Neo Geo Pocket Color - Why Did This Console Fail?

[@ensabahnur7657]

The original Neo Geo was a true arcade experience at home but almost nobody could afford them!

[@crimesforkibble6912]

Rich people

[@YokiBrewster]

Neo geo was such a oddity to me. I remember my brother explaining to me how much games were for it and my little mind couldn’t put it together.

[@LordSithFelix]

even today it's a real pain to get one

[@mariokart8715]

And Microsoft. Sega too.

[@bleach666]

@master_misanthrope2715and their games were 8 times more expensive than any other consoles at that era

[@GoodlyPenguin]

The thumbnail and ending is an absolute classic

[@fredskull1618]

Its game library may have been pint-sized compared to the competition, but it had some truly iconic titles! A true underdog console that left behind a legacy that continues to inspire today's gaming world. It may not have won the handheld wars, but it sure was a kick-ass little system.

[@jamesburchill7522]

One word. Pokemon. No one could get a break into the handheld market because of the wild popularity of Pokemon.

[@Coolremac]

This is a necessity for gracious living.

[@cypherian2]

Loved and miss my NGPC! I had about a half dozen games for it and think of them often. Thanks for doing this video, it brought back many fond memories!

[@andipajeroking]

Buy one, and play the games ❤

[@HammerHeadBubba]

When I was in my drivers Ed class years ago I brought my gba and another guy had one of these. He showed it to me and i remember really wanting one. We were around 15 then and I remember other kids acting like they were too cool for those types of video games. Even still they would watch and ask questions while they pretended to not be interested. We didn’t care though we were just happy to be gaming. He was playing one of the snk fighting games and I was playing Castlevania cotm. Those were good days

[@thecunninlynguist]

I still have my NGPC. Primarily bought it for snk v Capcom. Glad they ported over some ngpc onto the switch. Hoping we get biomotor unitron. That was the other game i had

[@keaton718]

I love staying abreast of retro gaming history.

[@Drforrester31]

I remember seeing in a magazine some pictures of a Neo Geo Pocket Color and a Game Boy Color in a boxing ring, with the NGPC winning their "match", and just thinking there wasn't a chance in hell Neo Geo was overtaking Nintendo. I think that same magazine had some overseas photos of Pokemon Gold and Silver too, which made this fantasy fight even sillier to my Nintendo fanboy eyes

[@Roy5556]

I still whip out my Neo Geo Pocket from time to time even to this day. The little clicky joystick is still one of the most comfy and satisfying ways to control a character in all of gaming and it's definitely worth playing these games on original hardware for this reason alone. Loved Dark Arms and Last Blade I put so many hours in both those titles

[@andreacastoldi7701]

Great video! (and cool Mai costume 🙃)

[@mctown972]

I still have mine and every once in a while I play some Sonic or Metal Slug. Such an underrated handheld 😔

[@PlasmaSnake369]

Remember seeing multi-page advertisements in Popular Science magazine for the Neo Geo Pocket color in I think 1999. I was quite impressed with it and wanted one badly as a kid. Don't think Ive seen one in my life though, and I play a lot of retro games now but this never really seems like a system worth emulating to me.

[@thecunninlynguist]

it is! it kicked major ass. Switch has some ports of the games. Metal Slug, Snk v Capcom and a few others.

[@Mr_jz_12]

Saw one at a pax in australia last year. Was suprised to see it.

[@XVa-uj8m]

It has the best fighting controls for a handheld imo.

[@knowledge4741]

The whole Neo Geo library including Color is probably less than 1GB. No point to not have it in the library. I do also have over 75TB of games though.

[@barryklinedinst6233]

I had one of these handhelds. It was a nice unit. Very good controls and some great games. Just not enough games. And Gameboy was selling like wild fire

[@tuestaslocoviste]

You are truly an Enciclopedia of game history and game entertainment. Brilliant. Excellent.

[@shannonmanley9217]

Another Great video. keep them coming. looking forward to the next one.

