After unveiling the Neo Geo Mini earlier this year, SNK started selling the tiny retro game console in Japan recently, and it went up for order in the US this week for $109.

But if you’re not concerned with getting an official Neo Geo Mini, it looks like knockoffs are already starting to pop up.

Met the $88 Retro Mini Arcade.

My favorite thing about this little game console isn’t how it blatantly rips off the design style of the Neo Geo Mini. It’s that the product description includes the words “NOT SNK NEO GEO.”

But to be fair, this little device can actually do some things that SNK’s tiny game cabinet cannot. While both come with a bunch of Neo Geo games preloaded, the unofficial device is a multi-platform game console that can also play games for the NES, GBA, CPS, and other platforms. It also supports MP3, OGG, and other media formats for playing music.

And unlike the SNK Neo Geo Mini, the knockoff has a 2,200 mAh battery so you can play without plugging in a power source.

Specs include a 4.3 inch, 480 x 272 pixel display, 128MB of DDR2 RAM, 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot, A/V output, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The system comes with two wired gamepads.

Are the pre-loaded games legally licensed? I have no idea. Would I recommend buying this system instead of a Neo Geo Mini? Probably not. But I’m still kind of amused that it exists.

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5 replies on “Neo Geo Mini knockoffs are now a thing”

  1. Looks to be similar software to that found on the Retro Mini and similar consoles (RS-97?). It’s unlikely to be legally licensed in that case. Might make for an interesting game to mod though…

    1. I’ll be curious to know what your experience with it is like if you have time to share a few thoughts after it arrives!

  3. “Are the pre-loaded games legally licensed?”
    Based on the poor “Engrish,” the lackluster specs, and the blatant copying of an existing IP, I’m going to give this question a very hard “No.” I can also guarantee that there will be a bunch of ROM hacks and repeats, just like all the other “1000-in-1” game carts that exist for retro systems.

    Also, the page states it has a 2200 mAh battery, not 5,000.

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