Pac-Man 1/4 Scale Mini Arcade Cab By Numskull

[Jumpman]

http://www.numskull.com/pac-man-quarter-size-arcade-cabinet/

And so it begins! LOL

I knew the Replicade would not be the last, and in stumbling upon this one just today, it seems to have been around for a similar time frame to the Replicade. This company seems to have the rights from Namco, so I guess I can give up on Replicade offering any of the ones being offered here(Pac-Man, Galaxian, Galaga or Ms. Pac-Man).

These will run $200, and while I said I was unsure if I would have paid the $160 asking price for the Replicade, this unit is rather bigger and may be a better justification at the $200(or $160, as I thought the Replicade should have been cheaper). For me personally, I do like this slightly bigger size, as it allows for even more details, which for me is the point of these.

That's no slight against Replicade, as I love that Centipede, and even being smaller, they nailed the details. With 1/4 scale, these even appears to do the details from all over, including the back of the unit. These are limited to 10,000, while the Replicade so far was limited to 5000. Only time will tell how these sell in general, but I'm happy to see a competitor, as in the end, it will just lead to more options and hopefully a wider selection of games over time.

I just hope these don't start coming out weekly, as that would probably kill the market rather quickly, as price is an issue with any of these and releasing them to often I'm sure will be an issue with long term sales.

Chris

 

[ClockworkCoder]

I'd love Galaxians (if I had the budget). The screen looks more authentic on their's too; the one thing I was slightly disappointed with Centipede was the decals around the screen were moved around slightly, although it did allow the screen to be larger.

 

[rygD]

I want a full size table build.

 

[ClockworkCoder]

I want a full size table build.

If you have some DIY skills, then that could be a fun project.

 

[levi]

Wake me up when they cover Mr. Do. Or in a few years, Scud Race would be sweet. I doubt they're going to be able to do anything decent with a vector display though, by which I mean tempest.

 

[ClockworkCoder]

Actually I checked a youtube (John Hancock, sorry can't link from my mobile) and I'm not sure I like the size of it. Seems to fit slightly uncomfortably between a desk ornament and something more substantial (like a PiCade). Perhaps I'm biased as I do think the Replicade versions are a perfect size.

 

[vcoleiro1]

I must admit, it looks well done

 

[spud42]

I want a full size table build.

these have been showing up on the local garage sale sites... Arcade Machine Coffee Tables

wheres my jigsaw... i got this...

 

[vcoleiro1]

Although not playable, I also like those Pinball Coffee tables. Well some are playable, but generally not. They do look great though

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...lqTeAhUIK48KHY5hCmQQ_AUIDigB&biw=1745&bih=990

 

[spud42]

wow, i have not seen those. now that i have it seems an obvious thing.. some of them looked playable but most seemed more for display

 

[Jumpman]

I must admit, it looks well done

LOL, that was the video I saw the other day that actually led me to look further in to this and to in turn start this topic. I thought it looked well done as well, but I do agree that a manual or history pamphlet of some type was a missed opportunity. The units seen in videos so far, are not 100% final, as no one got the collector coin(not produced yet I'm assuming), so the finals may have a booklet, or other improvements in regards to finish quality as these aren't planned to ship until December.

As I stated, I think at this bigger size, these seem a little more justifiable at the higher price, but offering 10,000 of these at $200, seems a rather high number. The Replicade at 5000 and $160 seemed a stretch, but they offered a good portion at $90(kickstarter), so I'm sure a good base number sold at the lower pricing. This Pac-Man has only seen a 10% discount so far I believe, and that probably won't cover shipping from overseas, although I don't know if they charge, or how high that may be. These are way cool, I just don't see them appealing to a crowd that large and at the current asking price, these are the very definition of "niche", but who knows, maybe they sell tons?

I must say, I'm way in to these higher quality mini cabs(I never bought those small $20 ones), as my earliest and best memories as a child starting out in gaming, came from the arcades. So while I had earlier game experience on the Apple, and later the 2600, ColocoVision, NES, etc., the arcade was what fueled it all for me in the beginning. I got my ColecoVisions in the hope of having the arcade at home, and that pretty much was the goal of that time. Of course later on with the NES, home specific games begin to come in to there own, and then playing arcade games in the home became less important.

