The Neo Geo X Portable System - Review - Game Sack

[@williamoverton7414]

I don't get it, aes emulation is FLAWLESS on everything from an ancient pc to a smartphone. how could they screw this up?

[@MetalJesusRocks]

The animation at the end was pretty cool. Well done guys!

[@ZEPPELIN198]

People in my age range will remember the television show "Nick Arcade". Contestants played at least two of the games on here....King Of the monsters and Alpha Mission 2. I just now realized they were playing on Neo Geo machines this whole time

[@GameSack]

One audio problem we didn't mention in the video is the delay. The audio is delayed from the video by 3 or 4 frames, at least over the HDMI connection. You can catch it in this video if you watch and listen closely. The supposed coming firmware promises better audio quality but doesn't say what is done or what exactly is corrected. Are the channels still swapped? Is there still a delay? We'll find out. And they mentioned nothing about the screen tearing. Hopefully this firmware update is free.

[@john.infinite78]

Thank YOU, Mr. Eikichi Kawasaki 😁 ACA NEOGEO, please keep these titles available for everyone everywhere forever!

[@12ealDealOfficial]

Really digging this channel, guys. I like the attention to detail and quality of the analysis.

[@lifespanofafry1534]

Are you still alive?

[@GameSack]

I used the included composite cable for when I was talking about composite video. I used the HDMI cable when talking about HDMI video and for the game reviews.

[@LeoHwzrChannel]

When i lived in S.Korea they had all these CD-Roms that each had 1 full SNK games and they were in gifts shops EVERYWHERE. All you needed was a PC and some 'Won'

[@Wolfdragon92584]

It may be nothing special now, but I looked for Alpha Mission 2 for YEARS after playing it at a place called Hall of Fame Pizza in Menifee, CA back around 1997. The pizza place closed down around the turn of the millennium and I never found the game up until maybe 2015. The music wad so rad!!!

[@megamanfan1500]

With every passing episode, you guys prove why you are among the best reviewers on KZbin. Your thoroughness, and attention to detail are 2nd to none, and I always look forward to new episodes every other Sunday. I do have a question though, I was wondering what you guys thought of the SNK Collection on the PS2/Wii? I play it on my Sony CRT in 480i component, and it looks great, and the emulation quality is great as well. Anyway, keep it up, looking forward to the next episode!

[@lifespanofafry1534]

Are you still alive?

[@megamanfan1500]

I've gotten some weird replies on KZbin, but I've got to say, this is certainly at the top.

[@eastcoasteric]

I'm happy to report that the new game packs (which come in old school looking cases) are going to available June 25th, it also includes the firmware update for the system to help sound issues, visual issues and the aspect ratio issues too! I waited off on buying one of these, but I think I might pick one up now as the gold system (now discontinued) can be picked up on eBay for an easy $140-150. Might as well get one of the new volumes too!

[@GameSack]

Hopefully Dave pics one up. If he does we'll definitely do a really short video updating everyone on what (if anything) as fixed. It wouldn't be a regular episode, but an inbetween episode release.

[@teen_laqueefa]

I want to come to Colorado and play games, and then go chill with Brandon "weird to throw his name out in a video game channel comment section " Perna

[@NickJaime]

Looking back at those days I don't remember so many wrestling games but seeing videos like these show's they made a ton.

[@PugOverboard]

Man, I've been meaning to buy a Neo Geo X for years, a Retron too now that I'm on the subject but now that I've seen your videos about them I no longer have any desire to buy either one. Thanks for saving me some money.

[@GameSack]

I don't feel like it, but others have said it would work (even though they were just taking it out of the box when they mentioned this) and it's USB so as long as the emulator supports key/button mapping it shouldn't be an issue.

[@GameSack]

Street Fighter 2 became mega-popular and it endured. SNK wanted a slice of that sweet pie so basically they just kept trying and trying. Funnily enough it's the Metal Slug series that's the true star of the console.

[@GameSack]

We will when Dave gets it. I don't know if it's actually out yet. But maybe a week or 2 after Dave gets it (hopefully sooner) we will have a quick update video and also showing off the games on the card he got.

