Taito's Egret II Mini is getting a new expansion to hit 100 total games

Taito has announced a new software expansion for the Egret II Mini, with a full lineup reveal scheduled for August 27. According to 4Gamer, the upcoming SD card release will push the tabletop console's total playable library to exactly 100 arcade titles. The publisher will broadcast the complete list of included games and product details on YouTube Live during a Famitsu LIVE stream at 20:00 JST.

Voice actress Marie Miyake and producer Tetsuo Egawa are hosting the showcase. The announcement confirms that Taito is continuing its strategy of physical media expansions for the miniature cabinet rather than pivoting to digital downloads.

Rotating screens and SD cards

The Egret II Mini launched in March 2022 as a miniaturized replica of Taito's 1996 candy cabinets. The base unit shipped with 40 built-in games, covering a wide range of the company's arcade history from 1978 to 1995. The initial lineup included foundational hits like Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble alongside deeper cuts. The hardware's defining feature is a physical rotating 5-inch 4:3 LCD monitor. You physically push the screen in and rotate it 90 degrees to swap between horizontal and vertical orientations, matching the original arcade hardware for vertical shooters.

Instead of building a digital storefront for post-launch support, Taito opted for a physical expansion route using dedicated SD cards that slot into the side of the machine. The first major add-on was a dedicated Paddle and Trackball controller expansion set, which came with its own SD card containing 10 games like Arkanoid and Syvalion that required analog inputs.

The Arcade Memories catalog

Since that initial trackball release, Taito has published three volumes of its Arcade Memories series on SD cards. These packs have steadily trickled out over the last few years, adding titles like Night Striker and Rastan Saga to the ecosystem. Taito even released a Violet Color edition of the base hardware in December 2025 to keep the platform active on store shelves.

Taito has a massive back catalog to pull from. Founded in 1953 by Michael Kogan as an import business, the company eventually became one of the pillars of the Japanese arcade industry. Pushing the Egret II Mini library to 100 games means this upcoming SD card will need to fill the gap between the current library count and that century mark. I am curious to see what obscure arcade boards they emulate for this batch.

Physical media in 2026

Buying physical SD cards for a miniature arcade cabinet is a strange retail experience. It works, which is the nicest thing I can say about proprietary storage formats. It also means the games are tied to a physical object rather than a digital server that might shut down in a few years.

The August 27 broadcast will likely include pricing and a firm release date for the new expansion. Taito has kept the Egret II Mini ecosystem alive much longer than most companies support their miniature retro consoles. The full game list will be available at the end of the month.