Neo Geo Architecture: Architecture of Consoles: A Practical Analysis, #23

By Rodrigo Copetti

Straight from the arcade world, the Neo Geo was, without a doubt, the most expensive hardware of the 4th generation. This begs the question: how capable was it and how did it compare with the rest?

 

In this entry, we'll take a look at the result of one company (SNK) setting budget restrictions aside and shipping a product meant to please both arcade owners and rich households.

 

Architecture of Consoles: A Practical Analysis

 

Looking at the evolution of video game consoles is fascinating. While conventional PCs tend to evolve 'incrementally', new generations of consoles introduce completely new ways of working. What you see here is a series of articles that will hopefully uncover the rationale behind the latest trends in technology. They will also demonstrate why each system can't be summarised by its 'bits', megahertz, amount of RAM and whatnot.

 

This is not a developer manual, just an in depth introduction to how each system worked internally. Bear in mind that tech has gotten really complicated lately, so if you struggle to follow my latest articles, try reading the early ones first. They introduce many concepts and definitions that are constantly revisited. Basic knowledge of computing is preferable, however, I try really hard to adapt my content for wider audiences, so please don't be afraid to give it a try!

 

About this edition

 

This edition originates from the article initially published on my personal website, it's been re-styled to take advantage of the capabilities of eBook documents.

 

While identical content-wise, interactive widgets have been simplified to work with a static environment - in other words, anything that physical pages allow us :), though these will offer a link to the original article in case the reader wants to try the 'full version'. Please keep this in mind when you see references to interactivity throughout the writings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rodrigo Copetti
• Release date: Jun 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224110629

Book preview

1 About this edition

This edition originates from the article initially published on my personal website, it’s been re-styled to take advantage of the capabilities of PDF/eBook documents.

While identical content-wise, interactive widgets have been simplified to work with a static environment - in other words, anything that physical pages allow us, though these will offer a link to the original article in case the reader wants to try the ‘full version’. Please keep this in mind when you see references to interactivity throughout the writings.

As always, the original manuscript of the articles is available on Github to enable readers to report mistakes or propose changes. There’s also a supporting reading list available to help understand the series. The author also accepts donations to help improve the quality of current articles and upcoming ones.

1.1 Open to feedback

Last but not least, for any comments and/or issues regarding this edition of the article, please get in touch using the links provided on the About page.

2 A quick introduction

Straight from the arcade world, the Neo Geo was, without a doubt, the most expensive hardware of the 4th generation. This begs the question: how capable was it and how did it compare with the rest?

In this entry, we’ll take a look at the result of one company (SNK) setting budget restrictions aside and shipping a product meant to please both arcade owners and rich households.

3 Supporting Imagery

The Neo Geo ‘AES’. Released on 26/04/1990 in Japan and on 01/07/1991 America and Europe [1]

Motherboard [1]. Showing revision ‘NEO-AES3-6’. I took this photo using the model I bought. Also, the previous owner re-arranged some capacitors to improve the video signal.

Motherboard with important parts labelled.

Main architecture diagram.

3.1 Models and variants

The