NeoBox vs NeoDS

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.

NeoDS is a Nintendo DS emulator for NeoGeo AES and MVS games. It emulates the M68000 and Z80 CPUs, graphics, ADPCM and PSG audio, as well as NeoGeo protection and encryption. NeoDSConvert converts NeoGeo ROM sets into .neo files, and the emulator uses the same ROM sets as MAME. The documented setup requires a Nintendo DS Lite and a DLDI-compatible flash card. A Slot-2 flash card with RAM is optional and can improve the speed of some games. The emulator supports button remapping, normal or scaled video, CPU underclocking, and saving configuration and SRAM to the flash card; its graphical interface is operated with a stylus. It does not emulate FM audio, raster effects or multiplayer, and some timings are not very accurate. The repository describes the project as a fork of a 2008 NeoDS release being updated to 2026 MAME sets. The emulator is free to use for non-commercial purposes; save states appear in the README’s TODO list rather than as a supported feature.