NeoGeo Mini

[pmprog]

Not seen anyone mention this... but yes... yet another Mini in the works.

 

[levi]

Yeah, I saw that come up in my feeds, but I haven't mentioned it because at present they're just leaked shots and by the sounds of it they might just be testing the waters with retailers at the moment.

This also looks a bit daft to me. I've always liked the looks of these mini arcade systems, but never actually bought one. I'd have thought something that looks more like an SNK MVS that plugs into your HDMI telly would be a more sure-fire seller, after the Nintendo minis. They already had the NeoGeo-X as the portable system that played full-size Neo-Geo titles, although the emulation was supposedly a bit shonky on that. The shape of this makes it a pain the schlep around outside of the house.

 

[vcoleiro1]

The Neo Geo Mini is official . Looks to have two variations in design:

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/05/snk-announces-the-neo-geo-mini-will-play-40-games/

Kotaku Australia
SNK Announces The Neo Geo Mini, Will Play 40 Games
Previously hinted at, the Neo Geo Mini is now official. It's the latest retro hardware to get miniaturised....



W5.3" x D4.25" x H6.38" or W135mm x D108mm x H162mm / 600g



Similar size to an old Coleco mini arcade like this one:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...KiBMVG7OrVhZw19C88B5hQkNYfgY8cn_uq0i3-N2EZEZy

 

[EvilDragon]

Had internal details about that since a few weeks already, but I'm not that fond of it.
The Mini Arcade is nice, but not really usable if you want to play games.

I think it would be better to release a table-top NeoGeo machine with proper arcade controls.
Let's hope that the two USB joystick ports at least support a standard controller so you can use arcade sticks.

They're using Linux on a MIPS system, so that's neat

 

[Eight Bit]

I kinda like it Reminds me of a snoopy table top LCD game I used to own as a kid. Had lots of fun with that and I was the man in school owning one of those.

 

[Jumpman]

Meh, looks cool I guess, I may grab a Japanese one if the price is right, but I doubt it. There are a few nice quality DIY mini arcade cabs for Raspberry Pi and whatever I would spend on this, could go to that instead. I'm a huge NeoGeo fan, so I would like to support something like this as a thank you for all the great games, just not sure how much use I would get out of it.

As for those classic Coleco tabletops, I just sold my full set within the last month(all but 2), and then I saw this just in the last few days:
So I guess what's old is new again uh? LOL Since I just sold my originals, which help me to pay off some debts, I opted to not get these, as they look much improved, but the games really aren't my cup of tea.

Chris

 

[daveshah]

They're using Linux on a MIPS system, so that's neat

Sounds like it's another Ingenic SoC then (like the Neo Geo X IIRC)

 

[vcoleiro1]

Had internal details about that since a few weeks already, but I'm not that fond of it.
The Mini Arcade is nice, but not really usable if you want to play games.

I think it would be better to release a table-top NeoGeo machine with proper arcade controls.
Let's hope that the two USB joystick ports at least support a standard controller so you can use arcade sticks.

They're using Linux on a MIPS system, so that's neat

Where did you hear it's using Linux on MIPS?

 

[AVahne]

This kinda makes me wish that Starforce Pi thing had been released instead.

 

[vcoleiro1]

@Jumpman Thanks for the heads up on the Coleco Evolved Mini arcade. One thing I hate about KS campaigns, it's never easy to see what the shipping cost is

 

[Jumpman]

This kinda makes me wish that Starforce Pi thing had been released instead.

LOL, Yeah I've been following that project for awhile and it was always at the top of my list in regards to a mini cab. I like the smaller size of that item vs. larger ones, but having a Pandora/Pyra, there isn't much need for me to have a lap/handheld style device. I'm not that big a fan of joysticks over a d-pad, so even though I could use the Starforce pretty much anyplace, it's not likely I ever would. But then opting for one of the bigger DIY table top models, I probably wouldn't use that much either. As those take up counter and or table space, and I really don't have the room. So something like that would end up in the closet never to be used more than likely.

I have a custom arcade joystick I had built years ago, that I haven't used since I got it(how sad is that), but it's damn cool. It has an 8/4 way joystick(single player, that can be changed), trackball, flight stick, rotary dial, and a spin joystick for games like Ikari Warriors or Heavy Barrel. There's very few arcade games that have ever been released, that I can't use it for, it's the ultimate joystick set up. I'll try to find some pics from back during the design phase and post if and when I get some time(or I'll take some new pics), but it is perfect for any retro systems that I may set up down the road. It is damn huge since I added so many features, it's the size of a 2 player set up(but it's not), as it needed room for all the extra's. LOL

Chris

 

[fusion_power]

There can't be enough NeoGeo. Question is, which games are included. And how you play the 2-player games together, so basicly almost all NeoGeo games when I remember correctly.

