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Play Classic Video Games In NY, At Home

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the emulating-the-classics dept.

Iphtashu Fitz writes "If you'd like to play classic arcade games from the 1980s, then it might be time for you to take a trip to New York, according to Wired News, since the American Museum of the Moving Image is holding an exhibition called Blip! where you can play a selection of the classics, including some of those referenced in an earlier exhibition. Also mentioned on their site is the X-Arcade cabinet for playing arcade-style classics at home through emulation." Much easier than building your own cabinet.

132 comments

  1. No Pac Man I hear! by andy666 · · Score: 4, Informative

    I read in Wired that the Pac Man people wouldn't agree to being in it.

    1. Re:No Pac Man I hear! by pomakis · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This is something I've always wondered about... Why do I see Ms. Pac Man games everywhere, but hardly ever the original Pac Man? Back in their days, Pac Man was immensly more popular than Ms. Pac Man. Why, then, do I not see more original Pac Man games around? I'd especially expect to see it at an exhibition like this! But no, it's Ms. Pac Man again. WTF?

    2. Re:No Pac Man I hear! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      There is a special path one can take in Pac Man to beat every level with zero chance of the ghosts catching you; theoretically a person could play for hours on a single quarter.

    3. Re:No Pac Man I hear! by jcoleman · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Ms. Pac Man actually had more machines produced, was a bigger seller, and was a bigger profit-maker. The thing was that girls played Ms. Pac Man too.

    4. Re:No Pac Man I hear! by galaxy300 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Maybe part of the reason is that the Pac Man games were so popular that they all got worn out. The Ms. Pac Man games, being played less, are now in better condition and there are more of them to go around.

      Just a theory, anyway.

      --
      seriouslyexcited.net
    5. Re:No Pac Man I hear! by StringBlade · · Score: 1
      My wife plays Ms. Pac Man but doesn't care for the original Pac Man.

      ...I just get to watch. =^)

      --
      ...and that's the way the cookie crumbles.
    6. Re:No Pac Man I hear! by Tarrek · · Score: 1

      In addition to the gender bonus (Which is debatable, honestly), Ms Pac Man is simply put, a better game. Just as PS2's are more common out and set up in living rooms now than PSXs, because they're more powerful, more interesting, but still duplicate the gameplay of the original.. Just as Ms Pac Man was more advanced, but still in the same vein as the immensely popular Pac Man.

      I assume most everyone here has played Pac Man in their lives, but to those who haven't: Pac Man uses completely static levels. It's exactly the same. EVERY TIME. Once you learn the pattern you can play for damn near infinity. Ms. Pac Man, on the other hand, varies the makeup of the levels significantly, in color and layout, as well as the difficulty and speed that Pac Man has.

      That's a BIG difference in a long quarter-poppin' session.

    7. Re:No Pac Man I hear! by iamcf13 · · Score: 2

      Just ask Billy Mitchell.

      However, I heard HE DID NOT RUN 'PATTERNS' when he accomplished the amazing feat of the world's first perfect game of PAC-MAN. By doing that, he MAXIMIZED the challenge and made the feat he accomplished even MORE amazing!

      The best I ever did was 'a coupla million' and yes I was 'running patterns' to do it.

      On the other hand, I do know what marathon videogaming feels like. It took me about 8.5 hours to see what happes to a TAPPER videogame after 'board 255'....

      There is a 'board 0' to play through then the game starts completely over as if you just first put a coin in the machine. I racked up over 5 million points along the way but that wasn't important to me at the time.

      BURGERTIME was ridiculously easy to 'roll over' scorewise once you learned how to 'run patterns' like I did. However the game became simply impossible to play after about 30 levels as the 'monsters' moved way too fast to avoid.

      Even TRON, one of the best videogames ever made, 'ran on patterns'. Though I had figured out 'patterns' to play it, it wasn't 'mindless' like in PAC-MAN or BURGERTIME. Because of randomization, you never knew which subgame you were about to play and had to be ready to use the right 'pattern' the instant the subgame playfield was revealed. Thus, that game still remained fun to play even when running patterns.

      Once I learned how to stop the bad guys from firing in GALAGA, it turned that game into a giant space shooting gallery where it's rather easy to 'roll the score over'. Playing 'for real', I could barely get past 100,000. One time, many years ago, I saw a guy MAKE A GALAGA GAME STOP WORKING!!!

      He scored 3,180,180 in the process with normal, 'bad guy shooting' play!

      After finishing board 255, the game displayed 'board 0', and empty, ever-scrolling starfield....

      Another high score I got years ago, was 406,650 in NICHIBUTSU'S demented masterpiece, CRAZY CLIMBER. It wasn't easy, but I had a lot of 'men' to help.

      Another videogame accomplishment I am rather fond of was the 300,000+ I scored in a single game of Q*bert. I would put the difficulty of that game somewhere between the 'easy pattern play' of PAC-MAN and the unpredictability of ghost monster behaviour inherent in MS. PAC-MAN.

      Years later, I started playing CAPCOM'S STREET FIGHTER II to get away from the 'pattern play' of those early BALLY/MIDWAY classic videogames.

      I got somewhat good at SFII and its descendents I was able to play but I was not a world-class player--more of an 'experienced enthusiast'.

      I rarely play any arcade games nowadays. The classics of yesteryear are gone in favor of the newest, expensive, graphic-laden driving/shooting/fighting game to appear in arcades....

      I am glad I grew up during the era of classic videogaming and its graphically crude, minimalist fun....

      Thank you for reading this,

      Bryan

  2. What bout those spaceinvader Tables? by random_culchie · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I remeber years ago in a pub in Ireland they had glass tables that had space invaders underneath. Way Cool

    1. Re:What bout those spaceinvader Tables? by lucas+teh+geek · · Score: 2, Informative

      you mean cocktail cabinets

      --
      TIAEAE!
    2. Re:What bout those spaceinvader Tables? by krog · · Score: 1

      These tables were quite common in the early 80's. Space Invaders, Centipede, Pac Man, you name it.

      --
      Cretin - a powerful and flexible CD reencoder
    3. Re:What bout those spaceinvader Tables? by random_culchie · · Score: 1

      No they were like small tables with a Tv screen underneath the glass top. They had buttons each side so two people could play

    4. Re:What bout those spaceinvader Tables? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah... they're called cocktail cabinets, the form factor or whatever term you use for arcade cabinets is called "cocktail cabinets" likely cause you can rest your drink on them.

