SNK's Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro Is A Killer Self-Contained Retro Gaming Console

The retro gaming market is hot right now, mostly because people have fond memories of growing up playing old school Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and SNES games. It's not just Nintendo that is trying to cash in, though. SNK today introduced the Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro with a bunch of retro games preinstalled.

This is somewhat of a unique device—the design is based on the controller for the Neo Geo CD that was released back in 1996, but it's not a carbon copy. The new Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro is larger, measuring 430 x 215 x 125 mm (WxDxH), has more buttons, and overall looks to be better suited for playing fighting games.

There are two modes users can choose, including Arcade Stick Mode (or Joystick Mode) and Console Mode. In the Arcade Stick Mode, players can plug it into a Neo Geo Mini or PC and use it normally.

"We guarantee a solid experience with this arcade stick," Neo Geo states.

In Console Mode, the Arcade Stick Pro plugs into a TV or monitor via HDMI to play any of the 20 preinstalled games. In this mode, users can rearrange the button layout in the options menu. Additionally, users can attach Neo Geo Mini Pad controllers, or even another Arcade Stick Pro for "glorious 2-player action."

There are eight main buttons on top of the pad, and eight-way joystick, and a mode indicator. On the bottom. The select and start buttons are on the side, as are the turbo and options buttons.

Users will also find an assortment of ports, including a power input, HDMI output, USB, two Neo Geo Min Pad ports, and a headphone output. Finally, there's also a cable storage box in the bottom.

It's an intriguing controller-slash-retro console, though as is always the case with these kinds of things, it's all about the games. Unfortunately, SNK has not yet revealed what the 20 titles consist of, nor is there any word if users will be able to add more. Pricing and release date information are both a mystery at this point as well.