Good source to checkout
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/

Lots of information regarding older arcade machines. Also has a fairly active buy, sale, trade group.

Best of luck on the search.

Stick to original equipment.

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Found this

https://arcadesmarket.com/products/galaga-arcade-game-refurbishedBC2234BF-DE47-42F1-B233-C2C2EB461849 (resized).png

Anything promoted as new, understand there is really not going to be anything original in it. It’ll most likely be an LCD/flat monitor screen, and some variation of a multi board, with a Jamma wiring setup. They may have cut a new cab and built that, but 10 to 1 it’s not original in any aspect.

Refurbished could be the same thing as above, but may have original cabinet with new artwork, ect...., but could also be legit.

Ask what’s running on the inside, what they’re using for a monitor, ect.... If they’re not willing to tell you, steer clear. Someone that put a lot of work into reviving something, will be happy to share the details.

Nothing plays better than original hardware, but some can live with the repro stuff, just understand you’ll be paying way too much, for what you get with the “new” parts cabinets/games.

Years ago, I bought a 25" cabinet with a CRT and made it into a MAME machine. You can play thousands of games, including all of the classics.

My advice would be to by one of the reunion cabinets. I.E. Class of 1981 20 year reunion.
It’s an officially licensed machine in a real arcade cabinet that is the same style and dimensions as the original (I believe they still make these). If not, they are not hard to find in really good shape.
Way more reliable PCB and power supply, plus you get a larger sized CRT monitor than the original 19 inch.
Plays both Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga (some board sets also play original Pac-Man).

If your just looking for one machine for your game room, this is the route I would go (unless your dead set on an original).

If you go the original route, try to get a plywood cabinet. The originals come in both plywood and MDF “particleboard”. The MDF cabinets turn to crap if they get wet and may have water damage at the bottom from moping over the years. Those cabinets soak up water like a sponge and the wood turns to oatmeal.

This is most likely going to be a complete scratch build replica running an aftermarket emulated version of the game. Cheap side art, recycled dell flat screen monitor and cheap Chinese cherry switch joystick rather than a real leaf switch stick. Won’t feel, look or play like a real game.

+1 on the class of 1981. I have the cocktail version. Between galaga and ms pac man people who are not into pinball always end up playing one of those. It actually has original pac man also, you just need to unlock it with a button combo.

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I'll plug the cabaret version of this as well, which is good for smaller locations (IE: my apartment).

It's still over 250 pounds and has the original arcade feel. Has a 19 inch CRT (like the originals) instead of the massive 25 inch in the full-size reunions. A cheaper / smaller option. They made these in 2003 with both coin doors and without.

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My upright is the same.
I sold off a lot of my 80s arcade machines to focus on pinball and 1970s arcade machines (black and white stuff).
I’ve owned an original Pac-Man, Ms.Pac-Man(several) and Galaga(a couple).
Would much rather have a reunion at this point.

For me the 60-1s just don't work very well. The controls never seem right, and the settings are all garbage (I don't really want to play Ms. Pac-man with 5 lives) and there doesn't seem to be a simple way (if there's a way at all) to change them.

Half the games are usually unplayable (good luck playing Xevious or Gunsmoke with a 4-way joystick) and on some games the sound is atrocious (Looking your way Gyruss!).

To do it right, you'd need a cab with about 5 different controls (a 4-way joystick, an 8-way joystick, a spinner, and a trackball), and even then you'd still have some shitty conversions and the annoying settings issue. They are also really inelegant with a poor interface that makes you "choose" a game every time, even if you want to play the one you just played.

Surprised these aren't any better, it seems like a pretty simple concept.

60 in 1 is not bad. galaga, galaxian, pacs, donky kongs frogger dig dug, all play well. If there is a game you like, you can eliminate them from the menu.

60 in 1 is jamma. You could buy just about any jamma cabinet you like locally and play it in there.

renuion cab cab is also jamma.

you might want to look for namco classics 1 it plays galaga (original and arranged mode, as well as xevious and mappy).

try to find something running on an original crt. LCD tends to look like crap.

its really simple to setup the 60 in 1. put it in test and then you can change the dips on the 60 games individually, save the settings and your done.

you can buy a joystick that convert from 4 way to 8 way. The biggest problem is people tend to put the cheapest $10 joystick in the 60 in 1 and expect it to play right. try buying a good joystick.. As for gyruss, unless you have a monroe joystick lying around, its all going to be bad. If you put in a perfect 360, you would get close.

