Mini Arcade Alert!

[7800fan]

So can it be easily hacked to have a Pi in place of a NOAC? As in the LCD can be left intact?

[simbalion]

I love that picture of the games displayed at the show. Looks a bit like old times when handheld games were still players in the gaming and toy world.

[Tanooki]

Someone pointed out a disturbing thing I didn't really notice as I didn't look very hard at the time at the image (or they blew it up) but the Astroids and Frogger units appear to potentially be using the craptastic LCDs of #1 and 2. If they're doing that bs again I'm not paying more than $5 maybe $10 at best. I'd rather blow $20 on a couple Tiger 80s handhelds that converted solid NES/Arcade games -- gauntlet, paperboy, etc.

[simbalion]

The Frogger and Asteroids units might just be mock-ups, so the jury is still out on these. With the way they all seem to keep selling out at stores around here, (yes, even the first two are moving sales again it seems) they will probably do ok either way. Still, I hope they keep the advancements of Centipede and Qbert for further models.

[Tanooki]

I feel the same way but it's a valid concern. They look like the 3/4 model but the little screens reflectiveness looks like the lame mono 'tiger' style LCDs which is bad.

[Tartfox]

Went to multiple Wal-Marts and couldn't find a single Q*Bert. Thankfully a friend from out of town was able to snag a Q*Bert in their area for me. Looking forward to playing it once I get my hands on it.

 

Hmmm, no interest in Frogger or Asteroids (already have the Coleco Frogger) but if they sell well I hope they continue to make these mini arcades. My hope is that they release a Pengo version as well. Wishful thinking.

[Tartfox]

Been playing the Q*Bert today and it's great, so nice to have a mini arcade cabinet featuring the complete, full color Q*Bert game. I still wish they had kept the original arcade sound effects such as his hops and when he blurts out obscenities- those added to the charm of the original game. The substituted sound effects aren't nearly as memorable. I'm also not a fan of the game not showing your high score once it's game over. Besides those issues, it's a worthwhile purchase.

 

Now if only a company could make tabletop pinball machines with all the bells and whistles of a modern full size pinball machine.

Edited February 26, 2017 by Tartfox

[onmode-ky]

I ran across footage recorded by a NY Toy Fair 2017 attendee of their tour of The Bridge Direct's booth. The part relevant to this thread starts at about the 2:00 mark and runs for roughly 1 minute. Their Asteroids prototype wasn't functional at the time, unfortunately, but their Frogger prototype was demoed briefly.

 

Mini Arcade Frogger in the same screen graphic styles you seen on Qbert and Centipede

They may make that claim, but their Toy Fair prototype looks to me like a color icon-based LCD game, rather than one using a pixel-matrix LCD. It seems to have discrete, "stop-motion" screen changes rather than smooth animation. A step back after what they did with Q*bert and Centipede.

 

The footage, to my dismay, never shows off the 10-in-1 Atari 2600 plug-n-play that's in the background. It seems to just sit at the game selection menu, which at least is enough to prove that it isn't a reuse of Jakks Pacific's software or internal hardware, though it certainly looks like it's reusing Jakks' molds for the form factor. But again, what is the point of selling that system now, when AtGames' Atari Flashback (and Atari Flashback Portable) offers so much more? Is it just super cheap in comparison? And why why why have Warlords on a single-joystick-only system?

 

onmode-ky

[Tanooki]

Aww shit I see what you mean. I also recognize that Frogger too. I'll leave it up to anyone who wants to youtube that sucker, but 10 years ago Excalibur games put out a tabletop Coleco clone and at least 2 handheld (form factor, same screen/electronics) handheld version as well. It looks, sounds and plays identical to what that woman was pushing buttons on in that clip.

 

They basically stepped back to a cheaper VFD setup that Excalibur used for both Frogger and Space Invaders a decade ago. Look at the rest of the clip, they've decided to infect also the existing games of Centipede and Q-Bert with this bullshit too and it looks in particular like a nasty little downgrade. I think to cover up their cheapness they went back to their model 1 devices and threw the arcade audio in there to try and pacify people. NOT COOL.

 

I'm sure it's perhaps cheaper with a screen like that over a cheap LCD and a NOAC board, but come on...seriously? It now makes me question if they will even release Asteroids as it was an empty shell. If that one does come out, it has the same body/screen as Centipede and Frogger, but I don't ever recall a crappy VFD made of Asteroids now or in the 80s, was it? Frogger, Q-Bert, and Centipede could play reasonably well like that, but Asteroids I don't know.

[Tartfox]

Yikes. That Frogger does indeed look like the Excalibur tabletop that was released sometime ago, and the Q*Bert they showed in that video looks odd as well. Do they plan on re-releasing the Q*Bert game with lesser tech in the future? Why take a step back when their current Centipede and Q*Bert models are absolutely fantastic? Does this have to do with poor sales, or do they just love to experiment?

Edited April 11, 2017 by Tartfox

[Tanooki]

Yes they do, that's their late summer lineup for 2017. Re-releasing Centipede and Q-Bert with 'Excalibur' style dated modern VFD tech apparently using arcade sounds (like their Tiger ghetto 2015 model units of Pac-Man and Space Invaders which not too coincidentally use the same slimmer plastic cabinet body too.) And then Frogger is a straight up copy, would not be surprised if they just licensed the tech/R&D if theirs to just save time and $ and then adapted it to Asteroids which is not working but also has the same body shell/screen you can see in the video despite being off.

 

They've decided to reinvent both 2005 and 1981 all over again. Assholes, cheap cheap assholes. Yeah I'm not being nice about it because it's a kick in the nuts. I'm glad I got the Centipede and Q-Bert I have before they vanish them from stores so people have time to forget before the downgrades arrive.

