Best Neo Geo ROMs. Neo Geo can’t make boast of popularity among players of video games, but this device is also worth attention. It’s a family of video game hardware that was produced by SNK. Its greatest achievement is the release of a well-known arcade system, the Neo Geo MVS, and the home console counterpart, the Neo Geo AES. Also, to get your ROMs to run, you're going to need the neo geo BIOS. It's not included in any retroarch core or anything, because it's propietary software, so technically you need the license to obtain it. MAME is one of the most famous emulator and is capable of running almost all Neo Geo Roms and thousands of other games. It's an open source emulator and thus some of its versions are available for Windows, Mac OS, UNIX, AMIGA, LINUX and even consoles such as Xbox and Dreamcast.

MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. MAME can emulate thousands of games that otherwise would have been lost in the ash-heaps of history.

See Also: FinalBurn-Neo, Neo Geo

There are a variety of arcade emulator versions available in RetroPie. There are significant differences in performance, compatibility, and configuration between them. If you're getting started with an arcade emulation project, begin by reading the Arcade page.

This page is a resource for additional details on RetroPie's MAME emulators including configuration paths, controls, and the ROM sets which each emulator requires.

MAME ROM paths

Three of the available MAME ROM paths in RetroPie are shared directories which are used by more than one emulator: arcade, mame-libretro, mame-advmame. In order to successfully load zipped ROM sets in these locations you must specify the arcade emulator version which matches your ROMs.

To avoid having several menus for different arcade emulators, all arcade-based ROMs can be placed in the arcade ROM folder, but you will have to specify which emulator each zipped ROM set will use from the Runcommand Menu.

Emulators

mame4all-pi

MAME Version: 0.37b5 (July 2000)

Active Sets: 2241

• BIOS: 1
• CHDs: 0
• Samples: 35

• 1126 Parent Roms
• 1025 Clones Roms
• 129 NeoGeo Roms (Parent+Clone)

MAME 0.37b5 DAT File: mame4all-037b5-RetroPie-260.dat

MAME 0.37b5 XML File: mame4all-no-clones-no-neogeo Does not include clones or NeoGeo romsets.

Controls

While in a game press Tab to open the menu to set up controls. The MAME4ALL configuration is saved in:

Other files in the cfg directory are ROM specific configs.

Neo Geo Emulator Download

Note: If configuration or other aspect of the configuration need resetting to defaults, remove the default.cfg or ROM specific .cfg file, and it will be re-created with default values next time MAME4ALL is started or the ROM configuration modified.

lr-mame2000 (MAME 2000)

MAME Version: 0.37b5 (July 2000)

Active Sets: 2241

• BIOS: 1
• CHDs: 0
• Samples: 35

MAME 0.37b5 DAT File: mame4all-037b5-RetroPie-260.zip

MAME 0.37b5 'Lite' DAT File: mame4all-no-clones-no-neogeo - Does not include clones or NeoGeo romsets.

Controls

MAME 2000 uses RetroArch control configuration. Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

lr-mame2003 (MAME 2003)

Please see MAME 2003 on RetroPie for information on how to configure specific features of this emulator.

MAME Version: 0.78 (December 2003)

Active Sets: 4705

• BIOS: 15
• CHDs: 30
• Samples: 56

MAME 0.78 XML DAT File: MAME 0.78.dat

MAME 0.78u5 DAT File: mame2003-lr-working-no-clones - Working romsets only. Does not include clones.

MAME 0.78u5 'Lite' DAT File: mame2003-lr-lite - Working romsets only. Does not include: clones, NeoGeo, PlayChoice NES/multiplay, romsets with rotary/dial/trackball/light gun controls, or romsets classified as casino/quiz/mahjong/fruit_machines/rhythm/mature.

Mame 2003 catver.ini also contains data on games definitively known not to work, as well as sorting data for mature games and other, less desirable, romsets.

Controls

MAME 2003-Plus uses both RetroArch control configuration and the MAME input configuration menu (accessible by pressing Tab). Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

lr-mame2003-plus (MAME 2003-Plus)

MAME 2003-Plus (also referred to as MAME 2003+ and mame2003-plus) is a libretro arcade system emulator core with an emphasis on high performance and broad compatibility with mobile devices, single board computers, embedded systems, and similar platforms.

In order to take advantage of the performance and lower hardware requirements of an earlier MAME architecture, MAME 2003-Plus began with the MAME 2003 codebase, which is itself derived from xmame 0.78. Upon that base, MAME 2003-Plus contributors have back-ported support for several hundred additional games as well as other functionality not originally present in MAME 0.78.

Please see the libretro MAME 2003-Plus core documentation for information on how to configure specific features of this emulator.

