April 16, 1990 · Computer or hardware

Neo Geo MVS (1990)

SNK's arcade Multi Video System, the same hardware as the Neo Geo AES home console but housed in coin-op cabinets that held several swappable cartridges. It became the best-selling arcade board of the 1990s.

Announced in January 1990 and released in Japan on April 16, 1990, the MVS let arcade operators swap cartridges between 1-, 2-, 4- and 6-slot cabinets instead of replacing whole machines. SNK deliberately made MVS and AES cartridges physically incompatible to stop operators buying cheaper home versions. Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown and Metal Slug all started here. Wikipedia credits it as the best-selling arcade PCB worldwide in 1994, with about one million MVS units shipped.

See 1990 in the interactive timeline

Facts

Date: April 16, 1990
Kind: Computer or hardware: Dedicated console
Maker or publisher: SNK
CPU: Motorola 68000 @ 12 MHz + Z80 @ 4 MHz
RAM: 64 KB RAM, 84 KB VRAM
Graphics: 320x224, 3,840 colors on screen
Media: ROM cartridge
Units sold: about 1 million MVS units
Generation: 4th
First sold in: Japan
Notable games: Samurai Shodown; Fatal Fury; The King of Fighters; Metal Slug