When I built a 60 in 1, I usually put a 4 way and an 8 way stick on the panel and duplicate the controls, or I used a convertible joystick, or I used a good quality stick. but you really only want the 60 in 1 to play the classic 4 way games. so you can turn all the other games off. Centipede and millipede is nice, but you looking at a more complicated setup as they are unplayable with a joystick. So if you want to add $80 and add a trackball, then go for it.

if you really hate the 60 in 1, instead of spending $60 on a pcb, go and spend $400 and buy arcade sd. then you can get much better emulation and it supports 49 way sticks.
https://www.phoenixarcade.com/products/arcadesd/arcadesd-pcb-us-shipping

I think Time Pilot is also emulated well.
Fun game, I like it quite a bit.

I owned the reunion cocktail for awhile and could never get used to the micro switch joystick but being spoiled in owning an original and collecting dedicated games is my bias. My advice is to go play an original at a barcade or friends house that has the two way leaf joystick and then play one with a micro switch joystick to see if it will matter to you in the end.

There is original, and then there is 'good enough'.

Original Galaga Joysticks are leaf switch, and will not give any 'click' when you move them.

Personally, good enough is a 60 in one or one of the emulators. The click of the joystick doesn't detract too much from the game, and Galaga plays really well on the 60 in one and MOST emulators, including MAME setups.

Original will have a picture tube.

Remember TV repair shops? You'd see them in most every city. That was because tube televisions broke... a lot! And they needed to be repaired by someone who wouldn't kill themselves on a 20,000 volt tube that holds a charge potentially for weeks after you unplug the tube.

When you buy original you'll eventually be dealing with tube chassis repair.

Galaga cabinets were a 1981 thing, so your parts are likely 41 years old. Try keeping a 41 year old car repaired, and you are in the ballpark of what it'll take to keep your 41 year old video game repaired.

Burn in is a very real thing on older galaga picture tubes. I would try to make this a cash-on-the-glass transaction where you can examine the picture tube for burn-in before you buy it. Don't buy a machine over the internet on promises and pictures and expect to have a pristine machine. Trust but verify.

Finally, I wouldn't buy a Model T Ford if the nearest repair guy was 400 miles away. Make sure you've got a path to getting your machine serviced. Galaga isn't much fun when it's broken.

60 in ones - good enough, new parts, depending on which garage someone made it your 60-in-one can have good quality parts, or absolute cruft that shouldn't have been in the garbage, let alone sold to a gullible customer. I'm happy with 60-in-one.

Galagas = Just like cars!

Steer clear of the 60 in 1 boards. Those run on an ancient version of Mame and have such bad sound/video glitches even the drunks at the local bar were able to notice. If you're looking for a good multi-board for vertical games the Bitkit is the way to go. It's a FPGA board, so it uses hardware simulation instead of emulation.

https://www.arcadeshop.com/i/1437/8-bit-fpga-multigame-jamma-pcb.htm

That list of games is a little outdated. Full list of games: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NulhVUB2aI9mlZxfJnl5UZGvRuRh0deLSkpVBQinIlk/preview

I've been running this in my Pacman for almost 2 years now and I love it. I've officially retired my jamma switcher with Pacman and Galaga boards. The developer is still adding games to the board. He just added Super Pacman and Ladybug.

Can you buy a Reunion and switch to a quality leaf joystick?

You guys certainly have better memories than I do...I can't say I ever noticed that the original pac-man I played 40 years ago had a leaf stick, or that I noticed the difference on newer versions with a microswitch.

Is there a reason you guys prefer the leaf switch beyond the nostalgia of it not making clicking noises? Seems like a micro has better feedback/accuracy.

Might be possible but don't know for sure.

Picked up this used Namco reunion cab for $1,000 from a local guy on Craigslist a few months back as I didn’t want to pay $3,000+ for a new one. Pretty happy with it so far.

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Sure.
Each switch hooks up to the wire harness for the controls with female spade connectors (two per direction).
Doesn’t matter if it’s leaf or micro switch, completing the circuit is what causes movement.

Snagged this reunion cab on Facebook a few months back for $600. Needed a little work but it was already in pretty great shape. I really wanted a stand-alone Galaga but couldn’t pass up a deal like this.

