For $400, You Can Make Your Home Into A Classic Arcade
Imagine twelve arcade booths in one. That's exactly what Tastemakers and Arcade1Up have accomplished with its latest package, the Projectorade. The arcade booth/projector machine allows retro gaming fans to recreate arcade experiences from inside their own homes with twelve arcade classics: "Pacman," "Pacmania," "Pac-Land," "Rally-X," "Galaga," "Gaplus," "Galaga 88," "Dig Dug," "Xevious," "Rolling Thunder," "Dragon Spirt," and "Mappy." QVC currently has the item on sale for $400 on its website.
It isn't exactly cheap, but it's a bargain for a bundle of arcade games, complete with a modern machine that makes the titles playable at home. Each purchase includes a projector, gaming deck, HDMI cable, and power cable for setup options.
Normally, if you wanted to play these games at a booth, you'd need to visit a local arcade or have twelve arcade cabinets in your home (and plenty of quarters, of course). However, the Arcade1Up Projectorade gives you a number of options. You can project a number of games to play on your wall or plug into a TV for a more traditional home gaming experience.
It's up to the users to determine whether or not they'd prefer the games displayed on a screen instead of a wall. Players using a projector will likely need access to a plain-colored wall so that participants can see as clearly as possible.
A little bit of background on arcade gaming
Players have access to all kinds of games with the Projectorcade, including side-scrollers, shooters. Many of these titles should be familiar to retro gaming fans. "Pac-Man" stars a circular yellow man as he avoids hostile ghosts and eats fruit in a winding maze. "Galaga" is a shoot 'em up game where the player blasts at incoming spaceships. "Xevious" is another high-flying shooter that inspired the creation of the famous Konami Code. Of course, most of these games are better played than explained.
Some of these retro games have been remade or revamped, or have otherwise been ported to newer consoles. For example, Nintendo recently released "Pac-Man 99" (a modern battle royale version of the old game) for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Still, these ports don't exactly replicate the arcade experience without the feel of a booth or sticks.
The Projectorade is only the latest in Arcade1Up's reinvented classic cabinets. In an interview with Ars Technica, Tastemakers CEO Scott Bachrach explained that the business started by reconstructing smaller arcade cabinets. Essentially, the original booths were uncomfortably large for homes and businesses, so they made smaller, updated versions that were a better fit for residential use. From there, the company received licenses from Namco and other publishers to sell their games with their machinery. Who knows how they'll innovate the home arcade experience next?