Classic Game Room HD - NEO-GEO CDZ console review

Classic Game Room HD reviews the rare NEO-GEO CDZ video game console from SNK. The NeoGeo CDZ plays Neo Geo CD games but has much faster loading times, as demonstrated in this video. This is a hardware review showing the Neo-Geo CDZ game system next to the Neo Geo CD game system showing the difference between the units. Neo Geo CDZ was released in 1996 in Japan and is a rarity in the US which jacks up the price tag of an already pricey 1990's game console.

[@LGR]

Ah, saw you were borrowing this, and was quite glad to see this show up in the ol' subscription feed. AWESOME

[@bookshelffury]

What's up lgr lol

[@Glokas7]

Best ending ever Mark. I'm sure he dropped a clinker when you pulled that sharpie out.Excellent review and comparison! That difference in loading is what i think alot of people are considering, when purchasing this console. It really helps to see those listing times side by side.

[@footyrazino]

The NeoGeo CD Z; for those who really, REALLY hate loading times.

[@MetalSonicodraco7342]

3DO! I prefer to play those games on some more upgraded ports like the Last Blade 2 for DC, and KOF Games like the Ultimate Match or directly for a MVS/AES (I Have a MVS Consolized I wanna to buy a AES for collection) but I don't hate totally loading times for games I play just be myself like pulstar or Magician Lord, but for Challenging friend or invite my girlfriend to play I prefer to use MVS. Still love the Arrange OST for the major part of games. (Sorry my horrible English)

[@Old_Man_Jay]

I just won a cdz on ebay! Cant wait till it comes in the mail!

[@Ishidasouken]

"I forget what game I'm really loading here" "By the time the game loads, I'm actually in the mood for something else" haha, so true

[@acidsyringe69]

i love how you post one video a day. really feeds my addiction to your awesome videos. :)

[@neros77]

This is truly the greatest reviews about games and consoles on the net. Awesome stuff :-)

[@glammetalrenegade408]

Lord.... You don't just talk about consoles and games, but you ALWAYS give us some awesome clips of you playing the games. I love that about you brother!

[@steviepat01]

My grandad found one of these in his attic and now it's on top of my ps4.

[@steviepat01]

Also need to ask, is Neo Drift Out only on mvs?

[@thesteve7377]

RiSe/L2 ReconZ Neo Drift is on mvs, aes, and cd, great game

[@steviepat01]

Steven Bryant YYYEEEESSSSSS Thanks for letting me know :) I really like the look of it but i didn't know if it was mvs exclusive or not.

[@o-datsingh7296]

Your grandad?? How old is your grandad?

[@EstrategistaMKX]

Double the speed, double the price. I actually like the original NGCD design better, and now comming from the future, there is a SD card mod that makes it fast. They are planning this mod for CDZ too but for now it is uncertain. Thanks for the review!

[@Mokinari]

Thanks for putting in gameplay for this video, makes it far more enjoyable to actually relate what your saying to visuals.

[@solarstrike33]

Neo Geo CDeez Nuts

[@reshiram202]

+SolarstrikeVG stop

[@solarstrike33]

reshiram202 I get it.

[@TripleCZ]

Goteeee

[@box-breaker3837]

Ive been gaming for 25 years plus and my NeoGeo CDZ is by far my favourite machine in my 50 plus console collection! SNK are awesome! I have 8 SNK consoles, 7 all boxed mint "as good as shop new" and a sealed boxed new CDZ, the pride and joy of my gaming collection. My CDZ is easily my most played console, used most days followed by my AES and WiiU. Ive an AES, 2 CD (front, top), 2 CDZ, Pocket color and the little none Pocket color 'slim'... Sorry to jabber on but I'm super passionate about SNK!! Im 5 carts away from a complete cart collection of officially released game, my collections made of Tap, US and EURO cart, bought most new and at launch from Telegames in the UK, even have Ultimate 11:SuperSideKicks4 and a US copy of KOF 2000, Ive been offered a five figure sum for those two games alone!!

[@michaeleconomides4054]

Where did you get U11?

