The Hyper Neo Geo 64 is an arcade system board created by SNK, and released in September 1997. As the successor of the popular Neo Geo (MVS), it was the first and only SNK hardware set capable of rendering in 3D, conceived to bring SNK into the 3D era that had arisen during the mid-1990s.
 | |
 Hyper Neo Geo 64 system board and software | |
| Manufacturer | SNK Corporation |
|---|---|
| Product family | Neo Geo |
| Type | Arcade system board |
| Release date | September 1997 |
| Lifespan | 1997–1999 |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| Storage | Memory card |
| Predecessor | Neo Geo MVS |
The system never managed to match the huge success of the 16-bit Neo Geo.[1] Only seven games were produced, none of which proved particularly popular,[2] and only one of them, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, has been ported to home systems. A home console version was rumored to be in development but was never confirmed by SNK.[3]
History
editThe system was first announced in late 1995, and planned for release in late 1996.[4] It was officially unveiled at the February 1997 AOU show, though all that was demonstrated at the show was a videotape containing a few seconds of footage of Samurai Shodown 64, which SNK announced would be the first game for the system.[5] By mid-1997 test units were on display in Japan.[6]
The system was released, only in arcade form, in September 1997, featuring a custom 64-bit RISC processor, 4 megabytes of program memory, 64 megabytes of 3D and texture memory, and 128 megabytes of memory for 2D characters and backgrounds.[7] The first title released for the system was Road's Edge, with Samurai Shodown 64 and Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition following soon after. None were particularly well received. The system was a failure[8] and by 1999 was discontinued, with only seven games released in total. SNK resumed releasing games on their older Neo Geo system.[9]
Reportedly, SNK had been working on a successor hardware. This was reported in 2021 and dubbed SNK Millennium.[10][11]
Specifications
edit- Processors:
- CPU #1 (main): 100 MHz NEC VR4300 (64-bit MIPS III)
- CPU #2 (auxiliary, handles audio I/O): NEC V53@16 MHz 16-bit microcontroller (V33 superset)
- CPU #3 (auxiliary, handles communications I/O): [email protected] MHz 8-bit microcontroller (Z80 compatible)
- Memory layout:
- Sound chip:
- Display:
- Color palette: 16.7 million[13]
- Maximum onscreen color palette: 4,096
- 3D branch: 96 MB vertex memory, 16 MB maximum texture memory[13]
- 2D sprite branch: 60 frames per second animation, 128 MB character memory[13]
- 2D scrolling branch: Up to 4 game planes, 64 MB character memory[13]
- Main functions: scaling, revolution, morphing; horizontal/vertical screen partitioning and line scrolling
List of games
edit| Title | Genre | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beast Busters: Second Nightmare | Rail Shooter | September 11, 1998 | The only third-party game on the platform, developed by ADK |
| Buriki One | Fighting | May 21, 1999 | |
| Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition | Fighting | January 28, 1999 | Ported to Sony's PlayStation in 1999 |
| Road's Edge | Racing | September 10, 1997 | |
| Samurai Shodown 64 | Fighting | December 19, 1997 | |
| Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage | Fighting | October 16, 1998 | |
| Xtreme Rally | Racing | May 13, 1998 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ https://www.theregister.com/2015/03/12/antique_code_show_25_years_of_neo_geo_console/?page=4
- ^ Zwiezen, Zack (March 18, 2021). "24-Year-Old Neo Geo 64 Prototype Latest Game To Be Found In A Field". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ "Other Stuff". Gamefan. Vol. 5, no. 10. 1997. p. 152.
- ^ Webb, Marcus (December 1995). "Arcadia". Next Generation. No. 12. Imagine Media. p. 28.
- ^ "AOU" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 93. Ziff Davis. April 1997. p. 79.
- ^ "In the Studio". Next Generation. No. 33. Imagine Media. September 1997. p. 24.
- ^ "SNK rolls out 64-bit hardware". Edge Magazine. No. 48. 1997. p. 12.
- ^ Extension, Time (July 14, 2022). "Fighting Game Fan Goes To Insane Lengths To Play Obscure Neo Geo 64 Game". Time Extension. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ "The History of SNK". GameSpot. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ Lyles, Taylor (July 9, 2021). "Evidence of a Secret, Unreleased SNK Millennium Console Has Been Discovered". IGN. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ Murray, Sean (July 12, 2021). "Gaming Collector Thinks They Have Found Evidence Of Unreleased SNK Millennium Console". TheGamer. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ "mame/src/devices/sound/l7a1045_l6028_dsp_a.cpp at master · mamedev/mame". GitHub. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Hyper Neo Geo 64". Next Generation. No. 34. Imagine Media. October 1997. p. 21.
- ^ Webb, Marcus (November 18, 1997). "Arcadia: SNK to combine system and dedicated games" (PDF). Next Generation. No. 36 (December 1997). p. 33.