[@chrislaustin]

I've been gaming since the late 70's on my dads Apple II computer, then Game & Watch and other devices to call my own. It's always been about gaming for me, and while Nintendo has always dominated this space, I owned almost every competitor over the years as well as Nintendo's best efforts. The Neo Geo Pocket was one of my favs(I owned the OG & Color), for the micro switch style stick for controls, it really makes a difference for fighting games. One of my favorite games released was Pac-Man of all games, as it provided a plastic 4-way stick guide that made wrong moves a thing of yesterday. For the longest time, handheld gaming was always seen as a child/kids market, and that is why Nintendo always controlled that space, as they had the most kid friendly IP's and support from 3rd parties(Kid Dracula and the like). The Lynx, Game Gear, Turbo Express, Nomad, Neo Geo Pocket, etc., all these devices had more adult style offerings, but very few adults ever entered the space. And since all these other devices had poor battery life, bigger sizes, etc., they just never played well for kids, hence the poor sells of each one. The PSP was the first one to really give N a run for there money, but it still fell short, and the Vita fell off even more(in large part due to Sony). Now it's crazy how handhelds are a must have for adults, and are popular with all ages and all types, but it took ages to get here.

[@mariokart8715]

Switch and Steam Deck. DS & 3DS too.

[@KamenDesantis]

Kid me had no idea I was holding Neo Geos last gasp in the hardware market, I only knew it blew my gameboy out of the water at the time. It was the first handheld I owned with a system menu that let you do stuff without a game installed. Extremely limited stuff, but still stuff. Date and time, language, and a horoscope gimmick. Faselei was an amazing game but also my first time hearing clear vocals in the intro on a handheld! Many games in the lineup had trading and collecting via link cable to milk the pokecraze. I think if they had brought over the radio link and made it able to play local music stations, the system would have put up a much better fight in the states.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I remember back in the mid-00s, everybody had Card Fighter's Clash-style card avatars on their Livejournal.

[@Deniki666]

I still have mine. Modded with an IPS screen it's a lovely little handheld. Normally I don't mind emulating old games, but I prefer the clicky stick for the Neo Geo Pocket library.

[@TheCervante2]

all they needed was to seal the deal with ban-dai and have digimon as an exclusive

[@blitzerblazinoah6838]

I used to have a Neo Geo Pocket Colour with Sonic Pocket Adventure until I had to sell them due to poverty.

[@mikekanner2156]

I guess you don’t know every console failed until it was 2001 original Xbox PS2 Dreamcast that was just the beginning for gaming play all the classic arcade games you loved in the arcade in your house there was no handheld console that can deliver the true arcade experience there was no mini Xbox handheld if Microsoft would of released one it would be playing amazing

[@brichan1851]

Oh MAI, my Lady…

[@cabbitkisser2620]

i remember going to GameStop. & talking to one of the guy's that work there about games. i looked at asked him. just for the hell of it do you got any neogeo pocket color's left. he said yes i got 1 left he pulled out the neogeo & it came with 6 games for $40. i had the cash on me. so i whipped out the cash quick & bought right there on the spot & walked out happy. i still have it today.

[@bdillmore40]

Absolutely loved the video Lady Decade!!! I've been a fan and owner of a NGPC since 2012! Yep I remember the year, and even why I got it. It's been nothing but love ever since! Now I own 3 different color variants of the NGPC, and have around 10 games for it. Buying games for it back then were cheap because no one cared about it!!!!!!

[@jaydee1124]

I remember when they were liquidating consoles at the end and a system came packed with five game cartridges new. I loved it being an SNK fan.

[@Gameboy-Unboxings]

1:55 I always wondered if anyone actually has one of these consoles that they used for the commercials with the big "GAME BOY" text. They look so damn cool.

[@ericm215]

It needs to be released as the pocket classic edition

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

It's shocking to me that after the release of GAME GEAR that any game maker would release anything less than a colored, backlit screen.

[@IceBlueLugia]

Because the Game Gear sold okay at best. More expensive and horrendous battery life. It’s unfortunate but it’s true. The Nomad was even worse in terms of sales. Remember the Atari Lynx and TurboExpress? Yeah, probably not. People back then weren’t looking for the most cutting-edge handheld tech; handheld gaming by itself was a new and novel enough concept to succeed. As such, the cheaper, the better The GBC wasn’t backlit either and it was only a modest power upgrade from the Game Boy; yet it was a huge success. Clearly not as important to people in the 90s as it is nowadays. Games sell the hardware, not the pure power, and Nintendo had the former in droves. NGPC (and even WonderSwan Color) had plenty of great games but never had the quantity or brand recognizability

[@bobbylyle960]

I purchased one of these when they first came out. I was only able to pick up a couple of games before it was yanked from the store shelves. It was years later before I got any more games when they were released in the blister packs. And many years after that I was able to obtain the slim model. Adding a few more games from eBay gave me a satisfying library of games for one of my favorite handheld console with a good SNK Neo Geo experience. Love this little console.

