Arcade1Up, maker of officially licensed, 3/4-scale arcade cabinets has announced a new collection of retro-hits ranging from old-school, 2D fighters, to light gun games, toMs. Pac-Man. It also showed off the Marvel-themed video pinball table which originally appeared at CES 2020.
The first runs of Arcade1Up cabinets have long since sold out, and include collections based onBurger Time,Street Fighter II, Rampage, and other classic coin-eating titles. In addition to the arcade classicMs. Pac-Man, and several beloved Capcom fighters, this round of Arcade1Up offerings will also produce its first light gun collection, compiling early entries in theBig Buck Hunterseries.
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Pricing and a precise release date have not been announced yet, but if prior pricing is any indication, the tables will likely cost between $300 and $500. Those looking to pre-order will likely want tocheck GameStop and Walmart offerings frequently.
What sets Arcade1Up apart from many other stand-up cabinet makers is that their products are all officially licensed, and fine-tuned for the specific games that they play, rather than MAME-based emulators that often rely on illegally obtained BIOS libraries.Retro emulation is almost always a complicated, buggy endeavor, and that is especially true of arcade equipment.
In addition, many of the games on offer in these collections ran on CRT screens rather than modern displays. Capturing the same feeling with modern components is an art that requires careful adaptation to achieve authenticity, which is one of the primary reasons collectors and arcade enthusiasts seek out cabinets.
Classic fighter and beat-em-up connoisseurs may want to take note of the two Capcom-themed tables. TheX-Men vs. Street FighterCabinet compiles the classic X-Men fighting games, as well as the surprising addition ofX-Men: Mutant Apocalypse, an SNES-exclusive Beat-em-up. Fans looking for broader Marvel-based offerings may be interested in the similarMarvel vs. CapcomCabinet, though the omission ofMarvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroesmay leave certain classic gamers feeling unfulfilled.
Partnering with Arcade1Up is Capcom’s latest move in an ongoing campaign to woo retro gamers, havingannounced the Arcade Home Console last year, which features sixteen titles and a two-player arcade pad set-up.
While retro games may seem like a curiosity in the days leading up to the next console generation launch, the tremendous success ofStreets of Rage’s franchise-reviving sequel demonstrates the appeal and demand for experiences shaped by the arcade. And in an increasingly abstracted and digitized world, there issomething magical about the weighty press of an arcade button that transcends generations.
It is important to note that arcades have not died out or disappeared altogether,but those experiences are harder to find and changed from what they were. And for many, Arcade1Up’s offer to resurrect the coin-op glory days is too tempting to pass up.
Arcade1Up’s latest batch of stand-up, retro-arcade cabinets will be available for pre-order soon.
