Update: Sega has just released the trailer shown above, as well as the official Japanese site.


Original Story [Tue 7th Jul, 2020 10:15 BST]: You may have assumed that, with the release of the Mega Drive Mini and the upcoming Game Gear Micro, Sega has now had its fill of tiny consoles based on old hardware – but you'd be wrong.

The company has just announced that it is miniaturising one of its most iconic arcade cabinets to create the Astro City Mini, a desktop console which, like the Neo Geo Mini, comes with its own screen and is pre-loaded with titles. A special controller is also being produced.

Screenshot 2020 07 08 At 14.03.58
Screenshot 2020 07 08 At 14.04.03

36 games will be making the cut, of which the following have been confirmed so far:

  • Alien Syndrome
  • Alien Storm
  • Golden Axe
  • Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
  • Columns II
  • Dark Edge
  • Puzzle & Action: Tant-R
  • Virtua Fighter
  • Fantasy Zone
  • Altered Beast

Excitingly, Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder is making its home debut on a piece of Sega hardware (it's on a licensed arcade cabinet from Arcade1Up, but has never been ported to any home system outside of that). Dark Edge – a unique 3D fighting game that uses 2D sprites – has also never been seen outside of the arcades.

Originally launched in 1993, the Astro City cabinet became one of the most recognisable features in Japanese arcades; indeed, you can still see them in action today, and they remain in high demand with collectors.

The Astro City Mini's joystick uses microswitches, while HDMI-out on the rear means you can connect the device to your TV. There are two USB-A ports (additional controllers will be sold separately) and a Micro USB port, as well as a headphone jack. There's no confirmation that it will have a built-in battery, something the Neo Geo Mini also lacked. The fact that a portable battery pack is shown in one of the photos above would suggest that you'll need to use an external source of power to run it.

The Astro City Mini is set for a Japanese release at the end of the year, with a price tag of 12,800 yen (approximately $120 / £93). There's no confirmation that this will be released outside of Japan as yet.

Sega Toys' Satoshi Shimokawa and Yuichi Aoki
Image: Game Watch

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Thanks to Lee Jackson for the tip!

[source game.watch.impress.co.jp, via theverge.com]