[@box-breaker3837]

Michael Economides I'm an old man in gamers eyes, being 33, ancient! But, not sure if your in the U.K. but I bought U11 as a new release from Telegames in Leicester. They were an official multi region stockist of AES and CD, games and hardware, right until the last official release (AES 2004 Samurai Spirits Zero Special/5 and CD 1999 KOF99), use to get a train up there to blow a months wage on an AES or a couple of CD games. They still stocked brand new sealed consoles right till there close, I bought 2 brand spanking "new old stock" CDZs when they closed down for £375! It was like a "Willy Wonkers factory" for video game. Also they had a "buyers club" if you joined you had a month after the AES cart was bought you could swap it as long as it was mint, it also guaranteed you had first call on new release. NEO GEO my favourite console ever! MJ

[@michaeleconomides4054]

Interesting story, thanks for sharing. Is your U11 Euro? I am curious as to origins / authenticity of U11 Euro as so few copies supposedly exist. I don't think an offset print run of less than a few hundred inserts/manuals/cart stickers is very likely. Would be pointless (and maybe impossible) to carve plates and only run off less than 10 copies. So far as I know, there is no mention of it in dealer price lists, mail order catalogs, or advertising/promotional material. I'm in the US. You're not ancient at all, I'm 42. I bought a AES and 2 games in summer of 1991, from the only store in town that carried it (Babbage's - a predecessor of GameStop). I too had to spend all my earnings on it (from a summer job). My favorite console as well....arcade perfect.

[@box-breaker3837]

.. You've made me think, and question the authenticity of this cart I have so many AES games plus an almost complete CD library. We are talking nearly 10 years ago (since TG closed) and it was 97 or 98 I think I bought U11, I cant see Telegames selling repo carts without saying outright its a repo. It cost me £299 as did most new release, but after reading and watching loads of videos about some of the later releases it seems like U11 was a game given a very limited run so I need to get it authenticated some how, I thought SS4/U11 was a fairly common cart I thought the super doopa rare was saved for the likes of PAL Kizuna. I genuinely didn't no U11 was up there. Ive even just emailed Telegames, the don't exist, as such, anymore but they do have a contact us on there website. I like to think of myself quite the NEO buff, clearly I need to brush up on my info. And I feel ancient at 33 I can tell you that! The NEO is right up there in the all time greats for me, my AES and CDZ are the only console that stay connected to the TV at all times. Do you only have AES or do you go for CD to?

[@michaeleconomides4054]

One way to authenticate it would be to use a 10x jeweler's loupe (or microscope) and look at the meg count and "Advanced Entertainment System" printed on the insert. Also look at the ROM cartridge logo on the front of manual. The edges of the letters and numbers should be razor sharp. There should be no blurriness or fuzzy edges whatsoever. Compare what you see on U11 to your other Neo games. They should look identical. See this thread for example of a fake: www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?202238-Brace-Yourselves!-High-Quality-Counterfeiting-Has-Begun! But there are also fakes that are offset printed and look better than SNK, such as Aero Fighters 3 English (made by DGE in Canada) If the printing is TOO sharp on the "Advanced Entertainment System" letters, this is a giveaway as well. U11 is considered the second rarest cart, with Kizuna Encounter being the rarest. However, I also believe that KE is most likely not an official SNK release... KOF 2000 US/English is definitely not official SNK, but still very sought after and commands high prices. Yes, Neo is the greatest console of all time! It did what no other console of it's day ever could: it literally brought the arcade home. A bold move given the cost, even a little insane... but SNK had the balls to do it, and that's what makes it so unique. I'm an AES collector. Never paid the CDs much attention until recently when I saw NGCD version of Magician Lord. When I heard the beefed up soundtrack, and saw the reasonable load times, I knew it was time to explore this option, at least for certain games. So finally, after almost 26 years I'm going to buy a NGCD and NGCDz. :-) Saw your other video about the accident and surgery bro, best of luck to you and keep your chin up. Sounds like you have a kick ass collection too.

[@ThunderFist1978]

I just picked one of these up today with 8 games! Freaking sweet!

[@deaditefuckgirl]

Yes. The AES can be picked up pretty much anywhere. This sold only about 10,000 copies in Japan and that's it.

[@lxs077]

aww man i almost had a heart attack when he pulled out that sharpie i just thought "did he specifically ask you to sign it???????" lmao

[@YousefTube]

If it's a control it's okay but the console it self that crazy.

[@MegaAstroFan18]

Love the signing thing. Cruel prank, but a good one.

[@usunoro]

In addition to opening with a button, it also has the awesome feature of often overheating and breaking itself!

[@covid19alpha2variantturboc7]

Videos like these is why I love this channel

[@thetylife]

Man..that is one impressive and HUGE arcade stick. It looks like it is cut right off of a MVS cabinet...with the red inserts and all that.I've never seen that before.

[@DukeNukem2020]

I love how he says: "Hey look at that! This one opens with a button."