[@Breakbeats92.5]

A modded PSP is the best way to enjoy these games.

[@JAYCEEDOUBLE]

True, and that jailbreak neo geo emulator on the psp can run some games better than some "official" releases by SNK

[@buckbriggs337]

Been so busy playing NES, SNES, Genesis, and a handful of PS1 games on my PSP. And watching Game Sack lately, I've seen quite a few Saturn games that I really want to try out. (Never played the Saturn) But now that you mention it, this might be the time to finally try out some of these Neo Geo titles. However...although arcade-y, which makes for great portable games, Neo Geo games seem like they benefit greatly on a nice big screen with full audio blaring.

[@Breakbeats92.5]

Tylore Rogers A Mac is for hipsters who need a piece of plastic validate their existence.

[@Hellwyck]

Macs are great for music and art. They very rarely break down. I love PCs due to the greatness of customisation.

[@treefroggy]

now we got the switch yo

[@SunkythePootis]

Man I love that stop motion animation you did at the end.

[@DocMcCray]

Great overview, guys. I did play Neo-Geo on a regular basis in the arcade. Very few of them made it onto the collection. Even so, it feels like this is a system I can skip (for now) and not feel like I'm missing anything.

[@GameSack]

It's direct feed video. I recorded it in SD. I didn't point the camera at a TV or anything like that.

[@GameSack]

The SNES game you're looking for is a Genesis game called Phelios.

[@GameSack]

I had that thought a few minutes AFTER I finished the animation, but didn't want to reanimate that scene just to add it. I guess we'll have to assume the AES's digestive track is highly efficient and produces no gas. :)

[@David315842]

So the guys at GameSack thinks all of Europe uses Pound Sterling and one of them wanted third party titles on a system which is clearly limited to using SNK''s own games. OK?!

[@FlarryFlats]

Stop motion animation at the end was hilarious 😂 Your skill and sense of humor is greatly appreciated, Joe 🤙

[@geraldperez2768]

I got SNK Arcade Hits Vol. 1 for my PS2 and it's great! Is anyone aware of a Vol. 2 or 3 available? I googled it but only Vol. 1 shows up...

[@captaincommando2602]

It's sad that a Vol. 2 never came out. There is a Vol. 0 that only came out in Japan for the PSP.

[@devmiles]

this system was a good idea but poorly executed sadly .. should have done better really

[@Malouco]

Ammer Reduron snk needs to make it so we can Beat these game. Like on easy to allow infinite continues bc I played shocktroppers one on PS3 and it's hard even on easy.

[@daveunknown01]

@@Malouco get good

[@GameSack]

Firmware update (and games) have now been postponed to early July.

[@nightbirdds]

First, that Stop-Motion bit at the end was awesome! Secondly, the firmware update is going to be part of the upcoming game packs. You can pre-order the game packs individually or the Mega Pack that includes all of them on Amazon now. Not sure how much improvement it'll make, but it's worth looking at.

[@Chuck-RETROGAMECAVE]

Concisely says what's been known for a long tome. Emulation is no substitute for the real thing. I appreciate the details about the problems such as the audio, and video quality issues. Great job Joe & Dave.

[@EcksGamer]

His name is Galford and what he keeps on saying is Plasma Blades.

[@ultimateman55]

Thank you. Now I don't have to make this comment.

[@GameSack]

It's better but the scrolling has some emulation issues. This goes for both the Wii and PS2 versions. The PSP version doesn't seem to have this but what it does have is loading times longer than even a 3DO game.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

The stop animation was absolutely brilliant! I bet it took quite awhile to get that completed.

[@grubbergamer]

I've heard a MVS console mod is the way to go. What you'll pay in hardware, you save - and then some - in software. And yes, the stop motion work is great to watch - I can't imagine the time and effort spent on these segments. We definitely appreciate all the extra work, guys!

[@TimeBunny]

I love videos like this on older consoles, especially those that I missed growing up. Another great videos Game Sack.

[@FallicIdol]

Like most, I couldn't afford a NEOGEO growing up. Nor did I know anyone who had one. I think that is why the system has always been so fascinating to me.

