Anyone have one that they actually use and not just display? I've been thinking about getting a Neo Geo CD this year because my oshi has one and she always has a great experience with it, so I want to know what you're guys' experience is with keeping these in working condition and playing the CD version of games. The forum posts I've been reading are decades old, so I'm not sure if they're reflective of how the Neo Geo scene is nowadays, especially with all sorts of mods for the CD making it seem like a better alternative to the AES/MVS in the current era.

I got one back in the mid-ish 2000s, but I haven't played it in many years since I have an MVS that I play in a candy cab. The controllers feel fantastic, the games play as you'd expect, and they make use of being on a CD by having CD quality music (here are some comparisons https://youtu.be/zPBGiarpfrk). There are also a couple of exclusive releases, though it seems that some of those are very expensive, assuming you want to keep it legit and not just play burned copies. Biggest downside for me are the load times, which in some titles can be excruciating.
At some point I'll get around to digging mine out and hooking it up to my main gaming monitor, but I don't really see myself playing it too often over the MVS versions, largely due to the load times.

>>11794153 (OP)
I got one ages ago when they were the cheapest way the play Neo Geo games. Stuff like Metal Slug, King of Fighters 95, Twinkle Star Sprites don't have bad load times. The composite output looks super sharp, way better than an actual Neo Geo console. I stopped playing because I got a $50 MVS motherboard and a 108 in 1 cart but some of those bootlegs are irritating like SNK vs Capcom with the dumbass SPECIAL text flashing during startup, in reality its more like 50 games since the hacks ruin those games.
The games actually do have protection which can be disabled by changing a couple of bytes, there used to be a website with all the patches. They will play but usually have a CD read error after the first level. Original games now cost basically as much as MVS games these days though most MVS games are bootlegs. I personally found the control pad a bit weird to use but its part of the system experience and its not unplayable.

>>11794153 (OP)
The loading times are awful. I find my Dreamcast is a much better NGCD than real hardware. The controller however is extremely good.

My grandfather had one for the grandchildren since he wanted the best for us and he wasn't going to drop thousands of dollars on an NG and a few games.

>>11794153 (OP)
Its fine except for KOF 96-99, Last blade and a few other games

>>11795098
>he wanted the best for us

Yet you wound up a mentally ill troon living in a hovel

>>11794153 (OP)
Hply fuck, was this thread made for me? Yes, I have a Neo Geo CD and yes I use it as my main (read: only) Neo Geo system. I have a few Fatal Fury and KOF games for it as well as Flying Power Disc. It's such a cool system and the controller kicks ass when it wants to work. I desperately need to either repair the microswitches in mine or get one in better condition. Regardless though I have a blast with my Neo Geo CD.

>>11795362
>It's such a cool system and the controller kicks ass when it wants to work. I desperately need to either repair the microswitches in mine or get one in better condition.
It's not the exact same thing but remember the Neo Geo Mini? Well on AliExpress they are selling modified versions with 15 pin connectors and microswitched thumb sticks, however the button positions have moved one position counter clockwise. I have the original USB-C analog stick version with a Neo Geo Mini and the button layout works fine and the build quality is good.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005006854887858.html
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005008708539238.html

>>11794153 (OP)
i wanted one too
i have an mvs cab\boards\carts and an aes (small collection)

there are easter eggs\quirks exclusive to the cd versions of many of the games
the loading screen animations alone seem worth it for me but im an outlier case
>>11795098
>loading was long
use the sd mod its reversible and cheap

>>11794153 (OP)
I wanted one until I actually got to play one in person for a few hours. The loading times were seriously atrocious. Comically long. Play entire rounds of other games long.
I don't know how well the new ODEs function since I played on CDs, but after that experience I can't think of it as anything else but the coping man's Neo Geo both back then and now. I'd rather play a Neo Geo Pocket Color given the choice.
From what I hear, it's far easier to play CD games on AES than to play AES games on CD. Money aside I just don't see how it would ever be a better alternative to a real Neo Geo.

>>11795697
>use the sd mod its reversible and cheap
yeah man let me use my time machine

>>11795786
>I can't think of it as anything else but the coping man's Neo Geo both back then and now.
It's a real shame they put a 1x speed CD-Rom drive in the thing unlike its contemporaries the Saturn and PS1 which had 2x speed drives. Arcade games are by their nature, short, fighting rounds last a minute, stages in other games last 2 minutes so a 30 sec to a minute long load time is so much more noticeable.
It seems they prioritized expensive premium looking shells over playability. They eventually did make a Japan only model with a 2x speed drive called the CDZ (top model) that halved the load times though by then it was a bit late as by then the consoles reputation was already dragged down.

Load time video. CD vs CDZ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWjLkwxuIqc

>>11795840
I was thinking of getting the CDZ because of the faster loading time, but for some reason the SD Loader is incompatible with it.

>>11795219
it's not a hovel
>>11795697
yeah I'll do that to my grandfather's NGCD in 1997

>>11794153 (OP)
What does your oshi does between loading time sessions?