    5. Re:What bout those spaceinvader Tables? by dane23 · · Score: 1

      Yep, they're called Coctail Tables. They're arcade cabinets in the form of a table so that you can put your drink on it while playing.

      --


      Warning! Keep Out of Eyes! Wash Out with Water! Don't Drink Soap! Dilute! Dilute!
    6. Re:What bout those spaceinvader Tables? by SmackCrackandPot · · Score: 2, Informative

      You can buy one if you want to. Have a look at Arcade Clearance and at Arcade Depot

      If I had a good salary and owned my own space, I'd probably buy one of these for a conversation piece.

  3. Original article text by RobertB-DC · · Score: 5, Informative

    As part of my Ghosts of Slashdot project, I grabbed a copy of this article before it went "live". There was a Slashdot outage at about that time, so I don't know if CmdrTaco & co. decided to change the text, or if it was lost and had to be re-created.

    Same submitter, same "dept."... just the title and story text has changed.

    Play Those Classic Video Games Virtually Anywhere
    Posted by CmdrTaco in The Mysterious Future!
    from the emulating-the-classics dept.
    Iphtashu Fitz writes "If you're like me your introduction to video games decades ago was something like the Atari 2600, and you also pumped untold hundreds of quarters into arcade games like Space Invaders, Defender, and Asteroids. Well according to a Wired News article you can now play these and many more of those classic games in their original format on your PC, Mac, Playstation, XBox, or Gamecube. X-Arcade has an emulator & arcade-style interface that they claim will let you play over 4000 of the classic games on any of these modern gaming systems. Or if you'd prefer to play the actual arcade games from the 1980's then it might be time for you to take a trip to New York where the American Museum of the Moving Image is holding an exhibition where you can play these classics. Game emulators can be found linked from the museums website as well as through Retrogames." Much easier than building your own Cabinet.

    --
    Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
    1. Re:Original article text by shokk · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Pick up a copy each of Namco Museum and Midway Arcade Treasures. Plenty of arcade nostalgia! I have it for XBox, but I believe it is also available on other platforms as well.

      --
      "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
    2. Re:Original article text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Believe it or not, the editors actually edit the submissions. On the stories I've sent in, they've moved/changed links, removed bits and reworded headlines.

      As others have noticed, they tend to occasionally add typos, too... :)

    3. Re:Original article text by NachoDaddy · · Score: 1

      The only beef I have with X-Arcade is when people try and play vector games like Asteroids, Tempest, Battle Zone, etc on it's raster monitor. Just not the same!
      I might just have to build my own vector only cabinet based on this vector generator and and old Tempest vector monitor

  4. Well Geez... by doppleganger871 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I woulda submitted this, but it hasn't been covered here before. I got this thru Avantgo on my palm and read it in the shitter before /. posted it.

    --
    -- Liberalism is a mental disorder.
  5. Ouch by FortKnox · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From the X-Arcade site:
    Want to download Mame Rom games directly?
    Easiest = Using Kazaa, or P2P engine
    Type MAME in a software search.
    Download Any MAME Related Searches

    Encouraging people to pirate roms. That can't be good for business (well, good for business until the government comes knocking).

    Or am I out of the loop and its all alright now?

    --
    Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
    1. Re:Ouch by krog · · Score: 1

      Is it really piracy, when the ROMs are unavailable through other means?

      --
      Cretin - a powerful and flexible CD reencoder
    2. Re:Ouch by British · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Hey, it's not like I could play all those obscure 80s games(ie the ones not emulated on PS2, or those tv-game consoles) now, or legally buy them. Many of the vendors I assume are out of business.

    3. Re:Ouch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess you haven't ever visited eBay, arcade gaming shops or any other places that sell old-ish arcade hardware.

    4. Re:Ouch by krog · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Those sales do nothing to compensate the owners of the rights of those ROMs.

      If the ROMs were available from the companies who own the rights to production, then downloading the ROMs could be considered piracy. This is not the case, though, and from the copyright owner's perspective, eBaying the ROMs and downloading them are the same.

      --
      Cretin - a powerful and flexible CD reencoder
    5. Re:Ouch by marcello_dl · · Score: 1

      >from the copyright owner's perspective, eBaying the ROMs and downloading them are the same.

      Yes but it should be legal to put the code of a rom you own into an emulator to play the game you own- maybe newer roms feature more license restrictions, surely not the classics from the eighties. Copyright owners do not usually get revenue from second-hand market, nor they should have any right to. Or am i missing something?

      --
      ---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
    6. Re:Ouch by smothra · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's some nifty logic there. Because the copyright holder doesn't make the material available to you through other means, it's ok to steal it.

      Hey officer, my neighbor wasn't releasing his invention to the public, so I stole it! I mean, how else was I supposed to get it?

      NOTE: I too believe that out-of-circulation ROMS *should* be made available to the public for free. But it is a false rationalize to say that trading copyrighted ROMS without permission isn't theft.

      --
      Look ma, no tpyos^H^H^H^H^H^H . . . oh crap.
    7. Re:Ouch by shystershep · · Score: 1

      It is copyright infringement, but not piracy unless someone's making a profit (no matter what the RIAA says). That said, since most of those games are otherwise out of circulation, the publisher probably isn't going to kick up much of a fuss about it.

      --
      The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer. - Albert Einstein
    8. Re:Ouch by krog · · Score: 1

      Copyright owners do not usually get revenue from second-hand market, nor they should have any right to. Or am i missing something?

      Don't think you're missing anything -- we're in agreement. :)

      --
      Cretin - a powerful and flexible CD reencoder
    9. Re:Ouch by DroopyStonx · · Score: 2, Informative

      Uh, there's nothing illegal about that.

      I can put up on my website a Gameboy Advance emulator (which is legal) and say, "Want roms? Download them from alt.binaries.emulators.gameboy.advance". I'm not supplying the ROMs, just telling people where to get them.

      You might not agree with telling people where to get ROMs, but there's nothing legally wrong with it.

      --
      We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
    10. Re:Ouch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unless you both are "missing something".

      -Adrian Monk

    11. Re:Ouch by Eil · · Score: 2, Informative


      Mame roms: http://www.mamereactor.com

      Or am I out of the loop and its all alright now?

      Depends on which Slashdotter you ask. :P

      No, it's not okay. Technically. It's still a violation of copyright.

