Neo-Geo

The AES home unit was identical to the MVS arcade hardware — same 68000 CPU at 12MHz, same YM2610 audio chip. AES cartridges were smaller than MVS but contained the same code, adding a home menu in place of the operator interface. The 1990 launch price was approximately $650 for the console and $200 per cartridge — explicitly targeting an affluent market that wanted arcade-perfect at home. Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle had a PAL distribution of very few units — fewer than 50 certified copies are documented — making it widely considered the rarest and most expensive game in western retrogaming, with prices regularly exceeding €10,000. The Universe BIOS, a replacement ROM installable via chip socket, adds debug functions and region selection — effectively the standard for serious AES collecting.