 

[second exodous]

There can't be enough NeoGeo. Question is, which games are included. And how you play the 2-player games together, so basicly almost all NeoGeo games when I remember correctly.

The list of games were leaked also. I would copy /paste them here but I have only seen them on YouTube videos. ETA Prime has a video on his channel that lists them, it is actually a really good list.

Like ED said this is cool but not ideal to play on. It would have been cool to have the USB to accept pads and have a HDMI out, that way you have the best of both worlds.

Then again if I wanted these games on my TV there are a zillion ways to get these games there. . .

 

[fusion_power]

Yeah, for instance the portable NeoGeo Handheld thing they released some years ago, that one that came with a fake Console shell to connect with the TV. Why even releasing an less practical, not portable device?

 

[Ian J]

Looks interesting.

I'll decide if I want one when I see a review of the screen, quality of emulation and the price.

If SNK still own the rights to the hardware and software why not just release the original Neo Geo home console again with modern additions (HDMI out)

 

[Rivaan]

If I was into Neo Geo games more (and didn't wanna go through emulation), I would probably play them on the Nintendo Switch. Have you seen how many games are on there (and other consoles, to be fair)? I've been tempted by Garou/KoF, Samurai Shodown, and Metal Slug games.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_Archives#ACA_Neo_Geo

 

[Jumpman]

If I was into Neo Geo games more (and didn't wanna go through emulation), I would probably play them on the Nintendo Switch. Have you seen how many games are on there (and other consoles, to be fair)? I've been tempted by Garou/KoF, Samurai Shodown, and Metal Slug games.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_Archives#ACA_Neo_Geo

Yeah, the sad thing about that is, there are more classic SNK game on the NS than actual "N" ones. And what's even sadder, is that will probably be the case for the life of the NS.

Chris

 

[vcoleiro1]

@Jumpman

It seems like the Coleco Evolved mini arcade is probably being made by New Wave Toys, seeing as they are listed as a campaign collaborator on the Coleco Evolved Mini Arcade Kickstarter page.

New Wave Toys are the guys behind: https://www.kickstar...9306246/created

 

[Jumpman]

@Jumpman

It seems like the Coleco Evolved mini arcade is probably being made by New Wave Toys, seeing as they are listed as a campaign collaborator on the Coleco Evolved Mini Arcade Kickstarter page.

New Wave Toys are the guys behind: https://www.kickstar...9306246/created

WOW, I didn't even notice that, as that must be the reason I actually got the message in the first place. When I got the email I just assumed it was because I back mostly gaming related stuff, so I got an email for a gaming item. But now looking back, it wasn't one of the typical "you might like this product" emails, it was specific to just the one campaign. Normally when one company is helping another(in crowdfunding), you get an email from one saying to help support this different project, but I didn't get that, so I wonder what part they may be playing in these Coleco units?

I'm still waiting on my Centipede cab from New Wave, but it should be coming soon. They've been giving updates pretty regularly, and of course the trackball has been the main hold up. Still not to confident that will turn out as planned, and probably should have been 100% working before even starting something like this, but we all know how that goes. With that needing to be tweaked, it's helped to fine tune everything else, so it's looking promising so far. There really hasn't been much said about the Tempest, as that was offered last minute to help push them over some cost goal. I probably should have waited to see what the Centipede quality was like before getting in on the Tempest. But I wanted the cheaper deal, so that may come back to bite me in the ass. LOL

Of course the trackball is key to the Centipede being worthwhile, but I'm actually more worried about Tempest. I'm pretty sure the spinner control will probably take less work than the trackball, but Tempest has vector graphics, and I have no idea if that can be done accurately on a small scale? Playing Tempest thru Mame on the Pandora or a TV is just not the same without a real vector display.

Chris

 

[Chip]

I get the nostalgia factor for the coleco mini arcade games (and numerous knockoffs) from the early-to-mid 80s, but other than that, this doesn't seem to have any real appeal. It's really the worst of both worlds from a gaming standpoint - too small to have good microswitch controls, a decent display, or an ergonomic form factor, and too big to be properly portable. There are lots of great games on the neogeo platform, and lots of objectively better devices on which to play them. I can't think of a single use-case where this is your best option.