Skip to content
GAMEPORT
JA/EN
SNK Neo Geo AES console

Neo Geo AES

ネオジオ

No. 00826 Apr 1990

Neo Geo AES

Manufacturer
SNK
Type
Home video game console

03

Overview

Overview

SNK's home system sharing identical hardware with its MVS arcade platform, allowing arcade games to be played at home exactly as in arcades. It was initially offered through rental services in Japan.

Name in Japan
NEOGEO（ネオジオ）
Name in North America
Neo Geo

04

Industrial Design

Industrial design

Games came on ROM cartridges larger than those of competitors, eventually reaching 716 megabits; saves used PCMCIA-standard memory cards.

Neo Geo AES cartridge, connector edge
Neo Geo AES cartridge (connector edge)

05

Technical Specifications

Technical specifications

CPU
Motorola 68000 @ 12 MHz + Zilog Z80A @ 4 MHz
Memory
64 KB RAM, 84 KB VRAM, 2 KB sound memory
Display
320×224; 3,840 on-screen colors from a 65,536-color palette
Bits (period term)
Marketed as 24-bit (68000 16/32-bit CPU with Z80 coprocessor; 24-bit graphics data bus)
Generation (Wikipedia)
4th generation

Values are from the sources below. Where sources differ, see the notes under Sources.

06

Controller

Controller

A large arcade-style controller with a lever stick and four buttons arranged in a gentle arc.

Neo Geo AES arcade-style joystick controller
Neo Geo AES joystick controller

07

Media Format

Media format

  • ROM cartridge
  • Memory card (PCMCIA-standard, 2 KB)

  • ROM cartridge

    A software medium housing ROM chips on a circuit board inside a plastic shell. The Famicom used this format from its 1983 launch; Nintendo's Western packaging called them 'Game Paks'.

  • PlayStation Memory Card

    A flash-memory card for storing PlayStation save data. Its 1-megabit (128 KB) capacity is divided into 15 usable blocks.

08

Launch & Context

Launch & historical context

Release (Japan)
26 Apr 1990[2]
Release (North America)
1 Jul 1991[1]
Launch price (Japan)
¥58,000(1991年7月に48,800円へ値下げ（JA Wikipedia）)[2]
Units
410,000(sold, as reported · Japan · )[1]

Riding the fighting-game boom, SNK promoted '100 Mega Shock' cartridges from 1992, and software support continued until 2004.

09

Notable Games

Notable games

10

Gallery

Gallery

  • SNK Neo Geo AES console

    Neo Geo AES

  • Neo Geo AES arcade-style joystick controller

    Neo Geo AES joystick controller

  • Neo Geo AES cartridge, connector edge

    Neo Geo AES cartridge (connector edge)

11

Timeline

Timeline

  1. 1988.10.29Mega DriveSEGA
  2. 1988.12.04PC Engine CD-ROM² SystemNEC
  3. 1989.04.21Game BoyNintendo
  4. 1990.04.26Neo Geo AESSNK
  5. 1990.10.06Game GearSEGA
  6. 1990.11.21Super FamicomNintendo
  7. 1991.12.12Mega-CDSEGA

12

Related Consoles

Related consoles

About SNK →

13

Sources

Sources

  1. [1]
    Neo Geo (system)

    Wikipedia (EN)

    ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
  2. [2]
    ネオジオ

    Wikipedia (JA)

    ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
  3. [3]
    アーケードゲームファンの憧れだったハード「NEOGEO」35周年！

    GAME Watch (Impress)

    NewsAccessed 2026-09-26
Notes on conflicting sources

Japan dates conflict: JA/EN Wikipedia give 1990-04-26 (rental launch), with general retail from 1991-07-01 at a reduced 48,800 yen per JA Wikipedia; GAME Watch treats 1991-07-01 as the home-console release date at 58,000 yen. The 1991-07-01 NA date is from EN Wikipedia. US prices: Gold System US$649.99, Silver System US$399.99. On-screen colors: EN Wikipedia 3,840 (used) vs JA Wikipedia 4,012. JA Wikipedia units: ~350,000 Japan. Model number not verified ('NEO-0' in JA Wikipedia refers to a later model). No SNK primary page fetched.

14

Image Credits

Image credits

  • Neo Geo AES

    SNK Neo Geo AES console

    PhotoEvan-Amos

    Wikimedia Commons·Public domain

  • Neo Geo AES joystick controller

    Neo Geo AES arcade-style joystick controller

    PhotoEvan-Amos

    Wikimedia Commons·Public domain

  • Neo Geo AES cartridge (connector edge)

    Neo Geo AES cartridge, connector edge

    PhotoEvan-Amos

    Wikimedia Commons·Public domain