1.
Neo Geo (system)
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It was the first system in SNKs Neo Geo family. The Neo Geo originally launched as the MVS coin-operated arcade machine, with its games stored on self-contained cartridges, a game cabinet can be exchanged for a different game title by swapping the games ROM Cartridge and cabinet artwork. A home console version was made, called AES. The AES had the same raw specs as the MVS and had full compatibility, as of 2013 it was the most expensive home video game console ever released, costing US$1,125 adjusted for inflation. The Neo Geo was revived along with the overall in December 2012 through the introduction of the Neo Geo X handheld. The Neo Geo MVS was a success during the 1990s, due to the low cost, six ROM slots. Several successful video game series were released for the platform, such as Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters and Metal Slug. Neo Geo hardware production lasted seven years, discontinued in 1997, whereas game software production lasted until 2004, the AES console was succeeded by the Neo Geo CD and the MVS arcade by the Hyper Neo Geo 64. As of March 1997, the Neo Geo and the Neo Geo CD combined had sold 980,000 units worldwide, in 2009, the Neo Geo was ranked 19th out of the 25 best video game consoles of all time by the video game website IGN. Contrary to other popular arcade hardware of the time, the SNK/Alpha Denshi hardware used sprite strips instead of the more common tilemap based backgrounds, the Neo Geo was announced on January 31,1990 in Osaka, Japan and released on April 26,1990. Initially, the AES home system was available for rent to commercial establishments, such as hotel chains, bars and restaurants. When customer response indicated that some gamers were willing to buy a US$650 console, SNK expanded sales, Neo Geos graphics and sound are largely superior to other contemporary home consoles, arcades, and even computers such as the Sharp X68000. The MVS was one of the most powerful units at the time. Furthermore, since the AES was identical to its arcade counterpart, although its high price tag kept it out of the mainstream gaming market, it outlasted the market lifespan of its more popular Nintendo and Sega rivals, and also made a unique niche market for it. In the United States, the consoles debut price was planned to be US$599, however, the price was raised and its American launch debuted as the Gold System at US$649.99. Later, the Gold System was bundled with Magician Lord and Fatal Fury, the Silver System package, launched at US$399.99, includes one joystick controller and does not include a game. Other games were launched at about US$200 and up, at double or quadruple the competition, these premium prices made the console accessible only to a niche market. When realtime 3D graphics became the norm in the arcade industry, despite this, Neo Geo arcade games retained profitability through the mid-1990s, and the system was one of three 1995 recipients of the American Amusement Machine Associations Diamond Awards
2.
Video game console
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A video game console is an electronic, digital or computer device that outputs a video signal or visual image to display a video game that one or more people can play. The term video game console is used to distinguish a console machine primarily designed for consumers to use for playing video games. An arcade machine consists of a video game computer, display, game controller, a home computer is a personal computer designed for home use for a variety of purposes, such as bookkeeping, accessing the Internet and playing video games. There are various types of game consoles, including home video game consoles, handheld game consoles, microconsoles. Although Ralph Baer had built working game consoles by 1966, it was nearly a decade before the Pong game made them commonplace in regular peoples living rooms. Through evolution over the 1990s and 2000s, game consoles have expanded to additional functions such as CD players, DVD players, Blu-ray disc players, web browsers, set-top boxes. The first video appeared in the 1960s. They were played on massive computers connected to vector displays, not analog televisions, Ralph H. Baer conceived the idea of a home video game in 1951. In the late 1960s, while working for Sanders Associates, Baer created a series of game console designs. In 1972, Magnavox released the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home game console which could be connected to a TV set. Magnavox replaced the switch design with separate cartridges for each game, by autumn 1975, Magnavox, bowing to the popularity of Pong, cancelled the Odyssey and released a scaled-down version that played only Pong and hockey, the Odyssey 100. A second, higher end console, the Odyssey 200, was released with the 100 and added on-screen scoring, up to four players, almost simultaneously released with Ataris own home Pong console through Sears, these consoles jump-started the consumer market. All three of the new consoles used simpler designs than the original Odyssey did with no board game pieces or extra cartridges, in the years that followed, the market saw many companies rushing similar consoles to market. Most of the consoles from this era were dedicated consoles playing only the games came with the console. These video game consoles were often just called video games, because there was reason to distinguish the two yet. While a few companies like Atari, Magnavox, and newcomer Coleco pushed the envelope, Fairchild released the Fairchild Video Entertainment System in 1976. The VES, however, contained a programmable microprocessor so its cartridges only needed a single ROM chip to store microprocessor instructions, RCA and Atari soon released their own cartridge-based consoles, the RCA Studio II and the Atari 2600, respectively. The first handheld console with interchangeable cartridges was the Microvision designed by Smith Engineering
3.
Handheld game console
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A handheld game console is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls, and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video consoles and contain the console, screen, speakers. In 1976, Mattel introduced the first handheld game with the release of Auto Race. Later, several companies—including Coleco and Milton Bradley—made their own single-game, the oldest true handheld game console with interchangeable cartridges is the Milton Bradley Microvision in 1979. Nintendo is credited with popularizing the handheld console concept with the release of the Game Boy in 1989, the origins of handheld game consoles are found in handheld and tabletop electronic game devices of the 1970s and early 1980s. These electronic devices are capable of playing only a game, they fit in the palm of the hand or on a tabletop. In 1978, handheld games were described by Popular Electronics magazine as nonvideo electronic games. This synthesis happened in 1976, when Mattel began work on a line of calculator-sized sports games that became the worlds first handheld electronic games. The project began when Michael Katz, Mattels new product category marketing director, told the engineers in the group to design a game the size of a calculator. Our big success was something that I conceptualized—the first handheld game, I asked the design group to see if they could come up with a game that was electronic that was the same size as a calculator. —Michael Katz, former marketing director, Mattel Toys, the result was the 1976 release of Auto Race. Followed by Football later in 1977, the two games were so successful that according to Katz, these simple electronic handheld games turned into a $400 million category, Mattel would later win the honor of being recognized by the industry for innovation in handheld game device displays. Soon, other manufacturers including Coleco, Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley, Entex, in 1979 the LCD-based Microvision, designed by Smith Engineering and distributed by Milton-Bradley, became the first handheld game console and the first to use interchangeable game cartridges. In 1979, Gunpei Yokoi, traveling on a bullet train, Yokoi then thought of an idea for a watch that doubled as a miniature game machine for killing time. Starting in 1980, Nintendo began to release a series of games designed by Yokoi called the Game & Watch games. For later, more complicated Game & Watch games, Yokoi invented a cross shaped directional pad or D-pad for control of on-screen characters, the result was the Nintendo Game Boy. In 1982, the Bandai LCD Solarpower was the first solar-powered gaming device, some of its games, such as the horror-themed game Terror House, features two LCD panels, one stacked on the other, for an early 3D effect. In 1983, Takara Tomys Tomytronic 3D simulates 3D by having two LED panels that were lit by light through a window on top of the device
4.
SNK
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SNK Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company, successor to the Shin Nihon Kikaku and current owner of the SNK video game brand and Neo Geo video game platform. The Shin Nihon Kikaku Corporation was founded on July 22,1978 by Eikichi Kawasaki, initially called Shin Nihon Kikaku, the name was informally shortened to SNK Corporation in 1981 before becoming the companys official name in 1986. SNK is most notable as creator of the Neo Geo family of arcade, home, the Neo Geo line was halted in 2001, when financial troubles forced SNK Corporation to close in October 22,2001. Anticipating the end of the company, Kawasaki founded Playmore Corporation in August 1,2001, by October, Playmore had acquired all of the intellectual property of the former SNK Corporation. On July 7,2003, Playmore Corporation was renamed to SNK Playmore Corporation, to firmly establish itself as the successor to the SNK brand. Traditionally, SNK operated primarily as a game developer, publisher. In 2004, the company started manufacturing pachislot machines, which the company leaned heavily into before withdrawing from the market in 2015, in 2009, the company also entered an active wave of mobile game development. Classic SNK franchises like Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown and The King of Fighters feature heavily in its recent offerings. On April 25,2016, SNK dropped the Playmore name from its logo and reintroduced its original slogan, The Future Is Now, on December 1,2016, SNK Playmore officially changed its corporate name to SNK. In the early 1970s, Eikichi Kawasaki, a boxer, was managing a coffee shop. In 1973, he purchased an electrical company in Kobe. In July 22,1978, the company was reconstituted as Shin Nihon Kikaku Corporation in Higashiōsaka, the first two known titles released were Ozma Wars, a vertically scrolling space shooter and Safari Rally, a maze game. Game quality improved over time, most notably with Vanguard, a space shooter that many consider the precursor to modern classics such as Gradius. SNK licensed the game to Centuri for distribution in North America, around 1980, it took the initial letters from Shin Nihon Kikaku as the companys nickname, SNK. The copyright notation of the alphabet was also SNK CORP, in 1986, the official company name was changed to SNK Corporation, it moved to Suita the same year. It established itself in Sunnyvale, California, with the intent of delivering its own brand of coin-operated games to arcades in North America, the man chosen to run the American operation was John Rowe, the eventual founder of Tradewest and current president and CEO of High Moon Studios. SNK Corporation in Japan had at this point shifted its focus solely toward developing and licensing video games for arcade use, between 1979 and 1986 it produced 23 stand-alone arcade games. Highlights from this period include Mad Crasher, Alpha Mission, and Athena and its most successful game from this time frame was Ikari Warriors, released in 1986
5.
Japan
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Japan is a sovereign island nation in Eastern Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea, the kanji that make up Japans name mean sun origin. 日 can be read as ni and means sun while 本 can be read as hon, or pon, Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet Land of the Rising Sun in reference to its Japanese name. Japan is an archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, the country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions. Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one, the population of 127 million is the worlds tenth largest. Japanese people make up 98. 5% of Japans total population, approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period, the first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, from the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a period of isolation in the early 17th century. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan is a member of the UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8, the country has the worlds third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the worlds fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the worlds fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer, although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the worlds eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a country with a very high standard of living. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, in ancient China, Japan was called Wo 倭. It was mentioned in the third century Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms in the section for the Wei kingdom, Wa became disliked because it has the connotation of the character 矮, meaning dwarf. The 倭 kanji has been replaced with the homophone Wa, meaning harmony, the Japanese word for Japan is 日本, which is pronounced Nippon or Nihon and literally means the origin of the sun. The earliest record of the name Nihon appears in the Chinese historical records of the Tang dynasty, at the start of the seventh century, a delegation from Japan introduced their country as Nihon
6.