      Unlike console games where one can just copy a CD or press a button on a cart copier, arcade games have anywhere from a couple to dozens of ROM chips that one has to figure out how to copy and that's only if you can afford the hundreds of dollars that one game will cost. In order to legally play the game, you have to own it which means finding a space to store all the cabinets. Unless you're super rich, you won't even come close to owning all of your favorites. Even then, there are many many games which aren't even out there to buy anymore no matter how much money you have.

      Due to the extreme difficulty of being able to legally play the old games of yesteryear and the general apathy of companies like Sega, Capcom, and Namco towards the trading of their older games, each version of MAME has a set of games that it emulates and a corresponding set of roms to go with it. A "complete" collection of roms means that you own each and every rom that a particular version of MAME recognizes.

      The ISC (which used to be the ESA or something like that, IIRC) are the only ones who actively go search the internet in active persuit of "pirated" roms. That particular house of lawyers has forced the MAME community to go underground with their roms. What happens is that some arcade enthusiast somewhere gets hold of a machine or PCB containing some unemulated arcade game, dumps the roms, and then sends the rom files to the MAME developers who then use the roms to work on a driver. When the driver gets included in a MAME release, the developers give a copy of the rom to a few of their personal friends who then spread the rom underground to the public at large.

      Factoid: I don't know if they've pulled it yet, but there was one game in the MAME sources that you simply cannot get the rom for. The only known copy of the it was lost in a hard disk crash, but they kept the game in MAME just to see if it would turn up somewhere else eventually.

    12. Re:Ouch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's called Abandonware. It's not stealing.

      99% of the time you can call up the manufacturer of the game and ask if they care that people are downloading it. Since they are no longer making profit off of it, they will say, "Wow, people still play that?! Sure, go ahead."

      If it's something like PACMAN or one of the big names, no, then it's not the same since they're still making money from it (re-selling it to PS2 makers).

      However, that brings up another point: they can rip you off, but you can't rip them off? Bzzt! Wrong. They're doing the same thing to you that you're doing to them.

      Say you purchased pacman for the atari back in the day.. knowing that, why should you have to pay for it AGAIN to play on the PS2? Answer: you shouldn't. It's just as wrong for them to take the SAME game and say "Oh, the PS4 is now out! This thing can run simluated worlds, but let's sell people old 4-bit pacman for $50" as it is for you to download it. Therefore, if you agree with them re-selling it to people, then you have to agree with people who download it. You can't favor one over the other.

      It's a grey line, and it's logic you might not agree with, but it's the truth.

    13. Re:Ouch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You cannot stand on a street corner and tell people where they can buy drugs. Why can you tell people where to download illegal ROM's?

      Don't talk to me about "Fair Use".

      You know damn well, people with MAME machines and 8000 games don't have the chips from the original machine.

    14. Re:Ouch by JahToasted · · Score: 1

      But... with the GBA and all the cell phones that can play games, maybe these old games could make their owners a little money.

  6. Piracy in the high st by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative


    "free download of 4000 games" says the site, do you think Taito,Atari etc agree while this company earns 1000$ for a wooden mdf box ?

  7. Instead of buying the x-arcade cabinet by goldcd · · Score: 5, Informative

    Rescue an unloved genuine arcade cabinet, pop in a PC made out of all those bits and pieces you have lying around your house and join them together with bits from http://www.ultimarc.com/
    Appreciate that special aroma in your home and the genuine cigartte burns around the joysticks.

    1. Re:Instead of buying the x-arcade cabinet by eidolons · · Score: 1
      Or instead of buying the x-arcade cabinet, which doesn't look that authentic, buy a Slikstik Arcade cabinet with control panel for $1500, then go over to Wells Gardner and pick up a D9200 which happens to fit perfectly into it.

      Go to Retroblast.com and see how gorgeous this combination looks. It's the stuff of dreams, ladies and gentlemen.

  8. Played Halo there by jkeegan · · Score: 1

    When I was there, they had an xbox out playing Halo. I played Halo with this kid for like 30 minutes before his mom came over and told him they had to go.

    Thought it was pretty cool seeing a room that had everything from Halo to Space War together. :)

    --

    ..Jeff Keegan
    seven syllables explain TiVo: kee gan dot org slash ti vo
  9. Ten games? Try 200. by pashdown · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ten games? Come to the yearly California Extreme and see all those plus another 190 vids and pins.

  10. Anyone bought that X-Arcade cabinet? by grungebox · · Score: 1

    For $1000, that had better be good. How much do you people spend to build your own cabinet?

    1. Re:Anyone bought that X-Arcade cabinet? by GoRK · · Score: 2, Informative

      For a $1000 cabinet, you'd be better off buying the Slikstik cabinet, though, keep in mind that the wood and other materials needed to build only the cabinet cost about $150 or perhaps far less if you use a painted cabinet rather than using laminates or melamines and take off the coin door.

      I spent a total of about $1600 building my cabinet from scratch, but that includes all hardwareincluding the new 27" arcade monitor, computer hardware, and controls.

      Just set a budget (both for your money and your time) and buy the best stuff you can. The cabinet takes the most time to build, followed by the control panel; however building vs buying a cabinet is where you will save the most money. The other good option is to buy (or often times get for free) non working machines from a local amusement vendor and restore them, then fit your own cpanel to them. This has the greatest cost/time benefit for you; plus you can recycle. The drawback is that you don't get the flexibility that building whatever you want brings you.

      The maintainer of the BYOAC website is putting out a 500+ page book on the cabinet building subject, so it might be worth getting one of those when it comes out before you make any decisions..

      ~GoRK

    2. Re:Anyone bought that X-Arcade cabinet? by PantyChewer · · Score: 2, Interesting
      My Cabinet cost me around $1200 canadian to build, and that includes the TV and computer unlike the X-Arcade. The X-Arcade is for people with more money than time. I found building the thing at least as much fun as playing on it.

      As mentioned BYOAC(Build Your Own Arcade Controls) Is a great site for MAME cabinet related information.

    3. Re:Anyone bought that X-Arcade cabinet? by birder · · Score: 1

      http://www.arcadedepot.com/ has decent prices for cocktail cabinets. This guy http://cocktail.loungespot.com/ has a pretty decent write up on building his mame machine.

