The Official NEO-GEO Thread!

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

Great article with AtariAge member James at RetroHQ done by AradeAttackUK, Arcade+Adriano, and myself on this great gentleman that will be a thumping good read for sure.

 

 

SainT : RetroHQ :@TheRetroHQ 6h

 

I've had the pleasure of having a chat with Arcade Attack @Arcade_Adriano
about all things retro and Jaguar shaped. Have a read for a bit of rose-tinted reminiscing and looking toward the retro future!

 

https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/jaguar-sd-retrohq/

Arcade Attack

Jaguar SD (RetroHQ) – Tech Feature

arcadeattack23rd Aug 2019AA Articles, Tech FeaturesLeave a Comment

It’s well known (sort of) that our Adrian is a massive Jaguar fan, so much so that he’s converted at least one other Arcade Attack member (ahem! – Ed). A big part of this conversion was the talk of a SD solution (like an Everdrive) for the “64-bit” console. It appears that it is finally here courtesy of Retro HQ! Adrian bit all of our arms off to be able to have a chat with Retro HQ top dog James Boulton about the Jaguar SD itself and much more Atari/Jaguar goodness. And here’s the link you need to follow to pre-order one of the first round!

 

***Love Jaguar? Check out our “Top Ten Rarest Jag Games” article released this week***

 

James, great to have you here. We are huge Atari Jaguar fans here at Arcade Attack. Please tell us the latest on the exciting JagSD?

The first batch of Jaguar SD cartridges have been given the go-ahead for production, and I’m working on tidying up the user interface and firmware update procedure at the moment. We’ve tested all commercial titles are working correctly, and also a lot of homebrew has been tested.

We have support for many different file formats, covering the normal commercial ROM images as well as the different formats of homebrew. I have even included a development server in there so you can upload and execute your own code directly from your PC over USB!

 

What games can we expect to see on the JagSD and will they include Jaguar CD games as well?

The overall goal with my SD cartridges is to get all possible content working on the system, but my primary goal is always to make sure all the commercial releases for the system are working. So far we have the commercial cartridge library working, and the majority of homebrew.

There is also work-in-progress CD support which is running several CD games to some degree. This won’t be available in the initial release, but I plan to add CD support as a full feature after launch, if I can make it work well enough. There are no promises on this, but I’ve made good progress so far!

 

Which Jaguar game proved the most difficult to get working on the JagSD, and how did you get round this problem?

No particular game was more difficult than any other, as if the simulated ROM access is working correctly, everything just works. Although some games had a tendency to show up timing problems more than others. Tempest 2000 and the Phase Zero prototype were two titles I’d check when making any modifications to the ROM access, as they both use the ROM in a way which can show up as graphical glitches.

 

If you could choose one of the many infamous unreleased Jaguar games to be fully completed and on your JagSD, which game would you choose and why?

It would be the Conan demo from the 1995 CES. I’m a big fan of co-op arcade beat ’em ups, and by the looks of the demo this could have been a really nice game for the Jaguar. It’s one of the game genres the Jaguar is lacking, and one it could do extremely well!

 

When do you hope to complete the JagSD and where is the best place to keep up to date with its latest developments?

The first batch of cartridge PCB’s should be with me in about 3 weeks (this interview was conducted early July so this should have passed – Ed), but I need to get the cartridge shells produced and also write and get the manual printed! Not to mention finish tidying and fine tuning the cartridge itself. So there’s a few more weeks yet, but I’m on the finishing stretch, finally!

For latest updates the best place to look is either the RetroHQ website, which is currently at new.retrohq.co.uk, or on Twitter @TheRetroHQ.

 

 

Please tell us a little about yourself, your background in video games and how you got started in all of this.

My pleasure! Growing up in the late 70’s and 80’s I feel lucky that I grew up as computers, consoles and games did. Year after year more awesome games and hardware just kept appearing, and arcades were the place you’d go to drool at the graphics and gameplay you just couldn’t have at home.

It was seeing the things that weren’t possible on home computers that drove me to try and figure out how it could be done and gave me a real interest in gaming technology. So unsurprisingly I ended up working in the games industry, specialising in the tools and technology behind many games from the PS1 era up to present day.

 

How was RetroHQ established and what were your initial goals?

RetroHQ is really a hobby which got a bit out of control! I’ve always been interested in electronics, sparking initially from wanting to know how the computers I was using actually worked, but I hadn’t done much about it until recently.

