The stock trackball seems fine to me but I’m not an expert. If I could only save the darn analog sensitivity setting for Tempest I would be very satisfied with this unit.

I'm not even sure what kind of plastic I'm using. I just happened to have a sheet of it on hand from some past project. It fits ok, but I did use the arcade1up method of just having it fit over the buttons, so the holes are slightly visible around the buttons. If I were to swap to longer screw in buttons, I could cut another one with smaller button holes where the buttons would actually hold the protector in place.

I'm planning to get some different screws and countersink them. I think that's something the arcade1up ones are missing.

Die hard arcade fans want to kill them with fire, and consider them the herpes of the arcade world. The other 99.98% of people who buy them seem to be enjoying them when used as intended. If your machines do not come with the plastic protector, call customer service and ask for one. They will send you one for free, and your artwork on the control surfaces will not wear off.

I like them, and I actually have been getting more into playing them than on my retropie, or other system. Usually I play a game then I'm done. But on these I've been finding myself actually trying to do better than my previous play on Pacman and Galaga. And I've actually started to notice some patterns with Pacman on my own. Like if you go after the Blue ghost, he seems to always run away from you. I just figured they all acted the same.

I have a couple generic non-dedicated stand-up arcade games and wish they were both as small as these arcade1up machines with fun themes. I have 3 dedicated driving cabinets, but never really got into arcade collecting otherwise.

To me the fun is in the theme and size of the cabinets. I have a toddler and she loves being able to reach the controls, so that aspect has a lot of appeal to me. She stands next to me while I sit on a stool. The build quality is kind of crap, and I doubt there's much resale value, but if I had the option between filling up space with a dedicated full size cab or an arcade1up cab, I'd probably choose the arcade1up. I like to tinker and they're easy to mod. They're decently light. I carried my assembled SF2 cab downstairs on my own.

What's funny is for me installing a retropie in my sf2 cab has resulted in me actually playing my retropie!

I've had it sitting in a NESpi case on my desk for ages without being played.

I've been looking up games I'm interested in and just adding them instead of building out a forever-long list of junk I'll never play.

It has been cool playing the PS1 version of Mr. Driller in the cabinet (I didn't mess with it too long, but didn't get the arcade version working when I tried).

In the end, even the arcade1up boards are emulating the games, so I have no qualms swapping out the hardware to something more feature-rich that is also emulation. I guess there could be a certain appeal to only having a few dedicated games in the cab, but not sure if I could leave one stock.

I've thought about putting a pi in one. But was afraid of the same thing you mentioned with your NESpi. Have the same thing connected to my TV and play it every now and then, but have anxiety trying to figure out what to play.

What I'd like to do is build out purpose built cabinets. Like only fighting games, or only classics. But even at the $100 price tag I got them at, I still can't force myself to dump a perfectly good system. Maybe sometime in the future I'll re-consider.

It’s called “options paralysis”. Too many games to choose from, so nothing gets played

Oddly enough, wave one hit most of the games on the short list of cabs I was considering pursuing: Rampage, Joust, Centipede, PacMan... it was eerie. But the way my home and available space is laid out, I could only have considered one full-size arcade.

I bought Ramage for my kids (and me) at release... then scored Centipede and PacMan during the WalMart clearance frenzy. Because the A1U cabs fit into places I couldn't have put much of anything. They're small enough that even my wife doesn't mind having Rampage in the living room upstairs, because it actually looks nice and doesn't overpower the room. The other two fit in a formerly "sort of dead space" in the game room and now look like they were always meant to be there!

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Gameplay suits our purposes, and if/when they get boring on their own merits, I'll just hack our RetroPie into one of them. But I love having a 3-player Rampage experience with my kids, and a Centipede cab with full art. And I got all three for less than the price of the full-size PacMan I almost bought a few months ago. Win-Win-Win.

