Neo-Geo Hardware In ENGLISH Last updated:
08/30/99   		 
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    • Neo-Geo Hardware In ENGLISH

    This page translates the CPU and other chips so you can understand them.
    The Main CPU
    Techincal Terms -
    The Main CPU's are a 68000 and a Z-80. The 68000 runs at 8MHz and can directly access 16MB of RAM. It can handle up to 32MB. The Z-80 processor runs at 4MHz and can only access 64k of ram at a time.
    In English -
    Blazing fast, but there is a problem with co-processors: both don't work at the same time. Unless you have a newer computer(and even then, you need BeOS for its full potential), some NT servers and BeOS servers work with 2 or more processors good. Back then, it was a challenge to seperate the processing time between them.
    The Graphics Chip
    Techincal Terms -
    Another custom chip, the Neo-Geo had support for 4096 colors on screen, and a maximum of 4096. It had support for (almost)unlimited scrolling backgrounds, and had intense scaling(at the time). It also had transparency(not widly used because it was "hacked on").
    In English -
    A VERY good chip for the time it was released, the Neo-Geo had the graphics of a winner. The only thing holding this chip back STILL was the hacked-on 2 parallel processors(much like Saturn......you see where that went).
    The Sound Chip
    Techincal Terms -
    The Neo-Geo had a 15-voice sound chip with 7 dedicated to sampling and using digital sounds. The other 6 was used with a FM synthesis (sounded like an ESS-FM synthesis, If anyone has ever heard that. Its halfway between Wavetable and FM).
    In English -
    SNK had a GREAT chip on their hands. Besting the 2 consoles(Genesis, TurboGraphix) with its 22KHz-44KHz sorta-sampling, the Neo-Geo had Arcade-Quality sound(duh :)) and bested all but SNES in quality. It kept up there with SNES, though.
    In-Cart Chips
    Techincal Terms -
    RAM. Basically what made this console a loser. There was no ram inside the Neo-Geo, it was only inside the Games. The problem with that is the high cost of RAM back then. A new game cost almost $250!
    In English -
    Again, like the Genesis Virtua Racing, If they owuld have brought the price down, more people would have played it.
    Conclusion
    In conclusion, the Neo-Geo was GREAT.....for its time. SNK had made a great, ARCADE console at home where you could get your games at the Arcade instead of a department store. But the fatal flaw remained: NO RAM! If they would have put RAM inside the Neo-Geo, the console would have done much better, in my opinion.