    4. Re:Anyone bought that X-Arcade cabinet? by rev0102 · · Score: 1

      I built a mid-budget mame cabinet (well mame + some consoles). Used a TV with s-video instead of the higher end arcade monitors, or using a tiny PC monitor, no top of the line PC, but nothing too shabby either. Will be completed at under $800 (just needs artwork now), built from scratch. I could have easily saved at least a couple hundred dollars by converting an arcade cabinet shell instead of building, and I had no spare parts for the PC (which means I may get my geek license revoked).

  11. Classic Arcade Games in northeast MA/southeast NH by krog · · Score: 2, Interesting

    For people not far from the MA/NH border where it meets the Pond, Hampton Beach and Salisbury Beach have large numbers of old arcade machines ripe for the playing. They've got the standards (Pac Man, Centipede, Galaga, Pole Position, Asteroid, etc) as well as some more obscure titles like Subroc 3D.

    It's worth the trip, as long as white trash doesn't bother you.

    --
    Cretin - a powerful and flexible CD reencoder
  12. Nice tourist slogan by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1, Funny

    If you'd like to play classic arcade games from the 1980s, then it might be time for you to take a trip to New York

    If they want a killer, boffo tourist slogan to bring the huddled masses to NYC, I think they need to try something different.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  13. Easier, but less expensive? Or nicer? by 2Flower · · Score: 4, Informative

    The X-Arcade cab is basically just a big wooden box, plus a nastily looking inserted X-Arcade double stick. (You can see the outlines of the arcade-shaped panel in the giant blocky panel. Ugh.) No PC or monitor are included. All that for 1000 bucks.

    You might be better off buying an ancient cab and gutting it, or building your own. I built a wooden cab right to my size (I have a physical disability, dwarfism) and it kicks much booty as a result. Having a customized cab, or an authentic cab with new guts, seems a better way to go than a generic black cab branded with X-Arcade logos and a somewhat questionable price tag.

    1. Re:Easier, but less expensive? Or nicer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but can you play Penultima on it? :p

  14. xbox cab is a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Arcadeshopper has much better cabs for less money.

  15. I HATE emulators by stratjakt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They are NOT the same. There are subtle differences in every game I've played. Noone notices since they dont have the original to compare too.

    If you really love arcade games, collect and restore the machines. I only have room for 3 or 4 upright cabinets, but I pick up old ones, restore them, play them till I'm bored of it, then sell them and start over.

    I usually turn enough profit to buy everyone I know a gummi bear.

    But, there are tons of subtle differences. Midi tempos are usually off, colors are off. The games dont look the same emulated, even through a real arcade monitor..

    Emulation is really neat, technically.. But if you truly love the old classics, keep the old classics around. Rescue that beat up SFII cabinet from the pizza shop, clean it up, repair/replace the controls.. Give it a little elbow grease..

    MAME cabinets are just so... ghetto.. Especially when people try and cram every possible control into them.. Two sticks, 12 buttons each, trackballs, spinners, meh.. They look retarded. Many real cabinets were works of functional art.. Look at an old defender control panel.. Designed to function for only one game..

    Or vindicators, a cabinet shaped like a giant tank with two crazy throttle levers for control.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    1. Re:I HATE emulators by PhoenixFlare · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Slight inaccuracies the emulator(s) may have, but they're still worlds better than most of the collections/re-releases out for consoles these days.

      The Gamecube version of Namco Museum comes to mind - for some reason, even at the largest display mode, all the games (except Pole Position and the original Galaga) are at about 80-90% of original size on the screen, not to mention being rather fuzzy. In contrast, I can fire up MAME and play all of them on my monitor with the correct sizes and resolution.

      It's nice that you can restore and sell cabinets, but not everyone has the extra cash to spend on buying them in the first place, not to mention the skill to restore them.

      Emulators are really the closest the majority of gamers can get to the originals, and I would hazard a guess that it's close enough for many.

    2. Re:I HATE emulators by JSkills · · Score: 3, Informative
      Ghetto? What the hell dude? If you're clever enough and have the dedication to put together a MAME cabinet that plays hundreds of games - why do you feel the need to put it down like that?

      I used to own an arcade version of the "Main Event" - a pretty cool four player wrestling game. I loved it. Problem was - it was the same game and the cabinet took up a lot of room just for one game. Who the hell has room to collect several cabinets? Sorry if we're all not flush with cash and square footage like you ...

    3. Re:I HATE emulators by Shiifty · · Score: 1
      Although there may be subtle differences the gameplay is the same. Who cares if the colours are slightly off? Those old crappy displays the arcades used back then were all burnt in and you couldn't find two machines that had the same colours anyways. However its a different story with modern machines now.

      I agree with you on those MAME cabs though, I want a cabinet to look and feel like a real arcade machine and take quarters. Most of the designs out there are horrible (X-Arcade included).

    4. Re:I HATE emulators by Rigor+Morty · · Score: 1

      Really? So, for that Authentic Arcade experience, do you hire some mullet-haired chainsmoker to come over and perpetually hog the machine? Do you live for the visual of screen burn-in? Does the sound of a dying amplifier feeding a $.25 cent speaker bring you joy?

      For me, it's about the game. When I discovered I could still remember my super secret patterns for Pac-Man Plus on MAME, it was all good.

      --
      Remove the spamfreak to speak.
    5. Re:I HATE emulators by stratjakt · · Score: 1

      You gutted a Main Event cabinet to put in 90 trackballs and spinners and all that shit? Let me guess, you screwed in a little plywood shelf and stuck a TV in it. Then used black bristolboard to make the authentic-looking bezel. Oh, and used a jigsaw to cut out a hole for a keyboard drawer.

      Sorry, but that's ghetto. It looks stupid, as stupid as a homemade spoiler on a honda civic. Just because it was a lot of work doesn't mean the end product is appealing.

      If you read my post, I only have room for 3 or 4 cabinets. I swap them out. I find them all over for cheap, if not free. You just have to look. In real life, that is. Find folks whos pizzaria folded and need the crap hauled away, etc. eBay and other online resources are good sources for parts.

      For instance, I got a Tekken cabinet with some monitor problems (which amounted to a tweaking of the vertical hold and tightening the wire harness) for free, I just had to haul it away myself.

      It's a cheap hobby. Cheaper by far than collecting Spawn figurines or pokemon cards or 60 bucks a piece PS2 titles, or whatever other lame things slashdotters do for fun.

      I'd much rather have one good original than 10000 pac-man clones. And when I'm sick of it, I sell it.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    6. Re:I HATE emulators by Typingsux · · Score: 1
      I have no mod points to help drag this down. This is about as insightful as George Bush attacking Iraq.

