NeoGeo AES+ delayed to September 2027 after chip shortage forces redesign
The NeoGeo AES+ revival is delayed by ten months to September 2027 because Plaion could not buy the memory chips it needed.
Plaion hardware and software director Ben Jones told Video Games Chronicle at Tokyo Game Show that the failure to procure chips forced the team to reengineer parts of the project. The interview was published on 22 September 2026. Video Games Chronicle
The AES+ is a new version of SNK's NeoGeo AES, the home console that played games on large cartridges, removable game cards, in the 1990s. It is designed for full compatibility with original 1990s cartridges. Plaion has set a worldwide release date of 16 September 2027 for the range, priced at US$250, after an original plan for November 2026. PLAION Press
Jones linked the supply problem to artificial intelligence demand amid the global chip shortage. The specific problem was Parallel NOR flash memory, the type of chip memory that stores game data on the cartridge. That part was basically unavailable.
Jones said he flew to Taiwan to try to secure supply directly. He was told there would be a six-month wait just to be considered for stock.
The fix was to redesign the cartridge electronics. Engineers added conversion technology that takes the signal from Serial NOR flash, a more available type of memory chip, and turns it into parallel. That allowed the project to use parts the team could actually order.
That redesign work plus extra testing caused the ten-month delay. Jones said without the workaround the project would have been dead and faced cancellation. Plaion chief technology officer Bruno Steux said the decision was necessary, otherwise the team would have waited too long and spent too much money.
Plaion and SNK also used Tokyo Game Show to announce five additional games for the AES+, including Zero Wing and Karnov's Revenge. The titles expand the launch library for both new cartridges and owners of originals.
For fans, this means a longer wait but the same promise. Old carts should still work, and the new system is being built around parts Plaion can actually buy.
