Release date question
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finngamer
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Why not check the master list?
It's to your left. Or here:
http://www.neo-geo.com/snk/masterlist.htm
It's to your left. Or here:
http://www.neo-geo.com/snk/masterlist.htm
ttooddddyy
PNG FTW,
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Turns out they were released at the sametime 9/1/91.
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finngamer said:
You've never noticed that every single early title on the master list has a release date of 7.1.91? Clearly that can't be correct as many of the early titles were released in 1990 and several others were released in early 1991.
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finngamer said:
The home system definitely came out in 1990. I remember reading about it that Summer, but didn't actually find one until December. I was 7 at the time and begged my dad for one for the holidays, but he couldn't get my mom to approve the $649 price tag. I know the 7.1.91 date is thrown around a lot for the early stuff, but there were at least 4-6 titles out by the end of 1990.
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Here's a usenet post from December 1990 confirming that the AES arrived just before Christmas:
NEO GEO
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If we're going to necro bump a post from 2006 - here's another thread from 2006, itself necro bumped in 2010 with the same usenet link. 
The December 1990 launch in the US could very well have been a soft-launch in one or a few test markets in the US with the full launch being recorded as July 1991. One usenet post from 1990 can't tell the whole story here. The AES was a gamble given the incredible price of the machine, so a test market launch strategy would have made sense.
For example, the NES was soft-launched in New York in Oct 1985, another test market in California in early 1986, then finally a nation wide launch in September 1986.
Where's Chad Okada when you need him?
A sensational discovery!
As many of you would most likely know, it's fairly known and accepted than the NeoGeo AES came just after the NeoGeo MVS, namely the MVS debuted in the Japanese arcade in 1990 April 26, while the AES debuted in stores on July the 1st. This is basically what most of the western (and even...
www.neo-geo.com
The December 1990 launch in the US could very well have been a soft-launch in one or a few test markets in the US with the full launch being recorded as July 1991. One usenet post from 1990 can't tell the whole story here. The AES was a gamble given the incredible price of the machine, so a test market launch strategy would have made sense.
For example, the NES was soft-launched in New York in Oct 1985, another test market in California in early 1986, then finally a nation wide launch in September 1986.
Where's Chad Okada when you need him?
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this is like a Billy Pitt origin story
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YOU better calm the fuck down too. lol
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I AM CALM!
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Careful, he might cut a promo on you!
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The December 1990 issue of Game Pro magazine not only contains a full page Neo Geo AES ad (the famous hot dog ad), but the magazine does a two page story (page 24-26) about the US launch. It runs down the price, the games, says the US launch will be before Christmas, etc. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/90/GamePro_US_017.pdf
Here's a post from April '91 of someone seeing Neo Geo at Toys R Us: https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video/c/MRb_kDN2Q7Q/m/EwOKqFvSPPkJ
Here's a scan of the Spring '91 Electronics Boutique catalog: https://huguesjohnson.com/scans/ebspring91/pg03.jpg
Keep in mind it takes time to design and print those catalogs. All of the Nintendo, Sega & PC titles on the cover of the catalog were either big titles for holiday '90 or had just come out in February '91.
I saw Neo Geo in Toys R Us stores and CompUSA stores in December '90 and begged my dad to get me one for Christmas. I don't think Miami would have been a test location and the Game Pro ad and feature show SNK intended Christmas 1990 to be the US launch. A test launch would have been kept quiet and not had national advertising purchase.
I stopped posting for 18 years so I could research this exclusively, putting my life and family on hold to devote 24/7 to the subject. I am confident July '91 wasn't the US launch.
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I hope you made time to shower at the very least...
There was no time.
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Not enough foil to shut out the voices.
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Yeah, I think a test market strategy is very likely. The rental option itself was probably a test/promotion before opening it up to direct sales.
The timing of all of this doesn't keep me up at night. We do know the system existed in Japan as of 1990, and the specific dates from there don't really seem to matter that much.
Thank you for the info all the same.
The timing of all of this doesn't keep me up at night. We do know the system existed in Japan as of 1990, and the specific dates from there don't really seem to matter that much.
Thank you for the info all the same.
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Hey buddy, long time admirer of your posts. Great to talk to you.
Here is a discussion from January 6, 1991 where people are finding Neo Geo coast to coast in various US stores and cities: https://groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.amiga.games/c/VQWPbmMdsgo/m/ZmyS_Nl6KnEJ
Considering SNK launched the national US press campaign in Sep '90 to hype a Dec '90 arrival, it seems unlikely to me it was just test locations. The available evidence seems to suggest:
April '90 Japan launch (rental focused). December '90 US launch. July '91 Japan relaunch (home focused).
Gonna go finally shower!
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Dr. Jigglin
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