      I for one enjoy immensley the fact of just playing the games on my PC. The emulation is more than close enough, especially with MAME. I also can play ALL my old 80's favorites, not just 3 or 4 taking up a whole room in my house.

      --
      The above post is an editorial, the poster cannot and will not be held responsible for all or in part for it's contents
    7. Re:I HATE emulators by JSkills · · Score: 1
      Learn to read. I didn't gut the Main Event cabinet. I had it. I liked it. It got tired after a few years. I sold it on eBay.

      And buying old full sized games in cabinets is NOT a "cheap hobby". They run several hundred (if not over $1,000) each. I don't think most people have the space or the room for it.

      Cool your 'tude, you'll live longer.

    8. Re:I HATE emulators by Jagasian · · Score: 1

      No doubt, I have the real thing when it comes to my favorite games... and for lesser games I emulate.

    9. Re:I HATE emulators by Jagasian · · Score: 1

      Actually gameplay can change due to slight timing changes in the emulated version. So people that spent decades playing a specific game will be able to "feel" the difference in the gameplay.

    10. Re:I HATE emulators by SamNmaX · · Score: 1
      (Score:-1, Snob)

      Yes, having the original cabinet is nice, along with the original controllers and everything. However, an emulator mixed with a good joystick is going to be nearly as good as the real thing. Unless you only want to play a few of games total, buying the cabinets won't get you very far unless you happen to have a lot of extra cash/space.

  16. Sounds like Videotopia by OECD · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This sounds like the traveling Videotopia exhibit.

    It's quite a hoot to play games you used to rock at. I think they had Pac Man (not a fave of mine), although it's been a year or two since they came to my town.

    --
    One man's -1 Flamebait is another man's +5 Funny.
    1. Re:Sounds like Videotopia by curtisk · · Score: 1

      which happens to be coming to philly on the 20th and 21st of this month as part of the Philly Classic 5 convention

      --

      Sehr geehrter Toilettenbenutzer!

  17. Re:Ten games? Try 200. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Big whoop, 10 games??? I have that many games in my basement. If you want to really play some games, both arcade and console, go to the Philly Classic expo next weekend (3/20-21)
    http://www.phillyclassic.com/
    -Jeff

  18. HACKING video games! by Vo0k · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well, playing them was cool, but I always looked for ways to find hidden possiblities. Not only hidden treasures and easter eggs, but authentic bugs.
    Some way to squeeze through the wall outside the play area, walking endless desert then, or in a space shooter I found a position where I can kill all newly appearing enemies easily and managed to kill them all (yeah, just flew through empty skies without anything to shoot at, until I reset the machine with power switch), or climbing a ladder and shooting some object till I filled my score counter, or trying to earn enough extra lifes that they would overflow the screen...

    It's always fun to (purposedly) crash an "embedded device" :)

    --
    Anagram("United States of America") == "Dine out, taste a Mac, fries"
    1. Re:HACKING video games! by Stitch_626 · · Score: 1

      I used to have a pattern on the first level of the original Pac-Man that would let me pass through the red ghost as he was coming down and I was going up.

      That one would always freak everybody out in the arcade!!!

      --
      Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
  19. Cool... sort of by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 1

    While you would THINK you want to go to something like this, just think about it, and soon you will understand why you don't.

    You will be standing in line for HOURS AND HOURS to play whatever game tickles your pickle. That doesn't sound entertaining to me.

    --

    "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
  20. It's like slashdotting a Pentium 75 server by powerpuffgirls · · Score: 1

    With so many arcade game enthusiasts, wouldn't those playable arcades soon become out-of-service? Even $2.50 per token (now it is 25 cents) won't be enough to cover the costs.

    1. Re:It's like slashdotting a Pentium 75 server by wampus · · Score: 1

      Arcade controls are built to stand up to the most determined punk thirteen year-old bitch. I hardly think that a bunch of game loving geeks would put much wear on these machines.

  21. dude by Naikrovek · · Score: 4, Informative

    hah you can buy an arcade with a MUCH bigger screen for half the price at www.arcade-infinity.com. Looks like the site is down at the moment - if it doesn't return you can google for "Japanese JAMMA cabinet" and that should find you something useful.

    the guy that runs http://arcade.madsmurf.com/ can probably point you towards a cabinet vendor.

    I'm not an owner of that company or investor or anything other than a very happy customer.

    shipping is kind of expensive but the arcade cabs are very cheap in my experience. slap a windows PC in there and a couple bits from www.ultimarc.com (arcadeVGA adapter and the J-PAC) and you have every thing you need but the roms to play thousands of arcade games on this arcade.

    and there are a lot more than one type of cabinet - there are stand-up cabs, sit down cabs, two seater sega cabs, cabinets with dual monitors, cabinets with giant projection screen monitors, all kinds of stuff.

    have a look. they're good stuff.

  22. Re:Classic Arcade Games in northeast MA/southeast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    how the hell is this flamebait?? go to Salisbury Beach and tell me you're not neck-deep in white trash and 1980s arcade games.

  23. Reasonable cabinets in the UK? by mccalli · · Score: 1
    Does anyone know a source for reasonable priced arcade cabinets in the UK? I rather fancy sticking a MAME box together, but don't have the time or inclination to actually build the cabinet.

    Failing that, how easy is it to convert older actual arcade cabinets over? Or is that a "how long is a piece of string"-style question...?

    Cheers,
    Ian

  24. what no link to byoac? by enrico_suave · · Score: 3, Informative

    ArcadeControls.com (BYOAC site) for shame!

    And man is the x-arcade "cabinet" just an ugly expensive bookshelf for a TV and PC with a shelf for one of their undersized controllers, or what?

    E.

    PS I of course like my cabinet better: UberCade =P

    --
    Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
  25. Ouch by netfool · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You know your old when people start putting your old toys in a museum.

    --
    Left 4 Dead Gaming Group - http://www.l4dgg.com
  26. the museum by nomadic · · Score: 1

    The Museum had this exhibit a few years ago. It was kind of cool playing some of the older games, though the selection wasn't huge and some of them were broken. But I'd recommend it anyway, as the rest of the Museum has some really cool interactive exhibits. I'm not even a big fan of movies or TV but I still had a blast.

