Sega reveals a mini arcade cabinet with three dozen of some of its most popular arcade games. This is the second console miniature that the company has announced this year, as it also revealed thetiny playable Game Gear Micro consoleback in June.
An article by Japanese publication Game Watch and translated by Sega Driven confirmed thatSegawill be releasing the Astro City Mini arcade gaming cabinet by the end of the year. The gaming gadget, which will cost 12,800 Yen or $119 USD, features an eight-way joystick with six buttons. The Astro City Mini is powered by mini USB and will also have two more USB slots allowing players to plug in two more joysticks, though these will be sold separately. Players can see games on the screen or use the HDMI port to use a different screen.
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The Astro City Mini will feature 36 games though just a handful of these have been announced. The confirmed games are
Possibly the most well-known game on this list isVirtua Fighter, which is thought as being the very first 3D fighting game to be released. It’s also thefighting game series thatMortal Kombatcreator Ed Boon most wants rebooted. This alone could make the Astro City Mini a hugely popular release.
Fans will want to see aSonic the Hedgehoggame as part of the Astro City Mini lineup as the bright blue character had multiple arcade game releases. The first game in the series is seen as one of thebestSonic the Hedgehoggames releasedsince 1991 and it would be a surprise not to see it here.
Sega also won’t want to cause controversy after many criticized the company for not puttingSonic: Triple Troubleon the Game Gear Micro. That game is a Game Gear exclusive and so it seemed like an incredibly odd decision not to put it on the new console’s release.
It’s unclear if Astro City Mini will be released in the west. Arcade games are ridiculously popular in Japan, where arcade games likeSpace Invadershave their own sake, but arcade gaming centers have fallen out of favor in the west following a decline that started in the 1980s. Sega will release aSpace Invaders: Invincible Collectionbut this doesn’t mean that the Astro City Mini will also be released in the west.
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