The Year of Neo Geo once again?
Una Mattina
It’s been an exciting week for fellow SNK and Neo Geo enthusiasts, as SNK has just announced a brand-new Neo Geo anniversary edition. It faithfully replicates the original hardware and even comes with classic cartridges.
Overengineered Powerhouse
The Neo Geo was known for its incredibly powerful hardware for its time. Despite being a home console, it offered performance nearly identical to arcade systems. The MVS and AES hardware could even execute identical machine code, meaning the same EPROMs could run on two different systems. This gave the Neo Geo a huge advantage in 2D graphics quality and complexity.
However, the system began to hit its limits in the late ’90s as 3D graphics rapidly took over the industry. SNK was largely locked into the Neo Geo platform due to development challenges and budget constraints. That said, this limitation pushed developers to maximize the system’s potential, elevating 2D graphics on the platform to an entirely new level.
MVS – The Iconic One
The AES had a commercialized counterpart in the MVS—its arcade-focused sibling that truly established Neo Geo as the king of 2D graphics. Throughout its lifespan, the MVS saw many hardware revisions and hosted a wide range of legendary titles.
Games like Fatal Fury helped define SNK’s legacy, while Metal Slug became a cult classic. The King of Fighters series spread rapidly across Asian and Latin American markets, gaining a massive following. Samurai Shodown is still regarded as one of the best melee weapon-based fighting games ever made. Meanwhile, Kizuna Encounter pushed the hardware to its limits, offering a rare 4-player, four-way battle mode on top of its tag-team fighting system—something few games have achieved even to this day.
Unico and SNK Strike Again
Relive the glory days of Neo Geo? Absolutely! Join us for the return of the Unico MVSX, a collaborative project with SNK. Featuring 50 licensed Neo Geo classics, a 17-inch 4:3 display, and a full 2-player set of arcade sticks and buttons, it’s a truly exceptional way to experience Neo Geo at home.
https://www.unico-usa.com/products/snk-mvsx
Upset Customer
I recently purchased a 19" LCD monitor from Unico for use in a Bally Midway arcade game, and the experience has been nothing short of a complete disappointment.
The monitor was not compatible with my machine — a critical issue that should have been addressed before the sale. When I contacted Unico, a representative named Jay promised to overnight a wire to resolve the compatibility problem. That wire never arrived.
I followed up and spoke with Josh, who acknowledged the issue and told me he would escalate the matter to the CEO to see whether a return could be authorized. He never called me back.
Since then, Unico has stopped answering my calls entirely.
This is not a company that stands behind its products or its word. Customers are left with incompatible merchandise, broken promises, and no path to resolution. If you are considering purchasing from Unico — especially for specialty applications like arcade or vintage gaming hardware — I strongly urge you to look elsewhere. Their customer service is non-existent once they have your money.