Give us another reason to pick up a new hobby and leave gaming behind. If the IP holders had their way a LOT of these obscure games would be lost to time. As I get older my reaction time gets worse and the old arcade games are only fun until I hit that wall, and then it's like I remember when I could get to this or that level. In time nobody will care about these ROMs anymore. Them drip feeding the masses with Arcade Archives etc is great but my kid and all his friends have zero nostalgia for the old stuff. When Gen X and Millenials are gone, that's it.

Loved Privateer. Spent so many hours in that game.

Seeing someone become upset because they were using someone else's intellectual property to make a decomp and someone else decided to do it with AI. There is room for everyone.
We've seen in the past with emulation, some people are VERY thin skinned and take their ball and go home and that's that so they can show us.
Now there is an alternative. I don't think someone likes the pressure that if they take five years to complete their passion project by then everyone thinks, oh I already played that ages ago.
It's a fun game, the original.

As far as the AI version sucks then nobody will play it. For the vast majority of people it scratches that itch, they play a bit and never play it again. If it's their favorite game of all time they are already playing it in emulation or original hardware.

I almost think I should have used AI to clean up and condense this meandering post of mine.

I pre-ordered. May just keep it sealed. No interest in vector games on an IPS screen. Black will look like trash.

@Soupbones would be a reason for me to turn on my PS5 Pro.

@Jaxxonian let us know what you hear. A slow repsonse is a bad sign, and no response worse.

Thank you for reporting this. Can't wait to play it. Have the game but no way until now to play it.

I wish they'd just add games and not rotate games out. I won't fly but I'll sure be in the arcade.

Pre-ordered this someplace. Hopefully only once.

I was like don't I already have this, then I realized it was the Atari one, I'll get this, and it looks like it'll be killer on your wrists and hands. Not in a good way.

Almost ALMOST pulled the trigger on this. Then realized, how close will it be to the pictures and how many of these do I need, that and with shipping and we're $500 plus. That and I'd never use it and it would sit sealed in its box (especially if the packaging is neat then for sure it'd stay sealed).

I have dozens of these handhelds. So yes, they are selling to people who already have one or a bunch. I'll get it and find a game I want to play and then there will be a reason I don't like it on this system and go back to another and forget completely about the new system I got.

Beat Jumpman Junior on my C-64 with a Tac-2 way back when. Love the original joystick, and if I want to get a minty one on eBay its going to cost, so I ordered two new ones in black. Shipping is expensive (yes), but it will go nicely with my C64 Ultimate. For everyone here complaining about the cost, this product wasn't made for you. Just like the Neo Geo back when.

Nothing beat waiting at the Manor at Circus Circus playing there and then taking the tram to the Big Top and all those machines... miss that so much. Dark, cool, and full of machines, everything you could imagine. Early 80s there was amazing.

Got Mr Do on my Switch 2 and Playstation 5 Pro. Nice to have an official port. Played Mr Do in Circus Circus when it came out. So glad I got the diamond in the actual arcade back then. That was one thing I wanted in Mame back when and played the prototype etc. I agree with an above poster to call this a Dig Dug knockoff is a huge disservice. It's got so many neat nuances to it and I find new and different ways to die when I'm rolling along thinking I'll get a really high score this time... ahhh nope.

I pre-ordered the system and a couple games, and pre-ordered on Amazon as well in case the shipping problem becomes a thing. I used to look at Neo Geo at my local EB Games every time I came in but it cost more than my Amiga 500, so yeah wasn't even a thought. Be nice to have one now. Do you all think that the places Nintendo sources parts for their systems are good people, run by fair governments, that don't polute, and don't have any problems? The artists for the games, have you run full background checks on them? The manufacturers of the boxes. The semi conductors, are they made in a country with repressive policies? The petrochemicals that are in your EV, do they in part come from Saudi Arabia? Any chance?

I play retro games to have fun and also to avoid all the modern day hand wringing, and yet here we are again. We hate the C64 Ultra, we hate the AES+, we hate this and that. Because of this and that. ModRetro.. evil incarnate. I bet I could drop by and visit your apt, condo or home and find all kinds of stuff inside that was produced by child labor, or in countries that they don't like this lifestyle or that. None of you fly in airplanes right? You walk everywhere and don't wear shoes because of microsplastics... Good times. You're a better person than me.

@WileyDragonfly So you bought your AES solely as an investment? If they hadn't hit the stratosphere with cost, we wouldn't be getting an AES+. Just curious if your whole reason behind it was to be an investor.

