Post
Arcade-perfect gaming at home, if you could afford a console that cost more than a used car.
SNK's Neo Geo (1990) took a radical approach: put the exact same hardware from the arcade cabinet into a home console. No compromises, no watered-down ports. The result was pixel-perfect fighting games and shooters that looked identical to their arcade counterparts. The catch was the price. The console launched at $649, and individual game cartridges cost $200 or more. It became a status symbol among hardcore gamers and fighting game enthusiasts. The Neo Geo's MVS arcade counterpart dominated fighting game venues, and the AES home system delivered the same experience for those willing to pay a premium.
Example
Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, and The King of Fighters series all called Neo Geo home. A single Neo Geo cartridge of The King of Fighters '94 cost $250 at retail, roughly $520 in today's money.
Why it matters
The Neo Geo proved that a niche, premium-priced console could sustain a dedicated community for over a decade. It also kept the fighting game genre alive and thriving during a period when arcades were declining everywhere else.
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