I decided I wanted to get a bit more experience in electronics, so I started on some simple electronics projects for old 8bit computers as a way of giving myself some practical experience. After doing a few of these small projects, and selling a few to other enthusiasts, I decided to have a go at something a bit bigger.

This became the Lynx SD cartridge, and this is when I realised there was actually some reasonable interest from other people in the things I enjoy building.

 

Can you run us through a typical day at RetroHQ and give us a little background on your products?

I’ve always got lots on the go, so I tend to end up jumping around between a lot of different things! You’ve got your standard day-to-day stuff like answering any tech support questions and keeping up with forum and Twitter posts, but I’ve also developed the website and online shop from scratch, so I have a little upkeep on that as well.

When all of the more mundane stuff is taken care of, I split my time between developing new products (such as the Jaguar SD at the moment) and refining existing products. A good example of this is the new selective laser sintered shell I designed for the NeoGeo Pocket SD recently, which improved upon the existing shell both in build quality and ease of production.

I’m also re-designing the Lynx SD at the moment — the Lynx SD Slim, I’m calling it! It’s using a laser sintered case and I’ve redesigned the PCB to make it compact enough to fit in the Lynx 1 & 2, as well as upgrading the microcontroller to speed up game loading.

I’m always going that extra mile to perfect things.

 

We see from your current works that you developed numerous SD carts. What are they and how do they work on classic consoles?

Most people know these type of carts as Everdrives or FLASH carts. It is basically a way for people to play the ROM images they would normally be playing on an emulator, on real hardware. They work by simulating the ROM that would be in a normal game cartridge by using FLASH memory or RAM, and allowing you to load your game of choice into the simulated ROM.

 

What is your personal favourite Jaguar game of all time and can you explain why?

I think it has to be Tempest 2000! I remember playing it a lot when I was a kid. I actually took a trip with a friend of mine to HMV in London to buy one of the first Jaguars in the country, and I remember playing a lot of Tempest 2000 with the Jaguar hooked up to my stereo.

 

 

Why do you think the Jaguar has had such a big resurgence in the homebrew scene and how do you personally reflect back on Atari’s last ever console?

I think with the Jaguar there’s just so much more it could have been! I’ve always been fascinated by the Jaguars hardware, just because it was really “out there” at the time. The potential power of all the custom chips is pretty impressive for a machine of its generation, and the Jaguar 2 hardware could really have been something to contend with the PlayStation.

I think this is the main reason the Jaguar has the following it does. It just could have been so much more than it was.

 

Have you ever coded your own video game or ever been tempted? And if so, can you explain to our readers below some of your creations or ideas?

I’ve been a professional game developer for the last 20+ years and have worked commercially on pretty much all consoles from the PS1 era up-to current day. I’m particularly proud of the work we did at Eiconic games, a company setup by myself and some ex-colleagues of Travellers Tales Oxford. I was responsible for all the tools and technology at Eiconic, and we did some really nice stuff for such a small studio. Take a look at Squeeballs for the Wii, Mercury HG for PSN/XBL and Squaddies for iOS for some of the things we did. The last commercial game I worked on was Project Cars 2 before moving to RetroHQ full time.

I still have the idea of writing a Jaguar game at the back of my mind, though! If there’s enough interest, it may happen one day. I’d love to do something along the lines of Vendetta for the Jaguar, and really push what it can do.

 

When working on retro consoles, are they simple to work on or does it depend a lot on each particular machine?

It depends very much on the console! Anyone who has worked on the Jaguar knows it’s a very unstable piece of hardware, much more so than most. Modern day hardware is certainly far easier to work with, but you are much further removed from the actual hardware. There’s something I really enjoy about pushing the limits of older hardware, much more so than modern consoles.

 

Do you think consoles with CD-ROMs as their media are a possibility for a future projects for RetroHQ?

Yes, I’ve had the NeoGeo CD and Mega CD at the back of my mind for the next big project! Although I think Furrtek is working on the NGCD ODE and the MegaSD pretty much makes a Mega CD ODE redundant now. So we’ll see where I go next!

 

What are your future plans for yourself and RetroHQ? Any big endeavours that you have up your sleeve that the gaming community would be interested to know?

There are so many games consoles and old computers out there, the options are pretty limitless! Another area I may explore are RGB or HDMI mods. I actually started an HDMI mod for the AtarI ST many years ago, a long time before anyone else was doing them, but lacked the skill to make it all happen at the time. So it’s an area I’d like to revisit.

 

Out of all the consoles that exist in the history of video games, what is your personal favourite and can you explain why?

