There’s no doubt that Neo Geo will be a name familiar to many a hardened gamer. First launched as an arcade system around 22 years ago, the line saw a spawning of home consoles and a handheld range released before finally being discontinued by its Japanese creator SNK Playmore Corporation in 2004. Despite its longevity and featuring some pretty cool and colourful titles such as Metal Slug, Puzzle Bobble and Art of Fighting (games that affectionately live on in memory) the Neo Geo never took off like Japanese leaders of the era, Nintendo and SEGA.
Eight years later and SNK have partnered with Blaze and are looking to give it another go with the now confirmed Neo Geo X. The familiar branding remains in the same no-frills style as it did all those years ago and the gadget seems to visually resemble a cross between first generation portable, the Neo Geo Pocket, and an Apple iPhone – with 3.5” LCD display, thumb-stick and upgrading from last generation’s model with two extra buttons. It’s believed the second coming of Neo Geo will feature around 20 pre-loaded games including that classic side-scrolling shooter Metal Slug and World Heroes and Samurai Showdown included as part of the installed software.
Introducing modern tech, the gaming gadget will also feature SD card slot, but the reason for this addition isn’t yet clear. If the console features the same simplified titles as it did “back in the day” it’s expected that the Neo Geo X will be an app-based gaming system and the cards that will allow purchased titles to be stored, sparing whatever built-in memory the console comes with. This then poses the question as to which OS would support the handheld, or whether there will be a SNK-owned web-based store independent from the likes of Android. Time will tell..
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