Omega MVS system purchase?

I hope it meets your expectations. It certainly looks nice. But hands on experience is better than just a picture and technical information.

 

So far what i've felt about the Omega.

Purchasing:
1. As stated before utilize Paypal and if possible use thier Facebook page for communication. Thier e-mail is being worked on. Expect it to ship in 2 to 3 weeks.

Pros:
1. Styling-looks very nice and sleek. Much like a bigger AES. You expect it to be heavier but then you remember it's just a housed board so its pretty light. Much better option that the open board type mods looks wise and I liked a more "neo geo" type look than the wooden ones from Analogue (and the Omega is $200 cheaper as well). But looks are all subjective.

2. I had no trouble playing real MVS carts or a 120-1 cart ( The 120-1 cart is what they suggest on thier website. Most complaints I see online are guys using the 160 or 190 carts)

3. Obviously MVS carts are much, much cheaper than AES, so game $ is a plus

4. Any AES controller will work: I've used both an AES Joystick and the CDZ joypad and both work flawlessly.

5. By hitting start/select you can change the bios settings and you have a whole array of cheats available. Want infinite lives in Metal Slug? Done, get rid of the timer in a fighitng game? Done etc etc. You can also switch to the AES openings for games and I believe you can change the region.

6. You can also change the dip switch settings and flash the memory. I havn't done this yet, so far the game settings for games i've played seem about right.
6a: Many folks online claim you can only change the dip switch settings for the multi-carts by opening the machine and manually using the dip switches. When I bring a game up a then click select/start, I get the same menu as an MVS cart, with cheats for that particular game and dip switch options. I havnt utilized this yet (other than the cheats which worked) but it looks promising. Plus, I REALLY dont want to crack into my new $500.00 Omega.

Cons:
1. The $500.00 initial price, but I figure i've already made the extra price back in games. (got all 5 samurai spirits for $200.00)

2. No instruction booklet. I had to go online to find out that hitting start/select was the way to access the menu to cheats and dip switch settings etc. Nor is there any help on thier website about this that I could find.

3. The audio/video cables. and connection for them. I was surprised to see they package composite with S-video cables instead of component cables and the SCART cable is an additional $15.00. The output seems propietary and utilizes a multipin setup (think S-Video on steroids) These always make me nervous because you have to make sure they are aligned correctly and heaven forbid if you bend a pin on the cable. BUT they seem to be pretty sturdy unlike s-video pins. FYI get the Scart..it makles a big difference.

4. IF certain net reports are correct and the only way to change settings on multi-carts is to open up the console. If this ends up being true, A small hatch where you could access the dip switches would have been nice. Most multi-carts come at an 8 for difficulty for every game...OUCH!

For me so far; The Pros far outweigh the cons. As someone who used to go to the Incredible Universe store and drool over the AES, it's awesome after all these years to play real Neo Geo Games on Real Neo Geo controllers.

Having said that: I have a Neo Geo to PS2 controller adapter on order from Tototek. . Im a little worried about playing constantly on a 20+ year joystick, so i'm going to see if I can substitute for a different joystick or controller from time to time to extend the life of my old, yet still expensive controller & stick. In the meantime, I am absolutely having a blast playing this!

 

It uses the Unibios, right? Here you go for future reference: http://unibios.free.fr/howitworks.html

 

Yes, That seems to be the same and thanks so much for the link.

I realize most who buy this system would be well versed in this but..I was not. I'm just a guy who could never get his hands on a Neo Geo product except ports they made for other consoles, the arcade or through emulation. I realize 98% wouldn't need this, but for a noob..it would have been handy.

 

Not at all. I agree with you that there should be some kind of instruction for a product with that price tag. A link to the Unibios guide would have been fine.

 

May I ask how the console is shipped? Since they don't include a printed manual, I take there is no fancy box. It's not that I care about having a fancy box, I am just curious how well the console is package for shipping. For something is that is quite costly and takes a while to deliver, I would be saddened to see it packed poorly. BTW, thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

 

That housing looks nice. I wouldn't mind seeing more pics of the sides/back if you have them.

 

No problem here's a few I just took for you. Also showcased the back switches and cable connections, which again... i'm guessing the cables are propietary connections but maybe someone here will know.

 

The Video output port looks similar to the Genesis/Megadrive Model 2 and 32X. I don't think the connector is something you couldn't find everywhere, but who knows about the pinout.

 

I just played it safe and bought their SCART cable since I'm assured it will work but was wondering just in case it was the same pinout as another game system. I know many seem to think that retro_console_accessories on Ebay makes some of the best Scart cables and i've never been disappointed with the one's i've bought for other systems from her, kind of like going with what I know...and her stuff rocks!

 

Thanks for the extra pics. Nobody wanted to make an AES style shell for my 2-slot so now I am really thinking hard about getting one of these.

 

I never thought to ask what the AES had for cables? Perhaps that's what the output is?

 

The video connector on the NeoGeo home systems (Cart, CD, CDZ) was an 8-pin full size DIN connector, although the supplied cable generally had a 180 degree 5-pin DIN plug on it, which would fit into the same socket (and the signals were arranged so that all the ones you needed for a composite cable lined up with the pins that were present on the 5-pin plug).

 

Thanks, Definitely not the same then.

 

Anyone have pictures of the inside?

 

I don't and I probably won't of mine but here's a video where at 6.30 the guy opens his and shows the insides. There's a few pictures on the internet but if you read the threads they were posted in; the Arcadeworks guys immediately respond saying those are interiors that others have modded and not how they ship them.

 

Just a quick update about the Joypad converter I mentiooned earlier now that it's arrived. . I'm sure it's been covered before but for those who may not know. Tototek makes a joypad converter so you can use a PS2 pad/stick on your AES or inmy case the Omega. Just a way to save a little wear and tear on the aging and costly AES/CDZ stick and pad I have.

I got mine yesterday and after hours of checking it out, I haven't noticed any lag at all. I just ordered another one because i'd like to see if I can use my X-Arcare stick with it. (you need two inputs to make it work). So now if a freind wants to play or I want to give the Neo Geo controllers a break, I have options.

 

I have had one of those for a couple years and it works well although sometimes reseating the connection at the controller port on the MVS may be necessary to get it to work properly after boot up. The turbo feature on it is nice.

 

I hit the start button in game and started busting up when suddenly Terry Bogard turned into the size of a mouse on screen. Did'nt know if thats for all games or just certain ones but pretty funny.

 

Well my idea worked..kindof. Using the PS2 converter and then plugging my Xarcade stick PS2 adapter into the joypro did work..it actually worked really well, with no lag noticed but...for some reaosn the Omega registers something coming back from the Xarcade stick as "insert coin" and it throws the sound off a little. there's a background noise that quiets down after you reach 99 coins but..it's still there. So, I can't figure that's very good for the system, so I went back to the original Neo Geo Stick. So it was a failed experiment that barring that one thing, would have been a really good set-up and saved wear and tear on the orignal (and pricey) stick.