World
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The world is the planet Earth and all life upon it, including human civilization. In a philosophical context, the world is the whole of the physical Universe, in a theological context, the world is the material or the profane sphere, as opposed to the celestial, spiritual, transcendent or sacred. The end of the world refers to scenarios of the end of human history. World history is understood as spanning the major geopolitical developments of about five millennia. World population is the sum of all human populations at any time, similarly, world economy is the sum of the economies of all societies or countries, terms like world championship, gross world product, world flags imply the sum or combination of all current-day sovereign states. The English word world comes from the Old English weorold, weorld, worold, a compound of wer man and eld age, which thus means roughly Age of Man. The Old English is a reflex of the Common Germanic *wira-alđiz, also reflected in Old Saxon werold, Old High German weralt, the corresponding word in Latin is mundus, literally clean, elegant, itself a loan translation of Greek cosmos orderly arrangement. Earth, on the hand, refers to the planet as a physical entity. World was also used to mean the material universe, or the cosmos, The worlde is an apte frame of heauen and earthe. The earth was often described as the center of the world, World can also be used attributively, to mean global, relating to the whole world, forming usages such as world community or world canonical texts. By extension, a world may refer to any planet or heavenly body, especially when it is thought of as inhabited, World, in its original sense, when qualified, can also refer to a particular domain of human experience. The world of work describes paid work and the pursuit of a career, in all its aspects, to distinguish it from home life. The fashion world describes the environment of the designers, fashion houses, historically, the New World vs. the Old World, referring to the parts of the world colonized in the wake of the age of discovery. Now mostly used in zoology and botany, as in New World monkey, in philosophy, the term world has several possible meanings. In some contexts, it refers to everything that makes up reality or the physical universe, in others, it can mean have a specific ontological sense. The question of what the world is has by no means been settled, in his Allegory of the Cave, Plato distinguishes between forms and ideas and imagines two distinct worlds, the sensible world and the intelligible world. In Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegels philosophy of history, the expression Weltgeschichte ist Weltgericht is used to assert the view that History is what judges men, their actions, science is born from the desire to transform the World in relation to Man, its final end is technical application. The World as Will and Representation is the work of Arthur Schopenhauer
7.
Trademark
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The trademark owner can be an individual, business organization, or any legal entity. A trademark may be located on a package, a label, for the sake of corporate identity, trademarks are often displayed on company buildings. A trademark identifies the owner of a particular product or service. The unauthorized usage of trademarks by producing and trading counterfeit consumer goods is known as brand piracy, the owner of a trademark may pursue legal action against trademark infringement. Most countries require formal registration of a trademark as a precondition for pursuing this type of action, the United States, Canada and other countries also recognize common law trademark rights, which means action can be taken to protect an unregistered trademark if it is in use. Still, common law trademarks offer the holder in general less legal protection than registered trademarks. A trademark may be designated by the symbols, ™ ℠ ® A trademark is typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image. There is also a range of non-conventional trademarks comprising marks which do not fall into these categories, such as those based on colour, smell. Trademarks which are considered offensive are often rejected according to a nations trademark law, the term trademark is also used informally to refer to any distinguishing attribute by which an individual is readily identified, such as the well-known characteristics of celebrities. When a trademark is used in relation to services rather than products, it may sometimes be called a service mark, in other words, trademarks serve to identify a particular business as the source of goods or services. The use of a trademark in this way is known as trademark use, certain exclusive rights attach to a registered mark. Different goods and services have been classified by the International Classification of Goods, in trademark treatises it is usually reported that blacksmiths who made swords in the Roman Empire are thought of as being the first users of trademarks. Other notable trademarks that have used for a long time include Löwenbräu. The first trademark legislation was passed by the Parliament of England under the reign of King Henry III in 1266, the first modern trademark laws emerged in the late 19th century. In France the first comprehensive system in the world was passed into law in 1857 with the Manufacture. In Britain, the Merchandise Marks Act 1862 made it an offense to imitate anothers trade mark with intent to defraud or to enable another to defraud. In 1875 the Trade Marks Registration Act was passed which allowed formal registration of marks at the UK Patent Office for the first time. Registration was considered to comprise prima facie evidence of ownership of a trade mark, in the United States, Congress first attempted to establish a federal trademark regime in 1870
8.
Home video game console
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A home video game console or simply home console is a video game device that is primarily used for home gamers, as opposed to in arcades or some other commercial establishment. Below is a timeline of each generation with the top three home video consoles of each based on worldwide sales. For a complete list of video consoles released in each generation please see the respective article of each generation. Legend – Unit with the highest sales of its generation, – Unit with the second highest sales of its generation. – Unit with the third highest sales of its generation, – Manufacturer released a home video console during this generation but did not sell the most units. – – Manufacturer didnt release a video game console during this generation. † – Indicates the current generation consoles on the market, although the first video games appeared in the 1950s, they were played on massive computers connected to vector displays, not analog televisions. Ralph H. Baer conceived the idea of a video game in 1951. In the late 1960s while working for Sanders Associates he created a series of game console designs. In 1972 Magnavox released the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home game console which could be connected to a TV set. Magnavox replaced the switch design with separate cartridges for each game, by autumn 1975, Magnavox, bowing to the popularity of Pong, cancelled the Odyssey and released a scaled-down version that played only Pong and hockey, the Odyssey 100. A second, higher end console, the Odyssey 200, was released with the 100 and added on-screen scoring, up to four players, almost simultaneously released with Ataris own home Pong console through Sears, these consoles jump-started the consumer market. All three of the new consoles used simpler designs than the original Odyssey with no board game pieces or extra cartridges, in the years that followed, the market saw many companies rushing similar consoles to market. Most of the consoles from this era were dedicated consoles playing the games that came with the console. These video game consoles were often just called video games, because there was reason to distinguish the two yet. While a few companies like Atari, Magnavox, and newcomer Coleco pushed the envelope, Fairchild released the Fairchild Video Entertainment System in 1976. The VES, however, contained a programmable microprocessor so its cartridges only needed a single ROM chip to store microprocessor instructions, RCA and Atari soon released their own cartridge-based consoles, the RCA Studio II and the Atari 2600, respectively. Both Bally and Magnavox also brought their own programmable cartridge-based consoles to the market, however, it was not until Atari released a conversion of the golden age arcade hit Space Invaders in 1980 for the Atari 2600 that the home console industry took off
9.
Sega Genesis
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The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive in most regions outside of North America, is a 16-bit home video game console which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The Genesis was Segas third console and the successor to the Master System, Sega first released the console as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by a North American debut under the Genesis moniker in 1989. In 1990, the console was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, by Ozisoft in Australasia, in South Korea, the systems were distributed by Samsung and were known as the Super Gam*Boy, and later the Super Aladdin Boy. The system supports a library of more than 900 games created both by Sega and an array of third-party publishers and delivered on ROM-based cartridges. It can play Master System games when the separately sold Power Base Converter is inserted, the Genesis has benefited from several peripherals and network services, as well as multiple first-party and third-party variations of the console that focus on extending its functionality. Controversy surrounding violent titles such as Night Trap and Mortal Kombat led Sega to create the Videogame Rating Council, Sega sold 30.75 million units worldwide. The console and its games continue to be popular among fans, game music fans, collectors. As of 2015, licensed third party re-releases of the console are being sold by AtGames in North America and Europe. Many games have been re-released in compilations for newer consoles and offered for download on online services, such as the Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network. The Genesis was succeeded by the Sega Saturn, in the early 1980s, Sega Enterprises, Inc. then a subsidiary of Gulf & Western, was one of the top five arcade game manufacturers active in the United States, as company revenues rose to $214 million. The company retained Segas North American R&D operation, as well as its Japanese subsidiary, Sega Enterprises, with its arcade business in decline, Gulf & Western executives turned to Sega Enterprises, Ltd. s president, Hayao Nakayama, for advice on how to proceed. Nakayama received permission to proceed with project, leading to the release of Segas first home video game system. The SG-1000 was not successful, and was replaced by the Sega Mark III within two years, Nakayama was then installed as CEO of the new Sega Enterprises, Ltd. In 1986, Sega redesigned the Mark III for release in North America as the Sega Master System and this was followed by a European release the next year. In 1987, Sega faced another threat to its business when Japanese computer giant NEC released the PC Engine amid great publicity. First announced in June 1988 in Beep, a Japanese gaming magazine, the developing console was referred to as the Mark V, but Sega management felt the need for a stronger name. After reviewing more than 300 proposals, the settled on Mega Drive. In North America, the name of the console was changed to Genesis, the reason for this change is not known, but it may have been due to a trademark dispute
10.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
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In Japan, the system is called the Super Famicom, or SFC for short. In South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics, although each version is essentially the same, several forms of regional lockout prevent the different versions from being compatible with one another. It was released in Brazil on September 2,1992, by Playtronic, the SNES is Nintendos second home console, following the Nintendo Entertainment System. The console introduced advanced graphics and sound compared with other systems at the time. The development of a variety of enhancement chips integrated in game cartridges helped to keep it competitive in the marketplace. The SNES remained popular well into the 32-bit era, and continues to be popular among fans, collectors, retro gamers, and emulation enthusiasts, some of whom still make homebrew ROM images. To compete with the popular Family Computer in Japan, NEC Home Electronics launched the PC Engine in 1987, the two platforms were later launched in North America in 1989 as the TurboGrafx-16 and the Genesis respectively. Both systems were built on 16-bit architectures and offered improved graphics, however, it took several years for Segas system to become successful. Nintendo executives were in no rush to design a new system, designed by Masayuki Uemura, the designer of the original Famicom, the Super Famicom was released in Japan on Wednesday, November 21,1990 for 25,000 yen. The systems release also gained the attention of the Yakuza, leading to a decision to ship the devices at night to avoid robbery, with the Super Famicom quickly outselling its chief rivals, Nintendo reasserted itself as the leader of the Japanese console market. Nintendos success was due to its retention of most of its key third-party developers from its earlier system, including Capcom, Konami, Tecmo, Square, Koei. Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, a version of the Super Famicom. It began shipping in limited quantities on August 23,1991, the SNES was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in April 1992 for £150, with a German release following a few weeks later. Most of the PAL region versions of the use the Japanese Super Famicom design, except for labeling. The Playtronic Super NES in Brazil, although PAL, uses the North American design, both the NES and SNES were released in Brazil in 1993 by Playtronic, a joint venture between the toy company Estrela and consumer electronics company Gradiente. The SNES and Super Famicom launched with few games, but these games were received in the marketplace. In Japan, only two games were available, Super Mario World and F-Zero. In North America, Super Mario World launched as a bundle with the console, and other titles include F-Zero, Pilotwings, SimCity
11.