[@JohnnyCagePro]

damn it hurts me that SNK was never a relevant home console manufacturer, this CDZ thing should've been the original AES concept.

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

I’m up late at night watching 1990’s video game videos. I’ve watched: #1. The history of 3DO #2 Why Saturn failed #3 a play through of SHINOBI X #4. A review of PS classic #5. A review of NES classic #6. A review of SNES classic #7. A review of TG16 classic #8. WHY DREAMCAST FAILED #9 CDi #10 TOP 10 WORST GAME CONSOLES #11 CDX #12 NEO GEO I always wanted a CD X but when I was a kid $300 for one of these was kind of like asking your parents to spend $1000 now. It’s funny that now that I am 38 years old and I have so much money that I can go out and buy any video game console I want I still can’t bring myself to bring up enough desire to buy one of these off of eBay. I kind of want the CD X, the Turbo Express and Turbo Duo because I still have leftover advertising in my mind from 25 years ago It would be nice to have a single classic console with all the Master system, Genesis, 32X, Saturn, SEGA CD, and Dreamcast games on it.

[@Skriak]

Quite an improved model. Smaller, much quicker loading times...if not for the extreme price, the CDZ would be an outstanding system. Oh well, at least you can read a magazine while waiting for your regular CD system to load.

[@Bloufo]

@ ViciousAlienKlown, The CDZ just had a larger amount of cache, the CD-ROM motor is still only a 1x speed CD-ROM. BTW, I don't know if this has been mentioned in the previous comments here, but the CDZ has a design flaw which sometimes causes the unit to overheat after certain periods of time. Because of a lack of adequate ventilation, there is a serious risk of permanent damage that can occur to the circuit board.

[@Indead]

S-video out, how beautiful.

[@franciscor.6828]

Amazing. Love learn about Neo Geo CDZ. 👏👏👏

[@winlover37]

That priceless "mmmmm" at 0:56

[@awsanomer9743]

Neo Geo was best 2d games in 90s.

[@segagamerguy]

Great review! Awesome looking console!

[@javierortiz82]

Good review. God I love the Neo Geo CD even though I haven't seen one ever, but the NCDZ emulator made the job for me and the fking thing was amazing, sad thing is that it isn't fully compatible with my new v card.

[@FacchiniBRTV]

"let's watch that again.. woow cool" love your comments haha

[@TheRealDustinNunn]

When I was a kid, I never owned a Neo-Geo CD console. But if I wanted one right now today, I would get the Neo-Geo CDZ. I swear, why didn't SNK make the original Neo-Geo CD have faster loading times in the first place? Oh, and by the the way, the original Neo-Geo CD and the Neo-Geo CDZ are missing some reset buttons. Just wanted to point that out.

[@southpaw8123]

NEO-GEO whaaaaaat! LOLLL This guy has all the consoles! I been looking for one of these.

[@carlitoxxe]

OOOhhh jeezzz! I dream playing metal slug with that arcade stick. It would be similar to the real arcade game

[@DRZ23501ST]

lol good one mark " im gonna sign it "

[@srazor66]

I TRULY PUKED WHEN THE SHARPIE CAME INTO THE VIDEO . I SWEAR ON MY LIFE .

[@FrontManagement621]

Well good to know SNK had more than just a handheld system, that's really all I knew about the company. Except of course I like all their King of Fighters characters.

[@DukeNukem2020]

@SuperNESFreak haha, you're lucky. The longest I've had to wait was during the original Playstation age(1995), and those games loaded 3x as long, at least for a fast loader.

[@KedViper]

Woe, the end almost gave ME a heart-attack.

[@theothertube]

End made me chuckle.

[@CoolDudeClem]

Mabe the Z is short for zip, as the loading proccess just zips along.

[@lordkaicer]

I recommend to you to take a look at the neo-geo.com forums there you can find whatever you need for the consoles AES, CD and the MVS. Its not a dificult mod they can guide you well and give you the right components to use.

[@GoldoMania.]

Yeahhh! Neo-Geo i forgot about this one :) Excellent console!!

[@PeterBrocifer]

can't wait until the game stick review :)

[@blizzofozz]

Would you need a power converter to play one of these in the USA?

[@311fob]

Gotta love Neo-Geo.

[@SNKNostalgia]

Another difference is the video output quality. The Top Loader NGCD has slanted video barring. It looks different depending on whether you use Composite or S-Video. This is similar to vertical bars on a Sega Genesis 2, except slanting from the top left to the bottom right of the screen. The CDZ has flawless video output... and yes, the CDZ is definitely worth buying if you bother to go with NGCD. 30 seconds vs. 15-17 seconds is definitely worth the difference. My CDZ has no overheat problems.