My only criticism is that Gauntlet was not made 3-player and the Defender control layout is indefensible... but there are hacker workarounds if you're truly upset. Centipede plays and sounds great. PacMan has nuance like it should. Build quality and overall execution is acceptable for the price - just make sure you get the control panel protectors. I don't know what they were thinking originally but at least they addressed that. My main gripe is that many scores don't save, which is disappointing. Even on Centipede, anything over 30K won't save. I'm pretty shocked they don't have a simple score save feature.

Agree with this. I just don’t get it, and that is disappointing. I’m thinking of getting a chalk board or something to hang next to the cab to keep track of high scores.

I think by default MAME does not reatain HiScores. It’s no excuse, there are workarounds they could have done.

Mame does save high scores but the version they use is very outdated.

Thanks guys. I currently have 7 original cabs in my basement with my pins. I like the idea of these for a garage arcade and the price is good compared to full cabs. I'm trying to create a really cool arcade feel in the garage for parties. Do these all play attract modes? These machines look great.

On my Rampage one if you don't select a game it will go into Rampage and play the attract mode. If you do select a game like Gauntlet, it will sit on the Gauntlet attract mode.

If I recall correctly you need to download a file for mame called hiscore.dat to be able to save high scores. It's been a long time, but I am sure that is what I had to do with my mame setup.

any idea when the cocktail version will be available in stores and if its at the same price point?

GameStop has the Asteroids cabinet on sale. About $175 shipped.

I just saw that Best Buy will pricematch GameStop with free shipping, you can avoid $12.99...to late for me as I have already bought through GameStop.
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Taking the plunge. Going to get a SF2 cab today

Thanks for this notice! I went ahead and ordered one. That's cheaper than any I'm seeing online or available locally for me via brickseek.

If I could get a similar deal on Rampage, that's one I've got my eye on. Brickseek thinks I can go to a Walmart about a half hour away and get one for 200, but I haven't been very motivated to make the trip.

Game saves and setting saves are inconsistent. Some games seem to reset to some predefined state every time you exit to the menu. This is what is thwarting my ability to use the Spintrak on Tempest (deluxe version)

This is from the reddit thread:

SCORE SAVES - ASTEROIDS DELUXE, GALAGA, GALAXIAN
SCORE SAVES INTERMITTENTLY - CENTIPEDE, MILLIPEDE, TEMPEST
SCORE DOES NOT SAVE - ASTEROIDS, CRYSTAL CASTLES, MISSILE COMMAND, STREET FIGHTER II CE CABINET (all games), RAMPAGE CABINET (all games)

Stupid... Or totally awesome?

Thanks for posting. Ordered one

I’m in Palm Springs with the family and thought I’d try to pickup one that isn’t available in Canada like Asteroids/Centipede 12 in 1.... so far I’ve struck out, Kohl’s has none left because they’ve sent them all back to the manufacturer, and Marshall’s has no stock.
If any locals can point me in the right direction, please do!

My Walmart is sending pacman and galaga back at end of January. Wondering why? Seems like they would just discount them instead.

How does the manufacturer/retailer relationship work? Does the manufacturer buy them back or does Walmart not actually buy their stock and the manufacturer is just placing them on their shelves and the store gets a cut? I'm wondering if the 2019 releases will be less available in brick and mortar stores.

Just a reminder for people. Here are the links to walmart brickseek

Centipede https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker?sku=617089098

Street Fighter https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker?sku=994342377

Rampage https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker?sku=114274755

Asteroids https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker?sku=828150107

Galaga https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker?sku=595505982

Riser https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker?sku=963795060

Look for these at your local auction/liquidators stores.

There’s one here (k+k auction) that gets Costco returns. So I’m hoping to find a 12 in 1 that’s usually not available in Canada.

Bought the Street Fighter cab today. Was 250 EUR at the ToysRUs clearance sale. Now where to order a riser and the protective laminate for the console from within Europe??

Locals to Arkansas (my sympathies) can buy 'em in bulk right at the liquidator. (I guess non-locals could have 'em shipped as well, but that kinda puts a dent in the deal.)

Get 15 at once - 7 Street Fighters, 6 Rampages, 1 Galaga and 1 Centipede: https://www.directliquidation.com/auction/247074-pallet-15-pcs-video-games-gaming-software-customer-returns-arcade-1up-arcade1up/

Put arcade1up into the search on that site and marvel at the possibilities.

