If, like me, you spent a stupid amount of time and money playing Street Fighter 2 arcade games in the early nineties, you should go nowhere near Arcade1Up’s website. If you do, there’s every chance you’re going to leave $400 lighter and be shipping a retro arcade cabinet to your door… shortly before your divorce papers arrive.
Street Fighter II is just one of many eighties and nineties games that the company offers in its self-assembly cabinets. Pac-Man, Rampage, Gauntlet and Defender are among the classics on offer. Here at CES 2019, the company has announced it’s adding Mortal Kombat, Space Invaders, Final Fight, Golden Tee and Karate Champ to the roster.
Although the artwork on each of the cabinets is based around one game, you actually get multiple games in each one.
The cabinets come in two sizes – there’s a 3/4 height cabinet which you can sit at. You’re not as young as you used to be, remember. Alternatively, you can buy the 12in cabinet riser, which brings the 3/4 cabinet up to full height, letting you stand while you play.
As I mentioned above, the cabinets are self-assembly, so prepare for some Ikea-style DIY when the flatpack kit arrives. The five-minute video below shows the procedure and it looks no more daunting than putting together a futon.
What’s the finished build quality like? Pretty good, if the demo models on the CES stand are anything to go by.
The joysticks are a little waggly for my tastes and I don’t think it would take the same kind of punch-the-screen punishment that a regular arcade machine is built to endure. But it’s as close as you’ll come to that old-school arcade feel in your home.
The price? $399 from various US electronics retailers or just over £300 from CostCo in the UK. The cost of your divorce when you install this in your lounge could be considerably more.
Now read this: Shadow – a gaming PC for £27 per month?
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