Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Just in case you don’t want to read this whole review I’ll start with a quick summary. If you’re a fan of Neo Geo or really just arcade games in general and want a tiny machine you can display on your desk and play on a whim, then this system is for you. There are a few minor quirks (detailed below), but they aren’t enough to make me not recommend this great little system. Now, for the more detailed review… Things you probably already know: - This is a tiny Neo Geo system with 40 pre-loaded games. - The system includes a controller and screen built in, so you can play it right out of the box without the need for a TV. - Optionally you can connect the system to a TV and also plug in separate controllers (sold separately). So let’s go over each aspect of the system… THE UNIT ITSELF The system looks great and really does come across as a tiny arcade cabinet. Even if this thing just played one basic game or didn’t even function as a full video game system (like maybe it just lit up or something), it would still look great on a desk or shelf just because it has the tiny joystick and buttons and looks like a little model of an arcade game. It really is quite impressive when you turn it on and it actually is a full working system in such a tiny package! I think it will definitely surprise your friends or coworkers the first time you show that it’s more than just a decoration. The unit has the screen and controls on the front of course. Nothing too fancy here although there is a nice blue light ring that illuminates around the joystick when the system is on. Around the back there are the ports for the USB-C power cable, a headphone jack, a mini-HDMI port for connecting it to a TV, and a power button. On each side of the system are the USB-C ports for connecting the optional controllers. The system also comes with two stickers for the top marquee. If you want, you can choose one of them and apply it to make the system look similar to the original Neo Geo MVS arcade system. Personally I will probably leave the sticker off the system just because I like keeping things the way they are when unboxed… but I may end up using one of them if I get tired of the plain look. Notably absent from this system is any sort of battery, meaning it really isn’t designed for portable use. This doesn’t bother me though as the form factor doesn’t exactly lend itself to being something you would just throw in your bag to take on the plane or a public transit commute. Since it doesn’t fold up or have any way to protect the screen it’s probably best to just leave this one at home. The system also does not include a USB AC adapter so you’ll need to use one you already have (like a phone charger, power strip with USB, etc.) or buy one. I have a bunch of USB chargers lying around so this wasn’t a big deal for me but it’s definitely something you need to be aware of since the system actually has no way of even turning on right out of the box as all you get is the USB-C to USB power cable, but no actual power adapter. DISPLAY The built-in display is great! It’s very sharp and the perfect aspect ratio for the games. If you happen to remember the Neo Geo X portable system from a few years ago you should know that this display is MUCH better. That other system used a ridiculous wide screen display even though the Neo Geo games were never on wide screen displays. This one is really great... crisp, bright, and the proper aspect ratio... I can’t think of any room for improvement on it. CONTROLS The controls are very tiny as you would expect. Surprisingly though this doesn’t really cause a lot of issues when playing the games. The buttons work great despite not using the microswitches that you may remember from the original Neo Geo system. The joystick is just okay. It gets the job done, but unfortunately doesn’t have any kind of gates or other guides built in so it just moves around freely in a circle. There are also no microswitches on the joystick so it seems rather slushy and inaccurate. It’s still quite usable, but doesn’t provide that nice direct feedback that the original Neo Geo joysticks do. I can see it making some moves in fighting games a little bit more difficult to pull off if you’re used to the other type of joystick. The previously mentioned Neo Geo X from a few years ago used microswitches on both the portable system and the optional controllers. On the Neo Geo Mini the optional controllers are also missing the microswitches (more on this below). SOUND The sound is not anything that will blow your socks off, but it is adequate for the small system. The volume adjustment is done via an on-screen control from the main menu. I would have preferred a physical control on the outside of the unit so you could easily adjust the volume while playing a game, but the on-screen one works fine. For better sound, or just for using the system without disturbing others, you can also plug headphones into the jack on the back of the system. GAMES I won’t review every game on the system as you can easily find that information elsewhere online. However, I will say that this international version of the system does come with all of the Metal Slug games (not all are included in the Japanese release), a heavy dose of fighting games, a few other shooters, and a few sports games such as golf, soccer, and football. Personally I found the lineup of games on the international edition to be better than the Japanese edition, but that really just depends on what type of games you like. Getting 40 games on such a tiny system is really great, especially when you consider that the Neo Geo X from a few years ago only came with half that many. There’s no network connectivity or SD card slot for adding games, so I suspect that there aren’t any plans to make additional games available. However, since the system does use a USB-C port for the power I totally expect the hacking community to find a way to add more games pretty quickly. Personally I like to keep the system just as it comes from the factory, but if you’re interested in add more games then my guess is you’ll have some way to do it in the future. USER INTERFACE The UI on the system is pretty standard for these multiple game systems that have come out over the past few years. There’s an easy to navigate menu that you scroll through to select a game. Once you’re in a game you can press the Select and Start buttons at the same time to return to the menu. From there you can easily use the built-in save states feature that allows you to save and load games from any point (if you’ve used the NES Classic or SNES Classic you’re familiar with how this works). This is a nice addition since many of the Neo Geo games can be quite hard without the ability to save your progress. From this same screen you can adjust the