Neogeo Mini Japanese Version - Neo Geo Pocket

My first reaction of using the Neo Geo mini was one of bewilderment because before the Neo mini arrived I was Googling emulator consoles and retro systems, and the system never came up in any inquiries. This made me think that perhaps the Neo mini is not an official product or the it is just a piece of garbage and all the Amazon reviews are fake. When the Neo mini arrived I looked over the box trying to find anything out of place or something that seemed off. Not finding anything wrong with the packaging, I Googled to see if the Neo mini is an official product. I was not surprised to find out that it is an actual licensed product. Ok, that must leave the Neo mini being a garbage product with fake reviews. Seriously, that dinky little control stick and screen have to be junk. It must have a cheap plastic casing with poorly emulated games, if the listed games are even on this thing. This little system has to be another cash grab cheap knockoff Chinese product...right? Wrong, this little system is $%^&@#$ AMAZING! That dinky little stick is solid with fluid movement. The screen is clear to see with no ghosting. The buttons are nice and clicky. The case is made of strong plastic with a rubberized solid base. The built in speakers are in stereo and crisp. The emulation is as good as any I have used (FBA, MAME) and each game has four save state slots. On top of this, the Neo mini is emulating the Neo Geo AES Gold system that came with the memory card. Each game is capable of being saved and continued like the original system. There is also a global menu that can be accessed by pressing Start+Select which allows for saving states, volume, brightness, and changing games (feature missing from the Nintendo minis). When plugged into an HD television (via the included HDMI cable with this package) the Neo mini continues to not disappoint. The global menu (Start+Select) even changes to reflect that you are now using an external source by adding a screen quality optimization option that adds an anti aliasing filter. This option is the only thing I can think of that someone might have an issue with. The filter makes the game look a smidge cartoonish, which I hope is demonstrated in the image I added (The image is the best approximation of the Neo mini option I could make using an emulator and is not from the actual system). What about the rest of this package? Everything came in an original box and undamaged. The included control pads are, like the system, well made. The stick is, in my opinion, better than first party Xbox and PS controllers. Buttons are solid, clicky and in a good layout. The only downside is the controllers are only compatible with the Neo mini. This is shame because I would love to use them with other emulators. As I have mentioned throughout this review, I am perplexed how the Neo Geo mini is not the toast of the retro mini console scene. Maybe I am biased because I love everything Neo Geo or perhaps it is due to the form factor not being an AES mini recreation like the other minis. All I know is the Neo mini is not getting the recognition it deserves and I fully recommend it over any of the other retro minis. Unless you do not like Vs fighting games. There are a lot of them.

I'll preface this review by stating that I've never played a real Neo Geo AES. My exposure to SNK has been mostly in the form of the many ports to the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast, all of which I enjoy a lot. Having also seen the prices a real Neo Geo console and games go for, I thought this mini console would be a nice entry level way to experience a good portion of the Neo Geo library without a steep investment. And I must say, it is exactly that. 40 games by default and a healthy selection from many genres other than the 2d fighters I've known SNK for. I briefly played through all the included games and found something to like in most. No complaints really and I'd call the library comparable in quality to that of the Genesis or TurboGrafx mini. (I won't focus on the ability to add games other than to mention the capability is out there, though the info can be a little harder to find than similar mini consoles.) Prior to purchase I did read a few complaints which I will address: the HDMI output does not look quite as sharp as other mini consoles, but I still find it acceptable and preferable to the tiny included screen. (A fun novelty and better picture, but I can't imagine playing seriously this way.) The other major complaint I saw was the controller: having no familiarity with the standard Neo Geo layout, I like the default layout here. For somebody used to Capcom fighters I felt right at home on most games with the light and heavy punches on top, and the kicks on the bottom. I'm sure it's jarring if you were used to the original layout, but it works great for me. The lack of microswitches on the thumbstick is a downside (I love it on the Pocket Color!), but I had no issues performing any special moves in any of the Fatal Fury or King of Fighters games. Overall I find these controllers comfortable and my favorite part of the console hardware. In summary, this console feels like it could have been perfect with a few tweaks, but the downsides are far outweighed by the positives. It's a nice looking console, a good library, and it plays perfectly. I'd recommend it for anyone like me who is interested in dipping their toes into the Neo Geo without needing to win the lottery first.

I really like the form factor where you can play on the unit itself. (to bad doesn't have battery but guess could use battery bank for portability). Screen is nice and controls feels good. HDMI (mini cable included) output seems good maybe a bit blurry but not sure how it should look as i never had real Neo Geo system, and with the smoothing enhancement setting looks fine on bigger TV. Controllers are pretty awesome, really feel like high quality, don't have clickyness but i as I mentioned since i never had the original I don't notice anything :-) Great game selections especially metal slugs and tons of fighters. Overall fulfills my childhood dream of owning the NEO Geo System without spending thousands of dollars. One note it only came with one random marquee sticker (samuari showdown style) which I saw some folks got 3 of them.

