Neo Geo Pocket Color

Neo Geo Pocket Color (ネオジオポケットカラー) is a 16-bit color handheld video game console released by SNK in March 16, 1999 in Japan, August 6 in the United States, and October 1 in Europe. It is a successor to SNK's monochrome Neo Geo Pocket.

Its catchphrase in Japan was "I'm not BOY. There comes a time when someone leaves BOY." (I'm not BOY. 誰だってBOYを捨てるときがくる). It started off strong, but a large number of factors prevented it from doing much else. In mid-2000, Aruze bought SNK and proceeded to have the Color canceled in the US and Europe, though Japanese sales continued into 2001. It was SNK's last video game console, as the company went bankrupt on October 30, 2001.

US release
The US version of the Neo Geo Pocket Color had an exclusive launch on the website eToys in 1999. eToys also sold the initial launch titles in the preferred plastic snap lock cases. The system debuted in the United States with six launch titles (20 promised by end of year) and retail price of $69.95. Six different unit colors were available: Camouflage Blue, Carbon Black, Crystal White, Platinum Blue, Platinum Silver, and Stone Blue.

Before SNK was bought out, the Neo Geo Pocket Color was being advertised on US television and units were being sold nationally in Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, and other large retail chains.

Post-Aruze buyout
Remaining stock was bought back by SNK for repackaging in Asia. In June 13, 2000 SNK of America (and Europe) tried 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 and supported. Some of the back-stock of US NGPC hardware and software started showing up back on the marketplace in the US and Asia in 2003. These units frequently appeared bundled with six games stripped of their cases and manuals. Two games often included, Faselei! and The Last Blade were never previously released in United States, meaning that they have no US-localized box or manual; however, these titles did receive a European release, incorporating an English translation.

After SNK went bankrupt on October 30, 2001, all intellectual property rights were transferred to the successor company SNK Playmore (later the second generation SNK), but the development of Neo Geo Pocket Color was discontinued after the bankruptcy.

NEW Neo Geo Pocket Color
NEW Neo Geo Pocket Color (NEWネオジオポケットカラー), abbreviated as NNPC, is a redesigned, slimmer version released by SNK in October 21, 1999 only in Japan. 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, but it is fully compatible with all previous units, software, and accessories.

Legacy
The system enjoyed a greater success than any Game Boy competitor since Sega's Game Gear. However, it was hurt by several factors, such as the Neo Geo heads' (the Barone family) notorious lack of communication with third-party developers, and anticipation of the Game Boy Advance. The NGPC is listed on Gamespy.com's Top Ten Handhelds that Never Made It with the number one ranking.

Technical specifications

 * CPUs: Toshiba TLCS900H core (16-bit), 6.144 MHz, Z80 at 3.072 MHz for sound.
 * RAM: 12 k for 900H, 4k for Z80
 * ROM: 64 kbit boot ROM
 * Interfaces: SIO 1 channel 19200 bit/s, 5-pin serial port
 * Resolution: 160x152
 * Colors: 16 palettes per plane, 48 palettes. 146 colors on screen out of 4096.
 * Sprites: 64 sprites per frame, 4 colors per sprite.
 * Scrolling: 2 scrolling planes, 8x8 character tiles, 4 colors each.
 * Sound: PSG 6 tone simultaneous output. Stereo sound.
 * Cartridges: Maximum 4 MB (32 Mbit) with 4-16 Mbit flash memory.
 * Batteries: 40 hours on 2 AA batteries. Lithium CR2032 battery backs up memory and clock.

The system has an on-board language setting, and games display text in the language selected (provided the cartridge supports that language). Other settings can be set on the handheld such as time and date, and the system can provide customized horoscopes when one's birth-date is entered.