Super Mario Bros. running as a native Neo Geo cartridge.
SMBNeo is a playable, open-source Neo Geo port built around a pure C game core. It runs on the MC68000, draws the game with the Neo Geo's tile and sprite hardware, and plays music and sound through the Z80 and YM2610.
This repository is a Neo Geo-focused fork of
nathsou/smb. It is still a work in
progress, but the game is playable from the title screen through the ending.
Choose your own supported .nes file, ZIP, or locally built
smbneo.zip/puzzledp.zip. The file stays in your browser and is never
uploaded. After conversion, the page offers three local downloads:
smbneo.zip, the canonical cartridge archive;smbneo.neo, the single-file NeoSD/NeoSD Pro image; andpuzzledp.zip, the optional package for fixed-database emulators.
Use the arrow keys to move, A or S to jump, Q or W to run or throw
fireballs, 1 to start, and 2 to select.
The title screen and World 1-1 from the current Neo Geo build.
- The original title screen, menu, stages, enemies, power-ups, and ending.
- Neo Geo joystick and button input.
- Backgrounds, objects, palettes, and the HUD rendered directly with Neo Geo graphics hardware.
- Music and sound effects played through the Neo Geo sound hardware.
- Full progression through all 32 stages.
- More on-screen objects without reproducing the original console's small sprite-per-scanline limit.
| Action | Neo Geo | Default keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Joystick | Arrow keys |
| Jump / swim | A or B | A or S |
| Run / fire / grab / throw | C or D | Q or W |
| Start | Start | 1 |
| Select | Select | 2 |
Press Start on the title screen before trying to move Mario.
You will need the
ngdevkit toolchain and a legally
obtained game image. The input may be a raw .nes file or a ZIP containing
one .nes file.
git clone https://github.com/sabino/smbneo.git
cd smbneo
make cart SMB_ROM="/path/to/smb.zip"
make run SMB_ROM="/path/to/smb.zip"The supported game revision has SHA-1
ea343f4e445a9050d4b4fbac2c77d0693b1d0922.
make cart creates both canonical full-size cartridge packages:
platform/neogeo/build/rom/smbneo.zip
platform/neogeo/build/rom/smbneo.neo
Both preserve the native 1 MiB P, 128 KiB S/M, 512 KiB V, and two 2 MiB C
regions used by real hardware. The ZIP is used by MAME and the project's
GnGeo path. The .neo file is the single-file format used by TerraOnion
NeoSD and NeoSD Pro flashcarts; it does not contain a BIOS. The same build also creates
custom GnGeo driver data under the shortname smbneo; make run launches
that identity. make hardware-cart remains an explicit alias for callers
that want to emphasize the six-ROM physical-cartridge lane.
To generate only the NeoSD image:
make neosd-cart SMB_ROM="/path/to/smb.zip"The generated format, metadata, and payload have been checked byte for byte against ngdevkit and an independent open-source converter. A boot on physical NeoSD/NeoSD Pro hardware is still awaiting confirmation from a device owner.
For an emulator whose built-in database cannot discover a custom game, build the optional compatibility archive:
make compat-cart SMB_ROM="/path/to/smb.zip"That produces platform/neogeo/build/rom/puzzledp.zip. The donor name is a
loader workaround only and is never SMBNeo's public identity. Standalone
emulators also require a separate compatible neogeo.zip BIOS. Generated
graphics and cartridge files are ignored by Git and must not be
redistributed.
The versions used for the current build are listed in Tested toolchain. Exact FBNeo, NEO.emu, MAME, GnGeo, BIOS, and hardware package instructions are in Emulator and cartridge packages.
MAME exercises Neo Geo sprite-chain behavior that can be missed by lighter
emulators. Because MAME supports custom software lists, the canonical lane
generates platform/neogeo/build/mame/hash/neogeo.xml and launches the full
smbneo.zip as smbneo on MAME's one-slot MV-1 configuration.
Build the canonical MAME package with:
make mame-cart SMB_ROM="/path/to/smb.zip"The direct equivalent command is:
mame ng_mv1 smbneo \
-hashpath "$PWD/platform/neogeo/build/mame/hash" \
-rompath "$PWD/platform/neogeo/build/rom"To collect a scripted set of title and gameplay frames instead:
make mame-capture SMB_ROM="/path/to/smb.zip"The PNG files are written to
platform/neogeo/build/mame/captures/. For an interactive run, use
make mame-run instead. To test a BIOS that you legally own and have already
installed in a MAME ROM directory:
make mame-run SMB_ROM="/path/to/smb.zip" \
MAME_BIOS=unibios40 MAME_BIOS_DIR="/path/to/mame/roms"No BIOS image is included in this repository.
Without MAME_BIOS_DIR, the target uses ngdevkit's open replacement from the
local build. That is enough to test the cartridge renderer, but matching a
specific BIOS splash requires the corresponding complete MAME BIOS set.
The upstream project translates the original game logic into C. SMBNeo compiles that code for the Neo Geo's MC68000 and supplies new platform code for video, sound, controls, timing, and cartridge startup.
Instead of drawing a complete image in work RAM every frame, the renderer maps the game's background tiles and objects onto Neo Geo sprites and uses the FIX layer for the status display. This keeps memory use low and lets the graphics hardware do most of the drawing.
During a local build or browser launch, the graphics needed by the port are converted from the user-supplied game image. No game ROM, generated graphics, or packaged cartridge is included in this repository.
The complete game is playable in the emulator, including enemy-heavy stages and the final ending. Performance, sound balance, input, scrolling, title screen rendering, and crowded scenes have all received target-specific work.
MV1C flash-cartridge tests exposed BIOS-handoff, background-chain, and animated-sprite orientation errors that lighter emulation had hidden. The renderer now uses full-height native sprite chains and pre-oriented graphics banks instead of runtime flip bits for 8x8 objects. The latest orientation fix still needs a physical-hardware retest. Sound is adapted to the Neo Geo hardware rather than reproduced waveform-for-waveform, and further performance and fidelity improvements are welcome.
Run the ROM-free test suite before submitting a change:
make ciFor contribution guidelines and deeper technical information, see:
nathsou/smb, the static-recompilation project on which this fork is based.- doppelganger's SMBDIS disassembly, used by the upstream translator.
- The ngdevkit contributors and the wider Neo Geo development community.
See Third-party notices for full attribution.
SMBNeo is an unofficial fan project and is not affiliated with Nintendo or SNK. Game names, characters, graphics, audio, and related trademarks belong to their respective owners. The repository source code is provided under the Apache License 2.0; that license does not grant rights to the underlying game or its assets.