Taito Egret II Mini Announced

Taito has just announced a “mini” version of their Egret II arcade cabinet that features a 5″, 4:3 screen that pops out and rotates between horizontal and vertical orientation.  It also comes with an SD card slot that allows you to add more games – A feature lacking from all the other mini consoles (without a hack).  The price will be $170, with an expansion controller offered at $110 that features a trackball.  There’s also more stick options and a bundle…all scheduled to be released on March 2, 2022.

More info:  https://www.taito.co.jp/en/

I normally don’t pay any mind to these “mini” consoles, unless there’s a specific feature that stands out.  For me personally, most of these are just toys that sit on shelves as decorations…but the ability to rotate the screen and add more games via SD certainly makes this one stand out above the rest.  While I’m sure it won’t be a “pro gaming” solution, it seems like something that’s fun to play, even just for the tactile feedback of rotating your screen for vertically-oriented games!  I’m not sure if that’s worth $170 and up to most people, but if you’re a fan of the Egret II (or if you own a real one!), this might be a fun purchase.

Here’s a list of currently included games, which may change at time of release:

Main game list:

Trackball expansion controller games:

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