MAME Version: 0.78-0.188 (MAME 0.78 as a baseline with other ROMs back-ported from later MAME romsets)

Active Sets: 4850

• BIOS: 15
• CHDs: 30
• Samples: 66 + 6 Optional 'Soundtrack Samples'

MAME 2003-Plus DAT File: Github project page. An XML 'DAT' file can be generated from the emulator, directly from the MAME menu.

The MAME 2003-Plus catver.ini also contains data on games definitively known not to work, as well as sorting data for mature games or other, less desirable, romsets.

Controls

MAME 2003-Plus uses both RetroArch control configuration and the MAME input configuration menu (accessible by pressing Tab). Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

Some notes about extra controls options and configuration available in MAME 2003-Plus:

• MAME 2003-Plus can use different RetroPad layouts, chosen with the Device Type configuration option in the Controls menu in RetroArch:
  • Classic Gamepad, based on mainline MAME's default Xbox 360 controller layout, likely to suit DualShock or SNES-style gamepads.
  • Modern Fightstick, a fight stick and pad layout popularised by Street Fighter IV and assumes an 8+ button controller.
  • 6-Button, a layout intended for SNES-type RetroPad controls as well as 6-button arcade panels arcade panels.
  • 8-Button, a layout intended for an arcade panel (8 buttons)

• MAME 2003-Plus maps the analog controls to joystick control by default, instead of the D-Pad. This can be changed from the Core Options, switching the Control mapping option to digital.

• MAME 2003-Plus disables the MAME menu by default (usually mapped to Tab). It can be enabled by changing the Input interfaceCore Option to simultaneous.

lr-mame2010 (MAME 2010)

MAME Version: 0.139 (August 2010)

Active Sets: 8782

• BIOS: 67
• CHDs: 406
• Samples: 70 (4 more samples are not in circulation)

MAME 0.139 DAT File: MAME 0.139.dat

Controls

MAME 2010 uses RetroArch control configuration. Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

Default Player 1 and 2 Controls

Default Player 3 and 4 Controls

Native MAME UI Controls

Note: these controls are only operational for Player 1

lr-mame2015 (MAME 2015)

Note: This emulator is considered 'experimental' in RetroPie and has limited functionality. It requires more processing power than earlier MAME versions and will not run as many games at full speed on Raspberry Pi hardware.

MAME Version: 0.160

Active Sets: ??

• BIOS: ??
• CHDs: ??
• Samples: ?? (4 more samples are not in circulation)

MAME 0.160 DAT File: ProgettoSnaps MAME .dat page

Controls

MAME 2015 uses RetroArch control configuration. Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

lr-mame2016 (MAME 2016)

Note: This emulator is considered 'experimental' in RetroPie and has limited functionality. It requires more processing power than earlier MAME versions and will not run as many games at full speed on Raspberry Pi hardware.

MAME Version: 0.174

Active Sets: ??

• BIOS: ??
• CHDs: ??
• Samples: ?? (4 more samples are not in circulation)

MAME 0.174 DAT File: ProgettoSnaps MAME .dat page

Controls

MAME 2016 uses RetroArch control configuration. Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

AdvanceMAME 0.94

MAME Version: MAME 0.94 (March 2005)

Active Sets: 5563

• BIOS: 25
• CHDs: ?
• Samples: ?

AdvanceMAME 0.94 DAT File: advmame-0.94-RetroPie-260.7z

Controls

While in a game, press Tab to open the menu and set up controls. AdvanceMAME configuration for controls is stored in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame-0.94.0.rc. Changes to specific games result in .rc file entries with a prefix for the ROM (i.e. bwidow/input_map[p1_doubleleft_up] keyboard[0,up] for the bwidow game).

Note: The .rc file can also be edited manually, with a text editor. Any config can be made ROM-specific using a romname/ prefix which is handy for overriding a setting for a specific ROM or class of ROMs, such as vertical/. However, a single mistake in the .rc file will stop AdvanceMAME from launching. It is always best to make a backup of the configuration file before manual edits.

AdvanceMAME 1.4

MAME Version: MAME 0.106 (May 2006)

Active Sets: 6166

• BIOS: 26
• CHDs: 86
• Samples: 64 (3 more samples are not in circulation)

AdvanceMAME 1.4 DAT File: advmame12-106.7z

Controls

While in a game press Tab to open the menu to set up controls. AdvanceMAME configuration for controls is stored in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame-1.4.rc. Changes to specific games result in .rc file entries with a prefix for the ROM (i.e. bwidow/input_map[p1_doubleleft_up] keyboard[0,up])

Note: The .rc file can also be edited manually. Any config can be made ROM-specific using a romname/ prefix which is handy for overriding a setting for a specific ROM or class of ROMs, such as vertical/. However, a single mistake in the .rc file will stop AdvanceMAME from launching. It is always best to make a backup of the configuration file before manual edits.

