Neo Geo X

Information about the Neo Geo X was first reported in January 2012 and later confirmed in March. It was the first new hardware product bearing the Neo Geo name in over a decade following the Neo Geo Pocket Color, which was supported until 2001. Initially, the device was rumored to retail for about $700+, but the price of the Neo Geo X Gold package was revealed to be $199, far less than the original Neo Geo AES console. The handheld by itself, without the docking station and arcade stick, was later priced at $129.99 to come out in February 2013. In January 2013, SNK Playmore announced that manufacturing of the Gold Limited Edition package was ending with the last units arriving to retailers in April. However, they stated that the handheld would continue to be manufactured and that additional games and accessories would continue to be released. The system was distributed by Tommo in North America and Blaze in Europe. ==Games==

There were a total of 36 games for the Neo Geo X. Twenty games came pre-loaded on the system including titles from signature SNK series such as Metal Slug, Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters: The game cards include a firmware update for the Neo Geo X that updates the handheld to firmware v500. See the "Firmware Update" section of this article for update details. The Neo Geo X Mega Pack Volume 1 was also released in June 2013. It came with one game card that contains all 15 games featured in Neo Geo X Classics Volumes 1-5. The Mega Pack was packaged in a similar case used for the original Neo Geo AES game cartridges, which can also be used as a carrying case for the Neo Geo X handheld. The charging/data transfer cable was included as well. == Hardware ==

The device included a 4.3-inch LCD screen, SD card slot, A/V output, internal stereo speakers with a 3.5mm headphone jack. A micro USB port on the system is used for charging the battery. The screen's 480×272 pixels resolution is the same as the original PlayStation Portable and is close to the 16:9 aspect ratio. The Neo Geo X arcade stick controllers connect to the docking station via two USB ports. The unit's BIOS and pre-installed games were initially stored on an internal SanDisk 2GB micro SD card; later hardware revisions use a chip installed directly on the motherboard. This chip has yet to be documented. ==Software==

The console uses the Final Burn Alpha emulator running on a Linux-based operating system to play ROM images of Neo Geo games. This is a violation of Final Burn Alpha's license which prohibits any for-profit usage of the Emulator. The internal memory has no copy protection, allowing third party BIOSes and additional games to be directly installed on the unit. The operating system OpenDingux is used to load Final Burn Alpha, which runs .fba files when a game is selected. The system can be modified to run most emulators that will run on OpenDingux. The SD card slot could also be used to load other ROMs, but this requires modifying the SD card contact points. ==Reception==

Consumer Reports recommended the system for enthusiasts of older games, but criticized the device's video quality on modern televisions. T3 commented that the replica AES docking station and included joystick added to the "overall retro charm" of the Gold package, but the handheld by itself might not be worth the money as Neo Geo games are now easily playable through other means. Damien McFerran, writing for Eurogamer reacted positively to the quality of the handheld's gamepad and face buttons. He also complimented details such as the unit's packaging, which remained faithful to the original AES. However, he criticized the quality of the display, calling it "washed out" and writing that the scaling made games look "fuzzy and ill-defined." He also criticized the image quality of the outputs on the docking station, calling the HDMI output "muddy" and commenting that the composite output suffered from color bleeding and a hazing effect. McFerran also lamented that games were being distributed exclusively on physical media instead of being downloadable via Wi-Fi or through a connection to a PC. In addition, he mentioned that the emulated games were prone to screen tearing and audio issues. Concluding that it was not worth the premium price, he wrote "This is a console which has been created with the right intentions but the execution is sadly lacking." ==Controversy==

Reportedly due to the low manufacturing standards employed by Tommo, in October 2013, SNK Playmore has publicly ordered Tommo to cease not only manufacture of the Neo Geo X, but to pull all existing stock from store shelves. Tommo in response claimed to be in compliance with the contract between the companies, which had recently been extended until 2016, and demanding that SNK retract the cease and desist claim. In early 2014, in a press statement sent to gaming website Polygon, Tommo once again claimed full contractual compliance, and accused SNK Playmore of using underhanded tactics to undermine sales of their product, while failing to follow the routes of resolution put forward in the contract in the first place, and declining Tommo's offers of peaceful resolution. The CEO of the manufacturer said they were planning on "taking action" against SNK to protect their contractual rights. ==See also==