TurboGrafx-16
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It was the first console released in the 16-bit era, albeit still utilizing an 8-bit CPU. Originally intended to compete with the Nintendo Entertainment System, it ended up competing with the Sega Genesis, the TurboGrafx-16 has an 8-bit CPU, a 16-bit video color encoder, and a 16-bit video display controller. The GPUs are capable of displaying 482 colors simultaneously, out of 512, with dimensions of 14 cm×14 cm×3.8 cm, the PC Engine once held the record for the worlds smallest game console. In France, the system was released shortly after its American debut under its original Japanese name, in the United Kingdom, Telegames released a slightly altered version of the American model simply as the TurboGrafx in 1990 in extremely limited quantities. This model was released in Spain through selected retailers. The TurboGrafx-16 failed to break into the North American market and sold poorly, however, in Japan the PC Engine was very successful. Two major revisions, the PC Engine SuperGrafx and the PC Engine Duo, were released in 1989 and 1991, the entire series was succeeded by the PC-FX in 1994, which was only released in Japan. The TurboGrafx-16 was an effort between the relatively young Hudson Soft and NEC Home Electronics. NECs interest in entering the video game market coincided with Hudsons failed attempt to sell designs for then-advanced graphics chips to Nintendo. The TurboGrafx-16 was the first video game console to have a CD-ROM peripheral, NEC released the CD-ROM² in Japan on December 4,1988, and released the TurboGrafx-CD in the United States on August 1,1990. The TurboGrafx-CD had a price of $399.99. Fighting Street and Monster Lair were the TurboGrafx-CD launch titles, Ys Book I & II soon followed, the TurboGrafx-16 was released in the New York City and Los Angeles test market in late August 1989. Initially, the TurboGrafx-16 was marketed as a competitor to the NES and early television ads touted the TG-16s superior graphics. These ads featured a montage of the TG-16s launch titles, Blazing Lazers, China Warrior, Vigilante, Alien Crush. The TG-16 was also in competition with the Sega Genesis. The Genesis launch was accompanied by an ad campaign mocking NECs claim that the TurboGrafx-16 was the first 16-bit console, NEC claimed that it had sold 750,000 TG-16 consoles in the United States, and 500,000 CD-ROM units worldwide, by March 1991. That year NEC released the PC Engine Duo in Japan, a model which could play HuCards and CD-ROM² discs, the console was licensed to Turbo Technologies Incorporated, who released it in North America in 1992 as the TurboDuo. In addition to standard CD-ROM² format discs, the Duo could also play games in the newly introduced Super CD-ROM² format due to its greater RAM size, the unit came into competition with the Sega CD, which was released almost immediately after
12.
Neo Geo CD
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Neo Geo CD is the second home video game console of SNK Corporations Neo Geo family, released in September 9,1994, four years after its cartridge-based equivalent. This is the platform, converted to the cheaper CD format retailing at $49 to $79 per title. The system was originally priced at US$399, or £399 in the UK, the units 1X CD-ROM drive is slow, with very long loading times of up to 56 Mbit of data per load. The system can also play Audio CDs, all three versions of the system have no region-lock. The Neo Geo CD was launched bundled with a control pad instead of a joystick like the AES version, however, the original AES joystick can be used with all three Neo Geo CD models. As of March 1997, the Neo Geo CD had sold 570,000 units worldwide, the Neo Geo CD was first unveiled at the 1994 Tokyo Toy Show. Three versions of the Neo Geo CD were released, A front-loading version, only distributed in Japan, a top-loading version, marketed worldwide, as the most common model. The Neo Geo CDZ, an upgraded, faster-loading version, released in Japan only, the front-loading version was the original console design, with the top-loading version developed shortly before the Neo Geo CD launch as a scaled-down, cheaper alternative model. The CDZ was released on December 29,1995 as the Japanese market replacement for SNKs previous efforts. The Neo Geo CD had met with limited due to it being plagued with slow loading times that could vary from 30 to 60 seconds between loads, depending on the game. In response to criticism of the Neo Geo CDs long load times, however, on the eve of the North American launch SNK announced a change of plans. The CDZ was only sold in Japan during its production. However, its loading times, lack of a region lock. The systems technical specs are identical to the previous models except that it includes a double-speed CD-ROM drive, the prototype of the machine that they showed was single speed, and the load time was 14-28 seconds between rounds. You can see that the screen on the right is a load screen, roughly a month after launch, SNK reported that they had sold the Neo Geo CDs entire initial shipment of 50,000 units. They gave it 1 1/2 out of 5 stars, main Processor, Motorola 68000 running at 12 MHz Although the original 68000 CPU was designed by Motorola, there are many clones of this CPU found in the Neo Geo hardware. The most common CPU is the TMP68HC000 manufactured by Toshiba, in addition to the multi-AV port, all Neo Geo CD models had composite RCA A/V and S-Video out jacks on the rear of the console. These include Puzzle Bobble, Janshin Densetsu, Quest of Jongmaster, Power Spikes II, Neo Drift Out, New Technology, a few games which were unreleased in MVS and AES formats were also released exclusively for the Neo Geo CD
13.
Compact disc
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Compact disc is a digital optical disc data storage format released in 1982 and co-developed by Philips and Sony. The format was developed to store and play only sound recordings but was later adapted for storage of data. The first commercially available Audio CD player, the Sony CDP-101, was released October 1982 in Japan, standard CDs have a diameter of 120 millimetres and can hold up to about 80 minutes of uncompressed audio or about 700 MiB of data. The Mini CD has various diameters ranging from 60 to 80 millimetres, they are used for CD singles, storing up to 24 minutes of audio. At the time of the introduction in 1982, a CD could store much more data than a personal computer hard drive. By 2010, hard drives commonly offered as much space as a thousand CDs. In 2004, worldwide sales of audio CDs, CD-ROMs and CD-Rs reached about 30 billion discs, by 2007,200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide. In 2014, revenues from digital music services matched those from physical format sales for the first time. American inventor James T. Russell has been credited with inventing the first system to record information on an optical transparent foil that is lit from behind by a high-power halogen lamp. Russells patent application was first filed in 1966, and he was granted a patent in 1970, following litigation, Sony and Philips licensed Russells patents in the 1980s. The compact disc is an evolution of LaserDisc technology, where a laser beam is used that enables the high information density required for high-quality digital audio signals. Prototypes were developed by Philips and Sony independently in the late 1970s, although originally dismissed by Philips Research management as a trivial pursuit, the CD became the primary focus for Philips as the LaserDisc format struggled. In 1979, Sony and Philips set up a joint task force of engineers to design a new audio disc. After a year of experimentation and discussion, the Red Book CD-DA standard was published in 1980, after their commercial release in 1982, compact discs and their players were extremely popular. Despite costing up to $1,000, over 400,000 CD players were sold in the United States between 1983 and 1984, by 1988 CD sales in the United States surpassed those of vinyl LPs, and by 1992 CD sales surpassed those of prerecorded music cassette tapes. The success of the disc has been credited to the cooperation between Philips and Sony, who came together to agree upon and develop compatible hardware. The unified design of the disc allowed consumers to purchase any disc or player from any company. In 1974, L. However, due to the performance of the analog format
14.
CD-ROM
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A CD-ROM /ˌsiːˌdiːˈrɒm/ is a pre-pressed optical compact disc which contains data. The name is an acronym which stands for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory, computers can read CD-ROMs, but cannot write to CD-ROMs which are not writable or erasable. From the mid-1990s until the mid-2000s, CD-ROMs were popularly used to distribute software for computers, some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both computer data and audio with the latter capable of being played on a CD player, while data is only usable on a computer. An early CD-ROM format was developed by Sony and Denon, introduced at a Japanese computer show in 1984 and it was an extension of Compact Disc Digital Audio, and adapted the format to hold any form of digital data, with a capacity of 540 MiB. The Yellow Book is the standard that defines the format of CD-ROMs. One of a set of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD formats. CD-ROMs are identical in appearance to audio CDs, and data are stored and retrieved in a similar manner. Discs are made from a 1.2 mm thick disc of polycarbonate plastic, data is stored on the disc as a series of microscopic indentations. A laser is shone onto the surface of the disc to read the pattern of pits. This pattern of changing intensity of the beam is converted into binary data. Several formats are used for data stored on discs, known as the Rainbow Books. The Yellow Book, published in 1988, defines the specifications for CD-ROMs, the CD-ROM standard builds on top of the original Red Book CD-DA standard for CD audio. Other standards, such as the White Book for Video CDs, the Yellow Book itself is not freely available, but the standards with the corresponding content can be downloaded for free from ISO or ECMA. There are several standards that define how to structure data files on a CD-ROM, ISO9660 defines the standard file system for a CD-ROM. ISO13490 is an improvement on this standard which adds support for non-sequential write-once and re-writeable discs such as CD-R and CD-RW, as well as multiple sessions. The ISO13346 standard was designed to address most of the shortcomings of ISO9660, and a subset of it evolved into the UDF format, which was adopted for DVDs. The bootable CD specification was issued in January 1995, to make a CD emulate a hard disk or floppy disk, is called El Torito, data stored on CD-ROMs follows the standard CD data encoding techniques described in the Red Book specification. This includes cross-interleaved Reed–Solomon coding, eight-to-fourteen modulation, and the use of pits, the structures used to group data on a CD-ROM are also derived from the Red Book
15.
3D computer graphics
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Such images may be stored for viewing later or displayed in real-time. 3D computer graphics rely on many of the same algorithms as 2D computer vector graphics in the wire-frame model, 3D computer graphics are often referred to as 3D models. Apart from the graphic, the model is contained within the graphical data file. However, there are differences, a 3D model is the representation of any three-dimensional object. A model is not technically a graphic until it is displayed, a model can be displayed visually as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering or used in non-graphical computer simulations and calculations. With 3D printing, 3D models are rendered into a 3D physical representation of the model. William Fetter was credited with coining the term computer graphics in 1961 to describe his work at Boeing, 3D computer graphics software began appearing for home computers in the late 1970s. The earliest known example is 3D Art Graphics, a set of 3D computer graphics effects, written by Kazumasa Mitazawa, models can also be produced procedurally or via physical simulation. Basically, a 3D model is formed from points called vertices that define the shape, a polygon is an area formed from at least three vertexes. A polygon of n points is an n-gon, the overall integrity of the model and its suitability to use in animation depend on the structure of the polygons. Before rendering into an image, objects must be out in a scene. This defines spatial relationships between objects, including location and size, Animation refers to the temporal description of an object. These techniques are used in combination. As with animation, physical simulation also specifies motion, rendering converts a model into an image either by simulating light transport to get photo-realistic images, or by applying an art style as in non-photorealistic rendering. The two basic operations in realistic rendering are transport and scattering and this step is usually performed using 3D computer graphics software or a 3D graphics API. Altering the scene into a form for rendering also involves 3D projection. There are a multitude of websites designed to help, educate, some are managed by software developers and content providers, but there are standalone sites as well. These communities allow for members to seek advice, post tutorials, not all computer graphics that appear 3D are based on a wireframe model
16.
