BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
I never bought one but that MK2 cabinet was tight. Sucks because nobody else does what they were doing.
Arcade1up apparently shutting down
- Thread starter BennyBlanco
- Start date
I never bought one but that MK2 cabinet was tight. Sucks because nobody else does what they were doing.
CrimsonTide
Member
Thought they were making a healthy living over there. I mean, they aren't for me, but many seemed to like em.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Makes sense tbh, all you need is an arcade stick or two to replicate 80% of that retro experience with access to much more software on any platforms you own (never mind PC/emulation) than just 1 or a few per expensive cab and also use it on a likely larger display than is included etc. etc.
If you want something more than that 80% then spending that amount of money on those same platforms for accessories etc. is still more practical. I guess a problem was they had to go about it fully legally, having to officially license each game and so on and such, sucks but it is what it is.
If you want something more than that 80% then spending that amount of money on those same platforms for accessories etc. is still more practical. I guess a problem was they had to go about it fully legally, having to officially license each game and so on and such, sucks but it is what it is.
For most potential audience something like this would probably be more than good enough too.
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DarkShadowXI
Member
I could maybe fit 1-2 of these in my house.
That doesn't seem like a sustainable model lol
That doesn't seem like a sustainable model lol
lughnasadh123
Member
It breaks my ol' gaming soul to see this get shut down. There's something magical about an arcade cabinet, especially having on at home.
AREYOUOKAY?
Member
Worst customer support ever next to Limited Run Games. I had to gut and mod mine because of non stop defective / damaged screens they kept sending me.
Doesn't help that they jacked up the prices to insane levels of what they originally were.
Doesn't help that they jacked up the prices to insane levels of what they originally were.
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MrTroubleMaker
Member
To bad 
Trogdor1123
Member
That's a shame. They were pretty nice imo. Saw a different branded one in Costco the other day for $5000 so they obviously had a great spot in the market.
midnightAI
Member
I tried contacting these a year or so ago asking for info about their cabinets as I had a project I wanted to do, tried contacting several times and got zero response back. Oh well, their loss.
reinking
Gold Member
Hearing about bad CS is what kept me away from them.
AREYOUOKAY?
Member
Even with a warranty they told me to stop calling.
reinking
Gold Member
Oof. I liked the idea of the smaller arcade cabinets but glad a stayed away.
AREYOUOKAY?
Member
Even though it was one of their original cabinets I highly doubt the quality control improved much over the years. Plenty of dead pixels and scratches.
When it comes to evil gaming related companies I hold a grudge on I tie these greedy bastards with Strictly Limited who still haven't shipped my 2022 order yet.
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Hollowpoint5557
A Fucking Idiot
I'm opposite to most of you guys I think as I was never interested in them as the size was too small. They came off to me as a cheap knock-off kids toy and therefore too expensive for what they were. I would have gladly paid more for new true sized arcade cabinets.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Their gun cabinets used licensed Sinden technology and work perfectly well afaik, unless TC is different to their others. The Sinden actually uses a camera to track a border around the game rather than require infrared lights around the screen or similar (which even Naomi and later real arcade gun games used but unlike Wii and AimTrak and GunCon3 and such they used many more than just 2 points of reference for excellent accuracy like old lightguns, current IR based lightgun solutions like Gun4IR and Retro Shooter also use 4 points of reference for greater precision and accuracy as well).
Of course you need to have some time and sense to set up and calibrate that stuff correctly
Of course you need to have some time and sense to set up and calibrate that stuff correctly
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It's a bummer. Harsh niche market.
I have the Marvel countercade and it was easily modded to accept a nigh infinite number of games. Easy to pull out for some quick games to scratch that itch without digging out the much larger cab I built.
There is something indescribable added to the arcade experience when you have a proper joystick and buttons, over a typical controller. Even more so when it's a cabinet that you can really lean on, push against, and button mash. Everyone should have a decent multicab at home!
I have the Marvel countercade and it was easily modded to accept a nigh infinite number of games. Easy to pull out for some quick games to scratch that itch without digging out the much larger cab I built.
There is something indescribable added to the arcade experience when you have a proper joystick and buttons, over a typical controller. Even more so when it's a cabinet that you can really lean on, push against, and button mash. Everyone should have a decent multicab at home!
