SNK Corporation designed numerous Neo Geo brand arcade games throughout the 1980s, including the hits Vanguard and Ikari Warriors. In 1989, they decided to produce a home video game system capable of playing their popular arcade software. The Neo Geo home video game console, released in 1990, was a technological success; the system featured impressive arcade-quality graphics and exceptional gameplay. But with this superior gaming platform came an alarming $650 price tag, compared to the popular Sega Genesis which was selling for a more reasonable $200. Most casual gamers were unable to afford the system, however, among hardcore gamers the system was a must-have. SNK sold only 900,000 units during the production run, yet the company turned out games-- most notably fighting games such as Fatal Fury and Metal Slug--for more than 14 years. The system has a rather large following with individuals in the retrogaming community, many of whom rank the Neo Geo as the finest 2-D console ever produced.
The Neo Geo Pocket, SNK's first handheld system, was released in 1998, but it did not sell nearly so well as expected and was discontinued only a year later. It wad followed by the Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999, which was SNK's final console, . To date it has sold over 2 million units worldwide.
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