Hyper Neo Geo 64
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The Hyper Neo Geo 64 is an arcade system created by SNK, and released in September 1997, as the successor of the Neo Geo MVS, within the Neo Geo family. It is the first and only SNK hardware set capable of rendering in 3D and it is unknown what media the home system would have used. However it never managed to match the success of the MVS. Only seven games were produced for the variation of the system, none of which proved particularly popular. The proposed home system never got beyond planning stages and, as of February 2017, only one of the arcade games, Fatal Fury. The Hyper Neo Geo 64 was conceived to bring SNK into the 3D era as well as to replace their aging Neo Geo home system, the system was first announced in late 1995, and planned for release in late 1996. The first title released for the system was Roads Edge, with Samurai Shodown 64 and Fatal Fury, by 1999, the system was discontinued, with only seven games released in total. Fatal Fury, Wild Ambition was ported to the Sony PlayStation home system, sound chip, 32-channel PCM sample-based synthesis audio, with maximum sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz and 32 MB of sample RAM Color Palette,16. This is due to the double layer board design of the Hyper Neo Geo 64, correctly powered boards will display a blue screen with white text as the board and game boot up. If not powered properly, only a screen will be displayed. The fighting game board has two revisions, there is a modification available to get mono sound off the JAMMA edge which involves removing a jumper and setting another. There is also an extra +5v connector that is supposed to be connected to the back of the board to prolong the life of the board per SNK and it is still unconfirmed if having the extra +5v connector connected actually does increase the boards life. Some say it is to divert the heat of the high amps going through the JAMMA edge, the second board revision is true JAMMA and also has a switch to select between JAMMA output as well as MVS output, which has stereo sound. Revision 1 has a port and amp connectors on the front. Hyper Neo Geo 64 games and statistics
17.
Neo Geo Pocket
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The Neo Geo Pocket is a monochrome handheld game console released by SNK. It was the companys first handheld system and is part of the Neo Geo family and it debuted in Japan in late 1998 but never saw a western release, being exclusive to Japan and smaller Asian markets such as Hong Kong. The Neo Geo Pocket is considered to be an unsuccessful console, though the system enjoyed only a short life, there were some significant games released on the system such as Samurai Shodown, and King of Fighters R-1. 16-bit TOSHIBA TLCS-900H high performance core CPU 32-bit/16-bit register bank configuration at 6, likewise, the Neo Geo Pocket Color is backward compatible and the entire Neo Geo Pocket library can be played on the color system. All but King of Fighters R-1, Melon-chans Growth Diary, Samurai Shodown and the original Neo Geo Cup 98 were eventually re-released for the color system
18.
Neo Geo Pocket Color
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The Neo Geo Pocket Color, is a 16-bit color handheld video game console manufactured by SNK. It is a successor to SNKs monochrome Neo Geo Pocket handheld which debuted in 1998 in Japan, with the Color being fully backward compatible. The Neo Geo Pocket Color was released on March 16,1999 in Japan, August 6,1999 in North America, and on October 1,1999 in Europe, entering markets all dominated by Nintendo. However, Aruze didnt support SNKs video game business enough, leading to SNKs original founder and several employees to leave and form a new company. The Neo Geo Pocket Color did however, last until 2001 in Japan and it was SNKs last video game console, as the company went bankrupt on October 22,2001. Despite its failure the Neo Geo Pocket Color has been regarded as an influential system. Many highly acclaimed games were released for the system, such as SNK vs. Capcom, The Match of the Millennium, King of Fighters R-2 and it also featured an arcade-style microswitched clicky stick joystick, which was praised for its accuracy and being well-suited for fighting games. The systems display and 40-hour battery life were also well received, the U. S. version of the Neo Geo Pocket Color had an exclusive launch on the website eToys in 1999. EToys also sold the initial titles in the plastic snap lock cases. The system debuted in the United States with six launch titles, six different unit colors were available, Camouflage Blue, Carbon Black, Crystal White, Platinum Blue, Platinum Silver, and Stone Blue. In its first two months, the NGCP sold a successful 25,000 units, for the Christmas Holiday season in 1999, SNK spent $4 million on television advertisements that aired on channels including MTV, Comedy Central and Cartoon Network. By May 2000, the NGCP had a 2% market share in the U. S. handheld console market, although compared to the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. On October 21,1999, a redesigned, slimmer version called New Neo Geo Pocket Color was released in Japan and it is 13% smaller than the original Neo Geo Pocket Color, with dimensions 125 x 73 x 27 mm, and also features improved sound output. In June 2000, Aruze decided to discontinue all SNK operations outside Japan, as a result, remaining stock was bought back by SNK for repackaging in Asia. SNK were recalling most of the back-stock of systems and games to be flashed and re-sold in Asia where the system would continue to be sold, some of the back-stock of American NGPC hardware and software began to resurface on the American and Asian markets in 2003. These units frequently appeared bundled with six games stripped of their cases, the cover boxes for Neo Geo Pocket Color were clamshell plastic boxes, similar to the Neo Geo AES. These boxes have been received for their quality. The Japanese versions followed soon after, but the European boxes have always been the plastic boxes, Sega was the only major third-party developer to support the Neo Geo Pocket Color
19.
Game Boy
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It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line and was created by Satoru Okada and Nintendo Research & Development 1. This same team, led by Gunpei Yokoi at the time, is credited with designing the Game & Watch series as well as popular games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Redesigned versions were released in 1996 and 1998 in the form of Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Light, the Game Boy is Nintendos second handheld system following the Game & Watch series introduced in 1980 and it combined features from both the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game & Watch. It was either bought as a unit or bundled with the puzzle game Tetris. During its early lifetime, the Game Boy mainly competed with Segas Game Gear, Ataris Lynx, the Game Boy beat its rivals and became a tremendous success. The Game Boy and its successor, the Game Boy Color, have sold over 118 million units worldwide, upon the Game Boys release in the United States, it sold its entire shipment of one million units within a few weeks. The Game Boy and Game Boy Color were discontinued in the early 2000s in favor of the subsequent Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy has four operation buttons labeled A, B, SELECT, and START, as well as a directional pad. There is a control dial on the right side of the device. At the top of the Game Boy, a sliding on-off switch, the on-off switch includes a physical lockout to prevent users from either inserting or removing a cartridge while the unit is switched on. Nintendo recommends users leave a cartridge in the slot to prevent dust, the Game Boy also contains optional input and/or output connectors. On the left side of the system is an external 3. 5mm x 1. 35mm DC power supply jack that allows users to use a rechargeable battery pack or AC adapter instead of four AA batteries. The Game Boy requires 6 V DC of at least 150 mA, a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack is located on the bottom side of the unit which allows users to listen to the audio with the bundled headphones or external speakers. The right-side of the device offers a port which allows a user to connect to another Game Boy system via a link cable, the port can also be used to connect a Game Boy Printer. The link cable was designed for players to play head-to-head two-player games such as in Tetris. However, game developer Satoshi Tajiri would later use the cable technology as a method of communication. CPU Custom 8-bit Sharp LR35902 at 4.19 MHz and this processor is similar to an Intel 8080 in that none of the registers introduced in the Z80 are present. However, some of the Z80s instruction set enhancements over the 8080, still other instructions are unique to this particular flavor of 8080/Z80 CPU. The IC also contains integrated sound generation, the unit only has one speaker, but headphones provide stereo sound Display, Reflective STN LCD160 ×144 pixels Frame Rate, Approx
20.
Fatal Fury (series)
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Fatal Fury is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system. When a second player joins in, they have the option of either playing cooperatively with the player against the CPU or competitively against each other. The game was ported to SNES and Sega Genesis by Takara, the Neo-Geo version was released onto the Wiis Virtual Console. It was also released as part of SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 for PS2, PSP, Terry, Andy, and Joe return, along with five new playable characters. This time, the player faces off against the seven characters before fighting against four computer-only bosses. The game was ported again to the SNES and Genesis by Takara. A PC Engine Super CD-ROM² was also released by Hudson Soft in Japan, Fatal Fury Special – An updated and refined version of Fatal Fury 2, including faster game speed. The roster of characters from Fatal Fury 2 returned, with the four CPU boss characters now playable. Ryo Sakazaki from Art of Fighting appears as a final boss. The game was again ported to the SNES by Takara, with a Sega CD version by JVC. The game was released for the Xbox Live Arcade service. Fatal Fury 3, Road to the Final Victory – Fatal Fury 3 revamps the previous lane changing system and introduces a new type of combo techniques known as Combination Arts. Terry, Andy, Joe, Mai, and Geese return from Fatal Fury Special, along with five new playable characters, ported by SNK to the Sega Saturn. A Windows 95 version also released by Cyberfront, Real Bout Fatal Fury – Real Bout Fatal Fury simplifies the controls and introduces a Power Gauge allowing the player to perform super-powered special moves. The Fatal Fury 3 character roster returned, along with Duck King, Kim Kaphwan, Geese Howard reclaimed his status from the first game as the final boss. This game was released for the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. All sixteen of the characters from Real Bout Fatal Fury return, with Geese Howard now being a final boss. Extra versions of Andy Bogard, Tung Fu Rue, Blue Mary and it was also released for the Sega Saturn in Japan only
21.
Samurai Shodown
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Samurai Shodown is a fighting game series by SNK. In Japan, the name of the series is officially in katakana, the plot of each game is quite different, but they circle a central group of characters and a region in Japan. Samurai Shodown consequently portrays snippets of the Japanese culture and language internationally with little edits, win quotes and other cut scenes provide subtitles in several languages, including but not limited to English, Portuguese, and German. Much of the music includes traditional Japanese instruments and later enka, several characters are loosely based on real people from Japanese history. There are two main artists responsible for the designs and illustrations. For the early games, the characters are created and illustrated by Eiji Shiroi and his illustrations featured a distinctive, traditional Japanese calligraphy style. While he continues to design for a few of the later games, the Samurai Shodown games are most famous for their Rage gauge, a meter that only increases as a player receives damage, and which when fully activated has numerous effects depending on game. Earlier games also have a referee in the background, officiating the match and he also hopes that his revolt will make the next shogun in line, Yoshitora Tokugawa, realize his responsibilities to his country. The war caused by the gains the interest from several warriors. At the war’s end, Gaoh is defeated and Yoshitora is made the next shogun, more than a decade before the series begins, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, once leader to Christian rebellion, made a pact with an evil entity named Ambrosia moments before his execution. Using the body of Shinzo, one of Hanzo Hattoris sons and he plans to get revenge on those who reigned against him, intending to resurrect Ambrosia into the mortal realm upon his release. He steals the sacred item, the Palenke Stone, from Green Hell to gain the power he needs for the ritual. The sorcerer’s activity stirs evil phenomena across the globe, stretching from Japan to China to Europe and America, amongst these warriors is Haohmaru, a ronin, who recently left his tutelage from his master, Caffeine Nicotine. He sees the foe as a chance to sharpen his swordsmanship, an Ainu priestess, Nakoruru, though a pacifist, takes up her blade to save Mother Nature from further pain. Though several fighters attempt to slay the fiend, these two are successful in defeating him, apparently killing him in the process, months later, another “demon” rises in Japan. However, he is not related to Amakusa or Ambrosia and he is a man named Zankuro Minazuki, a powerful warrior who has earned the label “demon” for his merciless slaughter of innocent people, village after village. Zankuro eventually finds the error of his ways and retires to hermitage, one of the victims he spared was a child whom Haohmaru finds and raises. The child’s name is Shizumaru Hisame, who seeks revenge for his family’s murder under Zankuro’s hands and he sets out with Haohmaru to test their strength against Zankuro, challenging other fighters along the way
22.