I bought this because I wanted the Red Japanese Version (since I already had the black American one) The box was indeed the "Japanese" or "USA" Version, which is red like the Candy Cabinet Neo-19 But to my surprise, once I opened the box, the Black american version was inside. The remotes had no problems, they are legit and work fine, the Neo Geo mini also works great, BUT, it's not what they claim. SO BEWARE

So I bought this on a whim, and I am mostly happy with it. My 17 y/o daughter saw it and asked what it was, and then to play. So I played with her, and as we ripped through Metal Slug she was screaming and ahhing in delight. Then the next day she asked to play Metal Slug again, I picked another version and she did the same thing and when we jumped on motorcycles running down the highway shooting at bad guys she said "this is amazing". You can't buy stuff like that, and it is a shock. She usually hides in her room. I am not sure what the magic is about that game. With that said, why on earth don't I have unlimited quarters. they limit you to 3-4 continues per game. And that just makes no sense for something I own at home. I should be able to adjust it in the settings. I would have liked a little more variety in the game selection. A ton of fighting games, and 8 metal slugs. I could have used some of the other titles for variety. Overall though, it is a cool little device. This pack comes with 2 controllers and the HDMI Cable, so its pretty much ready to go if you add a USB Power converter (like your phones uses), Edit: I figured out how to do saves and it is clumsy, but it does allow you to save and continue to make progress beyond default quarters.

The last mini to add to my collection. This is the international edition. Many fighting games with a sprinkle of run and gun games. I always was a bigger fan of KoF than Street Fighter or MK. Item came perfectly packaged. Neo-geo did not cut corners. Screen on the unit is fantastic. I actually hooked this up to a CRT tv using an adapter and the quality looks phenomenal. Sure it may not have all the games you want, but its well worth $75. Mine was supposed to come with a white and black controller but I got two whites. Not complaining though. They look and feel great! Better get one before prices of these start going through the roof.

I love this thing! The controllers feel amazing despite everyone complaining about them not having micro switches. They work well and the mini it self also works well and looks amazing. I got this on flash sale as well for like 80 bucks! Cant beat that! Especially considering the console itself is listed at $100 most places. Little screen looks good and emulation is decent on an external screen. To me this rivals the genesis mini in quality and fun factor. I'll be playing them both for a very long time. Game selection is great as well with a good mix of run and guns/ beat em ups, fighting games and space shooters comprising most of the games. If you are thinking about getting this pull the trigger, I think you'll enjoy it, especially on flash sale!

The NeoGeo is known for sharp graphics in its day. Those same graphics would stand up today, but they weren't carried over to this mini-system. It's serviceable on its small screen, but hard on the eyes after 20 minutes. I hooked it up easily to my large monitor, but the graphics are pixilated and lo-fi. It's like the same number of pixels on the small screen carried over the a big screen, without much sharpening. They don't hold a candle to the original arcade machine graphics. Still, I'd buy it again for the game selection.

En lo personal me encantó el paquete, una Neo Geo mini con 2 mandos y el cable HDMI que debería de haber incluido SNK en el paquete, a un precio excelente (tal vez el precio justo en el que debería de haber salido al mercado). Se puede jugar muy bien directamente en el Neo Geo Mini, pero teniendo 2 mandos, jugarlo en la TV es lo más recomendable. Mi experiencia personal es que se juega muy bien y la animación es buena, supongo que sólo los puristas de la Neo Geo original le encontrarán algún pero. Los 40 juegos instalados son un viaje al pasado, fui de los que siempre quise una Neo Geo pero, como con casi todos mis amigos, su alto costo no me permitía adquirir una (o pedírsela a mis padres mejor dicho). Este sistemita es una manera de jugar títulos que sólo había visto en revistas y en arcadias. Sé que mucha gente le puso peros al salir, entre otras cosas por el precio de salida al no incluí batería interna ni cable mini HDMI así como por la calidad de la imagen al jugarlo en TV, pero considero en lo personal que vale la pena y me estoy entreteniendo un montón jugando cada juego. 5 estrellas por alegrar a mi niño interior :)

😌

I got the Neo Geo Mini earlier than expected and it arrived in excellent condition, no damages. It looks and works great and I got the Japanese version not the American version like some people have been getting. This is a great system for hardcore SNK fans. All of the best fighting games from SNK is in the Japanese version and yes the language can be changed to English. Worth the wait and money considering the two controllers alone would cost over $100 and the Neo Geo itself would also cost over $100. The package comes with two controllers and a HDMI mini to HDMI cable. It's a no brainer, buy it!

Everything is as expected. I have a lot of fun, it brings back a lot of memory.

That's exactly how we supposed will be , great machine good quality