Exhibit: SNK Neo Geo AES (1990–2004)
Released: April 26, 1990 (Japan) · 1991 (UK)
Manufacturer: SNK
Units Sold: ~1 million worldwide
Status: The most exclusive and collectible console ever made
The Arcade in Your Living Room
The Neo Geo AES was not a console for everyone. At launch it cost the equivalent of over £600 in today's money — and individual game cartridges cost £150 to £200 each. What you got for that price was extraordinary: identical hardware to SNK's MVS arcade machines, meaning true arcade-perfect gaming at home, years before anyone else could offer it.
The Neo Geo was the preserve of the wealthy enthusiast, the arcade operator, and the serious collector. It sold approximately one million units worldwide — a tiny number that makes complete, working examples increasingly rare and valuable.
Iconic Games
- Metal Slug — the run-and-gun masterpiece, still beautiful today
- The King of Fighters '98 — the definitive KOF experience
- Samurai Shodown II — weapon-based fighting at its finest
- Garou: Mark of the Wolves — widely considered the greatest 2D fighting game ever made
- Pulstar — a shooter of extraordinary technical achievement
Collector's Corner
The Neo Geo AES is the holy grail of console collecting. Individual cartridges regularly sell for hundreds of pounds. Rare titles like Kizuna Encounter and Matrimelee have sold for tens of thousands. A complete Neo Geo AES collection is one of gaming's most ambitious and expensive pursuits.
The console itself — in good condition with original controllers and packaging — commands significant premiums. The gold Neo Geo and various limited editions are extraordinarily rare.
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