[@DennisForstner]

Definitely not worth the 200$ I paid for it. I probably would not be so disappointed with the Neo Geo X if it was cheaper when I got it. I think I'll just sell mine and grab a couple of SNK franchise collections for the PS2.

[@Malouco]

Vivi Ornitier Apparently the psp has a way to play all the games ever made and it will cure cancer too. Nobody will tell me where this hidden lake is so I can dip my psp into its mana. I just keep asking but these evil gamers are so selfish. I might go on an adventure but going alone would prove to dangerous. If u know anyone willing to help me on this journey to find the lake of emulation let me know.

[@chrispacheco8590]

Yup the SNK compilation on PS2 n PSP are just awesome

[@teddym2808]

These days, honestly your best bet for legal, perfect neo geo on the go, is a switch with the hamster games of your choice, and the hori d pad for $25 USD which is one of the best D pads i have ever used in my entire life (only works in portable mode, if you are a docker, use the 8bitdo sn30 pro or an arcade joystick). They look great in HDMI docked or in handheld mode, and have an option to add a little extra to the sides (in the correct, original aspect ratio) that was cut out originally to fit 4:3 aspect ratio TV's. It's just an absolutely sublime neo geo experience. Right now almost 70% of the entire released neogeo library is available for 6 or 7 USD a pop depending on title, with more to come. I am sure we will hit over 80% coverage this year! Also, controls are instantly responsive in the switch versions. I LOVE it and have over 20 titles so far and have put many more in my watch list :).

[@adrian_veidt]

Now you can play Neo geo games with enhanced resolution and shaders on cheap smartphones and retro handhelds.

[@cooltraineralex9711]

I wonder if that firmware update ever came out lol

[@GameSack]

You have to do a lot more than that. You have to open it up and muck with things internally.

[@grubbergamer]

You guys have probably already heard the news, but the five Classic Packs are finally up on Amazon. There's a Mega Pack Volume 1 as well, which includes Classic Pack Volumes 1-5. A system update comes along with, to address audio and control issues, and to add a save state feature. They release on June 25th. I'm interested in the system just for the sake of portability, but may wait for feedback on the system update before taking the plunge.

[@TheGamerWithMore]

I actually own one of these Bad Boys and I played 'Baseball Stars 2' and found a glitch. The glitch was, if you got the ball in a Home Run, you could pause the game and unpause it, it would then make a copy of the person running and give you an extra point. Unfortunately, since the recent update came out, I was unable to do this glitch. :(

[@David315842]

The firmware upgrades are due to be presented on future game cards for the system due out later this year in June or July, but I assume this summer when the Neo Geo X handheld will be sold as a separate machine, probably with some mains adapter for charging instead of the AES docking station. Oh and guys £ pounds are used in the UK ONLY, much of Europe including Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium etc. uses the Euro currency.

[@JMFSpike]

I really like those stop-motion shorts you guys do with the consoles. They are funny, cool, and very well done.

[@nickolasecker9596]

I got mine for about $180, the gold edition, and it included the mega pack! I got it back in December 2015 and I'm sure glad I did, the prices have increased a ton since then. A ton of people complain about the quality and while it may be a bit over priced but so is buying an AES , Neo Geo CD, and buying every individual game on the virtual console, you also get a handheld and a good quality stick (not as good as the original Neo geo but not bad for the price at all). Overall it's only slightly dissapointing, I'm not a video/sound freak, I just want to play some Last Blade and Metal Slug and this is a pretty great way of doing so, plus if you jailbreak you have access to pretty much any retro game you want.

[@tysolonynko5728]

Can't stop watching your videos. Professional and thorough. Great great content boys!

[@GameSack]

Probably because they couldn't fund a manufacturer who makes 4:3 screens any more would be my guess. It's the same size and resolution as the PSP screen.

[@uselessDM]

Super Sidekicks looks amazing for a soccer game in 1992.

[@MocnyBrowarek]

Great Lord Karnage would not like what are you saying about most of those games... You should not make Lord Karnage mad. He has intergalactic space arcade at his disposition, that thing is dangeorus!!