  27. cabinet designs by Matey-O · · Score: 1

    Has anybody considered building a cabinet for the home? Okay, that's not as stupid a question as it first sounds...I'm thinking a weighted pedistal, a platform for the controls and a slot that would hold a laptop so that the display was held at the appropriate angle.

    You'd end up with a much more visually interesting piece of furniture, and it wouldn't take up as much space as a cabinet. Yes, it doesn't have the back glass artwork, nor does it have the coin slots, but if it's a stand up microswitch joystick experience you want, it seems like you could build a better result.

    --
    "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
    1. Re:cabinet designs by tepples · · Score: 1

      and a slot that would hold a laptop so that the display was held at the appropriate angle.

      Arcade games were designed to look good on a 19" to 27" display. I'm not too sure a 14" laptop display would cut it. I'd suggest a shelf that could accommodate a VCR, a DVD player, a game console, or a closed laptop with a TV output.

      No wait, that's called a "home entertainment center".

  28. Similiar exhibit last year in Europe by enrico_suave · · Score: 1

    FWIW:

    the "Game On" exhibit

    e.

    --
    Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
  29. The Best Collection of Arcade Games and Pinball by Transfan76 · · Score: 4, Informative

    That I know of is at Weirs Beach at FunSpot You name a game, they have it there most likely. From old school Asteroids to new games that you actually have to move your body to play. Anytime I go there it's a blast!

  30. Just buy a junked cabinet by Shiifty · · Score: 5, Informative
    $1000 is steep for a cabinet that doesn't even look like a real arcade machine. You have to add a PC and a TV to make it work.

    You can buy a scrapped cabinet for less than $100, or free if you know where to look. They typically include a coin door which is a real eye catcher, and just need a washing up. Attach a pre-made control panel ($100?) or make your own, drop in a TV + PC and Bob's your uncle.

  31. arcade controls by Eil · · Score: 2, Informative


    Save your link-whoring, Commander. Build Your Own Arcade Controls lists hundreds of documentary pages written by people who've built their own acrade machines or controls.

    I finished my own professional-looking arcade control panel with real arcade machine parts just last week, but I haven't had time to post the info to my website just yet. For those looking for the ultimate arcade experience, you can't beat the feel of the real thing.

  32. X-arcade website = BS. by JavaLord · · Score: 1

    From the X-Arcade Website: Why buy 1 arcade machine like Pac-Man(TM) for $3000

    I'm not sure what a Pac-Man arcade game goes for, but you can get a used Ms. Pac Man around here (NJ/NY-Area) for $300-$500. A Used arcade cabinet in good shape goes for about $100. I've seen used arcade cabinets thrown away before because they were no good for conversion kits (Ie, Nintendo's playchoice).

    1. Re:X-arcade website = BS. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whereabouts in that area, if you don't mind my asking... (eg. I'm from Wayne, anywhere near that?)

      Thanks!

    2. Re:X-arcade website = BS. by JavaLord · · Score: 1

      I've seen them sell at auctions where arcades close for about that much. There was a place on RT 22 in Union or Springfield that used to sell arcade games also, but I think they went out of business. You could try giving 8 on the break a call or e-mail and seeing if they have any machines for sale. A lot of the arcades down the shore, especially in seaside heights seem to always have "for sale" signs on their older games. (They also seem over priced, try to bargin down with them).

      My friend picked up a Ms Pac Man machine a few years ago for about $300 at an auction, fixed it up a bit and put it in a local movie theatre. It's made it's money back many times over.

  33. Rampage? by MalaclypseTheYounger · · Score: 0

    Yeah, but will they have Rampage? That was hands-down my favorite game ever. Monotonous, tedious (especially when those tanks came rolling in) but a large portion of my allowance went into that particular video game as a kid. (As an adult, too, if I can find it the game)... last place I saw a working model was at Starland, in Hanover, Massachusetts.

    --
    Check out the best P2P sharing website: MEDIACHEST.COM
  34. Get Midway Arcade Treasures for PS2 by woody188 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I just picked up Midway Arcade Treasures for the PS2, and it rocks! It has support for the multitap, and comes with great games like:

    Gauntlet
    Joust
    Defender
    Spy Hunter
    Smash TV
    Rampage

    in all, something like 25 titles. It's only $19.95. You can build a cabinet and stick the PS2 in it, and then you can have all these classics for super cheap!

  35. The Museum Rocks by happyfrogcow · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I went there not too long ago, though the subway ride was a pain in the arse from borklyn, er um brooklyn, and flat out broken on the way back (fire someplace nearby in the subway). A lot of interactive stuff, and good for kids and the young at heart. There was (maybe still is) an exhibit of Tim Burton's paintings. Fun stuff too, like making flipbooks of yourself goofing off in front of a camera, making little stop motion animations on computers with little plastic "actors", dubbing your voice over real movie scenes, fiddling with soundtracks, etc. Lots of fun stuff. They also had, for all you trekkies, an exhibit of hundreds of star trek action figures (and other movie/tv action figures).

    1. Re:The Museum Rocks by happyfrogcow · · Score: 1

      Oh, one more thing. They had a huge exhibit of interactive computer art type things. All were usually custom programmed with things varying from openGL and C++ to Flash, or other more obscure systems. They were fun to fiddle with, and usually no wait to hop on and try it.

  36. Try Ground Kontrol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Ground Kontrol downtown Portland Or.

    Old style games at old style prices. And couldn't be in a nicer part of the country. Damn I miss living there.

    1. Re:Try Ground Kontrol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Ground Kontrol rules. They have a ton of great 'classics' plus a huge selection of atari/nintendo roms.

    2. Re:Try Ground Kontrol by El+Destructo · · Score: 1

      (Disclaimer: I co-own and operate GK, so this qualifies as shameless self-promotion)

      Yes, Ground Kontrol has all but one of the Blip exhibit's games and about 50 more. Our goal is to present arcade gaming's "greatest hits", spanning the decades, all for .25 a play in a true arcade environment, as originally intended.

      At the old-timer 'museum' end of the spectrum, we're refurbishing a 1973 QuadraPong. It's the first cocktail table game and only the third Atari produced. It's so early, the screen is a modified off-the-shelf B&W television!

      At the top end, we've got Gauntlet: Dark Legacy and San Francisco Rush: The Rock. And, in the middle, plenty of golden-age (1980-1982) classics. Pinball, too.

