= Neo_Geo_Pocket

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= Neo_Geo_Pocket_Color =
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Introduction
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The is a series of handheld game consoles developed and manufactured
by Japanese video game company SNK between 1998 and 2001. The first
model, the monochrome Neo Geo Pocket, was released in Japan in October
1998 and marked SNK's entry into the handheld gaming market, competing
with Nintendo's long-running Game Boy line. In response to the growing
popularity of color handhelds, SNK released the upgraded in March
1999 in Japan, featuring a color screen and full backward
compatibility with games for the original model.

The Neo Geo Pocket Color rolled out internationally throughout 1999,
reaching North America in August and parts of Europe in October. The
system received a generally positive critical reception for its
microswitched joystick and a library of games featuring SNK franchises
such as 'The King of Fighters', 'Samurai Shodown', and 'SNK vs.
Capcom'. In October 1999, a smaller and lighter revision of the
hardware was released exclusively in Japan as the New Neo Geo Pocket
Color, offering improved ergonomics and minor technical enhancements.

Despite its strengths, the Neo Geo Pocket series struggled
commercially due to limited third-party game support, low retail
visibility, and intense competition from the Game Boy Color and
WonderSwan in Japan. Following SNK's acquisition by Aruze and the
company's subsequent bankruptcy in 2001, the Neo Geo Pocket line was
discontinued, marking SNK's final venture into hardware manufacturing.

Monochrome system
===================
SNK, known for its successful Neo Geo arcade and home console systems,
entered the handheld gaming market for the first time with the release
of the Neo Geo Pocket in 1998. The market had been dominated by
Nintendo and its Game Boy, but SNK believed that the Pocket would
target a "slightly different" audience.

The device featured a monochrome display and was primarily released in
Japan and Hong Kong. It was sold along eight titles at launch,
including 'Baseball Stars', a port of the 1989 game, and 'King of
Fighters R-1'.

SNK released the Neo Geo Pocket in various color variations, such as
Platinum Blue, Platinum Silver, Platinum White, Carbon Black, Maple
Blue, Camouflage Blue, Camouflage Brown, and Crystal White. The Neo
Geo Pocket received the Good Design Award in 1998 from the Japan
Institute of Design Promotion. The system experienced limited
commercial success, leading SNK to discontinue it in favor of a color
model.

Color model
=============
In response to the market's shift towards color displays, SNK
announced the Neo Geo Pocket Color in January 1999. This upgraded
handheld featured a non-backlit, full-color screen and was released in
Japan in March 1999 with seven launch titles, including , and 'Puzzle
Link' and 'Samurai Shodown! 2'. The Neo Geo Pocket Color was designed
to compete with Nintendo's Game Boy Color and Bandai's WonderSwan.

U.S. release and marketing
============================
SNK never officially released the monochrome Neo Geo Pocket in North
America or Europe, though customers in these regions could mail-order
the system and its games through SNK's website beginning in April
1999. However, just two units were sold before the launch of the Neo
Geo Pocket Color in the United States in August 1999.

The Neo Geo Pocket Color debuted in the U.S. in August 1999, initially
available exclusively through the online retailer eToys.com. It
launched with six titles and carried a price of . The U.S. version
came in six colors: Camouflage Blue, Carbon Black, Crystal White,
Platinum Blue, Platinum Silver, and Stone Blue. In its first two
months, the Neo Geo Pocket Color sold 25,000 units. Ahead of the 1999
holiday season, distribution expanded to major retailers such as
Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, and other national chains. SNK also
spent US$4million (equivalent to $value=4million in ) on television
ads airing on MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.

By May 2000, the system held a modest 2% share of the U.S. handheld
console market, tiny compared to Nintendo's dominant Game Boy and Game
Boy Color, but enough to turn a profit for SNK USA.

Revision
==========
On October 21, 1999, SNK released a redesigned, slimmer version of the
handheld, known as the New Neo Geo Pocket Color, exclusively in Japan,
selling at . This model was 13% smaller than the original and featured
improved sound output.

Financial troubles
====================
Despite a good start to sales in both the U.S. and Japan, the Neo Geo
Pocket Color faced challenges. The console had low retail support in
the U.S., limited third-party support due to a lack of communication
with third-party developers by SNK's American management,
and stiff competition from other handhelds, driven by the popularity
of Nintendo's 'Pokémon' franchise, and strong competition from
Bandai's WonderSwan in Japan.

