Gizmodo Australia » arcade

The Dr Frankenstein MAME Cabinet

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:00:00 +0000

I do not know what Frankenstein has to do with arcade cabinets, nor do I care. Because this Frankenstein MAME cabinet reaches basement gaming nirvana.

Built from scratch over 60-80 hours, the cabinet features all of the patina and grommets associated with Victorian/Steampunk aesthetics. But it’s the hand-made marquee along with the gorgeous green lithopane portals revealing Frankenstein’s monster and and bride that really elevate this project beyond anything we could ever hope to accomplish, even if we put our minds to it.

[Frankencade and The Steampunk Workshop via gizmo watch]

MaruBot Football League Is Next-Generation Foosball With 80s Look

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:40:00 +0000

The purist will probably hate this. Well, bad luck purists, because I don’t care. This MaruBot robotic foosball table is the next thing I want to play.

The MaruBot Football League table can use up to four players, each controlling one of the four robots. I don’t really know how much fun is this to play, but I would just do it to see the cute robot’s faces. [IR Robot via ChipChick]

Cool Dad Builds Mini Arcade Machine For His Son

Rosa Golijan — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:40:00 +0000

Hey dad! Look at what Samuel Seide made for his son. How about it? I’m not even asking for an Imperial Walker bed, just a father-daughter mini-arcade machine building session to sacrifice some games, a DVD player and random electronics.

There’s something awesome about this mini-arcade machine and I want to build one so badly that I even ignored the fact that this video was filmed in a bathroom. [YouTube via Boing Boing]

First Commercially Sold Video Game Ever Is On eBay

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Computer Space, generally considered the first commercially-sold video game ever, is pretty rare these days, with only about 1800 of the retro-futuristic arcade cabinets made. Yet two of them just popped up on eBay.

Created by Atari founders and all-around gaming legends Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, Computer Space came out in November of 1971, a full year before Pong hit the streets. The gameplay seems like sort of a mix of Asteroids and Space Invaders, with a rotational thruster (that phrase will never cease to sound filthy) controlling a rocketship (it’s just getting dirtier) trying to take down a UFO (well, if a UFO is a euphamism, I don’t want to know what it’s referring to).

There’s a green and a yellow version for sale, and the price is currently hovering around $US1500 and $US2500, respectively, but it’s kind of an awesome-looking piece of furniture even if you’re not into classic gaming. If you like those uncomfortable egg-chairs, this’ll fit right in with your aesthetic. [Technabob]

How To Make Your Very Own Badass Arcade Cabinet For Cheap-ish

Adam Frucci — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Arcade games are a touchstone of many of our childhoods, holding memories of hours spent burning through quarters and chasing high scores. Now, MaximumPC has a guide for making an epic MAME arcade cabinet for cheap. So very tempting. [MaximumPC]

Arkeg Drink-n-Game Cabinet Hides 55 Beers Behind Breakout

Mark Wilson — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:10:00 +0000

The latest instalment of the Arkeg Drink-n-Game is one glorious machine. While it will cost you $US4000, the arcade cabinet hides a sixtel, or 1/6 scale keg, that’s kept icy cold for your consumption.

The Arkteg features a 24-inch 1080i LCD that’s powered by a Dell GX260 SFF—a bargain bin PC that can handle any MAMEing you have in mind. With the PC core, you score extras like Wi-Fi, DVD playback and karaoke, along with support for multiple brands of romz. (69 licensed games including Mortal Kombat II and Centipede come preloaded.)

The keyboard stows away while HAPP buttons and joysticks along with a Betson-Imperial 3-inch ball sit framed by a laser-cut aluminium panel.

On the beer side, the Arkeg stores 5 gallons of brew along with a 5lb CO2 bottle. Everything’s kept cool with near-silent Solid-state Thermoelectric Cooling System.

Is it worth $US4000? Probably not. But Dream Arcades drinking-and-driving-friendly Octane will run you almost double. [Arkeg]

The Real Tron’s Space Paranoids Arcade

Jesus Diaz — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:07:53 +0000

Despite their demise, arcade machines are one of my dearest passions. That’s why I can’t believe I missed the real version of Space Paranoids, created for real for the new Tron movie. I want this machine, badly. [Thanks Meredith Woerner]

Games2U Brings A Portable Arcade To Your House

Jason Chen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:20:00 +0000

The only time people visit arcades these days is when they’re waiting for the 8:30 showing of Transformers to start. Whether it’s convenience of quality of games, people just aren’t going. But what if it came to YOU?

Games2U puts PS3s, Wii and Xbox 360 games inside of a van and delivers it, letting 20 people play no matter where you are. We can imagine it being useful for kids’ birthday parties, tailgating parties or funerals; especially since the company also offers laser tag and giant hamster balls.

And if you think this is a good and viable business opportunity, they even offer franchise options to set one up where you live. [G2u via Kotaku]

Amazon Begins Selling XBLA Titles

Mark Wilson — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:30:59 +0000

Today, Amazon has opened an Xbox LIVE Arcade storefront through which Xbox 360 users can buy XBLA titles. You pay the cash for a redeemable code, and then you use said code on your 360. We were hoping that Amazon might shave a bit off the purchase price (as they do with LIVE Gold subscriptions), but sadly, such is not the case. Then again, Amazon should make it a lot easier for friends/family to buy you digital games, which is a nice perk. [Amazon via Kotaku]

Tupperware Arcade Stick Throws Hadoukens, Totes Sammiches

Matt Buchanan — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:40:00 +0000

Can’t afford Mad Catz’s ridiculous Tournament Edition SFIV FightStick? Just build your own out of cheap fake Tupperware. Plus, it’ll tote a sammich over to your friend’s house, though I’d avoid tuna salad. [TechEBlog]