[@GameSack]

Well the great Lord Karnage can come here and tell me that himself, but somehow I'm betting that he's moderately good, not great. :)

[@MocnyBrowarek]

Game Sack O Great Lord Karnage would not come here and speak with mortals like us :( but i heard that sometimes he speaks to those who have Vectrex or Neo-Geo MVS Arcade :O

[@rabid2779]

+Game Sack this crossover better happen

[@MaoRatto]

+RabidPlatypus With a side of a smack to the face like a bitch

[@HypnoSwag]

+MocnyBrowarek : Oh please, half the games Mark reviews he can't even really play.

[@oscar8159]

Nice reviews folks, I just ordered one today. For the price it's just OK. I guess is a good device if you want to have a good time with your friends with some beers. I didn't know about this channel, I subscribed.

[@gutterguy720]

Firmware update is supposed to be included with the X Classics Volume 1 Pack. Says on Amazon it's release is June 25th.

[@Trialwolf]

Thanks for doing an episode on the Neo Geo X, I do know someone who has it but whenever he talked about it I always felt he was going from his Nostalgia of the original Neo Geo rather than this new system, nice to see a more leveled overview of it. Not sure if I would get it myself due to some of the issues you have mentioned, though I do own many of the games on either game compilations or ports to other systems.

[@JuanHernandez-sd7cf]

The mega pack volume one is coming out June 26 I believe...it comes with another 20 or so, a portable charger for the hand held and the new firmware which is suppose to improve audio and the video...all that for 80 u.s. dollars

[@WebVManReturns]

The Neo Geo X. The only console that plays arcade games he can pull out of his Game Sack.

[@aerosmithgamer]

This is, by far, the best review for the Neo Geo X I have seen. I reall like mine and I don't regret getting it, especially since I have never played the original system. That being said I am quite hopeful that the firmware update will fix some of those problems.

[@Astrocreep2K]

If Joe and Dave had a TV show, I'd actually have a reason to watch TV. Great stuff as always, guys!

[@Menleah]

A fantastic full-length video - it's really great to watch a full-length presentation, as opposed to a short clip. I really appreciate how they are well put together (nice footage + skillful narration/delivery makes for a good watch)! I hope you make more as I'm sharing and subscribin'! :-)

[@GameSack]

Dammit Dave! We forgot to check with Jason Potts before we made this video. He thinks the Neo Geo X is great. Therefore we have no business informing people of its shortcomings! Damn, if only we'd known.

[@StopDropandLOL]

I never liked nor will I ever play 90% of the games that GameSack reviews, but I can't stop watching. I get excited on new episode day, because it's an awesome show. Great job hooking someone out of your target audience.

[@hard4games]

Looks decent, but for the price I was hoping for better quality. Thanks for the review!

[@GameSack]

No clue what you're talking about but you might want to check that prescription.

[@SNKNostalgia]

There are blood codes for KOF 95 and Samurai Shodown 2 BTW. For KOF wait till the high score screen comes up during the demo and hold A and C for Player 1 and B and D for Player 2, then hit start. For SS2, just select Japan for language and hold ABCD on Player 1 and hit start on exit. Then go back to options and select English.

[@robertgreen6499]

The Neo Geo X has it's flaws which to some people can be a lot. But to me I was glad to pick one up last month at the convention I was at. I've always wanted to have a Neo Geo ever since I was a little kid, but the price tag kept it out of my reach. When I saw this in it Gold edition box the little kid in me was stunned. And me on the outside was in awe, and asked if they could hold it so I could get my money from my friends that owed me. I'm glad you guys reviewed, and I'm glad I got one.

[@darrentg6]

I think it's also worth mentioning that they're releasing 5 game packs for NGX on June 6, with 3 games on each, full packaged/retail releases.

[@WskOsc]

9:37 the muscleman in the background appears to be wiping his ass on a sheep's face. A great episode on a system I'd never heard about until today. I'd love to get a hold of one of these, even though I'd probably just use it for playing Metal Slug and Samurai Showdown on the bus. Excellent show as always.

[@TheACanning]

Excellent review! I could tell you wanted to like it but it didn't exactly meet expectations. Love how you gave it praise for the few games that worked well. Y'all have a knack for seriously breaking down both sides to show the pros and cons. Others usually take the Fox News approach and focus solely on one side or the other. Production values don't need to be mentioned, some of the best on YT. Thank you for taking the time to review. Keep on keepin' on brothas!