These mini cabs are my life of collecting coming full circle, as I just think these things are beyond cool. My only issue is the size variance at this point, as I don't mind different sizes so much, but depending on how many of these things get produced, I would prefer a more uniform size. I actually don't think the Centipede/Tempest from Replicade would benefit much from this 1/4 scale, but the Street Fighter 2 they have planned most certainly would. I don't care how well they make those mini controls, no way you have any competitive play at the 1/6 size. I'm not sure how much better it would be at 1/4, but it would for sure be an improvement.

So for now, I think I'm all in, but time will tell how far or how many of these I might buy, but for now, I'm excited to see what gets offered from all sides. I can for sure see this replacing any collecting that I currently do for just games, as displaying and playing these is a trip back in time.

Chris

 

[spud42]

these just turned up in our latest ALDI catalogue. 17"screen at 1.2M tall i would say 1/2 size? no info at all on whats inside . $499 AUD each.

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-...sday-detail-wk44/ps/p/arcade-one-game-system/

 

[Jumpman]

these just turned up in our latest ALDI catalogue. 17"screen at 1.2M tall i would say 1/2 size? no info at all on whats inside . $499 AUD each.

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-...sday-detail-wk44/ps/p/arcade-one-game-system/

Yeah, these just started releasing in the US within the last few months, and are pretty popular from what I can tell. These are the equivalent of self build furniture like you get from Ikea(takes about an hour to build), and brings an affordable arcade experience to the home. https://www.arcade1up.com

These for me are almost the exact opposite of what is being discussed in this thread, as these are taking something really expensive, and finding ways to keep it some what original, but on a budget. I understand the interest in these, but for an arcade fan like myself, these are pretty useless. I personally own 4 arcade machines, 2 cocktail units, and 2 uprights, and they are all collector's items in that they are original. For $300, many argue these are a better buy than the mini cabs priced at $160-$200, but these are cheap knock offs of arcade originals. The Mini being discussed here are officially licensed and true to what the originals where, just on a smaller scale(exact art, controls, feel & look). So while the trackball seems to work pretty good, the spinner for Tempest and other games seems pretty bad overall at least in the reviews I've watched. All parts included here are pretty much the cheapest functional sticks and buttons around, but for the overall use, they work.

For a collector, it's either going to be originals, or something honoring the originals, and that's where I personally don't see the purpose of these cheaper arcade 1/2 cabs so to speak. For $300+, you could build an all in one Pi/Odroid type device etc, and you could do it for about $300 and have a cool mini table top type arcade machine that would be very similar to this, but much better and play thousands of games(home and arcade). I saw one of these on display in Walmart, and they are nice for the size and price, but they very much seem an impulse buy, and will probably do really well this holiday season. Another issue is the build quality of the wood, as many parts come some what rough around the edges, but for $300, I guess that's to be expected. The company offering these seems to have excellent customer service, as they seem willing to send replacement parts no matter what the issue.

So these at the current height allows for chair play, or a young child to stand, but for an adult to stand, you need the "riser" that is sold separate, or to put it on top of something to raise it up. The guy in the video above showing the Pac-Man mini cab, has videos of these cabs as well(as does many others on YT), and all seem happy with them. Like anything else, it comes down to personal want, need, desire and or value, and for me I would never buy one of these, as they don't fit a need I want filled. For those who just want to have some decent group fun with friends, these may fit a need, but for most in to retro collecting, these miss the mark IMO.

Chris

 

[spud42]

i saw a youtube video of a guy replacing the board in one of the 1up arcades with a RasPi3 he also replaced both joysticks and buttons and added two more. seems like a lot of money to do it this way. would have been cheaper for him to build his own cabinet. i mean all he used from the original was the cab, the speaker and the screen! he added a HDMI to LCD screen adaptor board.. madness..