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Neo Geo Pocket Color

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Neo Geo Pocket



  • Top Left: Neo Geo Pocket
  • Top Right: Neo Geo Pocket Color
  • Bottom: New Neo Geo Pocket Color
ManufacturerSNK
Product familyNeo Geo
TypeHandheld game console
GenerationFifth
Release dateNeo Geo Pocket
  • JP: October 28, 1998
Neo Geo Pocket Color
  • JP: March 19, 1999[1]
  • NA: August 6, 1999
  • EU: October 1, 1999[2]
New Neo Geo Pocket Color
  • JP: October 21, 1999
Introductory price
  • Neo Geo Pocket
  • ¥7,800
  • Neo Geo Pocket Color
  • ¥8,900
  • US$69.95
  • New Neo Geo Pocket Color
  • ¥6,800
Discontinued
  • NA: June 13, 2000
  • EU: June 13, 2000
  • JP: October 30, 2001
MediaROM cartridge
CPUToshiba TLCS900H core (16-bit) @ 6.144 MHz
Zilog Z80 @ 3.072 MHz for sound
Memory12 KB RAM for 900/H
4 KB RAM for Z80
64 KB ROM
Display2.7", 160x152 resolution, 146 colors on screen out of a palette of 4096
SoundT6W28 (enhanced SN76489), 6-bit DACs

The Neo Geo Pocket[a] series is a line of handheld game consoles developed and manufactured by SNK between 1998 and 2001. It began with the monochrome Neo Geo Pocket, released in Japan in 1998 as SNK's first handheld system and a direct competitor to Nintendo's long-running Game Boy line. In response to the growing popularity of color handhelds, SNK released the upgraded Neo Geo Pocket Color[b] in 1999, featuring a color screen and full backward compatibility with games for the original model.

The Neo Geo Pocket Color was launched internationally, including in North America and parts of Europe, and briefly gained traction thanks to its innovative microswitched joystick, relatively strong launch library, and popular SNK franchises such as The King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, and SNK vs. Capcom. In October 1999, a smaller and lighter revision of the hardware was released exclusively in Japan as the New Neo Geo Pocket Color, offering improved ergonomics and minor technical enhancements.

Despite a favorable critical reception, the series struggled commercially due to limited third-party support, low retail visibility, and intense competition from the Game Boy Color and WonderSwan in Japan. Following SNK's acquisition by Aruze and its eventual bankruptcy in 2001, the Neo Geo Pocket line was discontinued. It remains SNK’s final entry in the hardware market and is remembered for its distinctive design and cult-favorite software library.

History

[edit]

Monochrome system

[edit]
The original Neo Geo Pocket with a monochrome display, in camouflage brown

SNK, known for its successful Neo Geo arcade and home console systems, entered the handheld gaming market for the first time with the release of the Neo Geo Pocket in 1998. The market had been dominated by Nintendo and its Game Boy, but SNK believed that the Pocket would target a "slightly different" audience.[3]

The device featured a monochrome display and was primarily released in Japan and Hong Kong.[4] It was sold along eight titles at launch, including Baseball Stars, a port of the 1989 game, and King of Fighters R-1.[5]

SNK released the Neo Geo Pocket in various color variations, such as Platinum Blue, Platinum Silver, Platinum White, Carbon Black, Maple Blue, Camouflage Blue, Camouflage Brown, and Crystal White.[6] The Neo Geo Pocket received the Good Design Award in 1998.[7] The system experienced limited commercial success, leading SNK to discontinue it in favor of a color model.[8]

Color model

[edit]
The Neo Geo Pocket Color, in platinum silver

In response to the market's shift towards color displays, SNK announced the Neo Geo Pocket Color in January 1999. This upgraded handheld featured a non-backlit, full-color screen and was released in Japan in March 1999 with seven launch titles, including , and Puzzle Link and Samurai Shodown! 2.[9] The Neo Geo Pocket Color was designed to compete with Nintendo's Game Boy Color and Bandai's WonderSwan.[10][8]

U.S. release and marketing

[edit]

The Neo Geo Pocket Color launched in the United States in August 1999, initially available exclusively through the online retailer eToys.com. It debuted with six titles and was priced at US$69.95 (equivalent to $132 in 2024). The U.S. version was offered in six different colors, including Camouflage Blue, Carbon Black, Crystal White, Platinum Blue, Platinum Silver, and Stone Blue. In its first two months, the NGPC sold a successful 25,000 units.[11] Ahead of the 1999 holiday season, sales expanded to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, and other major retail chains and SNK spent $4 million on television advertisements that aired on channels including MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.[11] By May 2000, the device had a 2% market share in the U.S. handheld console market; although tiny compared to the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, it was enough to turn a profit for SNK USA.[11]