[@GameSack]

How were you able to decipher this?

[@shattercross]

The emulation issues are what kept me from picking one up. The upcoming game packs that include Last Blade and Garou are tempting but I'd really like the music and the graphics to not be ass when I play them.

[@robertgreen6499]

To add to my last post: Keep up the great work, and making me jealous of the great games you have in your collections to play. I wish to have one day a great collection of game. With some of the games you've mention over the past videos. I hope you guys make an extra video "IF it lands outside of weeks that you do videos." once E3 comes and goes by as it's always good to have more thoughts on gaming on the internet.

[@GameSack]

It doesn't matter what people can afford. What does matter are the good and bad things about any given system. And we'll always accurately report what we find.

[@GameSack]

Neo Geo games with codes! Wow, I would have never had thought they'd have them. That's cool. Usually I just rely on the UniBIOS to turn blood red and keep English, etc.

[@GameSack]

I enjoy it. I mean it's pretty old and the Genesis version doesn't have the scaling and rotation of the arcade, but it's still pretty fun.

[@evilkinggumby]

I was going to ask why there was a pretty noticeable delay in the game footage. I'd say more than a few frames, but maybe it's made worse on youtube. Great video and total kudos for taking time to do the stop motion at the end. I really love seeing you do those (knowing how long it can take for just a short skit). Thanks guys!

[@klostmind]

Bad news guys check this out SNK Orders NeoGeo X Maker to End Production and Stop Selling It kotaku will have more, I would ad the link but youtube will not allow me to put the web address on there

[@derekhickok]

As always, nice video! I got my Neo Geo X with two sticks for $80 on ebay, and I'm reasonably happy with it. Personally, I don't consider the sound issues and some screen tearing to be particularly game-breaking, and I like the value of the collection of 21 games for the price. Your complaints with the system were fair of course, but hopefully, they get fixed with the firmware update. It should be worth mentioning that the joysticks can be used on the PS3 as well, which is just awesome!

[@Clesarie]

Always a good show guys. It blows my mind how none of these clone systems use good emulation when pc gamers have had proper emulators of almost all older consoles since the 90's

[@teddyinjapan]

The neo geo mini is great. Got 2 in Tokyo never looked back

[@Marc_Araujo]

I have the international version and I'm happy with it...just wish the games weren't censored (especially the Metal Slug games).

[@underoath048]

Most reviews I've seen or read have missed the point of this system. This system was released to give people that couldn't afford the AES back in the day the chance to buy official hardware. While the emulation might be slightly off, I'd still much rather play these games through SNK supported hardware than to use a cheap (often illegal) emulation program on a PC or whatever. The joystick is great and can be used with a PS3. If you buy an AES and all these games your looking at $1,000+.

[@GameSack]

I know your other post is apologizing for this but we still put out more content than most other channels which release about 10 minutes a week. You have no idea the amount of work that goes into just one of these episodes, obviously and we do have other real life obligations. Fortunately, I think that most people do know how much work an episode takes. I really don't know why a select few people think as you do but trust us, we would do more episodes if Game Sack could pay the bills.

[@BADMiND]

also, updates and new titles will be released June 25th

[@Danbotology]

Really good episode, guys. The stop frame animation at the end made me smile :)

[@smokeglacken]

Love the show guys!!! Really impressed with the production of your vids!!! TOP NOTCH STUFF all the way! I like the dry sense of humor bits too!!! Keep up the great work!!! Glad I stumbled across you guys!!!

[@Wyrdwad]

FYI, I'm seeing listings on Amazon for 5 "Neo Geo X Classics" game cards, each of which contains an additional 3 games + a firmware update that "includes game save functionality, improved TV aspect ratio compatibility, improved sound quality and more." They're all preorderable and listed as coming out on June 25th, so it looks like next month will be the moment of truth for this thing.

[@atenga5881]

I have seen a bunch of reviews for this thing (all negative reviews) but none of them mentioned the horrendous composite video signal, thanks for the info.