[@sk8rdude2992]

Those 48 people are insanely patient :o

[@JuanSanchez-rb4qu]

I remember seeing ads on GameFan for the CDZ back in the day so maybe they did plan to launch in the USA Or maybe it was an importer?

[@txcforever]

With a little bit of searching you can find CDZ with roughly the same price as the CD (at least from Japan sellers). Unfortunately I bought my NEO GEO CD before I discover that there was a better version of the console, since the cost would be roughly the same. :(

[@The90sGamingGuy]

Never heard about this one. Did not hear about a Neo-Geo CD until 2 years ago. Which makes sense. Neo-Geo consoles costed quite a bit.

[@SNKNostalgia]

RGB doesn't have the jail-barring like composite and S-video. CDZ systems can be a little harder to get but if you look around at the Neo-Geo dot com forum sell/buy areas you can get one for a around $350 maybe less. I personally think it is worth it. The loading times make a difference with games like Art of Fighting 3, KOF 96-99, Last Blade 1 and 2 without a doubt. As long as you keep the system on an open flat surface in a 72 degree room, it won't overheat. Just make sure you get a good one.

[@ZenPunk]

Gotta say the Neo-Geo CD is a good-looking console.

[@DukeNukem2020]

I did remember hearing about cassette tape based games, but never experienced with them.

[@rhodesy761uk]

@PhantomOfTheGamer the wii is a gamecube with motion controllers packaged as a new system as you probably know all gamecube games work on the wii

[@Stingos]

awesome as always 10000000/5

[@xRocketzFighterx]

Would you review SNK classics volume 1 on the wii or PS2? I would love to own a neo geo but the loading times are horrible but most of the SNK games kick ass.

[@DukeNukem2020]

@TeamRocketReviews Usually floppy discs did load since they were like a mini disc in a way. But why would a cassete load? There's no lense, moving parts, nothing. It plugs directly into the motherboard. Well, the commordore 64 was a pc in a way.

[@djsmith3000]

Lol I like how how put the arcade 'stick' there...waited then stated the blatent obvious that it was bigger than the console. I just thought it was good humour =] especially when he added "I like that" lol =D

[@ATARI800XLfan]

I am thinking of getting a Cd unit, is the price difference worth it, I play the Neo Geo mostly for shooters and fighting games.

[@DukeNukem2020]

@CaptFat123 Remember there were games that were multi-cd like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil 2, and so on? I kind of liked games that were 3 or 4 CDs long, Kind of made me feel like the game was going to be a long game. I'm kind of glad Final Fantasy XIII was 3 cds long, brought back memories.

[@fszron]

@LizardkingMario SNK sold over a million AES units! I don't know how many CD/CDZ units were sold though. But you get my drift....each AES unit was $500+ and each game was upwards of $200.

[@vittau]

I would've loved to get my console back signed by Mark =D

[@CaptFat123]

@DukeNukem2020 I remember Gran Turismo 2 coming out on two discs, also Command & Conquer Red Alert for the pc. Loading times weren't bad, but heck the game was so awesome it had TWO discs! xD

[@polski7781]

It cost so freaking much, which in turn not very many people bought them, which made them RARE and EXPENSIVE. And they weren't built too well, at least mine anyways.

[@juliocabral2084]

I didn't know this thing was so expensive. I guess I need to bring it into the house and out of the garage

[@Bannanawaffles2]

@Nirond Because these are really rare now so if you do find one it is going to be pricy, either save up for one or settle for a standard CD, they are less rare and therefore, less expensive. Mark doesnt even own the one in the video, he borrowed it, so he can not even really afford one or can find one.

[@RavenShinyThings]

i am surprised they did not make a third model when the saturn and PlayStation were starting to come out and just did a price war and threw in a quality cable but o well everyone wanted their 3d

[@DukeNukem2020]

@LordCiemnosciEXE the PSX was the only console I ever ran into any problems with. My NES, Genesis, SNES, Gameboy Pocket, and N64 all still work fine with no issues.

[@Bannanawaffles2]

@Nirond Ebay, thats about it. Do that or go to the thrift store. These things are rare now, there is not many places you can get them from.

[@GAMINGMATRIXXX]

How does the CDZ handle memory? For example, if I play Metal Slug and I advance to a certain point, can I turn my CDZ off and then resume where I left off?