The King of Fighters
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The King of Fighters, officially abbreviated KOF, is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with The King of Fighters 94 in 1994. Only two King of Fighters games were made on the Atomiswave platform before SNK decided to discontinue using the platform for the series, the last arcade hardware for the series is the Taito Type X2, with its first usage coming with the release of The King of Fighters XII. Ports of the games and original The King of Fighters games have been released for several video games consoles. The latest entry in the series, The King of Fighters XIV, was released only for the PlayStation 4, the first game in the series, The King of Fighters 94, was released by SNK on August 25,1994. The game featured characters from SNKs previous fighting game series Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting, the success of the game led SNK to release yearly installments of the series and numbered the games for the year they were released. The King of Fighters 95, in addition to adding new characters and it was also the first game in the series that allowed the players to create their own team of three members, out of any character in the game. The King of Fighters 96 established the part of The Orochi Saga. Depending on the characters in a team, an exclusive ending will be played. The King of Fighters 97 concluded The Orochi Saga story arc, the King of Fighters 98, and unlike the previous games of the series, did not feature a story. Instead, the game was promoted as a Dream Match game that allowed players to choose most of the characters available from the previous titles, SNK refitted the Dreamcast version and renamed it The King of Fighters, Dream Match 1999 with an extended cel animated introduction and 3D backgrounds. The King of Fighters 99 introduced a new story arc known as The NESTS Chronicles along with new characters into the series. In a new tactic, a person from a team would be an assistant called a Striker. The Dreamcast version was titled The King of Fighters, Evolution, with improvements in the game such as new Strikers. The King of Fighters 2000 is the part of The NESTS Saga as well as the last KOF game to be made by SNK before the bankruptcy. It adds a few new characters and a couple of Strikers. The King of Fighters 2001 ends the story arc. Due to economic problems that SNK had at the time, the Korean company Eolith helped in the development of the game after SNK was bankrupted, the King of Fighters 2002 was created to reunite old characters from previous KOF games and featured no story, similar to KOF98. It was also developed by Eolith, a new KOF story arc called the Tales of Ash started in The King of Fighters 2003, the last KOF game to be released for the Neo Geo system
23.
Metal Slug (series)
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Metal Slug is a series primarily of run and gun video games created by SNK. Spin-off games include a third-person shooter and a tower defense game, originally created for Neo-Geo arcade machines and game consoles, the original games have also been ported to other consoles, with several later games created for various other platforms. The games focus on the Peregrine Falcon Squad, a group of soldiers who fight against a rebel army, aliens. The gameplay of the series is characteristic of run and gun games, large numbers of enemies, in most run and guns, contact with an enemy leads to annihilation. In this series, however, contact results in the opportunity to perform a melee attack, the players melee attack is also much stronger than most shots. The player starts with only a handgun, as the game progresses. The player can use one weapon at a time. When a new weapon is found, it replaces the previous one, similarly, when ammunition runs out, the player reverts to using the handgun, which has unlimited ammunition. A new system was implemented with Metal Slug 6 allowing players to carry, the SV-001 or Metal Slug is the main vehicle of the Metal Slug franchise. It is a small, cartoonish silver-gray tank propelled by caterpillar treads, the tank is armed with one cannon which shoots powerful bombs in limited numbers, and twin vulcan cannons which shoot unlimited tracer bullets. The vehicle can jump and crouch, crouching opens a hatch on the top of the tank through which grenades already in the players possession can be thrown. The grenades remain independent of the ammunition system. The vehicles bombs can also be replenished with ammunition boxes found along the way, the vehicle can run over infantry and perform a suicide attack, with the driver jumping clear and the tank ramming into and exploding upon the target. The vehicle can take three hits before it is destroyed, at which point a warning will be given to eject before the vehicle explodes. The enemy chaser variant has a shield that must be destroyed before the vehicle can be destroyed, over time, these specifications changed into any vehicle armed with a vulcan cannon and a cannon variant suited to the role of the vehicle, and propelled suitably for that vehicles environment. Some vehicles will only provide vulcan cannons, but neither special bombs nor armored protection to the player, in Metal Slug 6, the playable character Tarma can lock the vulcan cannons into one position and fire continuously. Metal Slug games typically have 6 levels, the exceptions are Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 5, and Metal Slug 6, which have 5 and Metal Slug 7 which has 7. In several of the arcade and console versions, the game would have the blood censored, however, there is a code to disable this censor
24.
Baseball Stars
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Baseball Stars, released in Japan as Baseball Star Mezase Sankan Ō, is a baseball video game developed by SNK. It was released first as a 2-player baseball arcade game and was released for the NES in 1989. It became a hit in many countries worldwide, particularly in the United States, Canada. Baseball Stars was the first baseball game to have battery backup on any console, and this allowed players to create a team, configure baseball league & play a season, and the games memory chip stored cumulative statistics. Baseball Stars was also the first sports game for the NES to have a create a feature, giving gamers the power to name their players. The money can be used to purchase upgrades to the abilities of players currently on the roster. Also a first, a feature allows players to hire female baseball players. Simple graphics are coupled with repetitive upbeat 8-bit music, the pitching is simple, curve balls, fast balls, off-speed pitches, and sinkers. The batting is a swing on a plane, thus it is simply a question of timing. The fielding, at the time, was a revolution in arcade baseball and this realism, coupled with ease-of-fielding features contributed to the games popularity. It is possible to deliver unhittable pitches that would drop as they crossed home plate, however, despite the high sound, sometimes these pitches failed to drop and in fact crossed home plate for strikes. Baseball Stars includes a simple one-off versus mode, but it provides the option of creating a mini-league of up to six teams and that means a season with a maximum 125 game schedule can be created. When making a season, one chooses how many teams, how many games, and which teams are controlled by the AI and which are controlled by the gamers. In vs. mode, no stats, such as wins, losses, hits, or home runs are kept, no money is won in this mode when it is player vs. player. Versus mode games can be considered exhibition games, there can be a total of 14 teams. Eight teams come with the game and six teams can be created. The original eight cannot in any way be edited or changed, in addition, the Japan Robins included a player named Oh, presumably after Sadaharu Oh of Japans Nippon Professional Baseball. The other default teams are the Ninja BlackSox, Brave Warriors, Japan Robins, World Powers, Ghastly Monsters, Lovely Ladies, when creating a new team, one is given the option of choosing its main strength
25.
Neo Geo X
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The Neo Geo X is a handheld video game console manufactured by Tommo Inc. licensed by SNK Playmore, and the latest console released as part of the companys Neo Geo brand. Information about the Neo Geo X was first reported in January 2012, the Neo Geo X features games that were on the popular original Neo Geo hardware, and comes built-in with 20 original Neo Geo games. Additional titles were available on game cards, the system was released on December 18,2012 as part of a bundle called the Neo Geo X Gold Limited Edition, which includes a docking station, an arcade stick, and a bonus game card. The docking station is modeled after the original Neo Geo AES console and is used for charging the handheld as well as connecting it to a television. The arcade stick is a replica of the original Neo Geo AES arcade stick that can be used as a controller when the handheld is connected to a TV through the docking station, as of 2017, the system itself and the game cards have been discontinued. Initially, the device was rumored to retail for about $700+, the package was released in December 2012. A Ninja Masters game card was offered as a bonus with the package, the handheld by itself, without the docking station and arcade stick, was later priced at $129.99 to come out in February 2013. However, links on the website to the stand-alone handheld were subsequently removed. In January 2013, SNK Playmore announced that manufacturing of the Gold Limited Edition package was ending with the last units arriving to retailers in April, however, they stated that the handheld would continue to be manufactured and that additional games and accessories would continue to be released. However by 2017, the system was discontinued, the system was distributed by Tommo Inc. in North America and Blaze in Europe. There were a total of 36 games for the Neo Geo X, additional game cards were announced in February 2013. A five-volume set called Neo Geo X Classics features five game cards with three games on each making a total of 15 games, the volumes were released in June 2013 and feature the following games, Each volume came bundled with a charging/data transfer cable for the handheld. The game cards include an update for the Neo Geo X that updates the handheld to firmware v500. See the Firmware Update section of article for update details. The Neo Geo X Mega Pack Volume 1 was also released in June 2013 and it came with one game card that contains all 15 games featured in Neo Geo X Classics Volumes 1-5. The Mega Pack was packaged in a case used for the original Neo Geo AES game cartridges. The charging/data transfer cable was included as well, the device included a 4. 3-inch LCD screen, SD card slot, A/V output, internal stereo speakers with a 3. 5mm headphone jack. A micro USB port on the system is used for charging the battery, the screens 480×272 pixels resolution is the same as the original PlayStation Portable and is close to the 16,9 aspect ratio
26.
2D computer graphics
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2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them. The word may stand for the branch of science that comprises such techniques. This representation is more flexible since it can be rendered at different resolutions to suit different output devices. For these reasons, documents and illustrations are often stored or transmitted as 2D graphic files, 2D computer graphics started in the 1950s, based on vector graphics devices. These were largely supplanted by raster-based devices in the following decades, the PostScript language and the X Window System protocol were landmark developments in the field. 2D graphics models may combine geometric models, digital images, text to be typeset, mathematical functions and equations and these components can be modified and manipulated by two-dimensional geometric transformations such as translation, rotation, scaling. In object-oriented graphics, the image is described indirectly by an object endowed with a self-rendering method—a procedure which assigns colors to the pixels by an arbitrary algorithm. Complex models can be built by combining simpler objects, in the paradigms of object-oriented programming, in Euclidean geometry, a translation moves every point a constant distance in a specified direction. A translation can be described as a motion, other rigid motions include rotations and reflections. A translation can also be interpreted as the addition of a constant vector to every point, a translation operator is an operator T δ such that T δ f = f. If v is a vector, then the translation Tv will work as Tv = p + v. If T is a translation, then the image of a subset A under the function T is the translate of A by T, the translate of A by Tv is often written A + v. In a Euclidean space, any translation is an isometry, the set of all translations forms the translation group T, which is isomorphic to the space itself, and a normal subgroup of Euclidean group E. The quotient group of E by T is isomorphic to the orthogonal group O, E / T ≅ O, thus we write the 3-dimensional vector w = using 4 homogeneous coordinates as w =. Similarly, the product of matrices is given by adding the vectors. Because addition of vectors is commutative, multiplication of matrices is therefore also commutative. In linear algebra, a matrix is a matrix that is used to perform a rotation in Euclidean space. R = rotates points in the xy-Cartesian plane counterclockwise through an angle θ about the origin of the Cartesian coordinate system
27.