      We have some big names in the arcade preservation hobby involved, and the place is looking good. If you live anywhere west of the Rockies, please do pay a visit. It's a lot cheaper than driving to NYC. ;-)

    3. Re:Try Ground Kontrol by El+Destructo · · Score: 1
      They have a ton of great 'classics' plus a huge selection of atari/nintendo roms.

      And our ROMs come complete with free plastic shells and labels!

      In other words, we sell the original cartridges. Just making sure Nintendo of America doesn't get the wrong idea ;-)

      -El D.

  37. Whoa ... by Sarrek · · Score: 1

    DUDE .. That Cabinet Rocks! WTG Taco-man !

  38. ok, who's gonna sue that guy first? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Origin or Compaq?

  39. Re:Classic Arcade Games in northeast MA/southeast by Peale · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually, a better place is FunSpot in Weirs Beach, NH. Something like 180 classic arcade games, in one room. I'm really looking forward to my next trip there.

    You can get discount coupons on their tokens, so games cost something like .08 a play, instead of a quarter

  40. Homemade Cabinet by z0ink · · Score: 2, Informative

    Making your own cabinet at home really isn't all that hard. I set out to do this about a year ago and accomlished the goal rather nicely + cheaply. All together the physical building costs only ran about 200 dollars (wood, paint, bits, blades, brushes, etc). The arcade controls, all purchased from Happ, are entirely authentic. It was nice to know I could purchase the same controls that are used in the arcades today. They have a minimum order of $50, so make sure you order all of your items at once. 2 dozen buttons, 2 ultimate joysticks, marquee holder + 25" screen bezel only ran about 85$. I got some of the items on sale, but they always seem to have a sale running so finding a good deal usually isn't a problem. Getting the dual mechanism coin door wasn't as much fun, but after some hunting i found a used one for 20$ and did a little refurbishing to get rid of the knicks and scratches. I managed to get a 25" TV set on sale for $112, so that was a rather good buy. I wouldn't suggest spending the 700$ for a 25" arcade monitor + harness kit. If you put a half decent machine in you can emulate most of the feature of the arcade monitor. I already had a half-decent machine laying around doing nothing, but i needed something to hook the controls upto the PC with. At first i tried to go cheap and create my own controller via hardwiring the controls to a hacked keyboard controller, but due to size restrictions that didn't go so well. I wasn't too excited about paying $100 for a commercial keyboard controller, so i opted for the iPac controller for $50 built especially for those who want to make their own cabinets. I'm not sure if they sell them anymore, but they can usually be found on ebay. All said and done the final cost was probably about $450 for some more finishing items and a one or two mess-ups for my own "authentic" black 6'2" 25" arcade cabinet. I'd like to eventually get some artwork made up and printed out, but the cost of getting them printed on vinyl is a bit too steep for my tastes. For the serious arcade emulation enthusiast with a bit of pocket change to spare this is a really good alternative than spending $2000-$3000 dollars on a manufactured cabinet. It might not be computer cut, but there is always that wonderful feeling of "yah, not only that, but i built the thing" afterwards. Something to cherish for years to come.

    --
    Steal This Sig
  41. Arcades still around by geekpuppySEA · · Score: 1
    For a few years in Seattle - probably from 1999 to 2002 - there was an arcade called Hi-Score that had a few of these classic games and some pinball machines. Great fun and they capitalized on the same market that'll go see the museum show.

    It was on Pine street on Cap Hill. An artist friend had painted their sign. Ahh, back in the days...

    --
    Intelligent Design: because MATH is HARD.
  42. ROMs are NOT Illegal! (necessarily) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    http://www.consoleclassix.com/

    Try reading their "legal" section. It's none of that "24 hours" BS, but some advice they got from the lawyers they've hired.

    Note that they also let you play NES and Atari games for free, whereas you can play unlimited SNES and Genesis games for a monthly fee (fair disclosure: I went there after the first Slashdot story on the site, I donated/helped out until I became a "charter member" and I now have free, unlimited service)

    Also, while I don't think that ConsoleClassix has any, there are "fan made" ROMs which should be free of copyright issues, provided you have the author's permission to use said ROM. (Note that there are also "hacks" and translations wherein someone has patched or translated an existing ROM. While the patch itself is probably legal, provided you have permission to use it, you still need to respect the copyright on the original ROM.)

    Oh, one last disclaimer: IANAL.

  43. COSI Columbus, too. by BlisterMackwell · · Score: 1
    If you live in the midwest, you can see something like this at COSI (the Center of Science & Industry museum) in Columbus, Ohio.

    From their website:

    COSI has redesigned the SimZone exhibit area. Play Pong, Asteroids and all of your favorite classic video games, while learning the history, science and technology that makes it all possible. The new and improved SimZone is located outside i|o on the first floor. All games are free.
  44. Re:Instead of buying the x-arcade cabinet - Wha? by Havokmon · · Score: 1
    Rescue an unloved genuine arcade cabinet,

    Yes! It's always great to have a new person get addicted

    pop in a PC made out of all those bits and pieces you have lying around your house and join them together with bits from http://www.ultimarc.com/ Appreciate that special aroma in your home and the genuine cigartte burns around the joysticks

    WHAT?!? a PC?! Blasphmer! Back you savage!

    --
    "I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)
  45. Online 80's Games by Valiss · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Classic 80's games can be played here too:

    http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/games.html

    --

    -Valiss
  46. One weekend? Try 52. by Joseph+Vigneau · · Score: 2, Informative

    Big whoop, one weekend? If you want to really play some agmes, go to FunSpot in Laconia NH any time of year.

  47. Not that much by Orien · · Score: 2, Informative

    Well it all depends on what games you want to be able to play, and how many parts you already have. I got my cab from a local retro arcade for $50. It still had the coin door, the neon light, the speaker, and all the buttons and such. It used to be a Street Fighter II cab so it has 2 players with 6 buttons each. Then I took an old 166 mhz Pentium and put that inside running Wind98. That cost me zero. Instead of investing in a TV I used a 17' monitor that someone had given to me. At first I did my own keyboard hack for the controls, but after having troubles I bought an ipac from ultimarc for $50 (that includes shipping from the UK to USA). Add on another $50 for random hardware parts that I didn't think I would need and I invested a whopping $150 in my arcade machine. It will play all the '80s classics like Pac-Man, Frogger, Galaga, Donky Kong, etc just fine. If that is all you want to play, then that is all you need to invest. However, I really wanted to play Street Fighter II since that was "my game" back in the day. I found that it (and all the other similar fighter games of that time period) runs great on a Pentium II 350 mhz with 128 megs of ram. If you want to play more modern arcade games, I suggest you get something like a 1 ghz Athlon. People are practically tossing them away these days and it will play any Mame game that I have tried. Any game that bogs down a ghz box is new enough that there isn't going to be any nestalgia with it, and you might as well be playing it on your Playstation or whatever. In a $1000 premade arcade cab, half the price is the computer in it, and they give you WAY more than you need.

