Games2U Brings A Portable Arcade To Your House

@DeusExMach: That would be cool, but what i meant was hanging out on my couch with some laptops and some drinks. I personally like playing some rockband while pounding a few. I don't usually go out to too many bars, not much in my area unfortunately...

Anyways, old school arcades in a bar would be cool... just worried for the women ~_^ (which i think would be one of the main reasons for going out to such a place... Wait... what is dave and busters then? (never been).

Eavangel

I've been someplace with one of those they're ok

shadows006

@DeusExMach: Addams Family is the #1 most prolific pin ever made. It was so successful that Bally gave the designer (Pat Lawler) basically a blank check to build his next machine (Twilight Zone). Which yielded the first widebody pinball machine, magnets for flippers, and it is the only machine featuring a ceramic (gumball) ball that changed the rule set of the pin when it was in play.

I love me some AF, I truly do. I'd happily own one if you could get one in decent shape (most have been beat to hell and this was before Bally started clear coating their play fields)...

@Act Now and get a 4th Celebrity Death Free!: Lite: That's because most boozehounds know: the bar surface, mirror, pool tables and especially the bathrooms are all fair game for defacement, but the pinball machine? Sacred. you RESPECT that shit.

@Act Now and get a 4th Celebrity Death Free!: Lite: AF was the other one I was thinking about. I bow to your knowledge of pinball machines.

Your name wouldn't happen to be "Tommy" would it? :D

@phoenix6666: ++

Why play a game which requires a prop gun, or skateboard, or what-have-you? If I wanted to skateboard, I wouldn't be in the arcade. I've got better FPSs on my home PC than any that I've ever seen in a game room.

DDR - bleh. It's a bug stomping simulator.

And no real arcade game takes credit/debit cards! There's a local pizzaria with *two* versions of Golden Tee, and a table-top multi-game, all of which have card slots, none of which will ever get my money.

This van may have games, but it's not an arcade.

taodude

@DeusExMach: I'm actually starting to see a lot of dive bars that feature immaculately maintained pinball machines...

@DeusExMach: Actually it's pretty much THE classic machine. And it's an utter bitch to keep running because it's so complex. =|

The only machine in more demand is like Medieval because the geeks like it. But for rules depth and play style TZ is an amazing machine.

The only pinball machine with more units made than TZ is Addams Family.

Personally I'm hoping to get a Monster Bash someday as my own machine.

@DeusExMach: I suppose I had that one coming. Totally worth it.

@Jason Kinnard: Damn skippy.

Oniisan608

@Act Now and get a 4th Celebrity Death Free!: Lite: that IS a classic machine.

@I see the light. It burns!: What sun? It's usually overcast here. Which means I can actually see without my sunglasses on those days.

But there's still a good game infrastructure in the Northwest.

@VideoVampire: Do you have a pinball machine? Skeeball?

@DeusExMach: hourse? hours.

@bobmarley101: Amen.

I put a shitload of effort into keeping my Wife's Twilight Zone pinball machine working.

@Eavangel: Do you think arcade games in bars are going to increase in number? Because I can understand needing room for the pool table, but lining the walls with old-skool classics might not be a half-bad idea.

Of course then you run the risk of being charged with attempting to lure in children with video games, but some of my fondest childhood memories involve dad knockin' them back at the bar while I played pinball in the corner for hourse.

@vidmeister: Not if you eat at Disneyland...

You mean the only time people visit arcades in the US. In Japan arcades are still very much a happening and social experience last I knew.

I'm actually disappointed that Arcades have taken such a beating over the years. As an avid pinball player I go out of my way to do business with places that still have pinball machines. My wife and I go out on Pinball Dates even.

It still depresses me that the arcade/amusement industry is in the shape that it is. It used to be a great way to hang out with friends. Now everyone just meets online to play instead, and it just isn't the same.

@DeusExMach: Hey! broken link. Awesome.

@OCEntertainment: squirrel nuts.

@tok3ninja: Yes. Laughing children are the surest sign that someone is up to no good.

Damn kids...

@VideoVampire: Do you have ball-in-a-cup? Because an arcade is not an arcade without ball-in-a-cup. It's great, because there's this ball, and it's attached to this cup, and you have to fling the ball and you have to catch it in the cup. When you catch it, you tilt the cup, and the ball falls out, and you can try to catch it again.

It's Ball-in-a-cup!

@T-Will: Yep.

I think most of the posts about this are from soon-to-be geezers, like myself... Unlike the rest of you guys, who are NOT the demographic they want anyway, I'd bet kids would light up on this in a hurry, as long as the van is air conditioned, and there no one who even bears a passing resemblance to MJ is inside... I agree: 25, maybe 50 cents is most anyone should have EVER charged for a game that lasts 90-180 seconds...Existing arcades suck because their rate is about $12-15 per hour, which is more expensive than Disneyland!

vidmeister

@Skeetz: Getting old? :p

AnonJr

Arcades have to have pinball to be worthwhile.

bobmarley101

@phoenix6666: Redemption games did major damage too. Go to a Chuck E Cheese and that's pretty much all they have. Friggin' little kiddie casinos.