Computer graphics
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Computer graphics are pictures and films created using computers. Usually, the term refers to computer-generated image data created with help from specialized hardware and software. It is a vast and recent area in computer science, the phrase was coined in 1960, by computer graphics researchers Verne Hudson and William Fetter of Boeing. It is often abbreviated as CG, though sometimes referred to as CGI. The overall methodology depends heavily on the sciences of geometry, optics. Computer graphics is responsible for displaying art and image data effectively and meaningfully to the user and it is also used for processing image data received from the physical world. Computer graphic development has had a significant impact on many types of media and has revolutionized animation, movies, advertising, video games, the term computer graphics has been used a broad sense to describe almost everything on computers that is not text or sound. Such imagery is found in and on television, newspapers, weather reports, a well-constructed graph can present complex statistics in a form that is easier to understand and interpret. In the media such graphs are used to illustrate papers, reports, thesis, many tools have been developed to visualize data. Computer generated imagery can be categorized into different types, two dimensional, three dimensional, and animated graphics. As technology has improved, 3D computer graphics have become more common, Computer graphics has emerged as a sub-field of computer science which studies methods for digitally synthesizing and manipulating visual content. Screens could display art since the Lumiere brothers use of mattes to create effects for the earliest films dating from 1895. New kinds of displays were needed to process the wealth of information resulting from such projects, early projects like the Whirlwind and SAGE Projects introduced the CRT as a viable display and interaction interface and introduced the light pen as an input device. Douglas T. Ross of the Whirlwind SAGE system performed an experiment in 1954 in which a small program he wrote captured the movement of his finger. Electronics pioneer Hewlett-Packard went public in 1957 after incorporating the decade prior, and established ties with Stanford University through its founders. This began the transformation of the southern San Francisco Bay Area into the worlds leading computer technology hub - now known as Silicon Valley. The field of computer graphics developed with the emergence of computer graphics hardware, further advances in computing led to greater advancements in interactive computer graphics. In 1959, the TX-2 computer was developed at MITs Lincoln Laboratory, the TX-2 integrated a number of new man-machine interfaces
28.
ADK (company)
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ADK Corporation, formerly known as Alpha Denshi Corporation, was a Japanese video game production company throughout the 1980s and 90s. ADK began as a developer of games but is best known for their library of SNK Neo Geo titles. Most notable among these are their fighting games and in particular, the company closed with properties sold to SNK Playmore in 2003. ADK was founded in July 1980 in Ageo, Saitama, Japan, at the time, it was known as Alpha Denshi or Alpha for short. Dorachan was recalled shortly after due to unlicensed usage of the fictional character Doraemon. Despite an inauspicious start, Alpha continued to develop games in 1981. Janputer, published by Sanritsu Giken Corp, was one of the earliest arcade Mahjong titles and that same year, Craul Denshi released Alphas Crush Roller, a maze game similar to Pac-Man. By 1982, Alpha was able to finance their own independent development of Talbot, another maze game, in 1983, Alpha expanded into sports games with their self-published Exciting Soccer and two Champion Baseball titles for Sega. Alpha would produce more games for Sega through the mid 1980s while continuing to publish others on their own. Alpha Denshi began developing games almost exclusively for SNK hardware in 1987, in 1990, SNK was developing a new unified video game platform for both the home and arcades. Alpha was a partner in the process and contributed much of the hardware design for what would eventually become the Neo Geo. The 1990 Neo Geo arcade launch lineup included two Alpha titles, Magician Lord and Ninja Combat, Magician Lord was also later included as a pack-in game for the 1991 home console, the Neo Geo AES. In 1992, following the revitalization of the game genre by Capcoms Street Fighter II. It would go on to sell over 200,000 copies that year, in 1993, Alpha Denshi shortened its name to ADK, short for Alpha Denshi Kabushiki gaisha. Shortly thereafter, ADK agreed to become a developer for SNK. In 1994, SNK launched the CD-ROM-based version of the Neo Geo, ADK soon began porting their existing library to the new platform. In addition, ADK developed three new titles for the Neo Geo CD, Crossed Swords II, ADK World. In the late 1990s, newer fifth generation consoles with 3D graphics and CD audio were becoming popular with consumers
29.
Hotel
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A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities, Hotel rooms are usually numbered to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms, some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food, in Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities. The precursor to the hotel was the inn of medieval Europe. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, inns began to cater to richer clients in the mid-18th century. One of the first hotels in a sense was opened in Exeter in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set standards to classify hotel types. Full service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with a number of full service accommodations, an on-site full service restaurant. Boutique hotels are independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer a limited amount of on-site amenities, economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer full service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Timeshare and destination clubs are a form of property ownership involving ownership of a unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A motel is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to rooms from the car park. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with an environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself, for example at casinos and holiday resorts. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by size, function and class
30.
Osaka
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Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Japan. Historically a merchant city, Osaka has also known as the nations kitchen. Some of the earliest signs of habitation in the Osaka area at the Morinomiya ruins comprise shell mounds, sea oysters. It is believed that what is today the Uehonmachi area consisted of a land with an inland sea in the east. During the Yayoi period, permanent habitation on the plains grew as rice farming became popular, by the Kofun period, Osaka developed into a hub port connecting the region to the western part of Japan. The large numbers of increasingly larger tomb mounds found in the plains of Osaka are seen as evidence of political-power concentration, in 645, Emperor Kōtoku built his Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace in what is now Osaka, making it the capital of Japan. The city now known as Osaka was at this time referred to as Naniwa, although the capital was moved to Asuka in 655, Naniwa remained a vital connection, by land and sea, between Yamato, Korea, and China. Naniwa was declared the capital again in 744 by order of Emperor Shōmu, and remained so until 745, in 1496, Jōdo Shinshū Buddhists established their headquarters in the heavily fortified Ishiyama Hongan-ji, located directly on the site of the old Naniwa Imperial Palace. Oda Nobunaga began a siege campaign on the temple in 1570 which ultimately resulted in the surrender of the monks. Toyotomi Hideyoshi constructed Osaka Castle in its place in 1583, Osaka was long considered Japans primary economic center, with a large percentage of the population belonging to the merchant class. Over the course of the Edo period, Osaka grew into one of Japans major cities and returned to its ancient role as a lively and its popular culture was closely related to ukiyo-e depictions of life in Edo. By 1780 Osaka had cultivated a vibrant arts culture, as typified by its famous Kabuki, in 1837 Ōshio Heihachirō, a low-ranking samurai, led a peasant insurrection in response to the citys unwillingness to support the many poor and suffering families in the area. Approximately one-quarter of the city was razed before shogunal officials put down the rebellion, Osaka was opened to foreign trade by the government of the Bakufu at the same time as Hyōgo on 1 January 1868, just before the advent of the Boshin War and the Meiji Restoration. Osaka residents were stereotyped in Edo literature from at least the 18th century, jippenisha Ikku in 1802 depicted Osakans as stingy almost beyond belief. Edo writers aspired to samurai culture, and saw themselves as poor but generous, chaste, Edo writers by contrast saw zeeroku as obsequious apprentices, stingy, greedy, gluttonous, and lewd. The modern municipality was established in 1889 by government ordinance, with an area of 15 square kilometres, overlapping todays Chūō. Later, the city went through three major expansions to reach its current size of 223 square kilometres, Osaka was the industrial center most clearly defined in the development of capitalism in Japan. It became known as the Manchester of the Orient, the rapid industrialization attracted many Korean immigrants, who set up a life apart for themselves
31.
ROM cartridge
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ROM cartridges can be used to load software such as video games or other application programs. The cartridge slot could also be used for additions, for example speech synthesis. Some cartridges had battery-backed static random-access memory, allowing a user to save data such as game progress or scores between uses, an advantage for the manufacturer was the relative security of the software in cartridge form, which was difficult for end users to replicate. However, cartridges were expensive to manufacture compared to making a floppy disk or CD-ROM, as disk drives became more common and software expanded beyond the practical limits of ROM size, cartridge slots disappeared from later game consoles and personal computers. Cartridges are still used today with handheld gaming consoles such as the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, due to its widespread usage for video gaming, ROM cartridges were often colloquially referred to as a game cartridge. ROM cartridges were popularized by early home computers which featured a special bus port for the insertion of cartridges containing software in ROM. Notable computers using cartridges in addition to magnetic media were the Commodore VIC-20 and 64, MSX standard, the Atari 8-bit family, the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, some arcade system boards, such as Capcoms CP System and SNKs Neo Geo, also used ROM cartridges. The modern take on game cartridges was invented by Jerry Lawson as part of the Fairchild Channel F home console in 1976, the cartridge approach gained more popularity with the Atari 2600 released the following year. From the late 1970s to mid-1990s, the majority of video game systems were cartridge-based. As compact disc technology came to be used widely for data storage, Nintendo remained the lone hold-out, using cartridges for their Nintendo 64 system, the company did not transition to optical media until 2001s GameCube. SNK still released games on the cartridge based Neo Geo until 2004, ROM cartridges can not only carry software, but additional hardware expansion as well. Examples include the Super FX coprocessor chip in some Super NES game paks, micro Machines 2 on the Genesis/Mega Drive used a custom J-Cart cartridge design by Codemasters which incorporated two additional gamepad ports. This allowed players to have up to four gamepads connected to the console without the need for an additional multi-controller adapter, the ROM cartridge slot principle continues in various mobile devices, thanks to the development of high density low-cost flash memory. For example, a GPS navigation device might allow user updates of maps by inserting a memory chip into an expansion slot. An E-book reader can store the text of several books on a flash chip. Personal computers may allow the user to boot and install a system off a USB flash drive instead of CD ROM or floppy disks. Digital cameras with flash drive slots allow users to exchange cards when full. Storing software on ROM cartridges has a number of advantages over other methods of storage like floppy disks, software run directly from ROM typically uses less RAM, leaving memory free for other processes
32.
