First released as an arcade system and then two console models in the early 1990's, the Neo Geo's high price and relatively low adoption ensured its sales never reached the heights of more mainstream devices like those made by Nintendo and Sega, but the Neo Geo name still commands a strong cult following to this day due to its fantastic catalog of titles such as Fatal Fury, King Of Fighters and Windjammers. Now, more than two decades after its initial release, the Neo Geo is to rise again, reborn as a portable gaming console with included dock and joystick.
The Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System has been brought back to life as the Neo Geo X Gold by Tommo in partnership with SNK Playmore. It promises to offer the benefits of both portable and home-based gaming, with the device itself sporting a 4.3 inch LCD display, an expandable game card slot, internal stereo speakers and headphone jack.
The Neo Geo X Gold can be played with the included Neo Geo X Joystick and Neo Geo X Station dock to both charge the handheld device and transfer the action directly to a TV or monitor via either HDMI or A/V outputs. There are also 20 titles pre-loaded:
- 3 Count Bout
- League Bowling
- Art of Fighting II
- Magician Lord
- Alpha Mission II
- Metal Slug
- Baseball Stars II
- Mutation Nation
- Cyber Lip
- Nam 1975
- Fatal Fury
- Puzzled
- Fatal Fury Special
- Real Bout - Fatal Fury Special
- The King of Fighters '95
- Samurai Showdown II
- King of the Monsters
- Super Sidekicks
- Last Resort
- World Heroes Perfect
"Great game consoles don't die; they're just reborn in much more affordable and convenient packages," enthused Tommo CEO Jonathan Wan. "The Neo Geo X Gold is a love letter to one of my favorite consoles of all time, and working with SNK Playmore to acquire the Neo Geo license, Tommo Inc. looks to provide gaming and entertainment enthusiasts with a classic arcade experience both at home and on the go."
The Neo Geo X Gold is due to be launched worldwide on December 6, with a suggested retail price of US$200. You can register your interest now by visiting NeoGeoX.
Source: Tommo, Inc
Please tell us there's also some new technology stuffed into the box so new games might be written to take advantage of it.
Who is going to write any new games for 20+ year old technology, aside from a few geeks and nerds who either had a Neo Geo in their teenage years or who wanted one of the most expensive game consoles ever made?
Neo Geo did set the bar high by being the first console to run essentially exactly the same games as the arcade versions, but compared to today's stuff it's really olde stuff.
My bet is it won't sell as well as those Atari Flashback things because nowhere near as many people owned a Neo Geo back in the day.
As for who will write new games for 20+ year old technology: NGDevTeam, who are to this day still releasing new games for the AES.
They did set the bar high, which is why the games still hold up so well even today. Age doesn't mean much.
I'll bet you it'll sell far more. The Atari is nostalgic but very limited, and Atari carts are a dime a dozen. AES games are still extremely expensive so this device not only caters to NeoGeo fans but anybody who didn't get a chance to play one before. And the games are appealing by themselves, unlike the Atari.