Revision

[edit]
The revised Japan-exclusive New Neo Geo Pocket Color, in translucent blue color

On October 21, 1999, SNK released a redesigned, slimmer version of the handheld, known as the New Neo Geo Pocket Color, exclusively in Japan, selling at ¥6800.[12] This model was 13% smaller than the original and featured improved sound output.[13]

Financial troubles

[edit]

Despite a good start to sales in both the U.S. and Japan, the Neo Geo Pocket Color faced challenges. The console had low retail support in the U.S.,[14] limited third-party support due to a lack of communication with third-party developers by SNK's American management,[15] and stiff competition from other handhelds, driven by the popularity of Nintendo's Pokémon franchise,[16] and strong competition from Bandai's WonderSwan in Japan.[11]

Meanwhile, SNK, had been in financial trouble for at least a year, and in January 2000, SNK was acquired by pachinko manufacturer Aruze.[11] Conflicts with the new Aruze leadership led to the departure of SNK's founder and several employees, who formed a new company, BrezzaSoft.[11][17] On June 13, 2000, Aruze ceased SNK's operations in North America and Europe,[11] although the handheld continued to be sold in Japan until SNK declared bankruptcy on October 30, 2001.[18][19] After SNK's bankruptcy, the company's intellectual properties were transferred to SNK Playmore, which did not continue the development of the Neo Geo Pocket Color.

Features

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The Neo Geo Pocket Color design sports two face buttons on the right hand side of the system, and an eight-direction microswitched digital D-pad on the left. It is horizontally designed like the Game Gear, as opposed to the Game Boy's vertical setup and the WonderSwan's hybrid of both. Upgraded from the Neo Geo Pocket, it has a color screen in the middle.

Similar to the Game Boy and its successors, the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, the Neo Geo Pocket Color does not have a back-lit screen, and games can only be played in a well-lit area. Like the Game.com before it, the Neo Geo Pocket Color uses a CR2032 battery to retain backup memory and keep the clock active, as well as the usual AA batteries to power the system during usage. The Neo Geo Pocket Color has no regional lockout.

The link cable for linking systems together

The system has an on-board language setting, and games display text in the language selected (provided the cartridge supports that language). Other settings include time and date, and the system can provide customized horoscopes when one's birth date is entered.

Cables for linking multiple systems were available, as well as a cable to connect the NGPC and the Dreamcast, as part of a partnership between SNK and Sega.[3] Games that featured this option include King of Fighters R-2 (links with King of Fighters '99 Dream Match and King of Fighters Evolution); SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium (links with Capcom vs. SNK); SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash (links with King of Fighters Evolution); SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2 Clash Expand Edition (links with Capcom vs SNK) and Cool Cool Jam (links with Cool Cool Toon).

At the September 1999 Tokyo Game Show, SNK presented a wireless adaptor for Neo Geo Pocket Color units to wirelessly communicate with one another.[20]

Technical specifications

[edit]
Model Neo Geo Pocket Neo Geo Pocket Color New Neo Geo Pocket Color
CPUs Toshiba TLCS-900/H core (16/32-bit CISC based on Z80), up to 6.144 MHz, Z80 at 3.072 MHz dedicated to sound
RAM 12 KB for 900/H, 4 KB for Z80 (shared with the 900/H), 4 KB of tilemap RAM, 8 KB of character RAM
ROM 64 KB BIOS
Interfaces SIO 1 channel 19200 bit/s, 5-pin serial port
Display 2.6-inch (diagonal) reflective monochrome liquid-crystal display (LCD) 2.6-inch reflective thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD
Resolution 160 × 152 (256 × 256 virtual screen)
DMA 4 channels, integrated in TLCS-900/H core
Colors — 146 (or 20 in monochrome mode) on-screen out of 4096
Palettes 16 palettes per plane, 64 sprites per frame 16 for sprites, 16 per scrolling plane, additional 8 sets of 8 colors each assigned to the 6 monochrome-mode palettes (2 for sprites, 2 per scrolling plane), backdrop, and window
Characters 512 8 × 8 characters, transparency + 3 colors per character
Sprites 64 8 × 8 sprites, each can be placed behind, in-between, or above the scrolling planes, no arbitrary scanline limitation
Scrolling 2 scrolling planes, 32 × 32 tilemaps with 8 × 8 character tiles
Special effects Character flipping, sprite chaining, sprite coordinate offsetting, windowing, color inversion
Sound T6W28 (enhanced SN76489 with 3 square-wave tone generators + 1 noise generator, stereo capability), dual 6-bit digital-to-analog converters
Cartridges Maximum 4 MB (32 Mbit) with 4 to 16 Mbit flash memory
Batteries 2 × AAA batteries for 40 hours of gameplay, CR2032 battery for backup memory and clock 2 × AA batteries for 40 hours of gameplay, CR2032 battery for backup memory and clock
Width 122 mm (4.8 in) 130 mm (5.1 in) 126 mm (5.0 in)
Height 74 mm (2.9 in) 80 mm (3.1 in) 74 mm (2.9 in)
Depth 24 mm (0.94 in) 30 mm (1.2 in) 30 mm (1.2 in)
Weight 130 g (4.6 oz) 145 g (5.1 oz) 120 g (4.2 oz) without battery
  • Neo Geo Pocket motherboard
    Neo Geo Pocket motherboard
  • Neo Geo Pocket Color motherboard
    Neo Geo Pocket Color motherboard