[@maiki60fps]

There are loading times since the game has to be loaded from HDD BUT that is going to change soon... SSD storage is due... shorter and shorter... BTW HDDs are somewhere else than optical discs...

[@SEGAMasterSystemNerd]

I just got a boxed CDZ off ebay for $195.. result :)

[@roubagalinhas]

loading times arent really an issue, unless its a fighting game. the regular neo geo had a 1x drive, thats why loading times were slowish

[@Realwessharpe]

Neo Geo CD load times don't really bother me at all for some reason. Then again I only have 4 games for it, and none of them are The Last Blade, which I heard had atrocious loads.

[@maxmydog25]

@DesolateMiinds Ever current gen console has its own arcade stick. It you don't like those and if you have 130 bones the throw down you can buy an X-Arcade Dual Joystick which has some advances to other arcade sticks. Like working with all current consoles with the right adapter and have two ticks with are American style (i think) unlike other arcade sticks. There a single model for 100 or a duel modle with a track ball (winch only works with PC games) for 200 dollars.

[@BrightSpark]

The review in a nutshell: "The NeoGeo CDZ has faster loading times, has a open button, faster loading times, but is otherwise the same as the NeoGeo CD. Oh, and did I mention the loading times?"

[@sciprio1]

Is the av output the same as the sega genesis av output? It looks very similar.

[@sciprio1]

It is an amazing console it's really worth.

[@lightdark28]

the Neo Geo CD is a cool console though in all honesty, quite a few Neo Geo games released at the time were ported onto other systems. most of the Neo Geo ports on the Sega Saturn are arcade perfect or nearly arcade perfect and have much faster loading times. Games like metal slug, king of fighters 95/96/97 ,and a few fatal fury games were some of the best fighting games on the Saturn.

[@LukeBaty]

Oh my god, I could've got one of these at a pawn shop in Japan for like $12, but I didn't have enough room to take it with me.

[@SEGAMasterSystemNerd]

I picked up a boxed complete CDZ for £130 last week, pretty chuffed.. looking forward to them faster loading times!

[@JerryTerrifying]

Just get a damn AES and an adapter for MVS carts if you're worried about the price of games. Although there are plenty of entry level AES carts.

[@BoxcarWillie42]

very educational!

[@paulspydar]

The games are still expensive imho, I own a cdz & 11 games ,the fighting games are cheap but games like pulstar will cost me £200 (about 350 bucks I think) Ninja Commando ,last Resort are all 150 bucks at least ,Dont get me wrong I am really glad to own the cdz still looks great ,I play it on a 55 inch LCD connected with HDMI at 1080p upscaler,

[@eagle1337]

there's sitll load times with SSDs. The internet isn't there yet either for digital distribution.

[@DnZpcGaming]

nice i love neo geo !

[@UFRecords01]

Good review as usual, but it would have been nice to explain WHY CDZ loads faster.

[@NCXitlali]

do you have any info on how to fan mod a CDZ? I tend to play my games for hours and I don't wanna ruin a 300 dollar piece of hardware! o.O

[@PonderingGhost]

NeCacaluXuxultic I have some valuable information concerning the CDZ & keeping it nice & cool. No modification needed.

[@RoberthStrand]

@retread01 me too :S I was kinda not paying attention but as soon as he said it my eyes were staring at the screen :P

[@9B1T]

im only on here to pass time between Mark's E3 vids.. i notice that everyone else hasnt been on here since b4 E3 started.

[@hiawa23]

I made the mistake of buying the CDZ not knowing that it was Japanese only so all my games are in japanese, but it's an awesome system if you love the SNK games.

[@vtnwesley]

Can you run unauthorized copies on it? I'm sure you can still find some games, but I bet a lot aren't possible to find.

[@eagleclaw006]

i got it on PS2, I love it

[@TKnightcrawler]

The end was funny. :D

[@lordkaicer]

Yes it has faster loading time but it has a lot of crashes too, because lack of ventilation and heating. If you want to take the CDZ to the real level you have to do a fan mod or whatever mod you may come with for ventilation. Just give it a 2 an a half hour of non stop play and you will eventually see it. I better stay wi th the neo geo cd and the consolize mvs.

[@Superdimensional]

I play Neo Geo Game's on my PCZ and it has zero load times ;-) and was FREE #MAME32 FTW!

[@SpiralPegasus]

Neo Geo ACDC? FUCKING AWESOME, DO WANT!

[@outlawkelb]

great now you can review the power cable for this console

[@GameGod77]

the neo-geo cdz is kinda like the model 2 genesis, improving on the first one in many ways!