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I think this is key. As long as arcades offer something you can't get at home, they will thrive. It's probably not much of a coincidence that when Atari was market leader, they saw to it that their home console were inferior to their arcade systems, that way they could foster that symbiotic relationship. Nintendo too, the NES was notably inferior to arcade machines of its era. Coleco had no such vested interest in arcades though, so it didn't directly hurt them if their ports caused arcade traffic to dwindle.

There are all kinds of VR experiences available, some conversions of existing games, some not. No idea what games would actually go into the arcade. I did try Battlezone VR though. It was pretty cool, and very arcady. But this move only makes sense. Home videogames only really took off after people tried the games in the arcades. VR likewise needs people to try it before it can really gain the sales.

Lol at all the fighting game hate in the thread. I thought I was the only one who didn't like them I think there's a cyclical nature to arcades. Even before the video game golden age, there were pinball arcades, and penny arcades before that. They are popular for awhile, mostly fade, then comeback with a new form of entertainment-- repeat.

I've seen some of those in my area. really cool! But further out in the burbs where I live, there's nothing like that. Our shopping and entertainment options have been shrinking for years.

but then why promise specific titles if their release was contingent on the sales of others? Leave it at "starting with Mail Order Monsters, Racing Destruction Set, Ultima IV with more to follow"

Check out modern arcades like Dave and Busters. Full of nothing but brand-new machines-- so there are companies doing this. I think the real problem is the older arcades aren't making the money so aren't investing in new systems and doing minimal maintenance to keep the old ones running.

I just ran across this article. Maybe if you get tired of the claw games and scaled up mobile games, you can spend your coins on VR games? http://www.growngaming.com/news/playstation-vr-coming-arcade/

definitely! My friend had a 2600 long before I did. Everytime he got a new game, we'd play the hell out of it, even if it was something really simple like Freeway or Fishing Derby- Would be hours of entertainment. We'd even sometimes make up our own funny narratives to explain what was happening in the game which provided even more fun. When you have hundreds of games at your fingertips, you probably won't spend much time playing games like that.

Then the answer is 84-86

yup! and this could be a whole other topic- Seems like many of our old favorite retail and entertainment options are disappearing with nothing to replace them. Are people really content to stay in and shop on and be entertained by our phones? Or is the stage being set for an explosion of new entertainment and shopping options (that offer experiences online shopping can't?)

I did as well, but that doesn't mean we bought one. too expensive and computers seemed more compelling

There were different phases. In the early 80s it seemed like they were popping up in every strip mall, and a few years later most of them were gone, so to me that felt like the death of arcades. Of course you could still find them at the beach, big malls, Chuck E Cheese, amusement parks after that. But by the 2000s, it seemed like everything in the still existing arcades was dated technology. But now arcades seem like they are in a resurgence, with places like Dave & Busters and other places having a whole new breed of arcade games

or so they thought. Both the Colecovision and 5200 launched with the promise of 'near arcade quality' graphics, and neither exactly did well. And Zaxxon ended up in the bargain bin

Prices at Kaybee toys were so frequently marked down in red ink that I used to wonder if the price tags weren't just printed that was and it was just a psychological sales trick. Those do look hand-written though.

Holy Crap! $126 in today's dollars.

Perhaps so. But I do recall that 1985 was a year when it seemed like almost nothing was coming to Atari. I think there was still skepticism among publishers whether Tramiel could turn Atari around, whether the 8-bit would still be supported, so they were waiting and seeing. This letter was in 86 when it was looking like yes, the new Atari was actually delivering with new XE and ST models. So it may have happened anyway, but it's good PR to say "it's all thanks to your letters". Still, only about half those promised games got delivered.

Forgive my ignorance about the old display technologies, but I always recall seeing graphics/text on TV shows in the CRT days that had smaller typefaces than the computers could do, yet they didn't turn all green/purple/orange at the edges like the text on our computers was prone too?

Vinyl was big enough that record companies started issuing albums on vinyl again to meet demand. You can buy turntable hardware again. I honestly don't think desire for physical controls is as niche as you say. A lot of people won't even play current mobile games because of the controls.

Things have a way of coming back especially when you lose something in the name of progress. People thought game consoles were dead because of computers in the 80s, but computers lost the cartridge simplicity and low price points, so consoles came back. And who expected to see such a vinyl resurgence? Many feel that digital audio lost something. Nintendo Switch seems to be selling quite well, so I think there Is an appetite not being served by pure touch-screen devices.

I knew that would come up. Yes you can pair BT controllers, but it's not convenient. You want to take these things on a trip, you have to pack the device, plus a controller that's larger than the device itself. And unless you have a mount of some sort, you end up holding the device in one hand and the controller in the other. There wasn't a huge cry for touch screens either, but they came out and people bought them. Products often create demand. After 40 years of playing videogames with physical controllers, I find it hard to believe there's no more demand for such things.

It's like this. Sony and Nintendo used to provide portable game units that were quite popular. They were bought by gamers and also by parents to keep their kids occupied. Then the mobile revolution happened, and parents started buying tablets/kindles/ipads or whatever for their kids instead of the mobile game devices. That lead to Sony's Vita selling below expectations. However gamers hate these things for gaming because of poor controls. Many would like to see another Vita. But a company like Sony needs to have a reason to believe a new device wouldn't just flop also. What the hybrid android device would do is helps tap back into the half of the market those game devices lost to tablets/phones (parents buying things to keep kids occupied) because it can do everything they can do, plus it provides exclusive features and content to make them more desirable than the run-of-the-mill android device. The interest in the switch shows there still is still interest in mobile devices that aren't pure tablets. I can't guarantee it will work, but I really do think there is an appetite for good controls in the mobile space in a convenient form factor

Are you kidding? Try loading an emulator and classic games (for instance) on a tablet and play them with the touch controls. Chances are you die because your fingers slipped off the joypad area or buttons. There are lots of games that touchscreen provides poor control for.

Nvidia is a primarily known as a graphics company, not a game company. Lots of non-game companies tried putting out game units out and failed. To be done properly, it needs to be done by someone like Sony or MS, with an established software ecosystem and credibility in gaming. Touch screen only works for certain kinds of games. I find it hard to believe the future of mobile gaming must be limited to touch screen, or whatever Nintendo does. I think there's a demographic not being served there.

Yes. I remember buying Ultima III and Zaxxon there, and they still had the game counter. It had to be 84 or later, because I didn't own a disk drive until they got deeply discounted post-Tramiel. It was probably mid 85 to be honest. Of course those were computer games, I can't recall about console games. Game selection was dwindling though.

I can't think of anything outside of the educational/productivity stuff, and Atari Program Exchange games. The mainstream arcade ports Atari did were almost all on cartridge I think to reach the widest audience possible.