A couple of months after the handheld Sega Astro City Mini released in Japan, it is finally coming to the West. For those unfamiliar with the Astro City Mini, it is a tabletop micro-console based on the original Astro City arcade cabinet made back in 1993. This is not the first console to go miniature, as back in 2019 Sega revealed the Sega Genesis Mini which, as can be inferred from the name, is a smaller version of the Sega Genesis.
The Astro City Mini will come preloaded with 36 games which include Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars (with Stella), Alien Storm, Alien Syndrome, Altered Beast, Arabian Fight, Bonanza Bros., Columns, Columns II, Cotton, Crack Down, Cyber Police ESWAT, Dark Edge, Dottori Kun (Dot Race), Fantasy Zone, Flicky, Gain Ground, Golden Axe, Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder, My Hero, Puyo Puyo, Puyo Puyo 2, Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R, Puzzle & Action: Tant-R, Rad Mobile, Quartet 2, Scramble Spirits, Sega Ninja, Shadow Dancer, Shinobi, Sonic Boom, Space Harrier, Stack Columns, Thunder Force AC, Virtua Fighter, Wonder Boy, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, and Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair.
If this sounds like it would be up your alley, Limited Run Games is opening pre-orders at 7 am PST on March 26, 2021, however supplies are limited as they only have around 3,500 units available with the system in English.
The console will be $129.99 and it will include an HDMI-out port, a headphone jack, and two USB-A ports. So if the built-in screen is a little too small, it can be streamed to a TV or monitor. There will also be additional accessories available like a USB-A gamepad for $27.99 and a mini style kit for $39.99 which includes a base, stool, and top board.