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NEWS: Neo Geo AES Returns as Cartridge-Based Console Without Using Software Emulation

So the original cartridges will be compatible with the new system?

I'm probably in the vast minority with this question, but I'm wondering if the reverse is true: will the new cartridges will be compatible with the old arcade machines? The original carts are pretty hard to find nowadays.

rfletcher wrote:

So the original cartridges will be compatible with the new system? I'm probably in the vast minority with this question, but I'm wondering if the reverse is true: will the new cartridges will be compatible with the old arcade machines? The original carts are pretty hard to find nowadays.

I don't know about the reverse but this is a great direction when it comes to game preservation. Most of the original systems have long broken down and it is hard to find a working one and even more parts to fix em. This would give anyone who still held on to those original games another couple of decades of playtime.

I understand Plaion wanting to continue the "+" console concept after working with Atari for the 2600/7800+, which I imagine have both done well enough to warrant doing this, but I do question how appealing the Neo Geo AES+ will be.

Sure, for existing AES owners the more "affordable" carts will be great, as getting any AES cart for even sub-$200 (let alone sub-$100) is nigh-impossible today, and maybe some of them will be interested in the console itself as an upgrade for their actual AES units. However, I just don't see this appealing as an entry point for newcomers.

At least with the 2600/7800+ the physical games are still (by & large) rather cheap, with only specific exceptions (more so for the 7800, but you can still get a decent chunk of that console's catalog for decent prices today), and Atari has been supporting the consoles with actual brand new releases, alongside the occasional reprint of an old title.

The AES+, on the other hand, requires a lot of up-front costs to deal with, and in this case the console will be competing with how extremely easy it is to play the vast majority of the Neo Geo's catalog, largely due to the work Hamster did with the ACA Neo Geo line (plus other companies for a number of stragglers). Hell, out of the 156 officially releases Neo Geo games, all but 31 have seen some sort of official re-release on modern hardware, whether that be ACA Neo Geo (which accounts for 110 games alone), other collections (Visco Collection, the most recent Kunio-kun collection), or individual re-releases (SNK vs. Capcom, Windjammers, Rage of the Dragons, etc.), & even Ironclad (traditionally a Neo Geo CD-exclusive) is still available for purchase on PC (via the AES version first released on Wii Virtual Console).

Compare that to something like the 2600 & 7800, which both still have plenty of titles that you can still only play via those consoles, which helps make their "+" consoles remain appealing today. While I think the AES+ is neat in concept, I think Plaion went a little too niche in this instance, even for the retro gaming market.

It's too bad the entire company is owned by the prince of Saudi Arabia.

I'd like to think, they will release more games on AES carts. Honestly, just give me all the Metal Slugs and Mark of the Wolves, and I'll be happy.

You can buy a game like Magician Lord for $8 on PS Store. There is no way the system with the 10 games is worth $1k. That is utterly insane! How stupid do they think people are?