[@kimonomywasabi]

You guys are amazing at editing. It's seriously perfect.

[@smoothALOE]

I got one of the gold editions, on a whim, late at night, plus I purchased volume 2 of the games available on SD card. At the time, I thought it was great, but I basically had no previous experience with Neo-Geo, so I didn’t know that I was getting a bad emulation. It stopped working after a few months or so. I couldn’t even say what I did with it. I was going to sell it to a speciality gaming store, but deemed it worthless once the docking system broke down.

[@dungeonsdragons1900]

ha. if i buy a neo geo out of japan i have to buy a converter for it.what kind if converter are they talking about is it a RF or a power converter. i could really use some help guy thanks.

[@GameSack]

Thank you sir. I'm assuming sir. :) A lot of work goes into it.

[@retromegabitsegadude]

Hey Guys, Good review. Have you tried the NEO GEO X with the firmware update that came out with the newly released games? I've read that it's a major update and I'm curious to hear if it addresses any of the concerns you had with the system.

[@morningrise]

Great job on that stop motion part at the end. I bet that took forever... Just wanted to share some appreciation for the details. Keep it up!

[@tristanuki1975]

Wow you guys are so kind! I'm pretty dissappointed by the emulation and YET another batch of 'volume 1' early titles. Loved the animation at the end!

[@AyeOkNowFuckOff]

Got mine on Friday...... ITS GREAT, i love it. Used to own an AES but love this wee unit.

[@MrNicolasu]

great episode as always gamesack! i am not much of a gamer anymore, but i really like watching you guys! speaking about handheld consoles, i don't think you 've talked yet about the Nomad(correct me if i'm wrong).

[@mrdante361]

21:48 Cal - ford? Really? It's Gal - ford. It's really hard to take you guys serious sometimes.

[@GameSack]

Don't blame us, blame the game's crappy font. No need to let it ruin your day. :)

[@mrdante361]

So your saying you were being sarcastic or you just really thought his name was Calford? LOL Anyway my favorite guy is Cohamaru so it's all cool.

[@Wolfedge75]

Game Sack "Plasma Blade!"

[@FallicIdol]

Rub my brain!

[@dave8986]

I'll just say one thing: this system is not meant to last (lincredibly low quality). I own one, so I know what I'm talking about. Add up the rest of issues we all know of (sound, emulation, you name it) and you've got a perfect failure and a monumental rip-off deal.

[@TheMentalRelapse]

It looks like the wrestling characters in 3 Count Bout have shadows that constantly flicker. Could the system not handle 2 shadows at a time on this game, or is this just an emulation problem?

[@DeisFortuna]

The composite cables shotgun video quality could be from the hardware not fully cooperating with composite out.

[@TXFDA]

Wow, the emulation on that looks horrible. It's bad when my crap PC can emulate NeoGeo games better than something that's actually licensed by the company. You'd be better off with a modded PSP with a NeoGeo emulator on it. The best thing is that apparently, taking apart some early versions of the NeoGeo X, you'll find a standard SD card with the emulator and roms on it. You could go in and change things around, add more roms, etc. "Puzzle games don't need a story line".. Honestly, I like when they have a story mode. Sure they should keep the free mode like normal puzzle games, but I like actually having proper stages to beat, and actually being able to FINISH the puzzle game, rather than going forever.

[@Lastcastor]

Any idea where you can get a modded PSP or even how to mod one better

[@TXFDA]

Jeanmartin Freites I'd check ebay honestly. I'm not entirely sure how to mod one anymore. I used to have a modded PSP, but it was back when the PSP first came out, and it was really easy to add custom firmware. I'm not sure if it's even possible to do it to newer PSPs or not. You'd have to do some looking up online, or buy a pre-modded older PSP.

[@Lastcastor]

ok

[@Hellwyck]

It's possible to mod 1000, 2000 and 3000.

[@captaincommando2602]

Even the SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 is better than this crap.

[@GameSack]

A d-pad would be nice but SNK-branded hardware has always been about the microswitches.

[@tetrisdave]

I'm not sure if I will get all the volumes. At least a couple of them. I am interested in the clam shell edition of all the volumes but it's pretty expensive.