on a North American label. It would still play in Japanese because you still have a Japanese cart. The English translation does not exist on that cart.

With Neo Geo games (this applies to both AES & MVS), if you peeled off the label of a Japanese cart and stuck an English one on, you would (in effect) have an English cart. A Japanese Metal Slug cart is identical to an English Metal Slug. All that's different is the sticker and packaging.

All* Neo Geo cartridges have both Japanese and English text information. That's why most of the English sounds so wacky: they were translated in Japan by whatever employee at SNK that claimed to know English. It's your Neo Geo machine's regional BIOS that determines which language track to show by default. If you put a JP Puzzle Bobble into your American Neo Geo, it'll show up as Bust-a-Move and be in English. If you put a US Fatal Fury into your JP Neo Geo, you'll be playing Garou Densetsu in Japanese.

*The only exceptions are the quiz games, mah-jong games, and shogi games. Those carts do not contain any English text, so they'll always be in Japanese.

[insektmute]

That's about what I figured, given that I'm able to switch seamlessly when running Neo games with an emulator, too.

Which is why it's all the more strange to me that JP released games still tend to be cheaper on the used market, at least when it comes to AES stuff...