Video game
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A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device such as a TV screen or computer monitor. The word video in video game referred to a raster display device. Some theorists categorize video games as an art form, but this designation is controversial, the electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms, examples of these are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms range from large mainframe computers to small handheld computing devices, the input device used for games, the game controller, varies across platforms. Common controllers include gamepads, joysticks, mouse devices, keyboards, the touchscreens of mobile devices, and buttons, or even, with the Kinect sensor, a persons hands and body. Players typically view the game on a screen or television or computer monitor, or sometimes on virtual reality head-mounted display goggles. There are often game sound effects, music and, in the 2010s, some games in the 2000s include haptic, vibration-creating effects, force feedback peripherals and virtual reality headsets. In the 2010s, the game industry is of increasing commercial importance, with growth driven particularly by the emerging Asian markets and mobile games. As of 2015, video games generated sales of USD74 billion annually worldwide, early games used interactive electronic devices with various display formats. The earliest example is from 1947—a Cathode ray tube Amusement Device was filed for a patent on 25 January 1947, by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann, and issued on 14 December 1948, as U. S. Written by MIT students Martin Graetz, Steve Russell, and Wayne Wiitanens on a DEC PDP-1 computer in 1961, and the hit ping pong-style Pong, used the DEC PDP-1s vector display to have two spaceships battle each other. In 1971, Computer Space, created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, was the first commercially sold and it used a black-and-white television for its display, and the computer system was made of 74 series TTL chips. The game was featured in the 1973 science fiction film Soylent Green, Computer Space was followed in 1972 by the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home console. Modeled after a late 1960s prototype console developed by Ralph H. Baer called the Brown Box and these were followed by two versions of Ataris Pong, an arcade version in 1972 and a home version in 1975 that dramatically increased video game popularity. The commercial success of Pong led numerous other companies to develop Pong clones and their own systems, the game inspired arcade machines to become prevalent in mainstream locations such as shopping malls, traditional storefronts, restaurants, and convenience stores. The game also became the subject of articles and stories on television and in newspapers and magazines. Space Invaders was soon licensed for the Atari VCS, becoming the first killer app, the term platform refers to the specific combination of electronic components or computer hardware which, in conjunction with software, allows a video game to operate. The term system is commonly used
33.
Neo Geo AES
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It was the first system in SNKs Neo Geo family. The Neo Geo originally launched as the MVS coin-operated arcade machine, with its games stored on self-contained cartridges, a game cabinet can be exchanged for a different game title by swapping the games ROM Cartridge and cabinet artwork. A home console version was made, called AES. The AES had the same raw specs as the MVS and had full compatibility, as of 2013 it was the most expensive home video game console ever released, costing US$1,125 adjusted for inflation. The Neo Geo was revived along with the overall in December 2012 through the introduction of the Neo Geo X handheld. The Neo Geo MVS was a success during the 1990s, due to the low cost, six ROM slots. Several successful video game series were released for the platform, such as Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters and Metal Slug. Neo Geo hardware production lasted seven years, discontinued in 1997, whereas game software production lasted until 2004, the AES console was succeeded by the Neo Geo CD and the MVS arcade by the Hyper Neo Geo 64. As of March 1997, the Neo Geo and the Neo Geo CD combined had sold 980,000 units worldwide, in 2009, the Neo Geo was ranked 19th out of the 25 best video game consoles of all time by the video game website IGN. Contrary to other popular arcade hardware of the time, the SNK/Alpha Denshi hardware used sprite strips instead of the more common tilemap based backgrounds, the Neo Geo was announced on January 31,1990 in Osaka, Japan and released on April 26,1990. Initially, the AES home system was available for rent to commercial establishments, such as hotel chains, bars and restaurants. When customer response indicated that some gamers were willing to buy a US$650 console, SNK expanded sales, Neo Geos graphics and sound are largely superior to other contemporary home consoles, arcades, and even computers such as the Sharp X68000. The MVS was one of the most powerful units at the time. Furthermore, since the AES was identical to its arcade counterpart, although its high price tag kept it out of the mainstream gaming market, it outlasted the market lifespan of its more popular Nintendo and Sega rivals, and also made a unique niche market for it. In the United States, the consoles debut price was planned to be US$599, however, the price was raised and its American launch debuted as the Gold System at US$649.99. Later, the Gold System was bundled with Magician Lord and Fatal Fury, the Silver System package, launched at US$399.99, includes one joystick controller and does not include a game. Other games were launched at about US$200 and up, at double or quadruple the competition, these premium prices made the console accessible only to a niche market. When realtime 3D graphics became the norm in the arcade industry, despite this, Neo Geo arcade games retained profitability through the mid-1990s, and the system was one of three 1995 recipients of the American Amusement Machine Associations Diamond Awards
34.
Compact Disc Digital Audio
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Compact Disc Digital Audio is the standard format for audio compact discs. The standard is defined in the Red Book, one of a series of Rainbow Books that contain the specifications for all Compact Disc formats. These parameters are common to all discs and used by all logical formats. The standard also specifies the form of audio encoding, 2-channel signed 16-bit Linear PCM sampled at 44,100 Hz. Although rarely used, the specification allows for discs to be mastered with a form of emphasis, the second edition of IEC60908 was published in 1999 and it cancels and replaces the first edition, amendment 1 and the corrigendum to amendment 1. The IEC60908 however does not contain all the information for extensions that is available in the Red Book, such as the details for CD-Text, CD+G, the standard is not freely available and must be licensed. It is available from Philips and the IEC, as of 2013, Philips outsources licensing of the standard to Adminius, which charges US$100 for the Red Book, plus US$50 each for the Subcode Channels R-W and CD Text Mode annexes. The audio contained in a CD-DA consists of two-channel signed 16-bit Linear PCM sampled at 44,100 Hz, the sampling rate is adapted from that attained when recording digital audio on a PAL videotape with a PCM adaptor, an earlier way of storing digital audio. An audio CD can represent frequencies up to 22.05 kHz, the selection of the sample rate was based primarily on the need to reproduce the audible frequency range of 20–20,000 Hz. The Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem states that a rate of more than twice the maximum frequency of the signal to be recorded is needed. The exact sampling rate of 44, the device that converts an analog audio signal into PCM audio, which in turn is changed into an analog video signal is called a PCM adaptor. This technology could store six samples in a horizontal line. 60 field/s black and white video was required, and in NTSC countries that video signal has 245 usable lines per field, similarly, PAL has 294 lines and 50 fields, which gives 44,100 samples/s/stereo channel. This system could store 14-bit samples with some correction, or 16-bit samples with almost no error correction. There was a debate over the use of 14-bit or 16-bit quantization. When the Sony/Philips task force designed the Compact Disc, Philips had already developed a 14-bit D/A converter, in the end,16 bits and 44.1 kilosamples per second prevailed. Philips found a way to produce 16-bit quality using its 14-bit DAC by using four times oversampling, some CDs are mastered with pre-emphasis, an artificial boost of high audio frequencies. The pre-emphasis improves the apparent signal-to-noise ratio by making use of the channels dynamic range
35.
Gamepad
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A gamepad, is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the fingers are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles, gamepads generally feature a set of buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left. The direction controller has traditionally been a four-way digital cross, there are programmable joysticks that can emulate keyboard input. Generally they have made to circumvent the lack of joystick support in some computer games. Initially used toggle switches built into the computer display to control the game. These switches were awkward and uncomfortable to use, so Alan Kotok and Bob Saunders built and this device has been called the earliest gamepad. The third generation of video games saw many changes. Nintendo developed a device for directional inputs, a D-pad with a cross design for their Donkey Kong handheld game. This design would be incorporated into their Game & Watch series, though developed because they were more compact than joysticks, and thus more appropriate for handheld games, game designers soon discovered that D-pads were more comfortable to use than joysticks. The original Sega Genesis control pad has three buttons, but a six-button pad was later released. The inclusion of six action buttons was influenced by the popularity of the Street Fighter arcade series, for most of the 1980s and early 1990s, analog joysticks were the predominant form of gaming controller for PCs, while console gaming controllers were mostly digital. This changed in 1996, when all three major consoles introduced an optional analog control, despite these changes, gamepads essentially continued to follow the template set by the NES controller. Gamepads failed to any soft of dominance outside of the home console market, though several PC gamepads have enjoyed popularity. In 1994 Logitech introduced the CyberMan, the first practical six degrees of freedom controller, but due to its price, poor build quality. Industry insiders blame the CyberMans high profile and costly failure for the gaming industrys lack of interest in developing 3D control over the several years. The Wii Remote is shaped like a remote control and contains tilt sensors and three-dimensional pointing which allows the system to understand all directions of movement. The controller is also multifunctional and includes a bay which can be used with different types of peripherals. An analog stick peripheral called Nunchuk also contains an accelerometer but unlike the Wii Remote, gamepads are also available for personal computers
36.
Fifth generation of video game consoles
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The fifth-generation era refers to computer and video games, video game consoles and video game handhelds from approximately 1993 to 2001. For home consoles, the console was the PlayStation by a wide margin, followed by the Nintendo 64. Both were discontinued before the other made their debut. The Neo Geo Pocket was released in 1998, but was dropped by SNK in favor of the fully backwards compatible Neo Geo Pocket Color just a year later, Nintendos Game Boy Color was the winner in handhelds by a large margin. There were also two updated versions of the original Game Boy, Game Boy Light and Game Boy Pocket, there was considerable overlap between this and the sixth generation of consoles, which began with the launch of the Dreamcast in Japan on November 27,1998. The fifth generation officially ended with the discontinuation of the PlayStation in March 2006, early efforts from then-industry leaders Sega and Nintendo saw the introduction of the 32X and Super FX, which provided rudimentary 3D capabilities to the 16-bit Genesis and Super NES. Prime examples of this trend include Virtua Fighter 2 on the Saturn, Tomb Raider on the PlayStation and Saturn, Tekken and Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation, and Super Mario 64 on the N64. Their 3D environments were widely marketed and they steered the industrys focus away from side-scrolling and rail-style titles, as well as opening doors to more complex games and genres. 3D became the focus in this era as well as a slow decline of cartridges in favor of CDs, due to the ability to produce games less expensively. Publicly, Nintendo defended this decision on the grounds that it would give games shorter load times than a compact disc, however, it also had the dubious benefit of allowing Nintendo to charge higher licensing fees, as cartridge production was considerably more expensive than CD production. Many third-party developers like EA Sports viewed this as an attempt to raise more money for Nintendo. Nintendos decision to use a cartridge based system sparked a small scale war among gamers as to which was better, a Nintendo magazine ad placed a Space Shuttle next to a snail and dared consumers to decide which one was better. Almost every other system used the new CD-ROM technology. Consequent to the storage and cost advantages of the CD-ROM format, there was much confusion over which console was superior to the others. Also, console makers routinely boasted theoretical maximum limits of each systems 3D polygon rendering without accounting for real world in-game performance, the FM Towns Marty is considered the worlds first 32-bit console, being released in February 20,1993 by Japanese electronic company Fujitsu. Never released outside Japan, it was marketed as a console version of the FM Towns home computer. It failed to make an impact in the due to its expense relative to other consoles. While using a 32-bit word length, however, the Intel 80386SX CPU only supports 16-bit bus addressing, despite massive third party support and an unprecedented amount of hype for a first-time entrant into the industry, the 3DO Interactive Multiplayers $700 price tag hindered its success
37.
