Amid the wave of ‘80s and ‘90s gaming nostalgia, toy-manufacturer Tastemakers is aiming to bring arcade games—complete with their iconic cabinets—to gamers’ homes. We got a look at Tastemakers’ upcoming line of Arcade1Up home arcade machines at E3, which are going on sale soon.
Loaded onto each machine is a set of four famous games from the glory days of arcades. In addition, each Arcade1Up cabinet is styled (with authentic and officially licensed artwork) after one of the iconic games loaded onto its machine. Five different cabinets are coming as part of Arcade1Up’s initial upcoming launch, with a tactile feel to “play exactly as you remember” from all those trips to an actual arcade. Tastemakers also confirmed that each machine will have “the same gameplay as the originals, with same sounds, joysticks and buttons.” Sitting down at each of the cabinets and testing out the games for myself, the experience was definitely reminiscent of geeking out in an arcade—and these machines don’t take your quarters first!
To give you an idea of your options with the Arcade1Up series, one of the games you’ll be able to play is Centipede—and that cabinet also includes Millipede, Missile Command, and Crystal Castles. If you’re really feeling Rampage after seeing its movie adaptation, there’s also a Rampage cabinet with Gauntlet, Joust, and Defender loaded on to it as well. One cabinet is even devoted entirely to versions of Capcom’s Street Fighter 2, if that old gem was more your speed. Another machine is dedicated to Asteroid (and three related titles), while the last boasts Final Fight and a few other Capcom titles.
Also noteworthy about these machines is their design for ease-of-use and affordability. Each cabinet’s features include simple assembly and a classic design; add to that each cabinet’s pricing at $400, and it’s a relatively decent package. Most arcade machines out there go for a much higher price, making Arcade1Up’s line a good bet if you’re looking to start your own home arcade.
These first five Arcade1Up cabinet and machine combos are going up for sale in fall 2018. You can check out the full website for future updates.