 

Don't get me wrong, I've got DK, DKJr, PacMan and Zaxxon Coleco tabletops and Nintendo's Popeye too, and have had MB's VFD of Q-Bert as well all in the last 5 week(zaxxon) to 5 years and others in the past. I like it as it's colorful, basic but challenging. I've never had the Coleco Frogger as I had the Excalibur tabletop and 2 variants of the handheld (2nd hand flea finds on those little ones) and I liked them a lot too even with the high score saves. But to take a really cool and cheap to make device, and then dumb it down for the same price is just wrong. Ha they never made what is on my desk a foot away from my computer I'd be jazzed and in line to buy the 4 of them, but like this I'm between angry and conflicted. I want Asteroids and Frogger, but it's like rewarding them for being skinflint cheapskates. I'd rather buy them used second hand a 6-12mo later than give them a penny.

 

It seems inexcusable to me when that Dreamgear company can put out those teeny tabletop arcade cabs which also come in a little horizontal handheld form or a little a/v cable to the TV setup with like 100 homebrew games for like $20-30, and we end up with this lone downgrade in the same range.

[Glen's Retro Show]

To answer 7800Fan:

 

[+save2600]

To answer 7800Fan:

https://youtu.be/bekhMmc6iUU

Wow, those minicades you built are awesome! Any chance you offer such a service if someone wanted to send in one of their little machines to be modded?

[Glen's Retro Show]

Hi save2600.

 

Well, that was originally my plan..But they were much ..Much more work involved then I had anticipated. But I will be posting a video on #1, how to construct the hardware in the basic fun Pac-Man and basic fun Space Invaders, and a second video on how to configure the software to work with the controls and the rest of the system. In fact, this evening on my channel I just uploaded episode number 2.7 where the Pac-Man and Space Invaders were finally completely finished... A long process...So keep an eye out on the build videos

 

Thanks again for the kind words.

Glen

GLEN'S RETRO SHOW

[Akito01]

It looks like the new versions of Centipede and Qbert may be out in the wild. I just came across a YouTube video of a girl showing off the revamped Centipede. It's weird because just this past weekend I got a Centipede that still has the 7800/NES version of the game. Even though I hate the squatter and thinner build of these downgraded machines, I find myself really attracted in a nostalgic way to that glowing LCD style gameplay. I'm curious to see how they approach that Asteroids game they intend to release in the fall.

 

[Tanooki]

Gah...f'ing terrible. I'm glad I got the ones with the legit screens on them. Sickens me they cheaped out reissuing those games in a crappier format and then the newer stuff to come will be just as crappy too. I was wanting Asteroids but if it's like that I wouldn't probably pay more than $5-10 max for something like that, definitely not worth $20 by any stretch. And I say this with a tomytronic pac-man sitting right next to my qbert and centipede from those guys. Bah.

[+thanatos]

I just lucked out and found the good LCD versions of Centipede and Q*Bert at a nearby Wal-Mart. Wasn't even looking for them, just spotted them on a shelf!

Maybe I should have bought the rest out, since they were both still $20 and ebay seems to be a little more.

[Tanooki]

I wouldn't be surprised if they go up a little in value once the crappy downgrades with sampled arcade audio replace them at retail. You never can tell how it will roll.

[Jess Ragan]

Yeah, that looks pretty shitty for sure. Nostalgia only goes so far... I like that old arcade feel, but I sure don't like having to go back to jumpy VFD displays if it's not necessary.

[Tanooki]

The sick thing, had they never made #3 and #4 as they are, there would be not one single valid complaint online about it because they'd be improving upon the original #1 and #2 with the Tiger like LCDs and arcade audio, because now it would be beefed up to Coleco tabletop level. Now it's like going from one of those little walgreens/toys r us bought mini arcade box screens from dreamgear down to Coleco 1982. Unacceptable. It just screams to me that they're being tight fisted cheapskates.

 

They're using a NOAC in them as it stands, and the upcoming Asteroids newbie and Frogger, they both had 7800 representations that could have been given the same treatment with some minor asset tweaks like Q-Bert (removing NES instruction screen, title copyright) and Centipede did.

[NinjaWarrior]

Why did they downgrade?

[Tanooki]

I don't know, and I don't imagine a really good chance of asking them and getting the answer either. It would be more cheap to do a VFD and sampled audio than setting up a LCD like that with a NOAC for a one shot game would be my guess. Also the frame of the original and these new ones is also smaller as it's not as deep which means saving more on plastic too.

[JBerel]

From looking at the company's comment feedback on their facebook page, it seems like they are making two versions of the recent and future mini arcade models. One for general distribution, and one (the NOAC LCD version) for walmart. I expect that to be the case because even the original Pacman and Space Invaders units had a few design variations and packaging differences depending on the sales outlet. I don't know why they would release a low profile 4 color Centipede LED version after the arcade cab LCD version if that's not been their plan all along.

 

I'm hoping for a Ms. Pacman or color Pacman cabinet design soon. Still wonderin why nobody had produced a mini cab with an SD card slot yet. That would sell like hotcakes.

Edited July 7, 2017 by JBerel

[Flojomojo]

Hotcakes are not selling well at all.

[Tanooki]

Look I truly hope you're right about that. If they still have the non-cheapo streak in them and stick with he NOAC color LCD good versions of the games I'll buy them if it means going to Walmart, but 80s LCD tech with ripped arcade samples, no way at all.

 

I agree if someone made a little cab the size of these things on my desk with that screen size, just 2 or 3 buttons to keep it simple and a joystick I bet it would sell like crazy. I'd buy one if it was easy to set up.