A scaled-down version of Sega’s iconic arcade hardware called Astro City Mini has been revealed by its Japanese makers.
Accordingly, Sega officially announced the release of the arcade classic’s mini version through an interview with the Japanese media outlet Game Watch Impress.
However, the said interview was taken down later as it was posted “accidentally,” per Segabits.
What is the Sega Astro City Mini?
Basically, the Astro City Mini is the scaled-down version of Astro City, which is a bulky arcade cabinet that was very famous in the 1980s to the 1990s. Arcade cabinets are still seen today, most of which are installed in arcade stalls in malls—still a “common sight” in Japan.
Sega has produced a whole range of “City” cabinets back in the days, and the most “ubiquitous and iconic” is its 1993 Astro City, per The Verge.
https://twitter.com/VenomDeathNinja/status/1280433733640744961
The release of Sega’s arcade hardware’s mini version is reportedly in celebration of the Japanese gaming giant’s 60th anniversary. Per Eurogamer, this new miniature arcade console has “more appeal” than Game Gear Micro—a nostalgic console remake that was also released earlier this year.
The mini arcade cabinet reportedly has more “proper microswitches” with its joy-stick and has a six-button set-up. It’ll also be sporting two USB-A ports—which means the option to connect external controllers—an HDMI-out on the back, with a micro USB port, and a headphone jack.
For its battery, the details are scarce. There’s no information, as of this writing, as to whether or not it’ll have its own built-in battery.
SEGA just announced the Astro City Mini:
– Based on the classic arcade cabinet
– Includes 36 games (Golden Axe, Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder, Virtua Fighter, Fantasy Zone, Altered Beast, etc)
– Launches in Japan end of yearhttps://t.co/HOCLje8fPd pic.twitter.com/RxbyZ0T1f9— Ryan T. Brown 🔜 WASD (@Toadsanime) July 7, 2020
What games can the Astro City Mini port?
Per Sega Driven, the game will have a total of 36 games—all of which will be Sega arcade games. The full list of games hasn’t been revealed, but there are a few that were confirmed:
- Alien Syndrome
- Alien Storm
- Golden Axe
- Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
- Columns II
- Dark Edge
- Ichidant-R
- Virtua Fighter
- Fantasy Zone
- Altered Beast
Currently, there are no recent updates about its exact release in Japan, but it is said to be due by the end of the year. There’s also question of whether or not it’ll be distributed across western countries such as the United States or in the United Kingdom.
Although Segabits predicts that the Astro City Mini might not cross the Asian seas, as many of the Sega arcade cabinets have only been released in Japan exclusively.
The iconic arcade cabinet remake will reportedly cost 12,800 yen [AU$171].
Featured image courtesy of Esteban Toma/Flickr