The Neo Geo CD system |
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| Manufacturer | SNK |
|---|---|
| Generation | Fifth generation |
| Release date | 1994 |
| Media | CD-ROM |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 running at 12 MHz |
| Predecessor | Neo Geo AES |
Neo Geo CD (ネオジオCD Neo Jio Shī Dī) is a game console from SNK that was released in 1994, four years after its cartridge-based equivalent, in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. It is the second console of the Neo Geo family. The system was originally priced at US$300 new. The unit's 1X CD-ROM drive was slow, making loading times very long as a result, with the system loading up to 56 Mbit of data with every load. Neo Geo CD game prices were low at $50, in contrast to Neo Geo AES game cartridges, which cost was as much as $300. The system can also play Audio CDs. All three versions of the system have no region-lock.
The Neo Geo CD was bundled with a control pad instead of a joystick like the AES version. However, the original AES joystick could be used with all three Neo Geo CD models, instead of the included control pads.
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Three versions of the Neo Geo CD were released:
The CDZ was released on December 29, 1995[1][2] as the Japanese market replacement for SNK's previous efforts (the "front loader" and the "top loader"). The Neo Geo CD had met with limited success due to it being plagued with slow loading times that could vary from 30 to 60 seconds between loads, depending on the game. Although SNK's American home entertainment division quickly acknowledged that the system simply was incapable of compete with the 3D-able powerhouse systems of the day like Sega's Saturn and Sony's PlayStation, SNK corporate of Japan felt they could continue to maintain profitable sales in the Japanese home market by shortening the previous system's load-times.
Popular speculation suggests that SNK made several changes to the CD hardware to end up with the CDZ, with the most prominent rumor being that they increased the CD-ROM drive speed from 1x to 2x. The truth, however, is that the CDZ had a larger amount of cache. Though the CD-ROM motor in the CDZ may have been more efficient than the one in the original, it was still a 1x speed CD-ROM.
This version of the console has a design flaw that sometimes causes it to overheat after certain periods of time, breaking the console in the process and making it hard to repair. This is a result of a lack of ventilation in the cramped housing of the smaller unit and the inability to dissipate heat generated by the newer drive, which could damage the circuit board.
The CDZ was only officially sold in Japan during its production. However, its lack of a "region lock", and the fact that it could play older CD software, made it a popular import item for enthusiasts in both Europe and North America. Today they can be found sporadically on the internet, especially through auction sites such as eBay.
The system is also capable of reading Redbook standard compact disc audio.
In addition to the multi-AV port (almost same one as used on the Sega Genesis model 1, though they are not interchangeable), all Neo Geo CD models had composite RCA A/V and S-Video out jacks on the rear of the console.
The CD system's 58 Mbit / 7 MB of RAM was split accordingly:
While the Neo Geo CD library consisted primarily of ports of MVS and AES titles, there were a few MVS arcade games which were not officially released for the Neo Geo AES and ported instead to the Neo Geo CD. These include Puzzle Bobble, Janshin Densetsu (a Mahjong game also released for the PC Engine), Power Spike II, Neo Drift Out and Futsal - 5-on-5 Mini Soccer.
A few games which were unreleased in MVS and AES formats were also released exclusively for the Neo Geo CD. These include Ironclad, Crossed Swords 2, Oshidashi Zentrix, ADK World, Neo Geo CD Special, The King of Fighters '96 Neo Collection and Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidō Retsuden (an RPG spin-off of the Samurai Shodown series that also released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn). Idol Mahjong Final Romance II, an arcade game which was not an MVS game, was also ported to the Neo Geo CD.
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