Game library

[edit]
Main article: List of Neo Geo Pocket Color games
Close-up of the Faselei! game cartridge

Only nine games were released for the original monochrome Neo Geo Pocket model, all of which are playable on the Neo Geo Pocket Color through backward compatibility. Six of these nine games later received updated color re-releases for the Pocket Color. A selection of Pocket Color games can also be played in monochrome on the original system.

A total of 73 games were released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Most of the system's games were produced by SNK themselves, featuring well-received titles from franchises such as Fatal Fury, Metal Slug and The King of Fighters.[21] Several large third-party developers also contributed to the system; the most well known of these is Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, a title heavily based on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 that is often considered one of the greatest games produced for the system.[22][23][24] Taito contributed a port of their successful arcade game Densha de Go! 2 and Puzzle Bobble Mini, also known as Bust-A-Move Pocket.[21] Capcom worked in conjunction with SNK on several crossover games featuring their characters, including SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium and the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash series of games. Namco published a conversion of Pac-Man, which came with a plastic cross ring that restricted the system's clicky stick to four directions; this version is often seen as one of the best home ports of the game to be released.[23][25] Compile, Data East and ADK also produced ports of Puyo Pop, Magical Drop and Crush Roller respectively. Success published Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams, a successful port of the arcade game of the same name.

Cartridges

[edit]

Similar to the Neo Geo AES console, Neo Geo Pocket Color games were packaged in large clamshell-like black cases, fitted with bright, colorful cover art on them. As a way to reduce costs, in North America the games were instead shipped in cardboard boxes, a move that has been negatively received due to their general poor quality.[citation needed] Japanese games were later released in the same cardboard boxes, while all European releases used the clamshell cases.[11][23] Towards the end of the system's short lifespan in North America, games were often bundled together in blister packs and sold in stores to clear out inventory, often including previously-unreleased titles such as Faselei!.[22] Neo Geo Pocket cartridges are smaller than Game Boy cartridges.[26]

Re-releases

[edit]

Several Neo Geo Pocket Color games were re-released for the first time via emulation on Nintendo Switch, beginning with Samurai Shodown! 2 in 2019 as a pre-order incentive for Samurai Shodown (2019).[27] These re-releases were later compiled into Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 (2021) and Vol. 2 (2022), which were also released for Windows.[28][29]

Reception

[edit]

SNK sold over 25,000 Neo Geo Pocket Color systems in Japan and over 100,000 in Europe by the end of 1999.[11] By May 2000, the Neo Geo Pocket Color retained a 2% market share in the North American handheld market; although minuscule compared to the Nintendo's Game Boy Color, it was enough to turn a profit for SNK America.[11]

