Neo Geo AES+ preorders hit roadblocks in U.S. as demand surges past expectations

If you’re already looking to purchase the upcoming 1:1 reproduction of the Neo Geo AES+ by Plaion Replai in collaboration with SNK, you might run into some roadblocks. That’s because the relaunch of the 1990s home console, capable of supporting both original and newly produced cartridges, is not going as smoothly as intended. Customers trying to directly preorder the Neo Geo AES+ via Plaion Replai’s website in the U.S. and Canada currently can’t seem to place orders.

This has caused a major stir in the retro gaming community. However, Plaion was quick to respond and posted a brief update on x regarding the situation:

“The short answer: your best bet at the moment is to pre-order on Amazon. The REPLAI store ships from Europe, and the unprecedented interest in these products has triggered some additional tax registrations that must be completed in each U.S. state.”

The post continued, “We have been told this process will be completed around the end of May, at which point all U.S. consumers should be able to pre-order the products of their choice. Rest assured that you will be able to pre-order the UE once the above-mentioned issues are resolved.”

For now, it seems that Amazon is the go-to place for most customers in North America to get their hands on the upcoming Neo Geo AES+. Currently, the standard black AES+ edition is listed at $249.99, while the special Anniversary Edition bundle, which includes a wireless arcade stick alongside a special Metal Slug re-release cartridge, is available for $349.99. 

Interested customers in the U.S. and Canada can place orders for the Neo Geo AES+ on Amazon and expect the re-released 1990s home console to arrive at their doorsteps by November 12, 2026.

All ten re-release launch cartridges, along with accessories such as memory cards and extra controllers, are available on Amazon with Prime shipping.

The Neo GEO AES+ Ultimate Edition will be available only via Plaion Replai’s website

However, the spotlight is on the previously mentioned UE, or Neo Geo AES+ Ultimate Edition, priced at $1,000. The Ultimate Edition will be factory-numbered and will feature both wired and wireless arcade sticks, a wireless gamepad, a memory card, and a custom rack to store all ten re-released game cartridges.

The unfortunate part is that the Ultimate Edition is REPLAI-exclusive, so it isn’t available for purchase on Amazon. This is why Plaion is urging retro enthusiasts eyeing the UE variant to wait until their U.S. tax compliance procedures are complete.

Plaion’s parent company commented that individual pre-orders in the first 24 hours alone were unexpected and essentially surpassed their annual projections and sales targets for the retro home console re-release.