I still own my Neo Geo Pocket Color, but I’d sold off all but one game I had for the handheld (Dark Arms, if you have to ask) due to the need for space in the library. Amusingly enough, I was talking to a friend last week who was asking me about the system because he was thinking about picking one up on eBay, but now, it looks as if he can do the retro thing in an even better way. The tentatively named “Neo Geo Pocket Device” is in the works at SNK Playmore and will come packed with twenty classic Neo Geo arcade games built in. As you can see, the slim style looks very slick indeed…
No official release date or price point has been announced nor has any word of the device being released outside Japan been made clear. However, thanks to Kotaku (and the Famicom-Plaza blog where these images are taken from), we do know what games are going to be on the device: World Heroes, Ultimate 11, Top Player’s Golf, Sengoku, NAM -1975, Mutation Nation, Last Resort, King of Monsters, Frenzy, Cyber-Lip, Fatal Fury Special, The Art of Fighting, Super Sidekicks, League Bowling, Metal Slug, Magician Lord, Baseball Stars Professional, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters ’94, and Fatal Fury.
That wonderful SD card slot on the side in the final photo means there’s the potential for other games to be downloaded from SNK’s site at some point. Given the current lineup of arcade games available over PSN as Arcade Classics minis, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of these show up as downloadable titles for the new portable. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I’d say that SNK fans NEED to put their money where there mouths are and gently bug the company to sell the unit worldwide DIRECT through its website as opposed to dropping the thing into retail where it will get ignored by non-fans or those dopes who’ll complain the device isn’t also packing a phone, three cameras and touchscreen. Whatever happens with the upcoming unit, we’ll keep you posted…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 
I’ve always felt like I really missed out with the NEO GEO. But back in the day I was simply priced out. If I remember right many games were $300 each and the NEO GEO itself retailed for $800. It still amazes me. One Neo GEO game sold for as much a Sega Genesis console back when they were new.
This is an exciting prospect.
Did the NEO GEO have many RPG’s or any games that required reading to play? I’m happy to get a Japanese version but I’m wondering if I should wait and see if they will produce it for other regions.
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DUH, I just now realized that you can actually play most of the games in this collection if you snap up a copy of SNK Classics Vol. 1 for the PlayStation 2 (which should be pretty inexpensive) OR you can pick up that big DLC pack of SNK games on PSN that has a lot more games (at a lot more money). The emulation on the PS2 is OK overall, but I’d recommend an arcade stick for some of the fighters if you’re not comfortable with the Dual Shock 2…
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The Neo Geo console was strictly an arcade gaming system, so everything I know on it can be played anywhere in the world with little to no Japanese knowledge. The Neo Geo Pocket, however, had some RPGs, strategy and other games that required a bit of Japanese knowledge, but all the games on the new model are so far, arcade versions. I’m betting SNK sticks to its library of arcade hits from the 90’s, but I hope we see stuff like Athena, Ikari Warriors and other hits from a bit earlier…
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