Define "unofficial". Options such as virtual console or steam releases are officially licensed by SNK, allowing them to be compensated for their IPs and continue to operate as a business. Bootlegs do not support the original creator.
If you mean real hardware, there are lots of other affordable options such as neo cd, mvs, multi carts or even neosd.
With these bootlegs you are essentially paying hundreds of dollars for a nice photocopy and a plastic case that will look good on a shelf. If that's the aspect of video games you enjoy the most, then that's a personal decision on you.
Hey whats up egg_sanwhich! Thanks for responding to my question. I was not referring to SNK licensed software or code, but I was personally defining "official" as follows:
The use of authentic SNK developed hardware such an original MVS unit/arcade board, AES console, CD console, CDZ console, NGP unit, NGPC unit, etc
AND
The use of an authentic SNK developed/manufactured game rom format (via MVS cart, AES cart, Neo Geo cd-roms, NGP/C carts, etc).
However, the fact that every fan appears to have a different set of criteria as to what is "official" or "authentic" means is exactly why I am posing my question here. SNK hardware and consoles have always been expensive (handheld and cd units being the exceptions). Second-hand market costs became the biggest limiting factor on achieving the above conditions for many new fans and hobbyists as the years have gone by. To get around this, many neo fans moved on to the cheaper mvs format to maintain an authentic experience. Meanwhile, higher quality ports of the neo library became available to consumers, but we neo fans (and the entire retro game market) decided that playing on authentic hardware would remain our format of choice.
However, the use of illegally duplicated software on authentic hardware or the use of transplanted roms with authentic hardware fall into the same arena. Although completely up to the preference of the fan, both approaches still sidestep or alter the use of authentic SNK hardware in one form or another.
Again, I feel that every gamer has a right to choose how they want to play or collect, but I find it odd that some gray areas are demonized more than others. I'm personally not a fan of cart conversions, multicarts or flashcarts, but I am also not bothered by the preference of others. I was just curious why some unofficial formats were looked down upon over others.
