When Arcade1Up first released their 3/4-scale gaming cabinets, we thought it was a brilliant way to bring the arcade experience to everyone’s homes, as it plays just as well as the original arcades, albeit in a package that’s more reasonably sized. As a result, people loved it, with the outfit churning out multiple cabinets of various retro franchises over the last three or so years. Despite that, there’s apparently big clamor for full-sized versions of the outfit’s arcades and, this year, they’re giving that segment of the fanbase what they want starting with the Arcade1Up Killer Instinct Pro Series Edition.
That’s right, Arcade1Up is going full-size with a new Pro Series line, so you can enjoy the same quality build the outfit has brought to their smaller cabinets in the same size as the arcades of your youth. Or your dad’s youth, whichever the case may be. Suffice to say, if you’ve been thinking of getting a fighting game arcade for that empty floor space in your game room, this just might be the perfect thing to fit in there.
The Arcade1Up Killer Instinct Pro Series Edition is a full-size arcade cabinet standing 67.5 inches tall, so your small kids can feel like you did when you played arcade titles at the amusement park back in the day. Of course, it’s got a bigger screen than the 3/4-scale model, sporting a 19-inch LCD with a 5:4 aspect ratio for picture perfect recreation of those arcade titles from the 80s and 90s. They also throw in upgraded speakers and grilles, so it comes with better hardware than its smaller counterparts.
It’s equipped with two sets of Suzohapp joysticks and buttons for two-player head-to-head action, with slightly bigger spacing than the smaller cabinets, so you have more room to perform your button mashing techniques. As with the outfit’s other rigs, the cabinet is adorned with graphics based on the artwork of the original machines, complete with a light-up marquee out front to really bring that amusement arcade vibe.
The Arcade1Up Killer Instinct Pro Series Edition comes with the first two games in the series, namely Killer Instinct from 1994 and Killer Instinct 2 from 1996. Since two games might feel a little thin for a modern arcade machine, they also threw in Battletoads Arcade, Battletoads 8-Bit, and Battletoads 16-Bit. Yes. We’d have preferred they threw in a couple other fighting games in there, but… we understand… licensing isn’t always that easy.
Because it’s a pretty tall cabinet, they’re shipping it with a swivel stool, so even smaller kids can play without having to stand on a box. They also threw in an anti-fatigue mat for those who plan to spend hours upon hours parked in front of the machine like it’s 1995 and they’re 12 years old again. Other features include online multiplayer support (it has built-in Wi-Fi), a clear deck protector, a molded coin door (non-functional, of course), and even a licensed tin display with a game character on it (looks like Jago, but we’re not sure).
The Arcade1Up Killer Instinct Pro Series Edition is slated to come out in the summer.