What's funny about these games is they're making me look into brick and mortar stores I didn't even know existed. TJ Maxx? Never heard of it, but there's apparently one nearby.

Now, have I actually gone to a brick and mortar store for one of these games? No...

That's what I've learned about Amazon. I now order fewer things from them because I can find better prices at local stores. I'm just down to ordering things that are hard to get or imports now.

Amazon are not idiots, they are not going to sell everything at the lowest price WITH free shipping forever. They get people hooked and too lazy to try anything else, and then start raising the price. I however am also not an idiot, so just like I check Amazon for pricing I check other places also, and these days there is a lot of stuff that is cheaper elsewhere, particularly as Vid said at local brick and mortars. Sometimes cheaper by an amazingly large margin. Target especially has a lot of better pricing. I admit to buying a lot of stuff at Amazon but I also do as much as I can for local businesses. Because when the day comes that Amazon wipes them all out, guess what, the prices will go up and then there will be no more alternatives.

I do prefer to spread my money around and buy local when possible, and feasible. Unfortunately most of what I buy for myself is so archaic, it won't ever be found locally. And even worse, in a place like Frankfort, our only remaining option for most "general merchandise" is WalMart. We have a few specialty places like Kohl's, Lowe's, TSC, and Dick's; a couple Krogers; and a surprising array of stupid female trend boutiques... but all the other / competing options like Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, etc, let alone any mall-based or larger-market specialty / hobby retailer, is 60-120 (round trip!) minutes away in Lexington or Louisville - by the time I add the cost of gas and vehicle wear & tear, going to the "regional" B&M is rarely if ever cost-effective.

Frankly though, for all the times that sucks, I'm more often grateful for not having convenient options to just "shop around" and impulsively spend money. I don't look at sale papers or catalogs, I'm not in a store browsing around just because it was there or next door, so therefore I'm not seeing, finding, and buying shit I don't need (other than pinballs and model trains of course ). I *need* something? No chance in hell of finding it in Frankfort? To Amazon I go.

And surely I'm not alone, and that's why Bezos is an overlord.

That's not true for everything on Amazon. There are a lot of third parties selling things for ridiculous prices. Like everything, you have to check around and see where it's cheaper.

I played a few games on this at CES, and liked it (for the money). I like Gauntlet and Joust so Rampage is the one I'm most interested in but unfortunately none of the WM's in my area has it (and even if they did, it would be full price). Is it really that hard to find, or is it just here in WA?

Bought four of these, put them in a bedroom sized room across from four pins, and they are perfect! Definitely want a Mortal Kombat when it comes out.

Long shot I'm sure, but those of you more familiar with arcades, do you think it's feasible to get a A1U of a shooter style game (area 51, police trainer, etc...)?

Yes it’s possible with a light bar, like a nintendo Wii has. The Ultimarc lightguns work well in MAME when properly calibrated.

So, before I put my SF2 cab together what’s the best option to protect the control panel? Mylar, clear coat spray paint, or an A1U plastic protector?

I might call to got a protector anyways, but don’t know for sure.

It would be interesting, but I'll be surprised if they attempt light gun games.

Gamestop Asteroids $150
https://www.gamestop.com/toys/arcade1up-asteroids/157867

You guys both suck. I grabbed one, so I need to dig up a riser now. I'm not kneeling to play this damn thing....I'm too old for that.

Have they fixed the spinner on asteroids yet or come up with a solution?

An official replacement supposedly in the works. ETA who knows. Price estimate $50.

I was unable to wait and bought the Ultimarc Spintrak which is awesome but requires way too much procedural shenanigans to make it worthwhile for a long term solution.

Person on the forum scored 3 different models at his Wal-Mart in CA for $75 each. Wal-Mart's around me been staying at $299. If they drop that low it will be hard to pass on any of them.

Ah crap. I guess I didn't read enough of the thread. What's wrong with the spinner?

Doesn’t spin.