This guide is to advise people who want to play all neo geoMVS arcade carts on there neo geo aessystem what to buy and where to look and to not fall into the pitful of over paying for this equipment.I have also provided links and tips on avoiding fake or bootleg mvs carts which are common.
I only recently got back into the neo geo gaming having sold my aes system years ago due to the release of the much more powerfulgames consoles and theseduction of high end 3d graphics,but as time went on part of me was hankering for yesteryear and that razor sharp 2d gameplay of old.I tryed various ports of neo geo games and emulations but something felt lost.I decided only dedicated snk hardware would do.Ihadno choicepurchase a cheap used aes system and a few of the better games,surely 10 years down the line this should be relatively inexpensive,i only want metal slug,x,3,strikers1945,garou mak of the wolves and possibly viewpoint.I quickly accertained this was not going to possible on my budget not because of the cost of a aes system but the games metal slug500 poundsplus for a original aes cartand strikers 1945 plus300 pounds for a aes conversion as it was never released on the aes console.I did a little research and realised MVS gameswhere my only rootto affordable cheap carts but they will not play on my aes consolewithout a adaptor.I then had two options buy a mvs motherboard convert it to use on my tv or buy aphantom 1 adapter.Option one was not viable as i wanted the timeless looking aes console sitting under my telly and option two the phantom 1 adapter,i had read good and bad comments about these adapters comments likethey where flimsy,where prone to getting stuck had sound and video problemsand i knew any mvs gamepost 1999 was encryted and would not work plus the phantom 1 converter was expensive and hard to find.Then icame acrossthe super mvs converter mk2 by neoteam 2006,i purchased one paid 100 pounds inclusive ofexpress shipping found all my mvs carts worked fine via the converteron myaes console without sound or graphical glitches and was easy to insert and useincluding metal slug,x,3,snk vs capcom,garou mark of the wolves,tophunter,puzzle bobble,strikers 1945 plus.
I purchased a japanese aes console for 92.00 pounds which is 60hz in mint condition with a original neo geoarcade stick with none of the print fadedand samuri spirits 1 and 2 and ryu ken by being patient and shopping aroundon ebay,please dont be sucked in and over spend condition is everything .I had to purchase a memory cardand rgb cable as the standardpicture through thes-videoav cable that comes with the aes console ispoorwhere asa rgb scartcable will give you a image as clear as component on a modern lcd or plasma tv as low serial numbered aes consoles output atrue rgb signalas the av portis directlyhardwired to the motherboard just like the arcadeunlikelater model aes consoleswhere it was bypassed infavour of better s-videooutput,any console with a serial number of below 200,000 is generally true rgb.The memory card is essenttial as it saves your progress allowing you to always start at the last point at which your previous game finished if you wish giving neo gaming a 21st century feel.My total spend with accessories and the super mvs mk2 converter and mvs carts was the price of a next gen games console around 300.00 pounds thatsa aesconsole.rgb cable,memory card,3 aes carts,mvs converter and 8 mvs carts..
