New NeoGeo AES+ means I will soon be able to retire my original MVS hardware – what a time to be alive

Well, this makes me happy. I have long been a huge NeoGeo fanboy. Metal Slug is a game I would like burying with me when I go, and my original arcade cartridge is within arms’ reach of where I sit typing this, plugged into my MVS consolized hardware. Today is a good day to be a fan of retro gaming.

So, what has made me happy – well, the news that Plaion Replai have announced the upcoming NEOGEO AES+, a new version of the classic AES that is not based on emulation and is so accurate to the original, it will even play original AES carts and lets you play them via HDMI to modern displays. This is huge news for the scene. It will even save your high scores.

The list of games coming out at launch is superb, although from a personal point of view, I really need to see Aero Fighters 2 sooner rather than later. I hope somebody at Plaion won’t leave me hanging for too long.

There is pre-order info further down the page, but if the same level of crazy attention to detail goes in as much as it did to the Intellivision Sprint, and you can read my interview with the guys behind that here, you literally might never see me again – what do you mean ‘good’?

Neo Geo AES+ Launch titles

The following game carts will be available at launch, and Oh Lordy, what a great list of games

• The King of Fighters 2002
• Metal Slug
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves
• Big Tournament Golf
• Shock Troopers
• Samurai Shodown V Special
• Pulstar
• Twinkle Star Sprites
• Magician Lord
• Over Top

How much is the NeoGeo AES+ going to cost?

Ben Jones, Commercial Director of PLAION REPLAI said, “The NEOGEO remains peerless in the eyes of arcade enthusiasts, never accepting less than the authentic arcade experience. For 35 years SNK’s hardware has continued to astonish gamers with the system’s game collection, with titles that only improve with age and remain timeless classics. We are excited to reintroduce this legendary system to modern gamers in a way that refuses to compromise on the integrity of the original hardware, now priced at a level every gamer can finally afford. We look forward to unveiling more news throughout the year.” 

Both the Standard Edition and the 35th Anniversary Edition NEOGEO AES+ hardware will release on 12th November 2026, and are available to pre-order today at www.plaionreplai.com/neogeo for an SRP of Standard: £179.99 (€199.99) / Anniversary: £269.99 (€299.99)

Each game cartridge in the NEOGEO AES+ collection is expected to retail for an SRP of £69.99 (€79.99).

So, you probably need to be a big fan of Neo Geo because this is not cheap, but nor is it a knockoff handheld that lets you play the games on a three-inch screen.

ee-inch screen