As great as modern consoles, PCs, and other systems are for gaming, there’s just something about playing arcade titles on a large cabinet that takes the experience to another level. That’s why there’s still a thriving market for those erstwhile relics of the 80s and 90s. And if you’re currently shopping for one, Tastemakers has a pretty cool offering in the Arcade1Up game cabinets.
A series of arcade cabinets, the rigs come in the same colorful livery as the coin-op boxes of yesteryear, so you can really feel like you’re back in the arcade shop of your youth while mashing buttons on these things. It’s not just the cabinet designs that were accurate, but the controls, sounds, and feel, too, ensuring the whole thing plays exactly as you remember.
Remember how big the arcade cabinets are from the 80s and 90s? Yeah, they were huge, so while they make sense for big store spaces, they really aren’t a good fit in homes with more limited room. That’s why the Tastemakers Arcade1Up comes in at three-quarters the size of traditional cabinets, measuring a more compact 45.8 x 23 x 19 inches (height x diameter x width). At that size, they’re still perfectly playable while standing upright without any discomfort, all while making a substantial presence in any room of the house. The height also makes it easier to play while seated, so you can rest your legs while letting your fingers do all the work. If you’d still prefer to play at the same height as the original machines, though, they also sell risers that prop up the rigs at the same height as the arcade machines of the last century.
Each arcade machine comes with a 17-inch display, complete with authentic joysticks, trackballs, and buttons, so it will deliver that fun tactile experience you can only enjoy with arcade controls. All cabinets, by the way, come not just with licensed copies of the games, but with licensed authentic artwork, so your cabinet is decked in the same familiar designs that adorned the arcade machines of your youth (or your parents’ youth, whichever the case may be).
Oh yeah, the machines come flat-packed, so anyone can drive up to a store, buy one, and take it back home. Assembly is supposed to be an under an hour, so while you’ll need to do some work, it shouldn’t be any harder than putting together furniture from IKEA.
Slated to come out September 25th, the Tastemakers Arcade1Up are priced at $299.99.