Retro Video Games Score Big in 21st-Century Homes
Old-style arcade consoles are blipping and blinking their way onto home design's radar. Will Space Invaders soon be invading your space?
Before mobile phone–based games, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation Portable, and even before the Atari 2600, playing a video game cost a quarter.
In 1972, Atari unleashed a gaming revolution with Pong, the first widely distributed electronic arcade game. During the '70s and '80s, a series of new arcade games came out: Space Invaders, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Battlezone, Defender, Bosconian and many others. They're called arcade games because that's where you played them. In an arcade.
Of course, the whole arcade game phenomenon was mostly replaced by computer games, home game consoles and mobile games. But now there's a resurgence in the popularity of arcade gaming units for the home. Video arcade cabinets fill a number of roles. They're kitschy and nostalgic objects of curiosity, collector's items and conversation pieces.
Video game consoles are one of the few objects you can buy that strike people with deep emotion: They bring back memories of stolen summers, lost friends and misspent youth (not to mention misspent quarters).
If you think video games are too lowbrow for your beautiful home, you should know that New York's Museum of Modern Art has determined that some classic arcade games are worthy of display in one of its permanent collections.
Specifically, the museum has announced that it will curate about 40 games, and has already announced plans to display in the Philip Johnson Galleries beginning in March 2013 the following classics: Pac-Man, Tetris, Another World, Myst, SimCity 2000, vib-ribbo, The Sims, Katamari Damacy, EVE Online, Dwarf Fortress, Portal, flOw, Passage and Canabalt.
Here are a few suggestions to get you thinking about bringing the fun and nostalgia of arcade video gaming into your home, too.
In 1972, Atari unleashed a gaming revolution with Pong, the first widely distributed electronic arcade game. During the '70s and '80s, a series of new arcade games came out: Space Invaders, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Battlezone, Defender, Bosconian and many others. They're called arcade games because that's where you played them. In an arcade.
Of course, the whole arcade game phenomenon was mostly replaced by computer games, home game consoles and mobile games. But now there's a resurgence in the popularity of arcade gaming units for the home. Video arcade cabinets fill a number of roles. They're kitschy and nostalgic objects of curiosity, collector's items and conversation pieces.
Video game consoles are one of the few objects you can buy that strike people with deep emotion: They bring back memories of stolen summers, lost friends and misspent youth (not to mention misspent quarters).
If you think video games are too lowbrow for your beautiful home, you should know that New York's Museum of Modern Art has determined that some classic arcade games are worthy of display in one of its permanent collections.
Specifically, the museum has announced that it will curate about 40 games, and has already announced plans to display in the Philip Johnson Galleries beginning in March 2013 the following classics: Pac-Man, Tetris, Another World, Myst, SimCity 2000, vib-ribbo, The Sims, Katamari Damacy, EVE Online, Dwarf Fortress, Portal, flOw, Passage and Canabalt.
Here are a few suggestions to get you thinking about bringing the fun and nostalgia of arcade video gaming into your home, too.
Arkeg Drink n Game
The Arkeg Drink n Game combines video arcade game play with beer on tap. From the front it looks like a pretty standard two-player arcade cabinet. But on the left side, you'll find a beer tap. Inside is a powerful computer in one compartment and a refrigerated beer dispensing system in another.
The console comes with 69 games installed, including Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Missile Command, Paperboy — and even the original video game, Pong!
The system is PC based, so you can add more games from the Internet or get them on disc. The system can play up to 15,000 games, according to the company.
The console comes with 69 games installed, including Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Missile Command, Paperboy — and even the original video game, Pong!
The system is PC based, so you can add more games from the Internet or get them on disc. The system can play up to 15,000 games, according to the company.
Double7 Arcade Table
A company called Surface Tension makes a video gaming table that doubles as a surprisingly attractive coffee table. In fact, it doesn't look like a video game cabinet at all. But when you slide out a drawer with video game controls on it, the piece is magically transformed.
The computer inside is a powerful Windows PC with a built-in 100-watt speaker system. You can play from a huge library of classic arcade games using the 19-inch screen under the glass, or plug the system into your big-screen TV via HDMI.
The computer inside is a powerful Windows PC with a built-in 100-watt speaker system. You can play from a huge library of classic arcade games using the 19-inch screen under the glass, or plug the system into your big-screen TV via HDMI.
iCade
A full-size arcade console can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. A much cheaper alternative, and one with a smaller footprint, is a tablet-based mini console, such as the iCade Arcade Cabinet for iPad.
You supply the iPad, and iCade supplies the tabletop cabinet, complete with joystick and controller buttons. A special app that runs on the iPad enables you to play Atari classics like Asteroids, Centipede, Battlezone and hundreds of others.
You supply the iPad, and iCade supplies the tabletop cabinet, complete with joystick and controller buttons. A special app that runs on the iPad enables you to play Atari classics like Asteroids, Centipede, Battlezone and hundreds of others.
Also remember that arcade game cabinets come in three basic forms: the stand-up box with a screen and controls on a little shelf; the sit-down kind, on which the surface of a table is where the game is played; and the type with an elaborate controller, such as half a motorcycle or military weapons tethered to the box.
Video game console websites offer a dizzying variety of new, used and classic consoles. These include BMIGaming, Arcades R Fun, X-Arcade, Dream Arcades, Birmingham Vending Company, Dream Authentics and many others. You can even buy arcade game cabinets in surprising places, such as on Amazon and eBay.
Hammacher Schlemmer sells a really cool product called the 30th Anniversary Authentic Pac-Man Arcade Game (shown). It's made by Namco, the same company that launched the original Pac-Man game consoles in 1980. The box is decorated with Pac-Man graphics, and the controls are the same as for the original Pac-Man–optimized console. But there's a surprise inside. The box is programmed with 12 additional games from the Pac-Man era, including Rally-X, Dig Dug, Rolling Thunder and, of course, Ms. Pac-Man.