The BIOS also played a critical role in SNK’s anti-piracy strategy. The system utilized a "Security Chip" (often labeled PRO-CHIP) and BIOS-level checks to ensure the cartridge being inserted was genuine.
To understand the Neo Geo BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is to understand the underlying philosophy of SNK’s hardware design. It was not merely a bootloader; it was a sophisticated operating system that managed memory banking, security checks, region locking, and the user interface, all within the tight constraints of late-80s silicon. neo geo bios