Neo Geo Pocket Emulator for iPhone & iPad | Retropa

A shared name, different machines

Both carry the Neo Geo name and little else in common. Pocket and Pocket Color are handhelds; MVS and AES are arcade boards with their own file types and their own cores. The handheld pair runs on Ares and asks for nothing beyond the standard app. Arcade sets sit behind Retropa Plus.

• A .ngp file is an original Pocket game; .ngpc and .ngc are the color model.
• A neogeo.zip from an arcade set is not a Pocket game.
• Retropa keeps arcade and Pocket libraries apart.

Pick the right file

Check the extension before you import anything. A Pocket game is a single handheld image. An arcade set is usually a handful of chip files plus an optional BIOS, so the two are not interchangeable. Confusing them is the mistake we see most often with this system.

What runs it: the Ares core

Ares handles both Pocket models in Retropa, and the catalog lists no alternative core for them. That also means there is no core to switch and no Plus upgrade involved. If a game refuses to boot, check the extension and the detected system first, then ask whether the file is a clean dump.

A stick, not a d-pad

The original hardware used a clicky microswitch stick instead of a d-pad, and that changes what you test. A real stick rolls through diagonals in a way flat touch controls can miss. When you build a layout, confirm that a diagonal lands cleanly rather than only checking up, down, left and right.

• Test diagonals explicitly, not just the four cardinal directions.
• Confirm the two action buttons stay comfortable over a long session.
• A paired physical controller is worth using for fighting games.

Screen treatment

The Pocket's panel is small, low resolution and built for color, so a light LCD look usually suits it better than a heavy CRT preset. Retropa's advanced filters sample the real output area, so you are not tied to an integer multiple of the original resolution.

• Compare the result against the original picture.
• Advanced filters require Retropa Plus.

When a game will not start

Confirm the extension, the detected system and the exact error text. If your library also holds arcade sets, make sure you did not pick one of those by mistake. Leave the original file untouched while you work out what went wrong.

• Record the app version, detected system, core and error text.
• Do not send commercial ROM or BIOS files to support.