Or I can just go on eBay and find a reputable seller that refurbs retro handhelds and a refurbed GBA, GB or what have you for half or less of the cost and use my carts. Can get one with a backlit screen, or whatever and then if it dies in a year, get another. With real hardware. I understand eventually that won't be an option, but I'm not paying these prices for emulators. Unless its something with Saphire glass, and they aren't even as much as Ayaneo.

Backed at the $231 level. Hope it succeeds. Love the idea of that type of spinner. Yes I've got all kinds of 3rd party spinners but more is always a good thing.

Bithead2000 has been doing similar things for years. Love the finished product.

I don't trust any remakes after Demon Souls, so I'll wait until I see people actually play the game to see if they've done anything to make it for the modern audience. As long as the retro mode is classic DotC I'll be more than happy.

Great news. Love my C-64!

What an amazing interview, and I'm a fan of Bruce's work. More of these interviews please. Loved hearing about the punchcard computers, Dawn Patrol.. all of it. Need to preserve that history. Thank you.

I buy the Yakuza games JUST for the retro arcade parts and maybe they wouldn't want to sell them separately.

I'd love more articles like this. Love collecting versions of game on obscure systems for different box art, manuals, etc.

Its interesting that slowdown caused by hardware limitations back when, has to be emulated now to get the same experience... I guess you should have the option, which it seems you do now, to have how it should have played and how it did play. Very interesting.

I don't remember them being as durable as the TAC-2.

Another instant buy. To add to my back catalog.

I have the Pole Position one but I've never opened it because I don't think I'd really be able to control it effectively. Sits with a ton of boxed things I buy on impulse and never open. Along with a lot of things I open play once and put away back in the box. I'm not sure I'll buy this one...

I went with the beige model as it's what I had as a kid (that design) and no problems, glad I didn't go with the starlight one. It's a shame that their manufacturing partners are so unreliable.

The fact that I can use it on my PC for emulation sells it for me. But that's me.

Thank you for this article. That's what I love about this site, its articles like this. Have to check this out as I never saw it back when I had my original C-64.

@Tasuki Commodore was huge in the mid 80s in San Diego. We all traded games. Never heard of this game though.

I love mine. So nice to have real Function Keys and not a drop down menu. Well worth the money. Excellent review.

While there are a lot of options out there, and a lot of junk systems. This is never going to go back to the way things were 8-9 months ago with prices. These handhelds that don't really last too long will cost $200 each now instead of $59. This will make Nintendo and other IP owners very happy when the only "affordable" way to play those games is through their subscription service. Glad I'm from the Atari generation and early arcades nostalgia wise. Can run stuff on a chromebook or an old phone.

@SlangWon That would be awesome

I'll buy it. Not played it before so should be fun.

A tempest 3/4 cab that has missing lines, scrolls too slow, and has a spinner with too much resistance. Then you can have a subpar experience on the go AND hunched over at home.

I'd love to see a Lynx handheld (with a proper processor and display... had to put that in) or a Jaguar mini.

I thought I'd seen this recently, before that I'd never heard of it. Time to dust off (figuratively not literally) my Switch and buy it (or rent it since it's a digital game card now?).

Insta buy. Apparently I need to be more constructive with a longer post, so its an immediate purchase for me and going on my wishlist when I get home. My employer blocks steam here at work. Go figure.

Will be interested to see.

Tempest is what I wanted. I got a version on here. I've bought every home version on every console, every release and revision, so I have this one. Hope they can make it so its more playable through a patch. If not then there are a ton of other games. There is no substitute for an actual Tempest cab.

David Crane = instant purchase!

Wip3out was what sold me on the PS1. Played that endlessly and the sountrack was awesome.

Looks really cool but I'm sure they will sell out in an instant.

Sad to see one of the originals go. Wish the franchise had stayed true to its roots.

Amazon is always a crap shoot. Atari direct is packed better usually (not always). So if a crushed box is not a problem go Amazon. That's been my experience.

@boatie wonder if they forgot the manual or the game? Curious what the packing error was.

@KingMike Its nothing more than lip service on Nintendo's part.

@JohnnyMind For those of us who have relatives (mine that were in the Bataan Death March), that flag isn't just offensive to Koreans.... but the game should remain as is. I wasn't happy with Capcom's censorship either. Glad the ROMs exist. Its historical and how the games were released. Games are art and should not be censored.