Thesuper mvs converter mk2 is of excellent quality and design and looks like half a aes cartridgeallowing easy insertion for mvs carts andentry into the aes console and comescomplete with blue l.e.d that lights when in use and is robust and well manufactured making the whole set up very neat and pleasing on the eye with the convenience of having a small console like setup over roomyugly arcade motherboards that are fragileIf you want to enjoy the delights ofsome mvs onlyexclusives or cheap mvs games over expensive aes cartsbuy thisconverterbut please noteif you have a ac adapter for your aes consolethat outputs less then 3amps purchasethe replacement neo geo aes ac adapter that suppliers of this converter willstock asmost european and americanneo geo aes systems have ac adapters that output between 700ma-1.2amps which is not enough power for a number of mvs carts where as generally japanese aes consoles are fine,just look at your ac adapter its printed on the label.The converter can be purchased directly from theic2005 shop.comand i advise anyone to make sure they only buy genuine SNK mvs cartsfor 100%compatibility.You pay a bit more for the real thingbutalloriginal mvs games willplay in home mode or freeplayon the aes consolewiththeones that play in home mode givingyou extras like a practise mode and options ie difficulty and dont have missing sprites and sound problems and will only increase in value as originally aes carts where cheaper then mvs carts back in 90s.Most sellers on ebay declare if there carts are original but i recommendNEOAMUSEMENT on ebay who are based in japan who only selloriginalmvs games ship cheaply via ems plus you will nothave to pay duty due to the cartridge weightplus therefairly priced and in top condition.I do not own one bootleg or copy and as a general rule most mvs carts have to be opened to check this even if they have genuine looking stickers and serial numbers unless the case isclear alowing you to see the chips which most games post 1999 are.Dont get me wrong some copys areas a good as the originals and work fine andif you pay peanuts for them its not such a bad thingalthough when it comes to re-sale value there practically worth nothing and can get you into hot water with buyers and ebay as they are illegal and go against ebays sellinggenuine goods policy.Your know if you have a copy because all genuine mvs cartchips arenumbered andcan be checked for authenticitythrough theHARDMVS.COMlist under mvs label project main listas each game has the same chip numbers in everymanufactuedcopy of the game.For example every GENUINEstrikers 1945 pluswill have chips with the number 254 and metal slug x 250.All genuine mvs snk games will generallyhavetoshiba mainchips inside or various other chips that have snk printed on them or are plainbut numbered but do not be fooled by snk circuit boards as nearly all fakes will have these.If you have chips that have mx printed on them therebootleg orcopys although some genuinesnk carts do use eproms and may use reclaimed chips from older mvs games which wasperformed by snkon less popular games(power spikes)or independent collectorsand traders on dead cartsasrepairs or conversions.Remember the neo geo is retro soyou want to play the games how snk intended you want them to be genuinei neverpay more then between10-60 poundsunless the mvs cartis rare like blazing star or strikers 1945 and is inimmaculate conditionwith a shockbox or with the snk fullkit.The metal slug games are cheap to obtain and dont pay more then 15-45pounds.You will find most mvs games areheavily worn with missing orunstuck labelsand have dirty contacts(golden fingers) although if your willing toshop around or get luckythey can bepurchased in quite exceptional condition but if you do getone with dirty contactsalways clean these by carefully opening the cart removing the boards and use a tiny dot of washing up liquid in warm water and clean the contacts with a cotton bud and allow to dry before using.Never touch the chips and always handle the boards in the corners they are robust but can be damaged by static from your hands.I do prefer aes games as i like the boxes and general top condition they can be brought in but only a fool would pay 500 pounds plus for a genuine metal slug aes cartwhich can be completed in around 25 minutes andcan be broughtforbetween 10-35 pounds on the mvs format and is identicalplus when you considerstake winners which in my opinion ispoor andcan be broughton themvs format for 10 pounds butsells for 900 pounds onthe aes format you begin to question some peoples sanity.Sadly because of rich collectors whomay or may notplay there aes gamesthe common man like me or you are keeped out of the loop unless where prepared to re-mortgage the house.Your probably have your favourite neo geo games but i will list what i consider to be the best games and essential purchases-viewpoint,blazing star,strikers 1945 plus,samuri showdown/spirits,metal slug,x,3,garou mark of the wolves,puzzle bobble,the last bladeand pulstar.Its also worth noteing that compared to most retro2d consoles the neo geo was and stillis way aheadof everythingelse interms of its 2d sprite scaling capabilitys and ability to render hand drawn backrounds with cart size and circuit board sizebeing the only difference between the mvs and aes format as both contain the same chips thats why you will see a lot of mvs chipsre-soldered onto aes circuit boards and sold as aesconversions.The aes consoles motherboard is the same as the mvs motherboard giving the true arcade experience in the home but with the luxury of a stylish self contained consoleand though rgb scarton a modern tv can provide as sharpa image and asgood a experience as any modern video game.
So there you have it you know what to do and where to look andthis guide is to save people money,time andtheheadaches i went through not to endorse any seller or company only to stop people paying more then 100 pounds for this converter and to much for mvs carts.My soul intension is to get as many people enjoying neo geo gaming to give it back to the people and take itout of the hands of collectors and hobbyistswho just drive neo prices up making it less acessible as currently everything neo has a stupid price on it.As a gamer forover 25years i want everybody to have the snk experience ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
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