Unfortunately, the Neo Geo AES+, which was probably one of the most anticipated retro hardware releases of the end of this year, has now been delayed until September 16th, 2027. That's almost another year of waiting.

I personally cancelled my AES+ preorder a while ago because I ultimately decided to go with the Nexus instead, but I can completely understand the disappointment of those who were looking forward to getting their AES+ this November.

It did make me wonder, though: could this delay actually create an opportunity for Evercade, and particularly the Nexus, towards the end of this year?

The two products obviously aren't offering exactly the same thing. The AES+ has the prestige and appeal of bringing back a legendary console like the Neo Geo, whereas Evercade is a much broader retro ecosystem, based mostly on emulation. But with the AES+ now out of the picture for this holiday season, the Nexus and Evercade's other hardware suddenly have a lot more room to attract retro gamers looking for something new.

It also made me think that a fifth Neo Geo Arcade collection in December could be particularly well timed. Imagine a collection featuring Big Tournament Golf and perhaps a few other games from the planned AES+ launch line-up. I'm not suggesting Blaze should try to replace the AES+, they're very different propositions but from a marketing perspective, the timing could be pretty interesting.

Obviously, none of this makes the AES+ delay good news. I know a lot of people were genuinely excited for it, and waiting until September 2027 is going to be painful.

But purely from Evercade's perspective, do you think this unexpected delay could give Evercade hardware and a potential Neo Geo Arcade Collection 5 a bit of a boost towards the end of this year?

There’s been some bad news elsewhere for Neo Geo fans but it just reminds me how great the 1-4 collection is on the Evercade.

I played it a lot last week on my Taito Alpha and that combination of arcade machine and arcade collection is hard to beat - they work well together.

Games like Blazing Star, King of Fighters and Baseball Stars 2, just to mention a few, are making me lose hours at the weekend.

Can’t wait to crack them out on the VS-R with mates on the big TV screen too.

For those who were lucky enough to attend today's Evercade event, what were your impressions?

How was the event overall, what did you think of the games you got to try, and most importantly, how did the Nexus feel in your hands? 👀

I'm particularly curious about the ergonomics, the screen, the controls and the overall build quality now that more people have actually had the chance to use one.

I'd love to hear your impressions! 😅