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Advice for an arcade machine? Probably make sure you really want it. "Classic" arcade games suck so hard. Neat to look at it in a corner and say, "I remember that game!", and as a piece of decorative furniture. But gameplay wise? They suck.

Will it waste valuable pinball space ?

LTG : )

I'm not an arcade purist or guru, but have noticed and come to appreciate the difference between clicker and leaf swtiches, and prefer leafs *when available*.

In one way you're correct in that there is no logical difference: input is input. Close the switch, move Up (up down down left right left... oops) Assuming the travel is identical, the end result of clicker vs leaf is the same.

But a clicker has an active detent that resists movement until you supply enough force. Minimal though it may be, that feeling is there. And then it "snaps back" the same way. Whereas a leaf just bends and yields smoothly, fluidly. There's resistance but nothing harsh.

By design and definition, this mechanical distinction cannot be overcome, and for some people the difference is purely subjective. So, since I know you hate carguments let's forge an analogy from the audiophile realm: With regard to tactile feedback clickers are a digitally "jagged" waveform, and leafs are analog "smooth" ones. Is it more pleasant to slide down stairs, or a smooth ramp?

Play Pacman with a clicker and then with a leaf and I guarantee you'd prefer the leaf. It's smoother and just feels more pleasant to play. Some folks might say it's faster.

Personally for me, a clicker isn't necessarily a deal breaker - I'm not that good, I can still play the game. A cheap clicker might be enough to scratch the itch. Some games you might not even notice. But given the choice or opportunity to upgrade, a leaf is the way to go.

I’ve got a couple of the Namcos with the micro switch/clicker and enjoy playing them.
However, I do get why some would prefer a leaf switch.

Really? You don’t like Galaga or Pac-man?
I love those games.

Everybody loves them.

There's a reason almost every single Arcade on the planet STILL has a Ms Pac, Galaga, or a reunion cabinet. I've heard ops say if you only have ONE machine in a location, make it a Reunion cab.

Yeah, everybody loves these games.

People have been playing Galaga and Mrs Pac Man for forty one years, and I think that people will still be playing them forty one years from now.

I'm using a reunion board in an original Galaga 3 cocktail table, so you should be fine to do that.

Last year my wife and I bought a Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga 20th Anniversary cabinet from Pinballs.com (Automated). At $3,300 shipped it wasn't cheap but it's brand new, full size, there's been zero reliability issues, and its built like a tank. Automated has been great with support, had one tiny crease on the front cabinet decal and they sent a new one out free of chart. My wife is the one that really wanted it and said "You've bought enough pinball machines, I want my Ms. Pacman", ok done not arguing lol.

http://pinballs.com/

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No way. Sure, a lot of old games don't hold up. But Galaga/Pac-Man are classics and the gameplay is solid and timeless. Do I play them every day? No, but the machine serves an important role in my home gameroom. When people who come over who are not into pinball, they have something to do and feel part of the games party. I've never had anyone over that won't at least play some Pac-Man. Without that option, those people are left out and that is a shitty feeling for everyone.

I purchased a NIB upright Ultracade way back in the day (2003) and the operating system (named "Joshua" like in WAR GAMES) does a great job of creating the same "game feel" as the arcade. Even has a short (skippable) screen before each game. It really complements my two pinballs.

In my experience, I wouldn't settle for just a single game cabinet, especially if you have kids.

Is Namco still making these? Or are these "new" builds by third party?

If you don’t mind used go visit Bill Cody is warrenville. A massive warehouse of them that he fixes up and sells. Wbocody.com. Good guy to deal with too

I think it’s only from Chicago Gaming and obviously no more CRT.
Also, Chicago deactivates the coin door.

Yeah, made by Chicago Gaming, they appear to have the license from Namco.

While it's in the same camp as arcade1up the atgames ALU cabinet is a great multi-cab for the price. Can add games to it very easily and built fairly well, of course not as well as an authentic cab. I love mine though It gets some of the most play next to my pin.

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Sure, back in the 80s they were just fine.

The NFL is a hundred years old and there are still quite a few people who enjoy it.

Also, cars are well over 100 years old. Yet we still like them.