[@VertexTuner]

I own two of these, both fully working, but one in better condition than the other. I mostly own fighting games for it, but it's one of my favourite systems because of those games and it's amazing control stick. Even today I still fire one of them up and play King of Fighters R2, Snk vs Capcom or GALS Fighters. I do have a flash cart, but I never got my hands on the flash kit to program it unfortunately, so it's stuck with Puyo Puyo 2. Out of all the handhelds I own, the NGPC is probably the one I've played the most.

[@dillasoul2228]

The lady of the decade delivers top quality content once again, and who tf is Sonic?

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Sega's Game Gear also failed to overtake the Game Boy in sales.

[@mariokart8715]

The Switch is the most successful handheld.

[@koolaid33]

Honestly I think the NGPC is so cool, & also isn't that hard to collect for if you get certain games since it's so obscure that it isn't that pricey in terms of the usual prices you find on eBay. The only issue is really that small library, especially since most games were anime-style fighters & if your not into that then tough luck.

[@wleon4068]

I still have mine. Only one game though, mind you.

[@kyleveers]

Still have mine and 8ish games in the official travel pouch. Sonic being my fav

[@willhuerik5095]

Amazing video!!

[@sergiovalmendea]

I have the color version. Still collecting games for it.

[@MisterTwit]

It's really a shame that SNK went under just as NGPC was gaining actual momentum, I enjoyed and bought quite a few titles for it before they all completely vanished from stores.

[@wizdude]

Jotego and his team are currently working on the Neo Geo Pocket core for the MiSTer FPGA hardware. That’s where I will check out the catalogue as these devices were never available in Australia.

[@video-luver769]

I actually bought one of these with a single game off Ebay a few years ago. It was surprisingly incredibly affordable.

[@spiritualastralsoul]

I remember seeing this in Electronics Boutique in the UK and thinking how great it would be to own one, it never happened though as I was more interested in the Dreamcast at the time. Great looking system though.

[@crimsonshadow1140]

recently got mine about a year ago alongside king of fighters R2 and it’s quickly become one of my all time favourite handhelds

[@anasevi9456]

I loved my Neo Geo pocket colour, even back when it was new I was _that kid_ in late primary for having a handheld that could play snk fighters smoothly. We had a big arcade culture in my regional hometown so yes, even the kids knew Neo Geo meant quality. They went on such steep sale by late 2000 with pack-in games there ended up being 3-4 other kids I knew with one too. An anomoly for certain, but they were too much value to not have some people catch on.

[@andrelboc]

I don't know about you but I came for the 🥴👌neckline, you can be sure!

[@volatile2805]

It failed because it was basically like a sega master system portable with a neo geo logo. I liked the games it did have though but they didnt have an extensive library. I still have one in perfect shape and it still works.

[@juanyanez755]

More mai cosplay pls 😍😍

[@gregoriocruz4530]

I am glad I was able to enjoy the NGPC. The first one I bought came with Sonic Pocket Adventure. I then purchased the one that came with the six games, because someone broke mine. I got the slim one later, because that one was stolen. I still have it to this day.

[@sierrakobold6896]

Even though its a bit smaller and doesnt have nearly as manny goodies, the neo geo pocket color selection volume 1 switch collectors edition is prob my favorite of all and it has the most beautiful box art yo display

[@McAster99]

I loved the NGPC. SNK vs Capcom for it was the best handheld fighter decades both by great gameplay and the handheld's great stick to control it. The two Metal Slugs are also true gems for anyone who loves that franchise, or enjoyed the 8-bit Bionic Commando games and want to "explore" around by choosing where to go next.

[@reesek4889]

Usually don’t comment but I never see the NGPC talked about! My favorite obscure gem in my collection. Picked up a stone blue one in box with SNK v Capcom and Metal Slug a few years back. Beautiful console.

[@vyperii]

The NGPC is, in my opinion, the best handheld system ever made. The quality of its small-library is only outmatched by the quantity of that on other systems. Match of the Millenium is easily the best hand-held fighter ever. The card-fighters games are incredible. The best thing about the system is that the games really are designed to be portable. It doesn't ever try to hide home console games in those little carts. Each has been thought about as being pick up and play titles, for on the move or for short periods. At the same time, many of the games have great depth akin to their home-console counter-parts. I was fortunate I managed to convince my best friend and his brother to buy them back in the day. The link matches we had were just epic! Our sometimes long school-bus journey home went by in a flash whilst we battled in KOF or Biomotor Unitron. It is a true gem. I wish we'd get some occasional home-brew independent releases to keep it going like we do the Dreamcast....

