Neo Geo CD
Encyclopedia
is a game console from SNK
that was released in 1994, four years after its cartridge-based equivalent
, in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. It is the second console of the Neo Geo family. The system was originally priced at US$
300 new. The unit's 1X CD-ROM
drive was slow, making loading times very long as a result, with the system loading up to 56 Mbit
of data with every load. Neo Geo CD
game prices were low at $50, in contrast to Neo Geo AES
game cartridges, which cost was as much as $300. The system can also play Audio CD
s. All three versions of the system have no region-lock.
The Neo Geo CD was bundled with a control pad
instead of a joystick like the AES
version. However, the original AES joystick could be used with all three Neo Geo CD models, instead of the included control pads.
ese market replacement for SNK
's previous efforts (the "front loader" and the "top loader"). The Neo Geo CD had met with limited success due to it being plagued with slow loading times that could vary from 30 to 60 seconds between loads, depending on the game. Although SNK's American home entertainment division quickly acknowledged that the system simply was incapable of compete with the 3D-able powerhouse systems of the day like Sega
's Saturn
and Sony
's PlayStation
, SNK corporate of Japan felt they could continue to maintain profitable sales in the Japanese home market by shortening the previous system's load-times.
Popular speculation suggests that SNK made several changes to the CD hardware to end up with the CDZ, with the most prominent rumor being that they increased the CD-ROM drive speed from 1x to 2x. The truth, however, is that the CDZ had a larger amount of cache. Though the CD-ROM motor in the CDZ may have been more efficient than the one in the original, it was still a 1x speed CD-ROM.
This version of the console has a design flaw that sometimes causes it to overheat after certain periods of time, breaking the console in the process and making it hard to repair. This is a result of a lack of ventilation in the cramped housing of the smaller unit and the inability to dissipate heat generated by the newer drive, which could damage the circuit board.
", and the fact that it could play older CD software, made it a popular import item for enthusiasts in both Europe
and North America
. Today they can be found sporadically on the internet, especially through auction sites such as eBay
.
The system is also capable of reading Redbook
standard compact disc audio.
In addition to the multi-AV port (almost same one as used on the Sega Genesis model 1, though they are not interchangeable), all Neo Geo CD models had composite RCA A/V and S-Video out jacks on the rear of the console.
The CD system's 58 Mbit / 7 MB
of RAM was split accordingly:
, Janshin Densetsu (a Mahjong
game also released for the PC Engine
), Power Spike II, Neo Drift Out
and Futsal - 5-on-5 Mini Soccer.
A few games which were unreleased in MVS and AES formats were also released exclusively for the Neo Geo CD. These include Ironclad
, Crossed Swords 2, Oshidashi Zentrix, ADK World, Neo Geo CD Special, The King of Fighters '96 Neo Collection and Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidō Retsuden (an RPG
spin-off of the Samurai Shodown series that also released for the PlayStation
and Sega Saturn
). Idol Mahjong Final Romance II, an arcade game which was not an MVS game, was also ported to the Neo Geo CD.
SNK
SNK is a former name of SNK Playmore, a Japanese video game company . This may also refer to:* SNK European Democrats* SNK Union of Independents* Southeast Airlines ICAO code...
that was released in 1994, four years after its cartridge-based equivalent
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
, in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. It is the second console of the Neo Geo family. The system was originally priced at US$
Dollar sign
The dollar or peso sign is a symbol primarily used to indicate the various peso and dollar units of currency around the world.- Origin :...
300 new. The unit's 1X CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
drive was slow, making loading times very long as a result, with the system loading up to 56 Mbit
Megabit
The megabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix mega is defined in the International System of Units as a multiplier of 106 , and therefore...
of data with every load. Neo Geo CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
game prices were low at $50, in contrast to Neo Geo AES
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
game cartridges, which cost was as much as $300. The system can also play Audio CD
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
s. All three versions of the system have no region-lock.
The Neo Geo CD was bundled with a control pad
Gamepad
A gamepad , is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the digits are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left...
instead of a joystick like the AES
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
version. However, the original AES joystick could be used with all three Neo Geo CD models, instead of the included control pads.
Models
Three versions of the Neo Geo CD were released:- A "front-loading" version. Only distributed in Japan, 25,000 total units were built.
- A "top-loading" version. Marketed worldwide, it is the most common model.
- The Neo Geo CDZ. An upgraded, faster-loading version, this was also released in Japan only
CDZ
The CDZ was released on December 29, 1995 as the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese market replacement for SNK
SNK
SNK is a former name of SNK Playmore, a Japanese video game company . This may also refer to:* SNK European Democrats* SNK Union of Independents* Southeast Airlines ICAO code...