Mic drop

I retrofitted my Arcade PC (MAME) with a controller from Xtension (looks like they may have gone out of business during COVID) that works really well. It has everything you could need (4 way, dual 8 way, spinner, trackball) and works great. You may have to stand a bit oddly or place hands different than you would on the dedicated machine due to the sheer amount of controls, but being able to play 100s or 1000s of games on one machine is a huge bonus for me). It doesn't work well with Qbert because that controller was mounted at a 45 degree angle and the spinner doesn't depress (so no Front Line), but otherwise is great.

https://www.google.com/search?q=xtension+controllers&rlz=1C1GCEJ_enUS988US988&sxsrf=ALiCzsaZ9Wq95X2UxYzR-xCCZyosdzCNJA:1652738812351&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjlgcTug-X3AhWunXIEHWzGCNMQ_AUoAnoECAEQBA&biw=1996&bih=1203&dpr=1.5#imgrc=XfhY3aZ_-6lZ8M

Dumb examples of older stuff that people still enjoy.

Gee, I can drive anywhere in a car. NFL? Not even responding to that dumb comment.

I just find the old games from the 80s to be boring in a home environment. I had a full class arcade collection back in the 90s-2000. Restored a Ms Pac to factory mint condition. I still stopped playing after a few mazes because it's Ms Pac Man. Same with the other games.

But hey, the OP asked for advice and I gave mine. Sorry to offend. lol

Your advice had nothing to do with what the OP was asking about.
It was slightly less relevant than my NFL comment.
Good work.

My PCBs are mostly from the 90s, but there are exceptions. Bubble Bobble is from 1986 and is still a killer game. Have the original board and also a bootleg converted to The Lost Caves.

You don't need to play them, but there's no real reason to assume your opinion means a whole lot to anyone else's experience.

Pic is my pac cabaret, itll play mspac as well using original board. One thing to remember, these boards are old but theyre easily repaired for a couple bucks. The namco boards are more reliable but should be considered unrepairable.

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There is a lot of great info on this thread. I'll provide my own 2 cents...

0. The same rules pretty much apply whether you are getting a original pinball (say an Addams Family) or original vid (say Pacman).
1. Avoiding scams? Same as in pinball world. Purchase from local people, see the vid in person, is best.
2. Condition is everything. For a vid, it's the cabinet, control panel, monitor and boards.
3. One difference between pin and vid is the monitor. While a ColorDMD is typically an awesome upgrade (IMHO) for a pin, getting an LCD in a vid is terrible (IMHO).
4. People effectively build from scratch some vids (like Donkey Kong). New cabinet, new decals, etc. Decide if you want that or steer clear. Ask what's original and what's not.
5. Like a pin, you need to decide if you want one that someone has replaced everything or is original and shows some wear. I prefer original with wear.
6. Like pins, someone could replace a board with a remake or "something similar that some people think is better". For example, decide if you are ok with the Pinsound equivalent of a video game (ArcadeSD or 60-in-1) or if you want 100% original. (Yes, this is probably the worst comparison I've written, but hopefully you get the idea.)
7. One thing to highlight is there's nothing in the pin world equivalent to working on a monitor (unless, of course, you have a pin2000). That takes special care, a few levels beyond typical pinball work. So keep that in mind, if you are interest in repairing.
8. Finally, and I think LTG mentioned this, don't underestimate the space a vid takes! Unless you have a very unique space, it will consume the space of a pinball machine. Even the small cabarets take that space. And don't ask about cocktails, they probably take the space of 2 pins.

I know you asked about Galaga, but here's some info about my Pacman cabaret to get you into the OG arcade frame of mind.

https://aaarpinball.com/PacMan/pacman.html

... Altan

Respectfully disagree

CRT is the only way to go, LCD screens, while modern, don't have the blacks that you want and the images are too pixelated versus CRT. There are lots of people that can still fix CRTs, and you can also learn yourself through forums at forums.arcade-museum.com. Great resource. As for the 20,000V, discharge the tube before you work on it.

The beauty of the arcades in the 80s was that the games didn't break. This is why operators loved them over pinball, they just kept taking money with very little maintenance. My Galaga hasn't given me a single issue in the 8 years I've owned it. Can't say the same for any of my pins.

Burn in is definitely a thing, but it's only something that you see when you shine a bright light on a monitor that's off. Galaga and many other games have a smoked plexi over the screen so that when you're playing you never notice the burn in.

Yes, 60-in-ones offer a lot of games in a small footprint, definitely worthwhile if you have very limited space. But if you have the room there's nothing like having a bunch of original machines in their dedicated cabinets and artwork in a row in your basement to bring you back to when you were 12 at the arcade!