Retrospective feedback for the Neo Geo Pocket Color has been positive. USGamer writer Jeremy Parish considers it an important and influential handheld for being a "technological bridge" between the 8-bit portable era and the Game Boy Advance, and for its "clicky stick" having been used for modern video game consoles.[22] He praised the game's small library for its quality and wide selection of genres, specifically titles such as SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash, Sonic Pocket Adventure, Magical Drop and Pac-Man, and for the system's build quality being robust and well-built.[22] Parish blamed the system's commercial failure on both SNK's large lack of retail presence and for Aruze acquiring the company in 2000, concluding the article with: "Neo Geo Pocket Color's life may have been painfully brief, but it was nevertheless memorable for those who experienced it. Perhaps all the more so for the system's brevity, in fact."[22] Ryan Lamble of Den of Geek felt that the Neo Geo Pocket Color was the best rival to Nintendo's Game Boy Color for its "brilliant" game library, design and overall quality.[24] Lamble expressed somber towards the system's early defeat in the handheld market, saying: "It was a premature end for a system that, although doomed to remain a distant second to the Game Boy, could have forged a great little niche of its own."[24] NintendoLife's Damien McFerran said that both it and the WonderSwan served as some of the most "interesting challengers" towards Nintendo.[23] He commended the system for its game library and clamshell boxes, hardware capabilities, battery life and lasting legacy on future systems, writing: "Like the WonderSwan, the Neo Geo Pocket Color may not have succeeded in its goal of wrestling market share away from Nintendo, but that doesn't automatically mean it was a failure. Many fans will argue that the quality of the software available was far in advance of that on the Game Boy Color, and the fantastic controls, amazing battery life, cool PDA features and excellent screen combine to make a system which is still hard to put down, even today."[23]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Japanese: ネオジオポケット
  2. ^ Japanese: ネオジオポケットカラー

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Game Machine, March 1999 Issue" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2023.
  2. ^ "Neo Geo Pocket Color". Archived from the original on February 29, 2000.
  3. ^ a b "New handheld from arcade masters". Computer & Video Games. No. 202. September 1998. p. 7.
  4. ^ Kotaku (February 12, 2012). "Screw the Vita, Let's Talk About the Other NGP". Kotaku. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "「SNK「ネオジオポケット」モノクロ版は10月22日 同時発売ソフトは格闘ゲームなど8作」" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 571. September 1, 1998. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  6. ^ ネオジオポケット [Neo Geo Pocket]. ハンディゲームマシンコンプリートガイドデラックス ゲームギア・ワンダースワン・ネオジオポケットEdition [Handy Game Machine Complete Guide Deluxe: Game Gear, WonderSwan, Neo Geo Pocket Edition] (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. October 2020. p. 142, 143. ISBN 9784074447602.
  7. ^ "Neo Geo Pocket NEOP 10010". Japan Design Promotion Association (in Japanese). 1998. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "TGS: Handhelds Aplenty". IGN. March 20, 1999. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  9. ^ https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19990301p.pdf
  10. ^ "SNK Aims At Handheld Gaming". GameSpot. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The History of SNK".
  12. ^ "New Archives – September 1999".
  13. ^ "Neo Geo Pocket COLOR specs".
  14. ^ "The end of an era: a cruel look at what we missed: Part 2". June 2000.
  15. ^ "NeoGeo Pocket Color Feature". Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  16. ^ "Neo Geo Pocket Color 101, A beginner's guide". racket BOY. January 4, 2012.
  17. ^ http://www.mobygames.com/company/snk-corporation/history Archived March 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine History for SNK Corporation
  18. ^ "SNK Waves Goodbye". IGN. October 30, 2001. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  19. ^ Seyoon Park, Andrew (October 29, 2001). "SNK Corporation closes its doors". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 2, 2001. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  20. ^ Staff, I. G. N. (September 21, 1999). "TGS: SNK and NeoGeo Pocket Color". IGN. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Videgame Hardware Handbook Vol. 1. United Kingdom: Imagine Publishing. 2016. pp. 252–253. ISBN 978-1-906078-44-7. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  22. ^ a b c d e Parish, Jeremy (October 28, 2014). "Neo Geo Pocket Color: The Portable That Changed Everything". USGamer. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  23. ^ a b c d e McFerran, Damien (March 26, 2014). "Hardware Classics: SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  24. ^ a b c Lamble, Ryan (January 25, 2012). "The life and times of the Neo Geo Pocket Color". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  25. ^ Hannley, Steve (July 6, 2013). "Pocket Power: Pac-Man". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  26. ^ IGN Staff (September 15, 2000). "NeoGeo Pocket Color". IGN. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  27. ^ Romano, Sal (August 28, 2019). "Samurai Shodown for Switch debut trailer, screenshots". Gematsu. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  28. ^ Miller, Zachary (March 31, 2021). "NeoGeo Pocket Color Collection Vol. 1 (Switch eShop) Review". NintendoWorldReport. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  29. ^ Massey, Tom (November 15, 2022). "Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2 Review". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
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