DREAMNEOCD vs NeoBox

DREAMNEOCD is a Sega Dreamcast emulator for Neo Geo CD games, including selfboot games. It can also be used through DreamShell with an SD card, without CDDA. The project was ported to Dreamcast in 2004 and its maker describes it as the first working Neo Geo CD emulator for the console. It is based on Foster's NeoCD/SDL; the README credits libSDL, using its sound component. To run, it needs a 512 KB system BIOS from an original Neo Geo CD console, named neocd.bin. The README warns that a smaller BIOS will not work with version 1.0 onward, and the repository cautions that the BIOS is copyrighted and users are not entitled to a copy unless they own an original Neo Geo CD console. The program is free, but the maker prohibits selling it and limits source-code and technical-knowledge reuse to noncommercial purposes. The repository lists a GPL-2.0 license. It does not support AES or MVS emulation, related SNK arcade games, netplay, or save states.

NeoBox is a native macOS app with a built-in Geolith Neo Geo emulator; users provide their own ROMs and BIOS files. It accepts MAME-format ZIPs, scans ROM folders, organizes recognized games with bundled metadata, and watches folders for additions. The maker says metadata covers 158 games, including MVS and AES titles through KOF 2003. NeoBox provides timestamped save states, numbered slots, per-game memory cards, and F12 screenshots. Display options include an optional Metal-rendered CRT shader, Auto 4:3, and pixel-perfect integer scaling. Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, and MFi controllers work over USB or Bluetooth, with keyboard input also available. Users can select external MAME instead of Geolith; the maker says the library, save states, and bindings carry over. NeoBox requires macOS 14 or later and is native for Apple Silicon. The Mac App Store listing describes it as signed and notarized. The NeoBox: Neo Geo Player plan costs $14.99 as a one-time purchase.