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Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
I'm always bottomless.

USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST

Anyway, credit goes to WildcatJF for finding this JP stream about our favorite little money pit:


I know about enough Japanese to order a steak, as long as that steak is kawaii, so others may be able to take more away from this than I was. But they show off the machine itself, and the 2P controller is way bigger than I realized! (There are 1P and 2P ports in the back of the unit, so I wonder if you could plug that into 1P and play a little more comfortably.) They also talk a bit about the anniversary album that comes with the package I ordered, which will include selections from the included games, as well as new arrangements and the Egret II Mini's menu music. They also debut one of those menu themes and it's a banger. Check it out, maybe!
 

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
God damn it.

If it weren't for the irresistible carrot of a four-disc Zuntata album coming with the Ultra Deluxe Fuck Your Wallet edition of the Japanese Egret II Mini, I'd cancel my preorder in a heartbeat and not lose any more sleep thinking about the absolutely murderous shipping cost. But I can't bring myself to do it.

Anyway it's great news for people who are smarter than I
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
Yeah I'm content to stick with my Amazon.jp order at the moment unless there's some amazing bonuses.
 

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
Strictly Limited Games is opening preorders for the western version of this here. It comes in blue rather than pink, and is available in two editions for $yikes and $holyshit. I don't see an expected ship date but I have to imagine it'll be later than March 2022, the Japanese ship date. That said, I'm pretty sure I'm going to cancel my Amazon.co.jp order and jump over to this instead -- it'll be nice to have the ancillary materials in a language I can read.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
I'll be sticking with my import order then! Didn't expect that much of a price hike, and I was anticipating one! Wow.
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry
AtGames released a device with many (but not all) of the Egret's games, plus it comes with two joysticks and a trackball, and only cost me a hundred dollars last year. I guess I'll have to settle for that. And, uh, figure out what's wrong with my trackball.
 

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
I'm not familiar with Games Rocket, but apparently they are the other western distributor for the Egret II Mini, and are offering just the machine itself with no extra widgets (uh, except for a cup and cupholder) for a more reasonable $229. Looks like you can order the additional controllers (including the paddle with the expansion SD card) from them as well.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
Games Rocket appears to be another arm of Inin, who also owns Strictly Limited. If you just want the Egret II Mini, that's probably a good option, but the controllers are excessively expensive. The trackball/paddle was $169.99!
 

jpfriction

(He, Him)
AtGames released a device with many (but not all) of the Egret's games, plus it comes with two joysticks and a trackball, and only cost me a hundred dollars last year. I guess I'll have to settle for that. And, uh, figure out what's wrong with my trackball.
If it’s the same thing that’s wrong with the trackball they put in their legends cabinets, it’s that it sucks and you need to add in some 3d printed supports to keep it from breaking down.

At least it is cheap and easy to install: Shim Kit
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry
Installing the shims is where my problems started, I'm afraid. I've been told to open it up and make sure they're in there tightly, but I think it's one of the rollers that are defective. (Moving it to a different axis makes that axis screwy instead.) Maybe one day I'll open it again and see what I can do to repair it.
 

jpfriction

(He, Him)
Installing the shims is where my problems started, I'm afraid. I've been told to open it up and make sure they're in there tightly, but I think it's one of the rollers that are defective. (Moving it to a different axis makes that axis screwy instead.) Maybe one day I'll open it again and see what I can do to repair it.
Ah bummer.

I also wiped the rollers down with some WD-40 while I had it all open. That helped actually make the trackball roll for a second when I spun it and stopped kickman from doubling back every time I frantically sent him to the other side of the board to catch a blue balloon.
 

ShakeWell

Slam Master
(he, etc.)
The thing about this is... I really like the idea of the trackball and spinner BUT if they're not good quality, they're not worth nearly that much money, and by the time we know for sure, will this thing still be available at retail?
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
I have my Egret II mini and it's beautiful, an obvious upgrade from the Astro City Mini. It's heavier and bigger, with a bigger screen. The joystick has a bit more travel, but it's fine.

The game selection is just great, some absolute stone cold classics on this thing. I haven't looked into lag or whether the screen is native resolution but I love this thing
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
I'm still waiting on Amazon.jp to charge me and ship mine And I'm CRANKY
 

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
Very jealous, Phantoon! I'll be waiting until at least the end of May to get mine from Strictly Limited (which is still a lot sooner than I expected from them)
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
One really neat thing - when you start a game it tells you what joystick gate the original had. That and the TATE thing are really cool innovations.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
In good news Amazon JP actually tested out my card and hey I'm a real person. In sadder news my Taito Egret has been delayed a bit.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
Well I updated my shipping address and MAGIC I was charged for it finally lol. Thanks for not telling me to do that Amazon!

Now I have to watch my house like a hawk the day that gets delivered lol
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
Congratulations! What's your favourite game on it so far?

I wish SNK would redo the Neo Geo Mini to be more this level of quality. I have it next to my Astro City Mini and my Egret Mini and it's obviously the poor cousin.
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry
(heavy sigh)
I still love you, Neo-Geo Mini. You're better than that weird Neo-Geo X thing that was released ten years ago, at least.
 
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