Neo Geo Pocket / Color

SNK's decision to enter the handheld market was driven by the company's desire to diversify beyond the arcade and home Neo Geo markets, which were declining in the late 1990s as arcades contracted in Western markets. The Neo Geo Pocket was conceived as a way to bring SNK's fighting game expertise ??the company's core competency ??to the booming handheld gaming segment that Nintendo had dominated since 1989.

The hardware design centered on the Toshiba TLCS-900H processor, a 32-bit CPU running at 6.144 MHz. This was a more powerful processor than what the Game Boy Color used (a Z80-derivative at 8 MHz), giving the NGPC a genuine processing advantage. The custom sound chip, based on the SN76489 architecture with an additional DAC channel, provided audio quality that was competitive with or superior to the Game Boy Color.

The iconic micro-switched joystick was the result of SNK's arcade heritage. The company's engineers refused to compromise on input quality, insisting that a fighting game platform needed a proper digital joystick rather than a membrane-based D-pad. Each joystick contained tiny individual micro-switches for each direction, providing the crisp, tactile feedback that arcade players expected. Manufacturing these miniature switches was more expensive than a standard D-pad, but SNK considered it non-negotiable for their brand identity.

The collaboration between SNK and Capcom for the 'SNK vs. Capcom' series on NGPC was significant on multiple levels. The two companies had been fierce rivals in the arcade fighting game world for over a decade ??SNK's Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series versus Capcom's Street Fighter and Darkstalkers. The crossover titles represented a historic detente and were developed during a broader period of SNK-Capcom cooperation that included console fighting games on other platforms.

SNK of America, led by president Kouichi Toyama, pursued an aggressive Western launch for the NGPC in 1999. The company secured shelf space at major retailers and marketed the device as the 'hardcore gamer's handheld.' Initial reception was enthusiastic among gaming media and fighting game enthusiasts, but the broader consumer market remained loyal to Nintendo. The Game Boy Color's Pokemon franchise was an unstoppable commercial force that no competitor could match.

The Dreamcast link cable feature was born from SNK's close relationship with Sega. Both companies were fighting against PlayStation's dominance, and the NGPC-Dreamcast connectivity was a tangible expression of their alliance. Games like King of Fighters R-2 could unlock bonus content when connected to the Dreamcast version of KoF '99.

SNK's bankruptcy in October 2000 was the death blow for the NGPC. The company had been financially weakened by the declining arcade market and the costs of maintaining multiple hardware platforms (Neo Geo MVS, AES, CD, and NGPC). When Aruze Corporation (a pachinko manufacturer) acquired SNK, the NGPC was immediately discontinued. SNK of America was forced to recall unsold NGPC hardware and software from North American retailers, creating an abrupt and undignified end for a platform that deserved better.