| Neo Geo Pocket Color | |
| Manufacturer: | SNK |
| Family: | Neo Geo |
| Type: | Handheld game console |
| Generation: | Sixth |
| Releasedate: | Neo Geo PocketNeo Geo Pocket ColorNew Neo Geo Pocket Color |
| Lifespan: | 1998–2001 |
| Price: |
|
| Media: | ROM cartridge |
| Power: | 2 AA batteries for 40 hours of play, Lithium CR2032 for backup memory and clock |
| Cpu: | Toshiba TLCS900H core (16-bit) @ 6.144 MHz Zilog Z80 @ 3.072 MHz for sound |
| Memory: | 12 KB RAM for 900/H 4 KB RAM for Z80 64 KB ROM |
| Display: | 2.7", 160x152 resolution, 146 colors on screen out of a palette of 4096 |
| Sound: | T6W28 (enhanced SN76489), 6-bit DACs |
The (NGPC) is a 16-bit handheld game console developed and manufactured by SNK, released on March 19, 1999 in Japan with international markets following in August that year. It is an upgrade of the original Neo Geo Pocket, which was released in 1998 and mainly sold in Japan; the Color features a color display instead of a monochrome one, and is fully backward compatible.
The Pocket and Pocket Color were SNK's first handhelds; its library mainly consists of conversions from the company's well-known arcade franchises from the Neo Geo, such as , Samurai Shodown! and King of Fighters R-1. The Neo Geo Pocket Color faced tough competition against Nintendo's Game Boy Color, leading to the system's discontinuation in the West by mid-2000, and continued to be marketed in Japan until SNK's bankruptcy in October 2001. Despite being a commercial failure, the platform has been well regarded for a number of highly-acclaimed exclusive games, as well as the device's arcade-style microswitched joystick.
SNK, creators of the hugely successful Neo Geo and its franchises, announced the Neo Geo Pocket in 1998 as the company's first foray in the handheld video gaming market, which had been dominated at the time by Nintendo and its Game Boy. An SNK spokesperson commented that the Pocket's target audience was "slightly different" than Game Boy's.[1] The monochrome Neo Geo Pocket debuted in Japan in late 1998 and was primarily sold in Japan and Hong Kong.[2] It was sold with eight titles at launch.[3] The system and all five English games saw limited distribution in the west, where it could be ordered directly from SNK USA.[4]
SNK released the Neo Geo Pocket in eight color variations: Platinum Blue, Platinum Silver, Platinum White, Carbon Black, Maple Blue, Camouflage Blue, Camouflage Brown, and Crystal White.[5] The Neo Geo Pocket received the Good Design Award in 1998.[6]
The Neo Geo Pocket only managed lower-than-expected sales[7] and after only a few months in the market was discontinued and replaced by the Neo Geo Pocket Color, an upgraded version featuring a non-backlit, full color display. The Color was announced in January 1999 and released in Japan in March 1999 with seven launch titles.[8] It was conceived shortly after Nintendo released the color display capable Game Boy Color.[9] In the domestic market it also competed against Bandai's WonderSwan, a system that retailed for significantly cheaper than SNK's product.
The U.S. version of the Neo Geo Pocket Color had an exclusive launch on the website eToys in August 1999. eToys also sold the initial launch titles in the plastic snap lock cases. The system debuted in the United States with six launch titles (twenty promised by end of year) and retail price of $69.95. Six different unit colors were available: 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.[10]
Prior to SNK's acquisition by Aruze, the Neo Geo Pocket Color was being advertised on U.S. television and units were being sold nationwide at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, and other major retail chains. For the Christmas Holiday season in 1999, SNK spent $4 million on television advertisements that aired on channels including MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.
By May 2000, the NGPC 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.
On 21 October 1999, a redesigned, slimmer version called New Neo Geo Pocket Color was released in Japan, selling at ¥6800.[11] It is 13% smaller than the original Neo Geo Pocket Color, with dimensions 125 x 73 x 27 mm, and also features improved sound output.[12]
After a good sales start in both the U.S. and Japan with 14 launch titles (a record at the time), subsequent low retail support in the U.S.,[13] lack of communication with third-party developers by SNK's American management,[14] the popularity of Nintendo's Pokémon franchise and anticipation of the 32-bit Game Boy Advance,[15] and strong competition from Bandai's WonderSwan in Japan, led to a sales decline in both regions.
