Bookshelf Battle

Check out Arcade1Up!

Check out Rerez’s review:

Hey 3.5 readers.  My better half, Video Game Rack Fighter, is off fighting a squadron of flying robot chimps, but she wanted me, BQB to bring this to your attention.

I’ve wanted to become an antique video game machine collector for awhile now.  I have fond memories of visiting arcades as a kid and think an arcade cabinet would be a cool show off piece for a nerd cave.

Problem is a) they’re expensive b) you’re pretty much own your own to repair them c) how the heck do you buy one, have them shipped, get the thing into your house and really, it just felt like it’s possible that I’d spend a ton of cash for something that would blow a fuse and become a really fancy coat rack.

A company, Arcade1Up, has apparently realized there’s a demand among nerds like myself.  They’re releasing a series of four foot tall arcade cabinets for $300 a pop.  Titles so far include Asteroids, Centipede, Rampage, Street Fighter II, Galaga – all available for pre-order now and Final Fight will be available in Spring.

My thoughts:

1. Each game comes with other games loaded on it if you get tired of the main game.
2. Four foot tall kinda defeats the purpose but you can grab a chair and sit down to play, or they do sell a riser box you can put the thing on so you can play it at standing height.
3. I’m a little torn because ultimately, it all seems fun yet also all seems like a waste of money.  I stayed at a house once where there was an arcade game as a collector’s piece.  It was fun.  I didn’t spend too much time on it.  Once in awhile, I’d get up, go to the bathroom, play with it a bit, go to bed.  It seems like something that would be fun if say, you were a millionaire and could stomach the idea that one day the thing will break and you either need to junk it or scour the earth and hire an expert classic video game repairman or something.  These are much cheaper but are they as cool as say, the actual antiques?  I guess if you grab the riser and shove the thing in a corner, it’s a fun conversation piece.  Otherwise, I guess I can’t really justify spending $300 on a 1990s version of Street Fighter when it’s probably available online for peanuts and brand new games are available for your modern console for at least $60.
4. I think they should make the cabinets so you can buy as many old games as you want and download them.  Wouldn’t that be a moneymaker?  Buy your cabinet machine with your favorite old school classic characters decorating it, put in your credit card, then download your favorite games at 99 cents a pop.  Oh well, I don’t know how to do that but if you know how to do it, feel free to do it and become rich.

Ultimately, I have a feeling I’m such a geek I’ll end up getting one.  First, why is there no Pac-Man and second, which one should I get?  My heart is torn between Rampage or Street Fighter. Rampage will be more fun.  Street Fighter more stylish.

That Final Fight looks good too so I could wait.  I don’t know if I’ll get one but if I do get one I will only get one.  I just don’t have the space to have 50 of these suckers lying around.  Just one, as the fun decoration I always wanted and maybe once in a blue moon I’ll get up in the middle of the night, take a poop, play Rampage, go back to bed.

Thoughts?