ARCADE WATCH

Keeping an eye on the coin-op gaming scene

Over in Japan, the barcade scene is in trouble. A swathe of venues have been closed down, or have dropped shutters voluntarily, after rights holders invoked longstanding licensing laws that prevent games being used for commercial purposes. Whether that will come west is unclear, but if it does, enter Arcade1up.

This US start-up is launching a series of three-quarter-scale arcade cabinets that are aimed primarily at the home but, thanks to being officially licensed, could help barcade owners skirt the copyright lawyers too. Until now, having proper arcade hardware in your house has been a pain: cabinets are hard to find, transport and maintain. The company’s five-strong launch lineup each retail for a reasonable $399, contain a 17” LCD screen, and can be assembled from replaceable parts in minutes using only a screwdriver.

Each of the five has a slightly different control scheme, tailored to the included games. A sixbutton set-up designed for fighting games offers Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, Super SFII and Super SFII Turbo, while a two-button variant contains Final Fight, Ghosts ‘N Goblins, 1944 and Strider. All cabinets are outfitted for multiplayer, and come with reproductions of the original cabinet artwork.

While the reduced size naturally suits seated play – and Arcade1up sells a bench seat separately – the company also offers a riser stand to bring the cabinet up to its original height. Smart stuff, all told, and while a handful of retro games for the cost of a modern console might seem a tough sell, we’re already marking out the space for one in the Edge game room.