We're back in the 80's: the arcade machine that upgraded our office

The arcade world is experiencing a significant decline with today's technological advancements, in part because of smartphones, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo consoles. Now Arcade1Up is trying to bring these machines into your home and offices. We tested the new machine that brought us a taste of the past

We're back in the 80's: the arcade machine that upgraded our office

Remember the great arcade games of the 20th century? Whether it was Miss Peckman or the huge pinball games, which still pop up occasionally in old restaurants. I remember the arcade games actually from my childhood family vacations, right at the end of the era of the transition to PlayStation games, and even then it was another kind of antique. The arcade world is experiencing a significant decline with today's technological advances, whether it be games on smartphones or the new consoles from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, which currently dominate the market. However, a small company called Arcade1Up refuses to let the genre die, and in recent years it has been developing the modern version of those machines.

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In fact, Arcade1Up machines have been trying to restore almost one to one of those machines from thirty years ago, but technology has changed little since then, of course. Instead of the huge, and fully-filled wooden boxes, this new arcade machine comes with a small computer and a screen connected together by a few single wires and a wooden body. The joysticks are identical and each of the machines boasts authentic pieces of art that match their original game - the options are Mortal Kombat, Pac Man and Street Fighter games - and are sold together with a raised base to make them feel more authentic or, more clearly, your height. So far, such machines have been expensive, difficult to obtain and heavy, and many have been unable to justify the cost and investment of searching and transporting such a machine.

So it's true that once my parents would probably close this corner with a 20-shekel bill and a lot of patience for me, these machines were in public places and accompanied by queues and conditions much more difficult than home comforts. And to some extent it is also a little difficult to justify NIS 1,999 for this machine, which can only be purchased on a bug network. It does not offer any future upgrade, but allows you to play the same games over and over again. If you want to play another, you must invest in another machine - or console.

The Arcade Machine (Photo: Amit Lego)

Mortal Kombat Arcade (Photo: Amit Lego, Walla System! NEWS)

How difficult is the installation?

Those who purchased original arcades found that high technical ability and one glitch were required to make such a dream a disappointment. The installation itself is fairly simple, and the boxes are huge with everything you need along with very detailed instructions. The only thing you'll need is a screwdriver, but a screwdriver will definitely speed things up. In just under an hour, my editor and I were able to assemble the machine in the office and turned it on for the first time to the rapturous voices of the other Spice employees who were themselves waiting to experiment. And the truth that the assembly in itself was just as enjoyable as what came next.

I will also add that the assembly does not require any technical or knowledge in electronics or mechanics. It is no different from an IKEA furniture assembly. We simply followed the instructions that were detailed and full of illustrations, along with very clear markings on which bolts should go where and wooden plates should fit at any given moment.

Hours of fun

The machine we got was Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - a two-dimensional beating game, probably among the best known in this genre of the gaming world. The games remained the same as the original, and as far as the use of arcade machine controllers is concerned, everything is exactly as it was when the games first came out. How close is this machine to the original? It's unclear if the 17-inch LCD panel screen is HD or not, but it doesn't matter, since these games came well before this era, and even the speakers, or more specifically the speakers, operate alone. All this and the vintage design of the machine with the game stickers made it feel particularly nostalgic.

The Arcade Machine (Photo: Amit Lego)

Mortal Kombat Arcade (Photo: Amit Lego, Walla System! NEWS)

Within a few moments of the assembly being over, we had already seen a large number of office tournaments, and even random games at the lunch break. A great enthusiasm was definitely recorded for the record and with it, of course, an interest in the product itself. You can play in single player or two player mode, and control the volume of the machine using the buttons. Everything else, both the gaming and navigation experience, remained very much the same as the token-demanding machines of yesteryear. With the arcade, you can undoubtedly spend hours of fun.

The arcade is undoubtedly fun and is a simple solution for a niche looking for something like this. It requires no prior technological knowledge, and in fact comes in pre-prepared packaging, and all it requires is a simple one-hour maximum assembly. However, the games can be found in many places on the Internet, of course with little tinkering with something called "emulator", to simulate the consoles of yesteryear. And with a relatively cheap purchase of controllers from sites like eBay or Amazon, you can have an almost similar experience. You pay your money for the design, construction and nostalgia involved with the device. Is it worth NIS 1,999? The office probably has a home, probably not.