After successfully bringing back the Atari 2600, Atari 7800 and the Intellivision, Plaion are now turning their attention to SNK’s NeoGeo AES.
The NeoGeo AES+ isn’t a mini console but rather a 1:1 recreation that can play existing and new cartridges, with ten games lined up for the 12th November launch. Neither is it merely an emulation box, but instead powered by legacy ASIC chips, re-engineered to replicate the original machine’s hardware and software.
The ten launch games are Metal Slug, The King of Fighters 2002, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Big Tournament Golf, Shock Troopers, Samurai Shodown V Special, Pulstar, Twinkle Star Sprites, Magician Lord and Over Top.
A few new features are present, including HDMI out, DIP switches for language settings, overclocking, display modes, and the ability to save high scores to a memory card. Owners of CRTs are catered for too, as it’ll still support AV out.
It comes with a wired Arcade Stick with a fifteen-pin connector, which is likewise 1:1 with the original. A Game Pad can be purchased separately for £44.99, boasting a wireless dongle and a micro-switched thumb stick.
Perhaps the biggest surprise from today’s announcement is the price. The standard model AES+ is expected to cost a modest £179.99, although it’s worth bearing in mind that there is no pack-in game. Carts will cost £69.99 each. The white Anniversary Edition will cost £269.99 and comes with a matching white Metal Slug cartridge. Then there’s the £799.99 Ultimate Edition, which has everything available at launch, including all ten cartridges, packaged in a numbered set.
Pre-orders are now live. Reactions from fans on social media appear to be very positive, especially the decision to use actual hardware rather than software emulation.