Updated: Where To Pre-Order Arcade 1Up’s ¾-Sized Gloriously Retro Arcade Game Cabinets
I grew up feeding quarters to arcade machines, which might seem like a foreign concept to gamers who have been raised on Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Back in the day, we had to hike 2 miles in the snow, up hill (both ways!) just for the privilege of playing a video game. And now? Game consoles and PCs rule the day, though you can still find arcade cabinets in a few spots. You can also bring one home, and without the bulk and cost that are usually associated buying an arcade cabinet. Intrigued?
A company called Arcade 1Up unveiled three-quarter sized arcade cabinets earlier this year at E3. At the time, the company said they would be available this fall, with pre-orders beginning at the end of July. Well, here we are at the tail end of July, and sure enough you can pre-order one right now.
The glory of the arcade now fits in your favorite room. Pre-order your Arcade 1UP machine today. https://t.co/bxgCkBL7OG pic.twitter.com/toSNNU5Sma
— GameStop (@GameStop) July 25, 2018
There are four themed cabinets available at GameStop, each one priced at $399.99 (UPDATE: Walmart is selling three of them for only $299). Theme options include Centipede, Rampage, Street Fighter, and Asteroids. Each one comes with multiple games:
- Asteroids: Asteroids, Tempest, Major Havoc, Lunar Lander
- Rampage: Rampage, Gauntlet, Joust, Defender
- Centipede: Centipede, Crystal Castles, Missle Command, Atari Millipede
- Street Fighter: Street Fighter II Champion Edition, Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter II The New Challengers
There's also a fifth cabinet that doesn't appear online yet, which contains Final Fight, Ghosts 'N Goblins, 1944: The Loop Master, and Strider.
The cabinets are shorter than the originals measuring 45.8 x 23 x 19 inches (HxDxW), and weigh 63 pounds. We haven't seen one in person, but from the launch video, it looks like they are best played sitting down, depending on how tall you are. However, you can add a riser (sold separately) to raise the height if you prefer to play standing up.
Outside of the size, these machines retain authentic controls with a "true arcade tactile feel," save for the quarters—you don't have to feed these things any silver.
All five cabinets also feature officially licensed and authentic artwork, multiplayer controls, and a 17-inch LCD screen. They do require assembly, which seems easy enough (check out the video above). We'd like to see more games included, but for the price, it's hard to complain.
Head over to GameStop to pre-order one now. Walmart and Bed Bath & Beyond will also have pre-orders available shortly. The arcades will ship on September 25, 2018.
UPDATE
Walmart is now offering all four of the arcade cabinets for pre-order, and it has come out of the gate with aggressive pricing. It lists the Street Fighter 2, Centipede, and Asteroids cabinets for only $299, which is both a killer price and $100.99 below MSRP.
Bed Bath & Beyond, you're up to bat...
Update 2
If you've been waiting for Walmart to stock the Rampage cabinet, good news! It's now available, priced at $299 like the rest.
