Arcade cabinets: When are they worth it?

[noiseredux]

I am on the cusp of a serious cab addiction. I snagged a cherry Galaga cocktail off criegslist for about $200 and I am in love with it. Not only does it look great in my game room and thus provide a great conversation piece, but it also gives me a great chance to practice my Galaga skills.

Not to mention I have had offers for around $800 for it so given the current market you could have an investment with arcade cabs. It also doubles as a sweet coffee table! Nothing like having a beer and playing some classics.

My next investment will probably be a Naomi machine, or a mameulator.

wow, I think a Galaga cocktail would be on my wishlist if I had the room. That just seems so classy, and Galaga is one of my absolute favorite games ever. If I were to get a cab, I'd probably want a Street Fighter II. Just seems so iconic to me, and nostalgic.

[Betamax001]

I would probably either a) want one of my all time favorite games, or B) want a game that has never been ported to home consoles. The Simpsons Arcade and Star Wars Trilogy Arcade spring to mind for me

[EllertMichael]

I've got the fever! but I definitely have to wait until I move out of the apt i'm in now before I get a cab..
I plan on getting a candy cab and an MVS.

Are they worth it?

I think it depends on what kind of games you like to play. If you're all about the shootemups, fighters and beatemups, then I say hell yeah.

I had the chance to own a Discs of Tron arcade for free, but my dad decided against it. I got the chance to play it years later on XBLA, and it's a blast! "If I could turn back time..."

[t0yrobo]

To me it really depends on what sort of cabs you're after. I think it'd be totally worth it to own one or two jamma cabs. I could see owning dedicated cabs, but for most of the ones I want it'd be a serious space issue, I just can't dedicate an entire room to Virtual-on.

[Majors]

If you want it, then get it.

If you're into the older, pre-JAMMA stuff it might get crowded. If you like late 80's and 90's games, then you're in luck. A decent, clean Dynamo can be got for under $100 and then you can just get PCBs (game boards). Yes, some of the games are $$$ but you can always find something that you like on the cheap. Plus, you can always sell/trade it later.

I'm not a fan of the Pac/Galaga/"old shit" like some of my local cab collectors are, but I would not mind a Tron(forget it now!), Mr. Do, Super Cobra or The Machine: Bride of Pinbot just for nostalgic reasons. I do have he space now though but that never stopped me before

To answer the Q: "When are they worth it?" - Always.

[xxstatic]

I have 8 total right now.

Donkey Kong, Centipede, Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Tempest, and Atari X/O Football all in my house, and I have 2 projects I am working on in the garage, Omega Race, and Ms. Pac Man.





The most I have invested in is the DK, I basically gave it a ground up restoration, the cheapest one I bought was the Asteroids for $50.
The thing about owning an arcade machine is 3 fold, the cab and artwork part of it, the internal electronics such as the monitor, ps, pcb's, and third the playing experience.
As a hobby it has it all in my opinion.

[CRTGAMER]

I have 8 total right now.

Donkey Kong, Centipede, Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Tempest, and Atari X/O Football all in my house, and I have 2 projects I am working on in the garage, Omega Race, and Ms. Pac Man.

The most I have invested in is the DK, I basically gave it a ground up restoration, the cheapest one I bought was the Asteroids for $50.
The thing about owning an arcade machine is 3 fold, the cab and artwork part of it, the internal electronics such as the monitor, ps, pcb's, and third the playing experience.
As a hobby it has it all in my opinion.

Very nice setup! You have some real gems in there! Great for any barbecues you have at your house.

Without trying to step on eggs, can you give an honest assessment on the gameplay use of your Arcade collection. In comparison to time spent on your game consoles and computer use. Just trying to find out the feasibility, does the bug of playing wear off after owning for a few months?

I have always dreamed of getting a Space Harrier Motion Chair, the exact one I first tried went on sale a year later. Regretfully, it was just out of my price range at the time. Damn, I should have bought it, an opportunity of buying a personal first experience Arcade lost. Shipping, where to put and justification of continued use were also part of why I didn't buy it. Would it have turned into a glorified coat rack later on as the frenzy wears off?

[aaron]

i've been considering picking a couple of these up for use in my basement. someone i know is selling a Last Duel upright for $80. trying to convince myself that i should just do it. it's such an undertaking, though.

[xxstatic]

Very nice setup! You have some real gems in there! Great for any barbecues you have at your house.

Without trying to step on eggs, can you give an honest assessment on the gameplay use of your Arcade collection. In comparison to time spent on your game consoles and computer use. Just trying to find out the feasibility, does the bug of playing wear off after owning for a few months?

I have always dreamed of getting a Space Harrier Motion Chair, the exact one I first tried went on sale a year later. Regretfully, it was just out of my price range at the time. Damn, I should have bought it, an opportunity of buying a personal first experience Arcade lost. Shipping, where to put and justification of continued use were also part of why I didn't buy it. Would it have turned into a glorified coat rack later on as the frenzy wears off?

For me being an "older" (44) gamer the classics are where it's "at" so I do not think this will ever "wear off", I turn them on daily and play at least 1 game on each with the exception of the football game as it's not as fun playing it solo (2 player game).
I go in cycles with my console games, play them frequently then not touch them for months at a time, it's very hard to ignore the full sized upright's in my living room...lol...
I think the thing I didn't foresee was the pride of maybe saving a classic game from ruin, restoring it to it's former glory, and then being able to enjoy it anytime I want.
It started with the DK for me when I bought my 1st house, saw it listed on Craigslist and thought to myself "Hey now that I have the room wouldn't it be great to own the game that I was obsessed with as a kid, and it wasn't like that obsession ever subsided...lol...
If it's a game or games that have you have a special feeling for and have the available space I would say you will be very happy owning one.
I know these are not any kind of "investment" but if you don't overpay for one and maybe even improve the overall condition of it you can see the money back if you decided to sell.
The amount of devotion shown here for classic console games leads me believe most here would be great owners of these.
Sometimes late at night I just turn them on and watch them lit up in the dark going through their attract screens and making the attract sounds....takes me back to the arcade day's of the early 80's.....

[CRTGAMER]

Thanks.

Older gamer here too, seen Pong and Space Wars when they first came out. Man I would also have that monster cab Space Wars!

Agree not as an investment, but pure nostalgia and actually being able to own one's Dream Machine. Something to ponder, to get the Spouse's approval with the collection already amassed shown in my signature link.