AdvanceMAME 3

MAME Version: MAME 0.106 (May 2006)

Active Sets: 6166

• BIOS: 26
• CHDs: 86
• Samples: 64 (3 more samples are not in circulation)

AdvanceMAME 3 DAT File: same as AdvanceMAME 1.4, see above.

Controls

While in a game, press Tab to open the menu and set up the controls. AdvanceMAME configuration for controls is stored in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame.rc. Changes to specific games result in .rc file entries with a prefix for the ROM (i.e. bwidow/input_map[p1_doubleleft_up] keyboard[0,up])

Note: The .rc file can be edited manually. Any config can be made ROM-specific using a romname/ prefix, which is handy for overriding a setting for a specific ROM or class of ROMs, such as vertical/. However, a single mistake in the .rc file will stop AdvanceMAME from launching. It is always best to make a backup of the advmame.rc file before manual edits.

MAME

Note: This emulator is considered 'experimental' in RetroPie. It requires more processing power than earlier MAME versions and will not run as many games at full speed on Raspberry Pi hardware.

MAME Version: MAME has monthly versioned releases, there is no single version. Version 0.221 was released for May 2020, 0.222 for June 2020, etc.
Installing from binary will probably get a version that's a little behind the current MAME, installing from source will always get the latest monthly release.

NOTE: installing from source requires a lot of RAM and CPU power, on Pi3 and lower end systems could take more than one day - use the binary release when available, instead of installing from source.

MAME Dat Files: ProgettoSnaps MAME .dat page has versions for each MAME release.

Active Sets: ???

Controls

While in a game, press Tab to open the MAME menu, then choose the Input configuration. MAME controls configuration is saved in /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame/cfg :

• default/general input configuration file is default.cfg
• per-game configurations are saved in <romname>.cfg

lr-mame

Note: This emulator is considered 'experimental' in RetroPie. It requires more processing power than earlier MAME versions and will not run as many games at full speed on Raspberry Pi hardware.

MAME Version: Similar to MAME, lr-mame follows the monthtly MAME releases, so there is no single version. Installing from binary will probably get a version that's a little behind the current MAME, but the upstream Libretro repository tries to keep up with MAME's monthly releases, so installing from source

NOTE: installing from source requires a lot of RAM and CPU power, on Pi3 and lower end systems could take more than a day. Use the binary release when available.

MAME Dat Files: ProgettoSnaps MAME .dat page has versions for each MAME release.

Active Sets: ???

Controls

lr-mame uses the RetroArch control configuration.

Neo Geo Rom Emulator Iso

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

Neo-Geo System Information

Neo Geo Rom Emulator Psp

In the 1980s the Shin Nihon Kikaku (SNK) corporation was a 3rd party game developer for the 8bit Nintendo Entertainment System. With such hits as the Ikari Warriors and Baseball Stars, SNK was a hot commodity. However, SNK wanted more so in 1989 they released into the Japanese arcades the 16-bit NeoGeo MVS. When they did this, they also took the arcade motherboard and placed it in a console shell. Thus we have the Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System, otherwise known as the Home Cart System.

Neo Geo Rom Emulator Gameboy

This console was originally slated as a rental only unit in Japan. Due to a huge demand by their customers, SNK killed the rental model and in 1990 released the Home Cart to the general public for a hefty $650 + $200 per game. This price was outrageous to many, but you have to remember that this was an extremely expensive machine to make. Building ROM cartridges are still expensive to this very day. Back in 1990 all the parts were expensive, much more than any previous console. SNK never intended to sell retail, the Neo Geo was arcade hardware and it showed. This was also a blessing. The Neo Geo AES was the baddest game console and it really made the competition look pathetic. With games like Nam-75 and Crossed Swords in the arcades, many arcade gamers wanted these great games in their homes. Compared to the cost of the MVS setup the Home Neo was quite a bargain. The Neo took off to be one of the more popular systems, but was relatively unheard of in the USA until 1993.

Enter Samurai Shodown. This game hit the arcades like a flashfire. It was very popular in arcades and was not eclipsed until Samurai Shodown 2 in 1994. This is the one time when SNK was more popular than Capcom’s blockbuster Street Fighter series. At least in the US that is. In Asia, SNK has been strong competition at every turn.

Known for its fighters, but also loved for its puzzle and shooter games, the Neo Geo is a great game system that appeals to many! Almost all Neo games are designed for pay for play action, so if you’re looking for rpg’s or in-depth strategy games, you are better off looking elsewhere.