screen brightness, volume, or return back to the main menu to select a different game. TV CONNECTION Connecting the system to a TV requires a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable. Sadly this is not included in the box with the system so you’ll have to buy one separately. A lot of people probably have a spare HDMI cable laying around, but since the Neo Geo Mini uses a mini-HDMI cable I suspect most of us will end up buying a new cable just for this system. This isn’t a huge deal but I wish they would have either supplied a small adapter or simply made the port on the system a regular size HDMI port as there seems to be plenty of room for it. When you connect the system to a TV you can continue to use the built in controls, so the optional controller isn’t required, but it probably makes more sense to have one of the controllers when playing on the big screen. Of course a controller is a requirement if you want to have a second player join in the fun with you. The TV connection is decent, but it is noticeably softer than the picture you see on the tiny built-in screen. I don’t know if the output in general is a little soft but you just don’t notice it on the small screen, or if there is some softness being introduced just from the HDMI port. Either way it doesn’t look “bad” per se, but it doesn’t look crystal clear perfect either. I also have some of the other “classic” systems like the NES Classic and the picture from it is distinctly sharper than what comes out of the Neo Geo Mini. This isn’t a deal breaker but it is a little disappointing since one of the main selling points of the tiny system is that you can plug in a TV and controllers and have a full home system whenever you want. CONTROLLERS I’ll mention the controllers here just for completeness. They don’t come with the system but I went ahead and ordered them with mine as I knew I’d want them both for playing on the small screen and for when I attach the system to a TV. The controllers are almost an exact copy (at least in looks) of the controllers that were included with the Neo Geo CD system back in the day. They are available in either black or white. I couldn’t decide which color was better so I picked up one of each. One notable difference between the old and new controllers is that the new controllers don’t include the clicky microswitches like the original controllers did. This comes across pretty much the same way as the lack of microswitches on the main system does: the controls feel less tactile and imprecise. Specifically the control pad itself which has a lot of travel in it. Combine the large range of travel with the lack of microswitches and you end up with a pad that can easily go diagonal when you’re trying to go left to right or up and down. Most of us have been playing video games with controllers from Nintendo, Sony, Sega, etc. for years without microswitches, but it was definitely something distinctive about the original Neo Geo controllers so it’s disappointing that the new controllers don’t have the switches. I have the full-size USB joysticks from the older Neo Geo X console and those include the microswitches. I was hoping that I may be able to connect them to the Neo Geo Mini using a USB to USB-C adapter, but unfortunately they do not work with the Mini so it looks like we’re stuck with the non-clicky controls with the Mini. Another interesting difference between the new controllers and the Neo Geo CD controllers is that the arrangement of the A, B, C, and D buttons has been changed. The arrangement has been rotated clockwise one stop so that now A is above B and C is above D. Previously C was to the left of D and A was to the left of B (describing this is a lot harder to understand than just looking for a picture online to compare the two). This doesn’t make a huge difference but if you happen to have some muscle memories of playing on the Neo Geo CD for years or something then you might need a little while to adjust to the new layout. Overall though the controller works decently (if you can deal with the lack of microswitches) and I highly recommend you pick up a pair of them while you can (you never know when they may be discontinued and become hard to find). Whether you’re playing on the small screen of the Neo Geo Mini itself, or on a huge TV screen they will provide you with a lot better control compared to the tiny joystick and button setup on the main system. Grabbing of a pair of them gives you the option to play many of the games with another person, and since Neo Geo is very heavy on fighting games this seems like a no-brainer. OVERALL IMPRESSION The Great: - Great looking display piece that you’ll want to leave on your desk or shelf - The built-in games include most of the best titles from the Neo Geo library and with 40 to choose from you’ll always have something fun to play - Screen size and resolution is a terrific match for the system and isn’t too small - The ability to use external controllers and connect the system to a TV really adds to the value and gives you both a tiny complete arcade machine and a multi-player home game console all in one The Not-So-Great: - Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable has to be purchased separately if you want to connect the system to a TV - It doesn’t look like there’s any way for additional games to be officially offered, although the USB-C port will most likely be hacked for unofficial game additions - No built-in battery (this doesn’t bother me but it’s worth pointing out if you are wanting a truly portable system) - No AC power adapter included (this also doesn’t bother me but again it’s worth pointing out since some people may not have spare USB chargers laying around) The BAD (some of you will pass on, or return the system because of these): - Controls, whether using the built in ones or the extra control pads, are a bit sloppy and don’t use the classic microswitch design - The display output to a TV isn’t as sharp as I would like Overall I think this is a great little system and highly recommend you pick one up if you are at all interested in it. The inclusion of a screen really makes this unique among the latest “classic” systems as most require you to connect them to a TV. With this tiny setup you can have a full featured arcade machine on your desk without the need for anything else. Some people may consider the price a little high for an “old” system, but I think it’s priced just right since you get the screen and since it comes with 40 games. I know it’s not a fair comparison, but I just think back to the 90’s when I would see the original AES game cartridges in the store and all of them were at least $200. At those prices you are getting over $8000 worth of games on this system! If I were you I’d pick one of these up right now and get two controllers to go with it! I did.