BloggyMcBlogBlog

@I see the light. It burns!: Can you imagine Natal setup in this thing? I dunno about you but if I walk by a van and hear children laughing and jumping around I'd probably call the cops.

Hard Driving was the best damn game ever to learn how to drive a stick on... Hit the loop de loop, go up the hill and catch some air as you crash through the barn or hit the cow.

That looks like one hell of a freespanning awening hanging off that van.

bflorin

@SuperTuna: I think we're talking about 2 different things. I'm talking about those games that were popular prior to the Wii, where you needed full body motion and such (think DDR). What I think you're talking about is those sim games where you pop a quarter, the machine runs some numbers and predicts a winner...which is fun, if you're into it I guess.

phoenix6666

When I was a kid they asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answer was I don't care I just want an arcade in my house. Well I got one now and it is way smaller than I thought it was gonna be.

VideoVampire

@Valnen: My boss did this for her son last year and she said it was pretty cool. Showed me some pics and yes... the Hamster Ball is pretty freaking sweet. Laser tag is a a plus but i agree with the cost of these things being too much.

Her son is actually painted on the side of the Van... but you can't really see him in the pic above.

It would have been cool to have something like this when i was growing up but now being 21 i'd rather go drink with some buds and play some old school games like SC and metal slug. YAY BEER!

Eavangel

@dsh: The $299 for the first 2 hours barely covers the cost of all the controllers the little brats smash on the ground and/or lcd screens i'm sure.

lordstoli

Sad... A couple weeks ago I saw one of those set up along the hike and bike trail here at Austin's Zilker Park... Sort of a "Clash of the Titans" type thing... And there were plenty of kids hanging out by it.

archeomason

I like arcades...or maybe I'm just too old. After one coin of Pump It Up, I'm exhausted.

SewerShark

20 people? If I wanted to talk to people....

NurseDave

@tok3ninja: Coming from the northwest, I too wouldn't want to tan my whitened african american skin(yes, I've "faded" alot in color since coming up here). You're right about the glare on the TV, plus, that van just looks too cramped. I can see fights breaking out among the little brats for space to play.

@phoenix6666: Are you kidding? It's the TYPE of sim games that did the damage. Have you played SEGA's Derby Owners Club? I've seen people blow LOADS of money on that game. There used to be two old dudes that I would watch that had racing guides and books to track their horses. We need more awesomeness like that. Perhaps a Robotjox version of the game? Yes please. (Patent pending) XD

[elitechoice.org]

SuperTuna

Video games give me a reason not to go outside and tan my beautifully whitened Asian skin. Not only will the sunlight put a stupid glare on the TVs, it'll also burn my eyes out faster.

Um, let me fix this article for you.

GAMES2U OFFERS HAMSTER BALLS

Games2U will bring giant hamster balls to your house. Also, some video games in a van or something.

Hamster Balls.

WEAK! My little cousin just had a birthday party with a full on trailer

[www.thegamesquad.com]

jackelmatador

For those of you wondering what I was wondering (and equally frustrated that they go out of their way to hide this information on the website, forcing you to call a sales rep to find out the basic prices):

Price: $299 for first 2 hours
$129 for every hour after that.

No ****ing thank you. For the price of a 3 hour party I could BUY the little brats a 360 and a couple games. Shyeah.

Maybe I'm being a bit of a purist here, but "PS3s, Wii and Xbox 360 games" does not equal Arcade games.

Seems like an OK business idea though, people make a living renting bounce-houses. If you have enough gamers around and not enough equipment this would solve that problem.

Brian Fauska

UGH! Standing up? That's why I stopped going to the arcade.. gettin my legs all tired n shit..

Skeetz

@Valnen: HAMSTER. BALLS.

Unless this costs $17 million, your hypothesis is FALSE.

@CoolRiver45: Do they also offer free candy?

T-Will

@phoenix6666: +1

...hundred.

@CoolRiver45: Why don't you have a seat, right over here? What are you doing here?

bball123h

"PS3s, Wii and Xbox 360 games inside of a van"
A pervert must have come up with this idea.

CoolRiver45

An arcade game should never cost more than a quarter to play, period!

Jason Kinnard

I personally don't see this succeeding. Too much money for too little entertainment.

What killed arcades for me is how they removed all the traditional cabinet games and substituted them for these sim-type games where you skateboard or ski or something. First, I don't really enjoy playing those sim games and second, they're too freaking expensive. It's a dollar per game on many of them and the game usually lasts about 90 seconds. Give me a dollar and a side-scroller/shooter/fighting game and it can last me at least 30 minutes.

phoenix6666