Though it’s not my usual MO to report on news, and it’s been months since I’ve regularly updated this blog, the mega-shocking bombshell that is the announcement of the Neo Geo AES+ is a juicy enough cut of retro gaming beef for me to come out of hiding and sink my teeth into.

As usual, however, I have opinions! And questions! We all do!

In case you’ve been living under a rock (it’s kinda nice down here, isn’t it?), SNK recently revealed the Neo Geo AES+, a full-scale reissue of their renowned AES home console and all its attendant peripherals, replete with updates and modern conveniences. Not an emulator or an FPGA imitation, the console apparently runs on an ASIC chipset that is a 1:1 copy of the original. Not only is the AES+ compatible with both CRTs and HDMI televisions, there are now wireless joystick options, the memory card no longer relies on a lithium ion battery, but — most surprising of all — ten freshly-manufactured reissue cartridges have been announced at launch.

The best part? The price. The console, which in 1990 originally cost $650, will retail for only $250 (a limited white anniversary edition with a copy of Metal Slug — also in white — runs $350), and those games, which infamously originally cost $200-$300 a pop, are being reissued, clamshells and all, for only $90 each. A complete set, with all the gear and all ten games, is $999 — actually a steal by traditional Neo Geo standards.

The whole enchilada

Oh, and did I mention all of this is backward and forward compatible with legacy Neo Geo hardware and software?

Yes. Yes please. Yes to all of this.

But wait — here come the questions. Who is Plaion Replai, the maker of this nostalgic beast? Are they and their pre-orders to be trusted?

Turns out, yeah, pretty much. Without getting too deep into the weeds about it, Plaion started as Koch Media in 1994, operating out of Austria, Germany, and England, licensing, distributing, and eventually publishing video games and films. In 2018, Koch was acquired by Swedish company THQ Nordic, which later became known as Embracer Group. In 2022, Koch rebranded as Plaion. Plaion Replai, their retro gaming divison, partnered with Atari to develop and release the Atari 2600+, which has enjoyed a pretty favorable reception from Atari fans.

So yes, it seems we should be able to trust that the Neo Geo AES+ is coming from a reliable source.

Anyway, fans are having the predictably wide range of opinions on the AES+, from being excited to finally add a Neo Geo to their collection for a relatively reasonable price, to lamenting the expectation that the value of their original cartridges will plummet. (It should be noted that many of the ten launch titles for the AES+ are the most expensive and highly sought-after games on the AES collector market, including Metal Slug, Big Tournament Golf, Garou Mark of the Wolves, and Twinkle Star Sprites, just to name a few.)

Personally, I’m in the former camp, although I’m just going to dip my toe in the AES+ waters rather than dive all the way in. I do own an original AES and it’s one of the crown jewels of my collection, but most of the games I own for it are early launch titles which are not, by Neo Geo standards, expensive collectibles. This is actually fine with me, because those are my favorite games in the Neo Geo library. I do also have an MVS board, a multicart, and a supergun, so I have most of the Neo Geo set at my fingertips. But at 90 bucks apiece, adding at least a few carts, like Twinkle Star Sprites (which is not on the multicart), BT Golf, Pulstar, and Garou, is not only appealing, but almost irresistible. It’s also worth noting that this is the first official AES release of Shock Troopers, formerly an arcade-only title.

Which ones do YOU want?

So, after these first ten games, what would we like to see next? I think some obvious choices would be Windjammers, Blazing Star, Last Blade 2, and more Metal Slug (probably X). Personally I would love to see more non-fighting games, especially shooters like Andro Dunos and Zed Blade. And I would love to see Crossed Swords 2 finally get an AES release!

Rumors also abound that new titles could be in the works as well — what could those be? (Fingers crossed for Riding Hero 2!!)

We are also hoping that the construction of the console and games is at least as good, if not better, than the original. If anyone’s being honest, original AES hardware, for all its expense and marketing claims of “Bigger Badder Better,” was a bit fragile and fussy to use (accidentally touching the cartridge while playing could easily knock it out of alignment and crash your game, and sometimes it was even a pain to get it inserted correctly in the first place). Hopefully the new hardware will be tightened up and reliable.

And can we talk about that white anniversary edition for a second, though?

How YOU doin?

I do NOT need another AES console, but GODDAMMIT that thing is pretty. I have seen reports of a gold one too, but I just think the white set is sexy AF.

Of course, we have our doubters in the crowd, worried that there will be bugs or incompatibility issues or that this thing just won’t work right. I personally don’t see the point in that kind of pessimism — yes the Atari 2600+ had some of those issues, but from what I’ve seen in various Atari fan groups, those have been largely rectified through firmware updates, so I would imagine the same could be possible with the AES+. I’m not a super tech-head when it comes to board-level stuff though, so don’t quote me on that.

And then there’s the commenters who show up everywhere some new retro hardware is released. You know the ones: “I haVe All oF ThEse GaMEz on MAME” or “JuST gEt a 161-iN-1 aNd A MvS!” Yes, we know, there are many other free or inexpensive ways to play these games. There’s nothing stopping anyone from buying a bunch of the Arcade Archives versions of these on Switch, setting up an arcade stick, and playing to your heart’s content. All valid options! But that’s not really what this is about, is it? It’s about fulfilling a gaming and collecting dream, getting satisfaction out of the process of using and displaying the hardware, and being proud of your collection. Much like listening to music on Spotify versus collecting and playing records, it’s all about what the individual gets out of it.

The bottom line is, I love the Neo Geo and always have, since I first rented one in 1991. I was lucky enough to obtain one in 1998 and I’ve been very proud to own it. That said, I refuse to gatekeep in this hobby, and I look forward to welcoming new AES owners into the fold.

The Neo Geo AES+ can be preordered at Plaion Replai’s site (linked below), or on Amazon. Some people do prefer to order on Amazon because they do not charge your payment method until the item ships, so do with that hot tip what you will.

What about you? Are you getting an AES+? What games are you excited to pick up, and what do you hope they release in the future? Comment below!

To learn more about the Neo Geo AES+, visit plaionreplai.us.