Another Arcade Standby Calls It Quits

wokness writes with this bit of depressing news. "The arcade business is getting thougher and tougher -- from shoryuken.com: 'The Nikkei Telecom 21, the largest online news & information database in Japan, has reported that Capcom will discontinue sales and development of arcade games.' More info here. This sucks!" Seems like Capcom wasn't making enough money to justify themselves selling large boxes to arcades. Now, they'll go all the way (instead of just using emulation to make cross-platform games) and make games for home consoles instead.

Comments

Not home computers, LANs

[Rob Kaper]

I do not believe home computers are the problem. We have been able to play games (include arcade alikes) on the home computer for ages.

LANs at home/school/parties are the problem. Playing a game over the Internet might be fun, but what was the best feature of an arcade was racing against your friends - sitting next to you.

This is possible using a LAN. You can play against each other while being in the same room. You can yell at each other, laugh together, share a beer minutes after the game.

I doubt many people went to arcades just for the games, it was also a social event for most. I bet a lot of people on /. have multiple computers and could have a friend over to play Quake in the same room against each other. Heck, my boss even bought us a PS2 for the cantine at work (SSX definitely kick ass by the way). Why go to an arcade?

Arcades are becoming less useful

[proxima]

With the widespread availability of affordable gaming systems (both PC and console), it's understandable that the arcade business might suffer a few losses. The price of valuable floor space (especially in malls) is becoming extremely expensive, as is the cost of these arcade systems. Accordingly, the game prices are going up a great deal - a $0.25 is a rarity, and it's not uncommon to spend $1.00 playing a 10 minute game.

Simply put, this is just too much money for too little entertainment. I live somewhat near a theater and arcade combo (with bumper cars and mini-golf). Going to see a 2-3 hour movie is much cheaper than spending about an hour in the arcade!

If one is a serious gamer, the time spent playing games every week is mind-boggling. Purchasing a cheaper console (Dreamcast, PS 1, etc) is FAR more economical than playing one's favorite arcade game every night. In addition, emulators are everywhere for those with PCs, playing the old classic arcade games. For those true geeks who like the boxed stand-up arcade set, there have been posts to /. about turning a cheap PC into a dedicated emulator in a custom built box.

The ONLY real advantage in a real arcade system is unusual hardware - especially racing games and VR games. However, even that gaming hardware is becoming increasingly affordable.