[@IsaacKuo]

I love my Neo Geo Pocket Color - the digital stick truly is great and the body shape made for an extremely comfortable grip. I ended up playing way more Card Fighter's Clash and Puyo Pop than other games. I wish they had made a Capcom/SNK crossover game based on Puzzle Fighter. I know Puyo Puyo is generally considered a superior game than Puzzle Fighter, but I just really find the cartoony Capcom characters so fun. The controls and display of the GameBoy Color just weren't as good. But then the GameBoy Advance was way more powerful than the NGPC, and it had a better display.

[@josephfrye7342]

i guess sega gamegear been there done that and i don't think neo pocket is gonna compete against nintendo anyways.

[@DsLifeJourney]

I almost bought this system back in the day, can't remember why I didn't.

[@Gecko1993HogheadIncOfficial]

Even though the system failed, it DID give SNK a small market share that they wanted; but what REALLY what killed SNK in general was their own theme park: NeoGeo World!

[@raymondgibbs5327]

I didn't have a hand held system until the GBA came out. I have a Sega Dreamcast. I have some NGPC compatible games, but never got to take advantage of the link up bcuz where I lived at they didn't carry, probably never heard of in our sales markets at the time. It would have been a special order or online order. With that said, modern day games consoles that have the NGPC library available - these games play hella smooth and I see them in 4:3 as possible. Got that Match of the Millennium myself.

[@NemeZisUK]

The Gameboy wasn't the be all and end all for me when it concerns handhelds. The Game Gear was,

[@pauldoake6188]

Very cool review lots of good information. I enjoyed the b+w version back in the day. But the switch release is awesome. Hope snk release more for the switch.

[@matthewcraig6440]

As always appreciate your content and love the channel.

[@joshuamasonseight-bitbasta2451]

i found one for a dollar at a garage sale a month ago with samurai showdown included

[@RoseWaltz]

i miss my NGPC so much! i spent months collecting mos of the games, but when i had to move suddenly, they were stolen, along with my Dreamcast Games - i had bought most of them secondhand in the window of time when they were failing but not yet collectable - they also stole my teddy bear and my legos i had the platinum silver one and i put blue snowflake stickers on it

[@mariokart8715]

You got robbed so much because you had lived in a crime area. Please live in a safer area.

[@XVa-uj8m]

If it wasn't for how idiotically Aruze handled it I think the NGPC would have stayed around. They had enough exclusive IP to carry it and make more. I feel the same about the Wonderswan Color if Yokoi hadn't died.

[@patrickbateman00]

Supposedly more 3rd party support was coming before it ended.

[@gilsonnettec5604]

I'm Brazilian and I like very much your videos... Your videos is very good. ❤

[@atobekeigo17]

so happy i did buy my first retro handheld console and i enjoy neogeo pocket games didnt even know there is many games so good in this neogeopocket

[@condescending28]

I thought you and your Husband was done covering SNK? Hopefully we still see more SNK things on both Channels.

[@JBM113]

Still have my NGPC and I put tons of miles on it.

[@dragoon1090]

I never got to play one of these. It looks really cool.

[@KindKraken]

man i wanted a blue camo Neo geo pocket color back in the day, Amazing retrospective

[@geoffgero6081]

I remember seeing an ad for the Neo Geo Pocket Color in a magazine back then. It was mostly just confusing, by that point every kid I knew was playing Pokemon and had no interest in any other handheld game.

[@MrMaxeemum]

How has this channel only got 103K followers? The details and passion on display are second to none. Try reaching out for colabs. I hope this channel gets a break.

[@LadyDecade]

That's really sweet, thank you. I have a plan, trust me, this time next year things will be very different xx

[@stude1965]

I remember seeing them at Toy R Us and was waiting for them to mark them down. It never happened, they disappeared. I did buy one off ebay later, sonic and pac man too. I'm still kicking myself for not buying some of those 4 packs of games when they were still cheap.

[@mariokart8715]

The Switch has not had a price reduction.

[@stude1965]

@@mariokart8715 true, but I wasn't talking about the switch. Not sure where you're going here

[@mariokart8715]

Nintendo stuck with the current Switch prices for its whole lifecycle.

[@aroma1620]

I had the NGPC when i was 10. I still got it lmaoo. Wonderful piece of gaming history.

[@danielesai3451]

What a pity! Considering SNK/Neo Geo, it boded well.

[@MrShootHere]

Great video yet again! I may have asked this before but are you of Greek descent? Other than that: Great to learn the ins and outs of this tiny console which never made it to my household. Thanx again and keep up the awesome work!

