The New Stinger, Joystick PC/DVD Player

Game Cabinets makes some excellent retro gaming systems, but their newest Stinger is not just intended for classic MAME fun. Instead, it wants to be an integral part of your home theater. Essentially a PC with TV-out and joystick controls, the Stinger can do anything a PC can do—including running Windows Media Center Edition and becoming a DVR.

At a hefty 28.5×13.75×5 inches, the Stinger won’t exactly fit into the palm of your hand. But neither did the arcade games of yesteryear. We think it’s ironic that a a company looking to reinvent the classic experience of gaming is doing the same thing Sony and Microsoft are attempting with their latest consoles: to become an integral part of your all around entertainment experience.

We’ll get Charlie to try the product out when it debuts at CEDIA, hopefully along with some more specs. And then we’ll make fun of it while secretly wishing we had one of our own. $499 [cepro via electronic house]