A New NEOGEO

Neo-NEOGEO

Do you fancy a bit of NEOGEO, hello NEOGEO AES+. A console from the nineties, I don’t think anyone was expecting to see a return for SNK’s arcade at home console, but that’s exactly what hardware manufacturer and videogame publisher Plaion are bringing us.

Plaion are promising that the NEOGEO AES+ is a faithful recreation of the original AES but to modern standards. We’re not talking about emulation, according to Plaion, but re-engineered hardware to replicate the original. The NEOGEO AES+ will have reissued game cartridges, ten in total. There are multiple purchasing options on the Plaion website, but the ultimate edition reads:

‘SNK and PLAION REPLAI team up to bring the ultimate home console back for its 35th anniversary. A celebration of bold, generational-leading hardware that set the standard for the golden age of sprite-based arcade gaming at home.

Introducing the NEOGEO AES+ Ultimate Edition, the legendary video game console, now reborn with its iconic high-quality design and unmistakable arcade-grade build in this exclusive limited print run and numbered edition including all games and accessories available at launch. The NEOGEO AES+ is a hardware-faithful reimplementation of the original Japanese machine keeping all aspects that made it an icon of the 90s, whilst adding modern features and quality-of-life improvements for the modern era of gaming.

Uncompromising gaming machine

Gameplay on the NEOGEO AES+ is not achieved through emulation – instead the console is powered by its legacy ASIC chips, re-engineered by modern standards to accurately replicate the original machine’s hardware and software. The system natively plays game software from both new and old game cartridges for the most authentic retro gaming experience. Not emulation, not FPGA approximation, but true console reincarnation etched back into silicon.

Retro gaming of the future

While maintaining the original look and feel, the NEOGEO AES+ implements modern-day quality-of-life features such as low-latency HDMI display output (whilst also including the original AV output for CRT enthusiasts), DIP switches for language selection, overclocking and different display modes, and the ability to store permanent High Scores (Memory Card accessory required).

Arcade authenticity

The NEOGEO AES+ Ultimate Edition includes two of the iconic Arcade Stick (one wired and one wireless), a 1:1 replica of the original stick built to mirror the control panel found on SNK’s legendary MVS arcade cabinets. Designed for the NEOGEO AES+, the Arcade Stick connects natively to the console via the classic 15-pin connector (or a 15-pin connector wireless dongle for the wireless version), making it backward-compatible with the original consoles from the 90s and making the original Arcade Sticks from the 90s forward-compatible with the NEOGEO AES+, for an unmatched arcade experience at home. This stick is the pinnacle of arcade purity with no compromises, delivering the look, feel and fast response that defined a gaming generation.’

Playing videogames, writing about videogames, considering videogames—that about sums it up. Videogames are the one hobby that I’ve kept since I was only little, zapping ducks on the NES or knocking out MR. X. And when I’m not enjoying classics from the bit generation of games or checking out those earliest of polygons, I’m probably playing something from today’s age of modern gaming: if I’m not complaining about it. Something I’m doing at the moment? Taking the Multisystem 2 for a spin.