That’s a tricky one. Oddly, I’m not really much of a game player anymore, and never owned a console as a kid. I always had computers, I went from a ZX Spectrum to an Amstrad CPC then to an Atari ST, where I really learned to program.

I think the console I was always most impressed by, though, was the NeoGeo AES (that’ll be music to our Anthony’s ears! – Ed). I remember seeing it for the first time in the flesh at Earls Court in London at one of the computer shows when I was about 15. How could you not love an arcade machine home console?! It’s still a stunning piece of hardware.

 

Do you have any advice to anyone looking to work in the classic consoles and retro scene such as yourselves?

You really have to be really passionate about the retro scene to make it a living. There are certainly niches out there, but it’s definitely not the easiest way to earn a living. But doing something you actually love for a living… can’t beat it!

 

Can you list and explain your top 3 video games of all time?

My top video games may be a little different from many! Being more of a computer user than console, mine are going to be computer based. Narrowing it down to three is really tricky, though! I’m a big fan of RPG’s and adventure games, so my choices are really influenced by this —

1: Daggerfall — this was the first game I really, truly, got lost in!
2: Quest for Glory — a cross over RPG adventure from Sierra.
3: Civilisation — one of the most engrossing strategy games of all time!

 

James, thank you for all the info and a great chat. One more before you head off to perfect the Jaguar SD, if you could share a few drinks with a video game character who would you choose and why?

Guybrush Threepwood. I reckon he’d have a plentiful supply of grog and more tall tales than you can shake a stick at.

 

Adrian

 

Anthony..

 

 

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

New Neo-Geo game project in the works. Called Project Neon. Amazing!! 

 

 

FULLSET@FULLSET_Collect

 

"Big dreams even if they doubt them" ... #new #neogeo #shmup #retrogaming

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.arcade-projects.com/forums/index.php?thread/10194-project-neon-new-shmup-for-the-neo-geo/

Project Neon: New Shmup for the Neo Geo

Wednesday, 5:32am+17

NEW

Hey folks!


tldr; After developing a simple shmup for the Gameboy Color a few months back, I've decided to team up with some people and go all in on developing a full-blown Shmup for the Neo Geo MVS.



Planned "features"

• Rock solid 60fps action, parallax scrolling and beautiful animated graphics
• Five distinctive levels (4 freely selectable, 1 unlockable) and screen-filling boss fights
• Huge variety of enemies and weapons!
• Tight controls with zero-lag
• 2 player co-op
• Vertical monitor setup only (TATE)
• A rhythm-based game mechanics/bonus stages [Stretch goal]
• A strangely familiar antagonist

Alpha screenshots



Running on actual arcade hardware (MVS + Dark Soft Multi-MVS)

Game plan going forward

- Finish/polish internal prototype within next 4 weeks (the game is already working on actual hardware with buttery-smooth 60fps parallax scrolling, 2 player co-op, lots of enemies and bullet types, etc)
- Prepare and launch Kickstarter campaign (30 days)
- Finish the game and ship MVS cartridges around September 2020

We'll share much more details as part of the Kickstarter campaign, including all the things we've ticked and put in place already to make sure we set ourselves up for success.

It's quite possible that we'll use this thread as the official "smaller updates and feedback" blog, next to the main Kickstarter one of course.

More soon!

 

Anthony...

Edited August 23, 2019 by fdurso224

[Mike7599]

37 minutes ago, fdurso224 said:

Hi guys,

 

New Neo-Geo game project in the works. Called Project Neon. Amazing!! 

 

 

FULLSET@FULLSET_Collect

 

"Big dreams even if they doubt them" ... #new #neogeo #shmup #retrogaming

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.arcade-projects.com/forums/index.php?thread/10194-project-neon-new-shmup-for-the-neo-geo/

Project Neon: New Shmup for the Neo Geo

Wednesday, 5:32am+17

NEW

Hey folks!


tldr; After developing a simple shmup for the Gameboy Color a few months back, I've decided to team up with some people and go all in on developing a full-blown Shmup for the Neo Geo MVS.



Planned "features"

• Rock solid 60fps action, parallax scrolling and beautiful animated graphics
• Five distinctive levels (4 freely selectable, 1 unlockable) and screen-filling boss fights
• Huge variety of enemies and weapons!
• Tight controls with zero-lag
• 2 player co-op
• Vertical monitor setup only (TATE)
• A rhythm-based game mechanics/bonus stages [Stretch goal]
• A strangely familiar antagonist

Alpha screenshots



Running on actual arcade hardware (MVS + Dark Soft Multi-MVS)

Game plan going forward

- Finish/polish internal prototype within next 4 weeks (the game is already working on actual hardware with buttery-smooth 60fps parallax scrolling, 2 player co-op, lots of enemies and bullet types, etc)
- Prepare and launch Kickstarter campaign (30 days)
- Finish the game and ship MVS cartridges around September 2020

We'll share much more details as part of the Kickstarter campaign, including all the things we've ticked and put in place already to make sure we set ourselves up for success.

