Sometime on Time, if you wanted to play Neo GEO game, it took a serious financial investment. The original home console Neo GEO AES (Advanced Entertainment System) launched at $ 650 in 1991, equivalent to about $ 1,535 in 2025. Games would be sold around $ 200, around $ 472 today.
The hook, for an emerging loft of players, was that the AES was identical at hardware level to the MVS (Multi Video System) of manufacturer SNK (Multi Video System) Currency in arches. If you wanted that authentic experience, you literally paid the price.
As times have changed. Now you can get some of Neo’s biggest games of all time for pocket money. The Super Pocket Neo Geo Edition packs 14 titles, built into ultra-portable manual consolefor less than the price of one contemporary game “triple a”. It is a joy for nostalgic players or those who want to experience some true video game classics, but there are several compromises to swallow before you can enjoy it.
Postable fun
Photo: Matt Kamen
The Neo Geo Edition is the latest entry in an ongoing line of Super Pocket Handheld, each focused on classical developers or publishing titles, made by Retro Gaming Specialist Blaze Entertainment. If that name rings a bell, that’s because it’s the same manufacturer behind the Evercade Hardware Systemwhich includes HandlesHome consoles, and mini Arcade cabinetsall of which are linked by universal support for physical Evercade -game cartridges.
Although released under “Hyper Mega Tech!” Mark, the super -pocket also matches these carts, so at the glance it might seem yet another hardware, exchanging the horizontal orientation of the Evercade EXP For a vertical, ruthlessly playful boy-inspired arrangement for Maximum retro behavior.
However, the super -pocket is quite another usable. It is even smaller than the all -time manuals, measuring 125 mm high, 78 mm wide, and 25 mm thick – your Phone is probably greater overall. This diminutive stature, combined with its vertical orientation, means that it can feel too small in larger hands.
It is surprisingly well appointed with inputs, however, with a beautifully responsive D pad with clearly defined directions, which ensure that it feels fantastic under the thumb, four face buttons (A, B, X, Y), and L1/L2/L2/R1/R2 “shoulder” buttons transferred to the rear. These do not play for Neo Geo’s inclusive games, but they ensure compatibility with games in other all -time carts that might require them – though again, the small size of the unit makes these transferred shoulder buttons somewhat difficult to put your fingers in a usable way.
