Neo geo 161 in 1 multi game cartridge review
I've recently purchased a Neo Geo MVS (arcade) multi-game cartridge.The collector in me feels the need to apologize for spending money on an unofficial, pirated cartridge, but one cannot easily deny the convenience of being able to play a hundred games on your arcade machine, without having to open it up to change cartridges.
It is the 161 in 1 banana yellow cartridge! Many of the 161 games are actually hacks of original games, which are slightly modified. No real value in those for me; I mainly bought it for the about a hundred original games, so I will henceforth only relate to these. The package also includes a flimsy sticker which lists all titles. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros
Great functional value - your arcade machine can now run a hundred games right away
Not emulation-based - unlike other multi game arcade PCBs, the roms on this cartridge play on the actual hardware (the Neo geo motherboard), which means no slowdowns, and faithful graphics/sound
Low cost per game - just over a dollar a game
Cons
Unofficial - if you have at least a bit of a collector in you, then this should bother you somewhat
Finicky - read about my experiences with some of the games below
No warranty - if yours is a lemon, you've just bought yourself a nice, unofficial paperweight.
This is the board inside my arcade machine. It is possibly the oldest Neo Geo arcade motherboard (including possibly the oldest BIOS), and I've read about at least one more person having trouble with it. Some of the games reset about 30-40 seconds after being started.
The interesting part is that the same games that were resetting will work properly after the machine has been on for about half an hour. It may be because of things heating up, becoming better conductors, causing the voltage to increase just enough for the el cheapo memory chips to work properly inside the banana cart.
Sometimes the problematic games refuse to start right away, but after you restart the machine a few times, they start working. I've also noticed that there's a better chance of these games starting up successfully when using a surge protection power bar, rather than plugging in directly into the wall.
Other reports I've read indicate that the yellow wonder works nicely on newer single slot and multi slot motherboards.
In conclusion, if you have an older single slot (such as a MV1 MVH) you'll notice issues, but they're bearable. If you have a newer single slot, or a multi slot, based on my prior research of Neo geo threads, etc., you should experience little to no issues.
While it is an unofficial cartridge or questionable quality, it is the lowest dollar per game price tag you will ever see for a Neo geo game.
It is the 161 in 1 banana yellow cartridge! Many of the 161 games are actually hacks of original games, which are slightly modified. No real value in those for me; I mainly bought it for the about a hundred original games, so I will henceforth only relate to these. The package also includes a flimsy sticker which lists all titles. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros
Great functional value - your arcade machine can now run a hundred games right away
Not emulation-based - unlike other multi game arcade PCBs, the roms on this cartridge play on the actual hardware (the Neo geo motherboard), which means no slowdowns, and faithful graphics/sound
Low cost per game - just over a dollar a game
Cons
Unofficial - if you have at least a bit of a collector in you, then this should bother you somewhat
Finicky - read about my experiences with some of the games below
No warranty - if yours is a lemon, you've just bought yourself a nice, unofficial paperweight.
Using the 161 in 1 on a MV1 MVH single slot motherboard
This is the board inside my arcade machine. It is possibly the oldest Neo Geo arcade motherboard (including possibly the oldest BIOS), and I've read about at least one more person having trouble with it. Some of the games reset about 30-40 seconds after being started.
The interesting part is that the same games that were resetting will work properly after the machine has been on for about half an hour. It may be because of things heating up, becoming better conductors, causing the voltage to increase just enough for the el cheapo memory chips to work properly inside the banana cart.
Sometimes the problematic games refuse to start right away, but after you restart the machine a few times, they start working. I've also noticed that there's a better chance of these games starting up successfully when using a surge protection power bar, rather than plugging in directly into the wall.
Other reports I've read indicate that the yellow wonder works nicely on newer single slot and multi slot motherboards.
In conclusion, if you have an older single slot (such as a MV1 MVH) you'll notice issues, but they're bearable. If you have a newer single slot, or a multi slot, based on my prior research of Neo geo threads, etc., you should experience little to no issues.
While it is an unofficial cartridge or questionable quality, it is the lowest dollar per game price tag you will ever see for a Neo geo game.