Meanwhile, SNK, had been in financial trouble for at least a year, and
in January 2000, the company was acquired by pachinko manufacturer
Aruze. Conflicts with the new Aruze leadership led to the departure of
SNK's founder and several employees, who formed a new company,
BrezzaSoft. On June 13, 2000, Aruze ceased SNK's operations in North
America and Europe. The handheld continued to be sold in Japan until
SNK declared bankruptcy on October 30, 2001. After emerging from
bankruptcy, the company did not pursue further development of handheld
consoles.

Features
======================================================================
The Neo Geo Pocket series are horizontally oriented handheld consoles,
similar in form factor to the Sega's Game Gear, in contrast to
Nintendo's vertically oriented Game Boy line. The devices feature a
finger groove on the back for improved grip, and game cartridges are
inserted into a rear slot. Both models include two action buttons,
along with "Power" and "Option" buttons. A notable feature is the
microswitched thumb pad, which offers joystick-style eight-directional
input and was generally regarded as more precise than conventional
d-pads.

The original Neo Geo Pocket featured a monochrome liquid-crystal
display capable of displaying eight shades of grey. It offered
approximately 20 hours of battery life using two AA batteries, with a
CR2032 battery used to retain saved data and maintain the internal
real-time clock. The Neo Geo Pocket Color introduced a reflective
color TFT screen and extended battery life to around 40 hours. Both
systems include a stereo headphone jack and, like other non-backlit
handhelds of the era--including the Game Boy line--require adequate
external lighting for optimal visibility.

In addition to gaming functions, the Neo Geo Pocket and Pocket Color
include basic PDA-style utilities such as a clock, calendar, and a
horoscope generator.

Cables for linking multiple Neo Geo Pocket systems were available, as
well as a cable to connect the Neo Geo Pocket Color and the Dreamcast,
as part of a partnership between SNK and Sega. Supported Neo Geo
Pocket Color games include 'King of Fighters R-2' (which links with
'The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999' and 'The King of Fighters'
99: Evolution'), 'SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium' (links
with 'Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000'), 'SNK vs. Capcom: Card
Fighters' (links with 'The King of Fighters' 99: Evolution'), 'SNK vs.
Capcom: Card Fighters 2 Expand Edition' (links with 'Capcom vs. SNK:
Millennium Fight 2000'), and 'Cool Cool Jam' (links with 'Cool Cool
Toon').

At the September 1999 Tokyo Game Show, SNK unveiled a wireless adapter
for Neo Geo Pocket Color units, designed to enable wireless
communication between systems.

Technical specifications
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Model Neo Geo Pocket Neo Geo Pocket Color New Neo Geo Pocket Color
CPUs colspan="3" | Toshiba TLCS-900/H core (16/32-bit CISC based on
Z80) @ up to 6.144 MHz
RAM colspan="3" | 12 KB for 900/H, 4 KB for Z80 (shared with the
900/H), 4 KB of tilemap RAM, 8 KB of character RAM
ROM colspan="3" | 64 KB BIOS
Interfaces colspan="3" | SIO 1 channel 19200 bit/s, 5-pin serial port
Display 2.6-inch (diagonal) reflective monochrome liquid-crystal
display (LCD) colspan="2" | 2.6-inch reflective thin-film transistor
(TFT) LCD
Resolution colspan="3" | 160 × 152 (256 × 256 virtual screen)
DMA colspan="3" | 4 channels, integrated in TLCS-900/H core
Colors 8 shades of grey colspan="2" | 146 (or 20 in monochrome mode)
on-screen out of 4096
Palettes 16 palettes per plane, 64 sprites per frame colspan="2" | 16
for sprites, 16 per scrolling plane, additional 8 sets of 8 colors
each assigned to the 6 monochrome-mode palettes (2 for sprites, 2 per
scrolling plane), backdrop, and window
Characters colspan="2" | 512 8 × 8 characters, transparency + 3
colors per character
Sprites colspan="3" | 64 8 × 8 sprites, each can be placed behind,
in-between, or above the scrolling planes, no arbitrary scanline
limitation
Scrolling colspan="3" | 2 scrolling planes, 32 × 32 tilemaps with 8 ×
8 character tiles
Special effects colspan="3" | Character flipping, sprite chaining,
sprite coordinate offsetting, windowing, color inversion
Sound colspan="3" | T6W28 (enhanced SN76489 with 3 square-wave tone
generators + 1 noise generator, stereo capability), dual 6-bit
digital-to-analog converters. Sound system controlled by a Z80
processor @ 3.072 MHz.
Cartridges colspan="3" | Up to 4 MB ROM and 0.5-2 MB of RAM
Batteries 2 × AAA batteries for 40 hours of gameplay, CR2032 battery
for backup memory and clock colspan="2" | 2 × AA batteries for 40
hours of gameplay, CR2032 battery for backup memory and clock
Width
Height
Depth
Weight without battery