[@MegamanElric16]

For the longest time, I only ever knew this thing for Sonic Pocket Adventure.

[@rickkitcthing3750]

Had a pocket when it first came out fantastic handheld with some great games super expensive now

[@emmanueljames8404]

I had the Neo-Geo Pocket color with the light and dark blue camouflage and the game Capcom vs SNK

[@Bobbin4Brownies]

Had Sonic Pocket Adventure and Dark Arms when it first came out, both were amazing. NGPC was excellent, was years before I ever saw anyone else with one though. Glad it gets more love these days

[@blairseo1]

The Neo Geo Pocket I have a couple of them still surprised it never did better against Sega Gamegear or Gameboy since they graphic did look a lot better than both to me.

[@suntannedduck2388]

Neo Geo Pocket & Wonderswan are exciting handhelds (not used). Buttons/stick, game libraries, form factor. Never heard of the Dreamcast feature. Nomad. Gamecom.

[@exodous02]

I always wanted one of these, I remember they didn't have many games. The Pokemon competitor sounds like it was for an older audience and I probably would have liked it but I never heard about it until now. That is a game they should bring back. EDIT: Dark Arms, it even had a better name.

[@MrQ12elve]

Theres a game on the ps3 that looks abit like 'dark arms' called 'folklore' I'd say its pretty similar to pokemon but for adults, it does use the 6axis to catch the monster though in case you wanna seek it out

[@DrewKane]

There are some good games for this one, worth emulating if you don't have the chance to get your hands on the console itself.

[@akaqueequeg]

When you go on holiday you must think "I need to make sure I have plenty of stock footage for my channel" 😂

[@FanaticsRUs2011]

Totally respect your review on this beautiful dinosaur. Lol. I am one of those proud owners of the NGPC. If it wasn't for crappy SNK marketing and Pokemon, they might have had a chance. The original NGP was succeeded by the Color in a span of a year. Makes me wonder if they could upgrade it lickily split to something that can compete with Nintendos GBA, would SNK still be a hardware developer. Hindsight is 20/20 tho

[@ericp631]

You really don't understand the dire straits that snk was in or appreciate the wider games on offer on Nintendo from both themselves and that they had the support of every third party in the world (or the massive difference in budget, brand awareness, ect)

[@Ksathra2012]

Still own one of these and it had a good version of Pac-Man too. Loved playing Dark Arms and SNK vs Capcom.

[@mrr8702]

I bought one when it was new, I loved the card fighting game. Best one that I had for the short lived system, rip

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

At about 21:31 in this video: The helicopter drawing on the right looks very much like *BLUE THUNDER.*

[@GattlingCombo]

The mention of pocket rumble made me happy😊

[@joeromero3890]

I loved this handheld console when I was a kid I was the only person that had one unfortunately 😢. No one knew what it was. Also, your videos don't play without stopping. Idk why

[@kalonjirivers8902]

I can hear the background music of the King Of Fighters '98 the Slugfest. Do you by any chance play that game?😁

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

It was not a total failure, _LD._ We got a VERY NICE thumbnail image {AND that closing image} out of the deal...😉

[@eddiemudie952]

You should cosplay in the videos more often. Sad to just see thumbnails. I assure you it doesn't undermine your presentation or knowledge. It's very endearing to see such deep encyclopedic knowledge coming from someone who puts that much effort into their appearance. You also have a knack for maintaining your normal classiness even with the silliest costumes. Take advantage!

[@NOPerative]

It failed for having no backlight. The only regret I had with the NGP was not being able to turn off the lights while gaming else I liked the device and the titles I had for the platform.

[@zwolfwolf8332]

The pocket color had great fighters and an awesome sonic game. Miss the clicky stick

[@CassiusZedaker-pr7kc]

I owned a NGPC. I remember playing with SNK VS. Capcom's astrology doohickey at work lol.

[@JGreen-le8xx]

Lady Decade❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😄

[@fattiger6957]

It's actually really interesting how many companies tried to break into handheld gaming, but Nintendo has been the only company who has ever had consistent success in that realm. Despite everyone calling the PSVita a failure, it is still the 2nd best selling non-Nintendo handheld. The PSP was the only non-Nintendo handheld to be considered a inarguable success and even then, it sold only about 60% of it's contemporary Nintendo rival system. The handheld market just does not seem to be that lucrative of you aren't Nintendo.

[@dreamcastninja88]

I loved my Neo Geo pocket color prefer it over the Nintendo hand helds but unfortunately its to expensive to get now along with the games. I hope someone remakes this hand held again.