SNK launched the Neo Geo AES (Advanced Entertainment System) on 31 January 1990 in Japan, and 1 July 1990 in North America, at a launch price of $649 - more than three times the Super Nintendo. The price was justified by an extraordinary proposition: the AES ran the identical hardware as SNK’s MVS (Multi Video System) arcade boards. When an operator installed a new SNK title in a cabinet, home players could buy the same cartridge and play the same game - frame-perfect, no compromises.
The platform hosted 304 MVS titles across its commercial life, with games priced between $50 and $200 per cartridge. Franchises including Metal Slug, The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, and Art of Fighting defined the Neo Geo identity: richly animated 2D sprite art at a fidelity that console competitors could not approach until the PlayStation era.
