The team behind the GF1 Neptune, a FPGA recreation of the Genesis / Mega Drive and 32X combo that never was, has announced that the machine will launch this December.
Sega announced the Neptune back in the mid-'90s, just as it was preparing to release the 32X and Saturn.
The idea was that the Neptune would be an all-in-one Genesis and 32X combo, and while case mock-ups were shown off to the press, the system was cancelled when it became clear that the market for 32X was too small. Sega instead decided to concentrate its energies on the Saturn.
More recently, fans have been coming up with their own ways of resurrecting this lost console by creating new motherboards and using original parts, but a team in Brazil by the name of GamesCare has taken another route, building the system around FPGA technology.
"Hello everyone, it's time to show your interest in the GF1 Neptune," says GamesCare. "The release date is almost here, December 2025, as we announced at Gamecom Latam. We are on a mission to bring the console ready for delivery on this date without any kind of pre-order or collective financing. However, for our best planning, it is super important that everyone who plans to purchase this labor of love subscribes to this newsletter. We will announce the price as soon as possible, but I can already say that it will be on average for similar consoles. The 32-bit generation is coming."
If you'd like to know more, you can register your interest here.