Rating Neo Geo AES Plus Accessories Before Launch
The Neo Geo AES Plus lands November 12th, 2026. And I’m about to do something a little dangerous: predict whether accessories will work on hardware I’ve never touched.
Today I’m walking through the Neo Geo AES Plus accessories I think you’ll want ready at launch, and giving each piece of retro gaming gear my honest compatibility odds.
Let me be clear up front: none of this stuff is required. These are nice-to-haves. Things you may want depending on the particular experience you’re chasing. If you’re new to the system entirely, start with my full AES Plus breakdown and come back.
Before we get started, I want to make it clear that I don’t think it is a good idea to pick up any of these cables before we know more about the connector. We have heard from multiple sources what the connector is going to be like and how it is going to work but none of the information matches each other.
Composite Cables: The Authentic Early 90s Experience
First up is a composite cable. Since originally making this video the word on the street is you are going to need a Genesis Model 2 composite cable, not a model 1. You can get that at my Amazon Affiliate Link right here if you want to take the chance of ordering early. It’s just video out and mono. Nothing fancy.
But if you’re hooking this up to a CRT and you want that original AES experience, this is it. Take it out of the box, plug it in, and it’s the early 90s all over again.
Some people genuinely love that. The dithering effect that automatically happens on some sprites, the way it rounds the edges.
Component Cables: The Crispest Picture on a CRT
For those of you who want a CRT but want the best image you can get out of the AES or the AES Plus, the usual answer is a SCART cable.
What I use is component. Specifically, a HD Retrovision component Sega Genesis cable. It’s got five ends on it, and it handles your video just like composite, it is a Genesis model 2 cable. You can find them at Stone Age Gamer here.
And you’re probably thinking: that ain’t on the Neo Geo. Well, you can get an adapter that converts it to Neo Geo, and Stone Age Gamer has these in stock right now.
You want to be very specific here, though. There are multiple types of this adapter. There’s one for a Genesis 1, an original model Genesis or Mega Drive, and there’s one for Neo Geo. You want the Neo Geo one. The port is the same on the Genesis and the Neo, but you need that specific adapter with the big nine-pin connector to make it work.
I’ve never seen anyone try it with the Genesis 1 adapter, but people say it doesn’t work. So I’m not going to play around. I’m using the Neo Geo one.
The MVS to AES Converter
This one’s for a specific kind of person. If you’re traditionally an MVS collector and you always wanted an AES, you’re probably going to need something like this.
It’s an adapter that takes MVS games and allows them to work on an AES. Full disclosure: I don’t have an AES yet, so I have not tried it. I’m taking the risk. When the AES Plus comes out, I’ll do a follow-up video showing you whether it works or not.
The reason I wanted one is simple. I already own some of the games that are coming out for the AES Plus, like Neo Turf Masters \ Big Tournament Golf and Garou Mark of the Wolves on MVS. If the adapter works, I might not need to double dip. I can just play the ones I already have.
There were no instructions in the box, which will be its own fun in that future video. But one side of the adapter is a little thicker than the other, and the cartridge is the same way. So my guess is it only lines up one way. Peanut butter and chocolate. Line them up and put them together.
If I can get my hands on an AES somewhere in town, I’ll test this up front before the system comes out. But these things aren’t exactly easy to come by. If I can’t find one, I’ll plug it in the day the new system arrives, and we’ll all find out together. Here is the one I purchased from AliExpress.
Rating the Neo Geo AES Plus Accessories
Here’s where I call my shots. I’m giving each item a percentage between zero and 100 based on what my gut says will work with the AES Plus.
It’s not exactly scientific. I’m going off details I’ve read about voltage, how accurate they’re trying to make this system, and pure gut feeling.
Composite cable: 99%. The way we envision the AES Plus working, it should behave like it does on the original AES. I’m giving you a 99% chance this bad boy works.
Component cable with the Neo Geo adapter: 80%. One extra piece in the chain, one extra place for something to go sideways. Still feeling good about it.
MVS to AES converter: 75%. I picked this one up on AliExpress. There’s always the chance they try to block adapters like this, but I don’t think they will. That would be an extra layer of work on their end, and all this thing is doing is passing information through. Power draw crossed my mind too, since every adapter you add in between takes a little more power to get through. But I don’t think that’s going to be a concern. I think it’ll handle it just fine.
The One I’m Not Ready to Predict
There are other items I’ll be trying that I don’t want to put a number on until I know more.
The big one is the Neo SD Pro and whether it’ll work through an adapter. I’m not putting a percentage on that until I see more information. But I have an MVS Neo SD Pro, and I will be trying it with an AES Plus in the future so you don’t have to experiment with your own.
That’s it from me. Hit me up in the comments and tell me how you feel about this. What other items do you think are going to be necessary for your particular AES Plus experience? I want to read all about it.
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