It's quite possible that we'll use this thread as the official "smaller updates and feedback" blog, next to the main Kickstarter one of course.

More soon!

 

Anthony...

Looks great!  Keep us posted when the Kickstarter opens up

[dolemite14]

Looks good, can't wait for the kickstarter.

[+Charlie Cat]

3 hours ago, dolemite14 said:

Looks good, can't wait for the kickstarter.

Same here Glynn. Glad you like it and thank you for stopping by. 

 

Anthony..

[+Charlie Cat]

4 hours ago, Mike7599 said:

Looks great!  Keep us posted when the Kickstarter opens up

Sure thing Mike. Thank you for stopping by to see it bro. 8^)

 

Anthony

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

SNK JAPAN @SAMURAI SPIRITS好評発売中！ Retweeted

 

 

ときざみ@weekend-KOF @tokizami2

 

【拡散希望】 ほぼ一週間前あげです！ おかげさまで10名様エントリー中！ 大会自体お初の方もいらっしゃいます！ 今まで参加されたことない方も是非！ ご参加お待ちしておりますm(__)m #サムライスピリッツ #weekendサムスピ

Translated from Japanese by

[Spreading hope] Almost a week ahead! Thanks to the entry for 10 people! Some people are new to the tournament itself! If you have never participated before, please come! We look forward to your participation m(__)m#サムライスピリッツ#weekendサムスピ

Quote Tweet

 

 

ときざみ@weekend-KOF

 

@tokizami2

· Aug 1

【拡散希望】 ブログ更新しました！ 第二回weekend-サムスピ~週末侍魂~ 開催のお知らせです！ 8/31土22:00より！ EVO終了後でなんらかの動きが予想されます！ どなた様もご参加宜しくお願い致しますm(__)m #サムライスピリッツ #weekendサムスピ https://blog.goo.ne.jp/tokizamisouga/e/04a058b53c4edc33a35e0b7f5672c973…

 

 

 

Anthony..

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

SNK JAPAN @SAMURAI SPIRITS好評発売中！ Retweeted

 

 

雪之丞@TO3主催 @yukinojoooo

 

【8/23 エントリーリスト更新】 エントリーいただきました参加者32名をリストに更新しております！ありがとうございます！ エントリー〆切は8/29(木)23:59まで！ あと一週間と迫っておりますのでお早めにエントリーの程よろしくお願いいたします！

Translated from Japanese by

[8/23 Entry list update] The 32 participants who received entries have been updated to the list! Thank you! The entry deadline is 8/29 (Thu) until 23:59! We are approaching a week, so please enter as soon as possible!

Quote Tweet

 

 

雪之丞@TO3主催

 

@yukinojoooo

· Jul 30

【8/31 サムスピオンライン大会】 SAMURAI SPIRITSオンラインシングルトーナメント「天下布武」を開催致します！ TO3の天下を自らの武力で勝ち取れ！ レギュレーションをよくご確認の上エントリーをお願いします！ ●TO3HP 天下布武 エントリーフォーム http://to3-kof.com/tenka.html #サムスピ #SNK

 

 

 

 

Anthony..

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

SNKオンラインショップ公式 @snk_onlineshop

 

【SNK×東急ハンズグッズキャラバン】 東急ハンズ池袋店・博多店でSNKの物販イベント開催中！！ 限定商品や人気商品の販売、NEOGEO miniの試遊ができますよ♪ ぜひお立ち寄りください！ #KOF #samuraispirits #サムスピ #NEOGEO #東急ハンズ #NEOGEOmini https://buff.ly/2IFASuS

Translated from Japanese by

[SNK x Tokyu Hands Goods Caravan] SNK product sales events are being held at Tokyu Hands Ikebukuro and Hakata stores! ! You can sell limited and popular products and try out NEOGEO mini ♪ Please come and visit us! #KOF#samuraispirits#サムスピ#NEOGEO#東急ハンズ#NEOGEOminihttps://buff.ly/2IFASuS

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony..

[aduffy1976]

Thanks for sharing the info on the new shmup Anthony 

[NeoGunloc]

Project Neon ?

Looks very interesting.

Time to get my trigger figners some more training.