Monochrome
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Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or values of one color. A monochromatic object or image reflects colors in shades of limited colors or hues, images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white. However, scientifically speaking, monochromatic light refers to light of a narrow band of wavelengths. In computing, monochrome has two meanings, it may mean having only one color which is either on or off, a monochrome computer display is able to display only a single color, often green, amber, red or white, and often also shades of that color. In film photography, monochrome is typically the use of black-and-white film, originally, all photography was done in monochrome. Although color photography was possible even in the late 19th century, easily used color films, if the red channel is eliminated and the green and blue combined then the effect will be similar to that of orthochromatic film or the use of a cyan filter on panchromatic film. The selection of weighting thus allows a range of artistic expression in the final monochromatic image. For production of an image the original color stereogram source may first be reduced to monochrome in order to simplify the rendering of the image. This is sometimes required in cases where an image would render in a confusing manner given the colors and patterns present in the source image. In physics, monochromatic light is electromagnetic radiation of a single frequency, even very controlled sources such as lasers operate in a range of frequencies. In practice, filtered light, diffraction grating separated light and laser light are all referred to as monochromatic. Often light sources can be compared and one be labeled as “more monochromatic”
38.
Hong Kong
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Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the Pearl River Delta of East Asia. Macau lies across the delta to the west, and the Chinese province of Guangdong borders the territory to the north. With a total area of 1,106 square kilometres. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during World War II until British control resumed in 1945, under the principle of one country, two systems, Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative, in addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of appropriate fields. Hong Kong is one of the worlds most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the worlds most competitive and freest economic entity. As the worlds 8th largest trading entity, its legal tender, Hong Kongs tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by simple taxation with a competitive level of corporate tax and supported by its independent judiciary system. However, while Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world and it has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the worlds longest life expectancy. Over 90% of the population use of well-developed public transportation. Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring areas of Mainland China. Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island, before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour, literally means Little Hong Kong)—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was a point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen. Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time, fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbours fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour, the name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926. Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric. As of 1997, its name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. This is the title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law. Hong Kong has carried many nicknames, the most famous among those is the Pearl of the Orient, which reflected the impressive nightscape of the citys light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour
39.
Color
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Color or colour is the characteristic of human visual perception described through color categories, with names such as red, yellow, purple, or blue. This perception of color derives from the stimulation of cells in the human eye by electromagnetic radiation in the spectrum of light. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associated with objects through the wavelength of the light that is reflected from them and this reflection is governed by the objects physical properties such as light absorption, emission spectra, etc. By defining a color space, colors can be identified numerically by coordinates, there may also be more than three color dimensions in other color spaces, such as in the CMYK color model, wherein one of the dimensions relates to a colours colorfulness). The photo-receptivity of the eyes of species also varies considerably from our own. Honeybees and bumblebees for instance have trichromatic color vision sensitive to ultraviolet but is insensitive to red, papilio butterflies possess six types of photoreceptors and may have pentachromatic vision. The most complex color vision system in the kingdom has been found in stomatopods with up to 12 spectral receptor types thought to work as multiple dichromatic units. The science of color is sometimes called chromatics, colorimetry, or simply color science and it includes the perception of color by the human eye and brain, the origin of color in materials, color theory in art, and the physics of electromagnetic radiation in the visible range. Electromagnetic radiation is characterized by its wavelength and its intensity, when the wavelength is within the visible spectrum, it is known as visible light. Most light sources emit light at different wavelengths, a sources spectrum is a distribution giving its intensity at each wavelength. Although the spectrum of light arriving at the eye from a given direction determines the color sensation in that direction, in each such class the members are called metamers of the color in question. The table at right shows approximate frequencies and wavelengths for various pure spectral colors, the wavelengths listed are as measured in air or vacuum. A common list identifies six main bands, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, Newtons conception included a seventh color, indigo, between blue and violet. It is possible that what Newton referred to as blue is nearer to what today is known as cyan, the color of an object depends on both the physics of the object in its environment and the characteristics of the perceiving eye and brain. Some objects not only light, but also transmit light or emit light themselves. This effect is known as color constancy, opaque objects that do not reflect specularly have their color determined by which wavelengths of light they scatter strongly. If objects scatter all wavelengths with roughly equal strength, they appear white, if they absorb all wavelengths, they appear black. Opaque objects that reflect light of different wavelengths with different efficiencies look like mirrors tinted with colors determined by those differences
40.
North America
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North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers, about 16. 5% of the land area. North America is the third largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. In 2013, its population was estimated at nearly 565 million people in 23 independent states, or about 7. 5% of the worlds population, North America was reached by its first human populations during the last glacial period, via crossing the Bering land bridge. The so-called Paleo-Indian period is taken to have lasted until about 10,000 years ago, the Classic stage spans roughly the 6th to 13th centuries. The Pre-Columbian era ended with the migrations and the arrival of European settlers during the Age of Discovery. Present-day cultural and ethnic patterns reflect different kind of interactions between European colonists, indigenous peoples, African slaves and their descendants, European influences are strongest in the northern parts of the continent while indigenous and African influences are relatively stronger in the south. Because of the history of colonialism, most North Americans speak English, Spanish or French, the Americas are usually accepted as having been named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci by the German cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann. Vespucci, who explored South America between 1497 and 1502, was the first European to suggest that the Americas were not the East Indies, but a different landmass previously unknown by Europeans. In 1507, Waldseemüller produced a map, in which he placed the word America on the continent of South America. He explained the rationale for the name in the accompanying book Cosmographiae Introductio, for Waldseemüller, no one should object to the naming of the land after its discoverer. He used the Latinized version of Vespuccis name, but in its feminine form America, following the examples of Europa, Asia and Africa. Later, other mapmakers extended the name America to the continent, In 1538. Some argue that the convention is to use the surname for naming discoveries except in the case of royalty, a minutely explored belief that has been advanced is that America was named for a Spanish sailor bearing the ancient Visigothic name of Amairick. Another is that the name is rooted in a Native American language, the term North America maintains various definitions in accordance with location and context. In Canadian English, North America may be used to refer to the United States, alternatively, usage sometimes includes Greenland and Mexico, as well as offshore islands
41.
Europe
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Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, yet the non-oceanic borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are arbitrary. Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres, or 2% of the Earths surface, politically, Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which the Russian Federation is the largest and most populous, spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population. Europe had a population of about 740 million as of 2015. Further from the sea, seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast, Europe, in particular ancient Greece, was the birthplace of Western civilization. The fall of the Western Roman Empire, during the period, marked the end of ancient history. Renaissance humanism, exploration, art, and science led to the modern era, from the Age of Discovery onwards, Europe played a predominant role in global affairs. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, European powers controlled at times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century, gave rise to economic, cultural, and social change in Western Europe. During the Cold War, Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the west and the Warsaw Pact in the east, until the revolutions of 1989 and fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1955, the Council of Europe was formed following a speech by Sir Winston Churchill and it includes all states except for Belarus, Kazakhstan and Vatican City. Further European integration by some states led to the formation of the European Union, the EU originated in Western Europe but has been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The European Anthem is Ode to Joy and states celebrate peace, in classical Greek mythology, Europa is the name of either a Phoenician princess or of a queen of Crete. The name contains the elements εὐρύς, wide, broad and ὤψ eye, broad has been an epithet of Earth herself in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion and the poetry devoted to it. For the second part also the divine attributes of grey-eyed Athena or ox-eyed Hera. The same naming motive according to cartographic convention appears in Greek Ανατολή, Martin Litchfield West stated that phonologically, the match between Europas name and any form of the Semitic word is very poor. Next to these there is also a Proto-Indo-European root *h1regʷos, meaning darkness. Most major world languages use words derived from Eurṓpē or Europa to refer to the continent, in some Turkic languages the originally Persian name Frangistan is used casually in referring to much of Europe, besides official names such as Avrupa or Evropa
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Tommo
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Tommo Inc. is an American video games publisher and distributor of video games headquartered in City of Industry, California, USA. Founded in 1989, Tommo started out as an independent video game distribution company that distributed imported games. Today Tommo, Inc. com, iTunes, Google Play, in July 2013, Tommo bought Humongous Entertainment and over 100 classic games from the Atari bankruptcy proceedings. Tommo also publishes original and licensed games in conjunction with its sister software company, most notably, several titles in the Raiden shooting game series, Elminage Original, original titles in the Smart Girls, Smart Boys and Smart Kids brands as well as the Chuck E. In January 2014, Tommo re-launched the Humongous. com website, in addition to iTunes, Google Play and The Amazon App Store in 2014 dozens of Humongous titles also debuted on Steam and on Amazon PC Digital Download. Humongous Entertainment UFO Interactive Games Official website
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Dingoo
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The Dingoo is a handheld gaming console that supports music and video playback and open game development. The system features a radio and recording program. It is available to consumers in three colors, white, black, and pink and it was released in February 2009 and has since sold over 1 million units. Other versions of the console include Dingoo A330 and Dingoo A380, Dingoo focuses on games and media products, and is located in the Futian District, Shenzhen. Internal Storage 1/2/4GB flash Additional Storage MiniSD/SDHC Input D-Pad,2 shoulder,4 face, Start & Select buttons, Mic. Outputs Stereo Speakers, Headphone Jack & TV-out w/ included cable I/O Mini-USB connector 2.0 Battery 3. 7V 1700-1800 mAH Li-Ion, approx.5 × 14mm) / Weight 3. Pac-Man Video containers, RMVB, RM, AVI, WMV, FLV, MPEG, MP4, ASF, MOV Video codecs, WMV1, WMV3, WMV7, WMV8. FM Radio Wide channel range from 76. 0–108.0 MHz, support manual/auto channel scanning, FM recording, user can save up to 40 channels. Voice and radio recording Voice recording and supports MP3/WAV formats, supports SWF File Format U-disk virus protection, Built-in anti-virus software protection, to keep the system at its best performance. The system files were moved from hidden memory to a memory location. It is mainly intended for use in embedded systems, all official software for the Dingoo A-320 run on µC/OS-II. A Linux kernel was released by Booboo on Google Code on May 18,2009. A dual boot installer called Dingux was released June 24 and this allows for dual booting the original firmware or Linux without the need for connection to a PC. The Dingoo can run emulators, ScummVM, SMS Plus, Gmuplayer, FinalBurn Alpha, Gnuboy, GpSP, MAME, PSX4ALL, Snes9x, PicoDrive, openMSX, GP2Xpectrum, FCEUX and VICE