Looking at a deal on Neo Geo cab, help me out

Tech Talk
1

Ok, so I’ve got a guy locally here with a Neo Geo MVS system (arcade cab, not the home).

Installed with a 1 slot PCB with Metal Slug included and he’s asking $200.
He’s also got a 4 slot PCB he’s selling seperately and a bunch of games. I may or may not go for the extras, he’s only asking about 80 for the extra PCB with a UniBios.

He claims everything in working condition and no problems, I’m going to go over and check it out this weekend.

First, just wanted to know if this is a decent price assuming it’s in good working order.

Second question is this… I love Neo Geo and would probably keep it as is for a while, but assuming I got bored how hard would it be to mod this thing and just make it a Mame/Dreamcast/Jamma cab or whatever I felt like.

I know I can just gut the whole thing and put a Dreamcast or something in it easy, but I’m wondering how hard it is to replace the Control Panels on these. Because I’d like to swap it with a 6 button SF style layout at some point.

Thoughts? Would you jump on the deal? What should I look for when I go check it out? I’m new to working with arcade cabinets (part of why I like Neo Geo as a starter because the carts seem easy to work with, plus the games rock).

From what I can tell it’s one of these for reference. Although I don’t know if other style cabs were used for MVS, this is all I’ve ever seen at the arcade.

2

Wow. Nobody even knows what the value on one of these things normally is?

From what I can tell on ebay it’s a good deal.

3

$200 is about the going rate if it’s in good shape.

If you plan on MAMEing later you can just skip buying the other Neo games since you will be able to play all of them on your pc.

I can’t remember clearly, but I think you can just replace the metal CP on that model of cab, so putting in a new CP shouldn’t be a problem.

Better place to ask this question is Neo-Geo.com, but beware, they will give you shit if you mention MAMEing it.

4

Yeah, actually I probably won’t even MAME it, I may at some point just figure out a way to pop a dreamcast inside and run some 3S or MVC2 on it.

I will almost definately change the control panel just because I don’t like the 4 buttons across layout. So I’ll take a look at that. Being able to just buy a new metal panel would be a big plus for me.

5

You can’t find deals like that in Houston. :frowning:

Leave the MAME for your home PC. You should leave a cab like this original. if you did want to put a Jamma in there it should be easy after all it’s just a matter of connecting wires and probably getting a VGA Adapter or something.

If I could find a cab like that for that price I’d get it in a heartbeat.

6

Actually he is also selling a 4 slot PCB that is JAMMA compatible.

7

I’m not 100% sure, but going by the it looks like you may be able to just cut a new CP and replace the old one

8

$80 for a 4-slot with a UniBios is a killer fucking deal.

And MVS is not the same as JAMMA, you’ll have to do some wiring work to make it work with something like a CPS and a new CP.

9

Yeah, I know the MVS isn’t the same. I probably wouldn’t even get into doing anything like that for a while.

10

Very solid deal. I paid more than that for my 2-slot gold cab. Of course, I ended up selling it and all the carts, but hey. I fulfilled a life-long dream.

11

There are a few games I’d recommend to MAME it up over having the original. SF3: 3S for instance, only because CPS-3 death is the biggest heart break a game collector can have, and Samurai Showdown 5: Special, only because the cart STILL sells for obscene amounts…

btw, anyone who’s thinking about sixbuttoning a neogeo control panel: Don’t. Leave the thing cherry. Slap another CP on there and save the old one.

12

Yeah, I wouldn’t touch the original CP.

13

Lol, yeah. And in the end that’s all that matters.

14

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

15

Thanks guys. I think I’m going to get it, I’ll be going over to take a look at it tomorrow. I’ll probably pick the UniBios up with it too.

16

If you get that 4-slot with the UniBios then you can easily turn it around and sell it for probably more than double that price.