's previous efforts (the "front loader" and the "top loader"). The Neo Geo CD had met with limited success due to it being plagued with slow loading times that could vary from 30 to 60 seconds between loads, depending on the game. Although SNK's American home entertainment division quickly acknowledged that the system simply was incapable of compete with the 3D-able powerhouse systems of the day like Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
and Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, SNK corporate of Japan felt they could continue to maintain profitable sales in the Japanese home market by shortening the previous system's load-times.
Popular speculation suggests that SNK made several changes to the CD hardware to end up with the CDZ, with the most prominent rumor being that they increased the CD-ROM drive speed from 1x to 2x. The truth, however, is that the CDZ had a larger amount of cache. Though the CD-ROM motor in the CDZ may have been more efficient than the one in the original, it was still a 1x speed CD-ROM.
This version of the console has a design flaw that sometimes causes it to overheat after certain periods of time, breaking the console in the process and making it hard to repair. This is a result of a lack of ventilation in the cramped housing of the smaller unit and the inability to dissipate heat generated by the newer drive, which could damage the circuit board.
CDZ availability
The CDZ was only officially sold in Japan during its production. However, its lack of a "region lockRegional lockout
Regional lockout is the programming practice, code, chip, or physical barrier used to prevent the playing of media designed for a device from the country where it is marketed on the version of the same device marketed in another country.-Video games:...
", and the fact that it could play older CD software, made it a popular import item for enthusiasts in both Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Today they can be found sporadically on the internet, especially through auction sites such as eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
Technical specifications
- Main Processor: Motorola 68000Motorola 68000The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
running at 12 MHz- Although the original 68000 CPU was designed by MotorolaMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, there are many clones of this CPU found in the Neo Geo hardware. The most common CPU is the TMP68HC000 manufactured by ToshibaToshibais a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
.
- Although the original 68000 CPU was designed by Motorola
- Co-Processor: Zilog Z80 running at 4 MHz
- Colors On Screen: 4,096
- Colors Available: 65,536
- Resolution: 304 x 224
- Max Sprites: 380
- Max Sprite Size: 16 x 512
- Number of Planes: 3
The system is also capable of reading Redbook
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
standard compact disc audio.
In addition to the multi-AV port (almost same one as used on the Sega Genesis model 1, though they are not interchangeable), all Neo Geo CD models had composite RCA A/V and S-Video out jacks on the rear of the console.
The CD system's 58 Mbit / 7 MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
of RAM was split accordingly:
- 68000 Program Memory: 2 MB
- Fix Layer Memory: 128 KBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
- Graphics Memory: 4 MB
- Sound Sample Memory: 1 MB
- Z80 Program Memory: 64 kB
- VRAM: 512Kb (For graphics attributes)
- SRAM: 2 KB (For high scores / general save data)
Exclusive games
While the Neo Geo CD library consisted primarily of ports of MVS and AES titles, there were a few MVS arcade games which were not officially released for the Neo Geo AES and ported instead to the Neo Geo CD. These include Puzzle BobblePuzzle Bobble
, also known as Bust-a-Move, is a 1994 arcade puzzle game created by Taito Corporation, based on Taito's popular 1986 arcade game Bubble Bobble, featuring characters and themes from the original...
, Janshin Densetsu (a Mahjong
Mahjong
Mahjong, sometimes spelled Mah Jongg, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players...
game also released for the PC Engine
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
), Power Spike II, Neo Drift Out
Neo Drift Out
Neo Drift Out is a top-down perspective racing video game by Visco Corporation for the Neo Geo and Neo Geo CD consoles. It is a sequel to Drift Out.-Gameplay:...
and Futsal - 5-on-5 Mini Soccer.
A few games which were unreleased in MVS and AES formats were also released exclusively for the Neo Geo CD. These include Ironclad
Ironclad (video game)
Ironclad is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Saurus for the Neo Geo CD video game console....
, Crossed Swords 2, Oshidashi Zentrix, ADK World, Neo Geo CD Special, The King of Fighters '96 Neo Collection and Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidō Retsuden (an RPG
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
spin-off of the Samurai Shodown series that also released for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
). Idol Mahjong Final Romance II, an arcade game which was not an MVS game, was also ported to the Neo Geo CD.
See also
- Neo Geo (console)Neo Geo (console)The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
- 3DO Interactive Multiplayer3DO Interactive MultiplayerThe 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
- Turbo Duo
- Mega-CD
- Sega Multi-Mega
External links
- NeoGeoCD.net - Dedicated to the Neo Geo CD System, Games, and Accessories: Neogeocd.net
- NeoGeoSoft.com: A complete software and artwork resource for the Neo Geo.