Meanwhile, SNK had been in financial trouble for at least a year; the company soon collapsed, and was purchased by American pachinko manufacturer Aruze in January 2000. However, Aruze did not support SNK's video game business enough, leading to SNK's original founder and several other employees leaving to form a new company, BrezzaSoft.[16] Eventually on June 13, 2000, Aruze decided to quit the North American and European markets, marking the end of SNK's worldwide operations and the discontinuation of Neo Geo hardware and software there. The Neo Geo Pocket Color (and other SNK/Neo Geo products) did however, last until 2001 in Japan. It was SNK's last video game console, as the company went bankrupt on October 30, 2001.[17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]
In June 2000, Aruze (parent of SNK) decided to discontinue all SNK operations outside Japan. As a result, remaining stock was bought back by SNK for repackaging in Asia. SNK were recalling most of the back-stock of systems and games to be flashed and re-sold in Asia where the system would continue to be sold and supported. Some of the back-stock of American NGPC hardware and software began to resurface on the American and Asian markets in 2003. These units frequently appeared bundled with six games stripped of their cases and manuals. Two games often included, Faselei! and were never previously released in United States, meaning that they have no U.S.-localized box or manual; however, these titles did receive a European release, incorporating an English translation.
After the bankruptcy of SNK on October 30, 2001, the intellectual property rights were collectively transferred to the successor company SNK Playmore (later the second generation SNK), but the development of Neo Geo Pocket Color was discontinued after bankruptcy.
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 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. Games that featured this option include King of Fighters R-2 (links with King of Fighters '99 Dream Match and King of Fighters Evolution); (links with Capcom vs. SNK); (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.[24]
| Model | Neo Geo Pocket | Neo Geo Pocket Color | New Neo Geo Pocket Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | |||
| Console | |||
| 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 size | 2.6-inch | ||
| Resolution | 160x152 (256x256 virtual screen) | ||
| DMA | 4 channels, integrated in TLCS-900/H core | ||
| Colors | N/A | 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 8x8 characters, transparency + 3 colors per character | ||
| Sprites | 64 8x8 sprites, each can be placed behind, in-between, or above the scrolling planes, no arbitrary scanline limitation | ||
| Scrolling | 2 scrolling planes, 32x32 tilemaps with 8x8 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 | 40 hours on two AAA batteries, Lithium CR2032 for backup memory and clock | 40 hours on two AA batteries, Lithium CR2032 battery for memory and clock | |
| Physical dimensions / weight | 122mm × 74mm × 24mm, 130g | 130mm × 80mm × 30mm, 145g | 126mm × 74mm × 30mm, 120g without battery |
See main article: List of Neo Geo Pocket Color games. 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. 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. Taito contributed a port of their successful arcade game Densha de Go! 2 and Puzzle Bobble Mini, also known as Bust-A-Move Pocket.[25] Capcom worked in conjunction with SNK on several crossover games featuring their characters, including and the 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.[26] Compile, Data East and ADK also produced ports of Puyo Pop, Magical Drop and Crush Roller respectively. Success published , a successful port of the arcade game of the same name.
Only nine monochrome games were released for the Neo Geo Pocket, the original pre-Color model that was produced for a short time. The Neo Geo Pocket is forward compatible with 39 Neo Geo Pocket Color titles, although games for the color system will play in monochrome on a Neo Geo Pocket. Likewise, the Color is backward compatible. After the release of the NGPC, six titles received re-releases, updated to include color. One additional game, a remake of the 1979 SNK arcade game Yosaku, can be played by inserting the NGPC game into a Neo Geo Pocket.[27]
| Title | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Re-released for NGPC | Release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Stars | Saurus, SNK | SNK | |||
| King of Fighters R-1 | SNK | SNK | |||
| Melon-chan's Growth Diary | ADK | SNK | |||
| Neo Cherry Master | DYNA | SNK | |||
| Neo Geo Cup '98 Plus | SNK | SNK | |||
| Pocket Tennis | Yumekobo | SNK | |||
| Puzzle Link | Yumekobo | SNK | |||
| Samurai Shodown! | Saurus, SNK | SNK | |||
| ADK | SNK |
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. Japanese games were later released in the same cardboard boxes, while all European releases used the clamshell cases. 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!. Neo Geo Pocket cartridges are smaller than Game Boy cartridges.[28]
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).[29] 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.[30] [31]
SNK sold over 25,000 Neo Geo Pocket Color systems in Japan and over 100,000 in Europe by the end of 1999. By May of 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.
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.[32] He praised the game's small library for its quality and wide selection of genres, specifically titles such as , Sonic Pocket Adventure, Magical Drop and Pac-Man, and for the system's build quality being robust and well-built.[32] 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."[32] 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. 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."[33] NintendoLifes Damien McFerran said that both it and the WonderSwan served as some of the most "interesting challengers" towards Nintendo. 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."[34]