Page "Neo Geo (system)" Paragraph 24

Unlike most other video game consoles of its time, the Neo Geo does not use tilemap background layers.

Instead, it relies exclusively on drawing sprites to create the background.

Sprites are vertical strips which are 16 pixels wide, and can be 16 to 512 pixels tall.

By laying multiple sprites side by side, the system can simulate a background layer.

The system can draw up to 380 sprites on the screen at a time, and up to 96 per scanline.