They first released at $300-400 and were decent in the novelty.
Then they became $500-750 machines without greatly improving the quality.
Some people went nuts trying to build their own home arcade, but they were still just cheap cabinets versus the real thing. Especially when real arcade cabinets can be had for under $1,000. Some can be very expensive for rare boards, but you can always get a bootleg or emulate on a full sized machine.
IMO a good multicade or pedestal with a TV gave you a better experience. Many A1Ups were 1-3 games, with a few containing up to a dozen. That adds up to a lots of physical space, but not a lot of games.
I had two Gen 1 A1Ups, Street Fighter which I modded for more games, and an Atari with trackball and spinner. I switched over to AtGames where the mod was simply put a ROM from on a USB drive and launch it from the stock interface. Oh, and you get two players each with six buttons, a track ball, and two spinners. On a larger machine with a bigger screen. It was really no contest. A1Ups pinballs also looks like little toys next to AtGames' offering. And AtGames let you purchase new tables which A1Up could never figure out a digital store.
Then they became $500-750 machines without greatly improving the quality.
Some people went nuts trying to build their own home arcade, but they were still just cheap cabinets versus the real thing. Especially when real arcade cabinets can be had for under $1,000. Some can be very expensive for rare boards, but you can always get a bootleg or emulate on a full sized machine.
IMO a good multicade or pedestal with a TV gave you a better experience. Many A1Ups were 1-3 games, with a few containing up to a dozen. That adds up to a lots of physical space, but not a lot of games.
I had two Gen 1 A1Ups, Street Fighter which I modded for more games, and an Atari with trackball and spinner. I switched over to AtGames where the mod was simply put a ROM from on a USB drive and launch it from the stock interface. Oh, and you get two players each with six buttons, a track ball, and two spinners. On a larger machine with a bigger screen. It was really no contest. A1Ups pinballs also looks like little toys next to AtGames' offering. And AtGames let you purchase new tables which A1Up could never figure out a digital store.
TheAtomicPile
Member
Got a Ninja Turtles one that my 3 year old loves playing.
Might have been tempted to get the Simpsons one eventually but it looks like they stopped producing them a while ago so it's generally unavailable or only for resale at unreasonable prices.
Seems like part of their overall problems would have been the expensive licensing leading to short production runs for the more popular games.
Might have been tempted to get the Simpsons one eventually but it looks like they stopped producing them a while ago so it's generally unavailable or only for resale at unreasonable prices.
Seems like part of their overall problems would have been the expensive licensing leading to short production runs for the more popular games.
Neff
Member
Sad to see them go but they were always selling a strictly niche luxury product, and even then they were never able to meet demand with limited runs and poor overseas distribution.
For gameplay alone, sure, but there's something to be said for chasing that extra level of authenticity. I've got their TMNT cab in my bedroom and it's not just one of my favourite games of all time, it's also one of the greatest pieces of furniture I've ever owned.
For gameplay alone, sure, but there's something to be said for chasing that extra level of authenticity. I've got their TMNT cab in my bedroom and it's not just one of my favourite games of all time, it's also one of the greatest pieces of furniture I've ever owned.
clem84
Gold Member
I was going to post this. This was their biggest problem. Those things, even in their 1/4 size, were big. Most people who even bought one, never bought more than one or two maybe. Having an arcade cabinet in your house is something that's very niche and something that 99% of gamers would never even consider. This business was never going to last more than a few years.
nkarafo
Member
I made my own Sinden based light-gun cabinet and it's just "fine". The tracking simply emulates the mouse. You need to have the perfect room lighting conditions (anything slightly bright or light colored near the screen will mess it up) the exact correct distance from the screen and perfect calibration to make the target as steady and precise as it can be. And they have a measurably higher input lag than the older CRT based light guns, to the point where you have to disable any on screen crosshairs to hide it. That's with all the latency reducing options the panel provides.
I still got used to it and managed to do well enough in Model 2 Virtua Cop. So it works, but just barely IMO. I think the way it works is too gimmicky. I don't think it's worth making a full cabinet and dedicating a whole computer and TV for it.