Neo Geo CD
The top loading Neo Geo CD system with controller | |
| Manufacturer | SNK |
|---|---|
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Fourth |
| Released | |
| Introductory price | |
| Discontinued | 1997 |
| Media | CD-ROM |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 12 MHz |
| Predecessor | Neo Geo AES |
The Neo Geo CD (ネオジオCD, Neo Jio Shī Dī) is a home video game console produced by SNK Corporation, released on September 9, 1994. The system is the same platform as the cartridge-based Neo Geo released four years earlier, but converted to the cheaper CD media format which retailed at $49 to 79 per title compared to up to $300 for the equivalent cartridge.
The Neo Geo CD was launched with a bundled control pad instead of a joystick like the AES version of the Neo Geo came with; however, the system was compatible with controllers from the AES. The Neo Geo CD met with limited success due to it being plagued with long loading times that could vary from 30 to 60 seconds, depending on the game, and its lack of 3D graphics capabilities at a time when 3D graphics were becoming ubiquitous in the video game industry. As of September 30, 1997, there had been 570,000 Neo Geo CD units sold worldwide; production of all Neo Geo hardware was discontinued in 1997, while new software continued to be released until 2004.