Thanks for the heads-up Anthony 

[Mike7599]

Hey guys new pick ups video and a special shout out to Anthony, thanks again bro!

 

 

[ohfivepro]

My followers on Twitter voted on a shmup for me to learn within a week. Last Resort won and my goal was to beat the 1st loop.

Here's how I got on...

[ohfivepro]

 

[+Charlie Cat]

11 hours ago, Mike7599 said:

Hey guys new pick ups video and a special shout out to Anthony, thanks again bro!

 

 

Hey Mike,

 

Thank you for stopping by the Neo-Geo thread and sharing this excellent video by you bro. Glad that the NeoGeoLand magnet is to your liking and hope it gives you many years of enjoyment. Plus, your pick ups of Pulstar, the 4-slot MVS board and the repro memory card is fantastic and glad you have it Mike. Nicely done is the least to say for sure. But always happy to see you make progress with your collection bro. 

 

Thank you as always Mike. Keep up the great work for sure. 

 

Anthony.. 

[+Charlie Cat]

17 hours ago, aduffy1976 said:

Thanks for sharing the info on the new shmup Anthony 

You're welcome Allan. Thank you for stopping by to see it. 

 

Anthony..

[+Charlie Cat]

2 hours ago, ohfivepro said:

 

 

Thank you for sharing this Paul. Glad that it's to your enjoyment and hope it gives you many years of happiness bro. Thank you for what you do for us in the community and sharing your Neo-Geo videos with us. 

 

Anthony.. 

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

 

SNKオンラインショップ公式 @snk_onlineshop 17h

 

[New Product News] Reservation of illustrations commemorating the 40th anniversary of the SNK brand that can be displayed at home has started! #KOF #NEOGEO #SAMURAISHODOWN #samuraispirits #METALSLUG Buyee：https://buff.ly/2NmZY5L Zen market：https://buff.ly/2MzwkKJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony..

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

SNKオンラインショップ公式 @snk_onlineshop

 

【新商品のお知らせ】 SNKブランド誕生40周年記念イラスト複製原画（全5種）予約受付中！ 完全受注生産のため、予約受付終了後は販売の予定はございません。 お見逃しなく！ 価格：各19,800円 予約締切：2019年9月30日（金）23時59分 https://buff.ly/2Z8Ilh3

Translated from Japanese by

[New Product Information] SNK Brand 40th Anniversary Illustration Originals (5 types) are now accepting reservations! Since it is a complete build-to-order production, there is no plan to sell it after the reservation is closed. Do not miss it! Price: 19,800 yen for each reservation deadline: Friday, September 30, 2019 23:59 https://buff.ly/2Z8Ilh3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony...

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

SNKオンラインショップ公式 @snk_onlineshop

 

期間限定クーポン終了まであと1日となりました！ この機会にぜひご利用ください！ ご利用期間：2019年8月26日（月）10時00分まで 　対象商品：全商品 ご利用条件：一会計税込み8,000円以上で500円引き（お一人様1回限り） ※お会計画面でクーポンを選択してください https://buff.ly/2w9oopJ

Translated from Japanese by

One more day until the end of the limited time coupon! Please use this opportunity! Period of use: Monday, August 26, 2019 10:00 Target product: All products Terms of use: 500 yen discount for one tax and over 8,000 yen (one time per person) ※ Please select a coupon on the checkout screen https://buff.ly/2w9oopJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony..

[RedGamer]

This is kind of cool guys. There is an mvs copy of Waku Waku 7 on ebay and the serial number is 000001. The price is insane, but in this community who knows maybe it will actually sell.

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

 

Mike Palmer@MikePalmerYT Aug 21

 

Show us your Top 5 most valuable video games in your collection. I'll start. These are just my Japanese games! #NEOGEO #SNK #ネオジオ #retrogaming #retrocollective #gamesyouloved #arcade #retrogamer #RetroGames #highscore #videogames #ShareYourGames #FGC #GamersUnite #gaming

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony..

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

Cheapether@Cheapether Aug 24

 

Fatal Fury 3 plush set. SNK, 1995. #SNK #NeoGeo #FatalFury #RETROGAMING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony..

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

Back with J L with more on his works on the NeoGeoMini. Let's see what he's down this time shall we? 

 

 

Anthony...

[enoofu]

Project Neon seem rather odd, Vertical Monitor will make it hard on peeps with Cabs, as Neo Geo cabs are Horizontal. Plus being from a new developer with little Game Design experience may have some issues. Outside of that I wish them luck...