Taito is a Japanese video game publisher. Its main feature is to run retro hardware in the form of a mini console. The company has previously released classic games such as “Space Invaders” and “Bubble Bobble”, and now the company has launched the Egret II Mini, which, like Sega’s Astro City Mini, is a reduced version of a popular arcade.
The original version of Egret II was released in the 90s. The main feature is to rotate the screen 90 degrees, so games like “Space Invaders” can be played in Tate (vertical) mode. Now this feature is also present on the Egret II Mini, which has a 5-inch 4:3 LCD that can be played in any direction.
The main control methods of Egret II Mini include 6 main buttons and an arcade-style jog stick, which can be adjusted from four to eight directions according to the situation of the game. There is also an optional expansion controller, including a racket input for games such as Arkanoid, and a trackball for games such as Cameltry.
The following is the appearance of the controller. Its dimensions are 240 x 100 x 48 mm, so it looks very large-between traditional gamepads and fighting sticks. Taito also sells a gamepad and an additional arcade stick as optional accessories. The console is also pre-installed with 40 games, and the expansion controller also includes an SD card, including 10 games using rackets or trackballs.
The Egret II Mini is more expensive. The arcade itself is priced at 18,678 yen (approximately US$170), the extended game controller is priced at 12,078 yen (approximately US$110), and the external game joystick is priced at 8778 yen (US$80). The handle is 3278 yen (30 US dollars). There is also a limited bundle of 49,478 yen ($450) that includes everything and some extras, such as the original soundtrack CD, and a 32,978 yen ($300) bundle that does not include arcade sticks and gamepads.
The Egret II Mini will not be shipped until March 2, 2022.
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