    --

    SCO.com uses Linux

  48. NY? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you'd like to play classic arcade games from the 1980s, then it might be time for you to take a trip to New York

    Or, you could take a trip to Nebraska where everything is still the 80's.

  49. Or in NH, AK, CA, TX..... by Zlorfik · · Score: 1

    The greatest classic arcade in the country is in Weirs Beach, NH, known as Funspot. It contains over 170 different classic games and has been site to Twin Galaxies tournaments over the years. For a place near you, check out the classic arcade locations site.

  50. Mrs. Pacman tables too by ShadowRage · · Score: 1

    I remember going to a place in Murfreesboro, TN (dont live in that part of the US anymore, thank god)
    to a place called whitt's barbeque, they had a Mrs. Pacman table there, you looked down and played, it was cool, hmm, if I make an arcade cabinet, I might just cheat and find one of these tables.

  51. Gound Kontrol Does This Everyday by bLACKtAG · · Score: 1

    They Already have Arcades like this without the need for special occasions! same old ONE QUARTER per play too. Those of you in Portland, OR should all check out GROUND KONTROL. for a good time

  52. For those Adventurous Folks by Sir_Dill · · Score: 2, Informative
    Check out Build Your Own Arcade Controls

    Its a great place to start and an almost bottomless supply of links to vendors and parts sources. There are about a dozen or more arcade cabinet plans out there on the net and at least as many companies offering a far better product than the X-Arcade stuff.

    Gratuitous links:
    Lusid's arcade flashback
    Cocktail Cab Plans

    Happy Slashdotting!

  53. Re:Classic Arcade Games in northeast MA/southeast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No problem, so long as you also use terms like nigger, spic, gook, wop, kike, etc.

    Or is your hatred limited to yourself?

  54. You don't need to go to NYC... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...just to the local pizza parlor or bowling alley. Well the ones near me still have these machines in NJ

  55. Re:Classic Arcade Games in northeast MA/southeast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is ok to call poor whites "white trash", but expressly forbidden to call poor blacks "ghetto garbage"

  56. Arcade Cabinet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It was interesting to see the cost of the arcade cabinet at ~$1100. I bought a used MK3 for $300 at a local arcade auction and a jamma connector from http://www.ultimarc.com/jpac.html. After connecting up the wires and some soldering, I was up and running with arcadeos from www.mameworld.com. I have over 3K of mame titles and it runs like a champ. The coins slots even work. I am running a 98 machine with the arcade OS as the shell. Can't even tell that it is not an arcade machine once a game is selected :)

  57. informative: KLOV by bstil · · Score: 1

    For a web database of video games, check out KLOV, Killer List Of Video games.

    The page for Pac-Man is here.

  58. ah.... memories by bstil · · Score: 1

    This photo from the exhibition sure brings back memories about arcades.... I hope visitors have to put in quarters for each play.

    The standard rule at the arcade was placing a quarter on the machine for "next game". Ah... such memories.

  59. SLASHDOT = WIRED L33CH3RS by guyjr · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Jeez... what do you lame /.'ers do all day long, read WIRED.COM and post their stories over here?? This is the second one today! Get a life!

  60. If You Are Ever In Orlando, Pop Into Disney Quest by TAZ6416 · · Score: 1

    http://www.disneyquest.com has a floor dedicated to old classic arcade games that are free to play (well, not free as you pay an entry fee to get in there, but you get my drift) :) I had to get dragged out of the old Star Wars cabinet last time was there. Jonathan

  61. Re:Ten games? Try 200. by badasscat · · Score: 1

    Ten games? Come to the yearly California Extreme and see all those plus another 190 vids and pins.

    I think you're slightly missing the point. This is the American Museum of the Moving Image. It's a very large museum dedicated not just to video games but also to film and television (and related industries). It is across the street from a working television studio (the studio where they filmed the most recent Cosby show, and whatever Whoopee Goldberg's last bit of TV nonsense was), and AFAIK the studio is part of the various walking tours that the museum gives on occasion.

    In other words, this is a small exhibit at a respected mainstream museum. I don't think the suggestion is that this is the definitive collection of classic video games. I think the story here is that a museum of this stature has recognized video games as being on the same level creatively as anything else we've done in moving visual arts. Of course, it's not the first time this museum has done this - just a year or so ago there was an exhibit that included games like Rez and other more avant-garde stuff. But an exhibit dedicated to classic games is obviously going to go further in capturing mainstream attention, since we all remember Asteroids and the like.

    Anyway, this is akin to when we first started seeing comic book artists get featured at MoMA. You could just go to a comic book store and see more comic book art than MoMA could ever fit inside an exhibit, but that's not the point. The point is it's freakin' MoMA, for christ's sake, and they're showing comic book art. It lends the form a certain legitimacy. This is recognition that video games are both culturally and artistically relevant - not that many of us really needed convincing of that, but it's still nice when an institution like this does it.

  62. Arcades that have classic games in Manhattan by veganjay · · Score: 1

    You don't need to take the subway to Queens. I was in Manhattan the past weekend and played some classic games:

    Chinatown Fair Arcade has Jr. Pacman, Arakanoid, Ms. Pacman/Galaga combo, Ms. Pacman bootleg, Missile Command/Centipede combo, and tons of fighter games.

    The arcades in Times Square (Broadway City and Lazer Park) also have some classic games.

  63. Re:Classic Arcade Games in northeast MA/southeast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's worth the trip, as long as white trash doesn't bother you.

    It's people who use the term "white trash" that bother me.

  64. Zero Wing? by InfiniteWisdom · · Score: 1

    Please tell me Zero Wing will be there!!!

  65. Re:Similiar exhibit last year in Europe by DZign · · Score: 1

    I've been there when it was in the Netherlands,
    great exhibition !
    Not only a lot of games to play (I forgot how much
    fun fighting games were) but what also interested
    me was the originel art they also had on display.
    (ie drawings for Monkey Island)

    --
    Learn about pinball machines on www.flippers.be