Neo Geo AES+ Nearly Cancelled Over Chip Shortage, Plaion Reveals

Plaion and SNK's Neo Geo AES+ nearly didn't make it to market. The modern remake of the classic 1990 arcade platform faced potential cancellation when component suppliers told the company something unthinkable: they couldn't provide the chips needed for production.

Ben Jones, hardware and software director at Plaion, described the moment in an interview at Tokyo Game Show. "It's the first time I've ever been refused ordering chips, and I've worked with Plaion for nearly 20 years in this field," Jones said. "I was like, 'What do you mean you can't get these chips? Oh, AI.'"

The unavailable component was Parallel NOR flash memory. When Plaion entered its production phase, suppliers in the Far East revealed the chips were simply not available. Jones flew to Taiwan to explore options, only to discover a six-month waiting period just to be considered for an order.

Rather than scrap the project, Plaion found an alternative approach. The company had already manufactured thousands of ASIC chips for the console's cartridges. Instead of using Parallel NOR flash directly, Plaion's team devised a workaround using Serial NOR flash, which serves the same function but required a conversion to work with the Neo Geo's architecture. Serial NOR flash was easier to source and obtain.

This engineering solution came at a cost. The workaround extended the AES+ release timeline by nearly a year. Pre-order demand had massively exceeded expectations when Plaion initially announced the console, positioning it for a successful holiday launch. The delay pushed that window back significantly.

According to Jones, the stakes were existential. Without the flash memory solution, the entire project faced cancellation. "If you hadn't had the solution for the flash, I think everything was dead," Jones told VGC. "But that's the journey. We've been working on this for years as well, so it was a bit of a 'nothing stops this train' moment."

The Neo Geo AES+ brings the arcade classics that defined SNK's legacy to modern hardware. Metal Slug, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, and King of Fighters are among the franchise titles available on the system. The console represents a significant investment in retro gaming hardware during a period when classic platforms have gained renewed collector interest.