File:Neo Geo Pocket Motherboard Back.jpg|Neo Geo Pocket motherboard
File:Neo Geo Color Motherboard Bottom.jpg|Neo Geo Pocket Color
motherboard

Game library
======================================================================
Only nine games were released for the original monochrome Neo Geo
Pocket, all of which are backward compatible with the Neo Geo Pocket
Color. Six of these nine games were later re-released in updated color
versions for the Pocket Color. Some Pocket Color titles can also be
played in monochrome on the original system.

A total of 73 games were released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Most
were developed by SNK, including entries from its established
franchises such as 'Fatal Fury', 'Metal Slug' and 'The King of
Fighters'.

Several major third-party developers contributed to the library,
including Sega with 'Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure', a title
based on 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' that has been cited as one of the best
games produced for the system. Capcom collaborated with SNK on several
crossover titles, including 'SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium'
and the 'SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters' series. Namco published a
version of 'Pac-Man' that included a plastic cross ring designed to
restrict the system's microswitched joystick to four directions; this
version has been regarded as one of the best home ports of the game.

Cartridges
============
Neo Geo Pocket cartridges are smaller than Game Boy cartridges. Games
were initially packaged in small, clamshell-style plastic cases with
colorful cover art, resembling the packaging of Neo Geo AES games.
These cases were regarded by some fans as particularly distinctive. In
an effort to reduce costs, SNK USA adopted cardboard packaging for the
North American market, a decision that reportedly angered SNK's
leadership in Japan. Japanese releases later shifted to cardboard
boxes as well, while European titles continued to be sold in clamshell
cases until the system was discontinued in that region. Toward the end
of the system's lifespan in North America, games were frequently
bundled in blister packs to clear remaining inventory, sometimes
including previously unreleased titles such as 'Faselei!'.

Re-releases
=============
Several Neo Geo Pocket Color games were re-released via emulation on
the Nintendo Switch, beginning with 'Samurai Shodown! 2' as a
pre-order incentive for the 2019 'Samurai Shodown' reboot . These
re-releases were later compiled into 'Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection
Vol. 1' (2021) and 'Vol. 2' (2022), which were also released for
Windows.

Reception
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SNK sold over 25,000 Neo Geo Pocket Color units in Japan and more than
100,000 in Europe by the end of 1999. By May 2000, the system held a
2% share of the North American handheld market.

Retrospective reviews of the Neo Geo Pocket have been largely
positive.

Jeremy Parish of 'USGamer' called it an influential handheld,
describing it as a "technological bridge" between the 8-bit portable
era and the Game Boy Advance, commended its robust build quality, and
noting that its distinctive "clicky stick" was a precursor to features
in later consoles. He praised the system's diverse library,
highlighting titles like 'SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash',
'Sonic Pocket Adventure', 'Magical Drop', and 'Pac-Man'. Parish
attributed its commercial failure to SNK's limited retail presence and
the acquisition by Aruze in 2000, concluding, "Neo Geo Pocket Color's
life may have been painfully brief, but it was nevertheless memorable
for those who experienced it."

Ryan Lambie of 'Den of Geek' called the Neo Geo Pocket one of
Nintendo's strongest competitors, praising its "brilliant" game
library, design, and quality. He lamented its early market exit,
writing, "It was a premature end for a system that, although doomed to
remain a distant second to the Game Boy, could have forged a great
little niche of its own."

Damien McFerran of 'Nintendo Life' called the Neo Geo Pocket,
alongside the WonderSwan, one of the most "interesting challengers" to
Nintendo. He praised its library, clamshell packaging, hardware, and
battery life, writing, "The Neo Geo Pocket Color may not have
succeeded in its goal of wrestling market share away from Nintendo,
but that doesn't automatically mean it was a failure. Many fans will
argue that the quality of the software available was far in advance of
that on the Game Boy Color, and the fantastic controls, amazing
battery life, cool PDA features and excellent screen combine to make a
system which is still hard to put down, even today."

See also
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* List of Neo Geo Pocket Color games

License
=========
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_Geo_Pocket_Color