Mini Arcade Alert!

[negative1]

17 hours ago, Tanooki said:

So kind of dumb luck, but went into this close by overstock/returns style store, and bumped into what was supposed to be an overstock new arcade1up countertop for Galaga, figures, when I got home, it had a high score on it and a missing manual, but whatever $60 is a good price.

 

I was wondering, is there a way to purge the high scores off the thing other than just doing better?  Galaga 88 has a fairly high score on it, not familiar but barely with that so it's a bit grating.  I've also been told you can get some kind of $25~ kit for this so you can rig a Pi up to the thing, and it'll just use the 3 buttons it already has to run various vertical arcade games.  There some truth to this or better yet, links to the kit and pi exactly?  I can't hardware mod this, like boring out holes and adding buttons, it would look like crap and I'd ruin it.  Or better off leaving it alone?

discussion of arcade 1up countercades are here  : 

 

no you can't reflash the highscores. yes, you can add a raspi.

its up to you if you want more games, its easier to add a tiny pc.

i added a tablet pc, and my own usb controllers to one.

 

later

-1

[wolfy62]

On 6/4/2021 at 1:41 AM, jgkspsx said:

Just when you thought your wallet was safe… here comes Taito to empty it anew. They announced the Egret II mini, a mini arcade machine that like the real Egret II includes a rotatable display!

 

 

Taito arcade games of the mid to late 80s and early 90s are about my favorite arcade games of the era, so I would give my eye teeth for this. Look at the lineup that has been released so far:

• Space Invaders 
• Lunar Rescue 
• Qix
• Elevator Action
• Chack’n Pop
• Bubble Bobble
• Rastan Saga
• Rainbow Islands Extra
• New Zealand Story
• Don Doko Don
• Violence Fight
• Cadash
• Liquid Kids
• Metal Black
• Kaiser Knuckle
• and more

Yeah, there is no chance I will pass this thing up.
 

But wait! There’s more money they’re going to take! There are the obligatory extra pad and stick, yes, but there is also a paddle and trackball controller. That controller comes with an SD card with 10 more games.

• Strike Bowling
• Arkanoid
• Plump Pop
• Syvalion
• Cameltry
• Arkanoid Returns
• and four more

How much will all this set you back? From The Verge:

 

This is coming next March, so start saving your pennies now.

So I go to try and order this because I really want one,and a couple things stopped me.

I wanted the deluxe package despite the $450. price tag because it's really cool and so are things such as the trackball accessory. 

Plus with 50 games,when you break it down that's less than $10. per game with a bunch of alltime classics.

Then my Wife and I get an account set up on Amazon Japan and find out with tax and shipping it's an additional $170.dollars to bring it to the whopping total of $620. US dollars.

Then they give you one week to make payment through a 7-11 convenience store with a special code they send you. 

I told my Wife if it's that difficult to purchase and acquire,that expensive at the finish line that  my ultimate decision is to pass on it and try to pick it up later if I can get it from another domestic company at a later date. Or just pass on bbn it completely. 

When collecting something is more difficult than fun,that's where I draw the line.

[Tanooki]

$170 is a joke, what are they using the most expensive courier service company possible and overnighting it?  Even then that seems like a stretch.  In the last week, two tops, JP post has re-opened to shipping standard cheap EMS mail to the USA once more.  I would imagine it could go in a box that way, pay maybe what $30-40 or so?  But $170, hell no.  Even on principle that's a joke, might as well just buy a domestic barcade or have one made as such in the states with a copy cat molding of the same frame and pay less still.

[wolfy62]

1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

$170 is a joke, what are they using the most expensive courier service company possible and overnighting it?  Even then that seems like a stretch.  In the last week, two tops, JP post has re-opened to shipping standard cheap EMS mail to the USA once more.  I would imagine it could go in a box that way, pay maybe what $30-40 or so?  But $170, hell no.  Even on principle that's a joke, might as well just buy a domestic barcade or have one made as such in the states with a copy cat molding of the same frame and pay less still.

What's interesting is as a US Amazon prime member who's Wife and kids purchase a couple hundred packages through every year,you would think Amazon and Amazon Japan would be connected enough to give a decent shipping rate to families like mine.

Not the case.

I do have most of those Taito games on PS2 and Xbox compilations anyway,so for that reason the Egret is not a must have for me.

But I would like to have it as a collector and owner of pretty much all the other mini systems produced over the last couple years.

Still a little frosted by the lack of accessibility and price gouging of the Astro City mini style kit which I will not out of principle pay around $150. or even close to that for.

[+jgkspsx]

I’ve gotten large packages shipped from Amazon JP, and never had delivery fees remotely like that. Weird.

[wolfy62]

1 hour ago, jgkspsx said:

I’ve gotten large packages shipped from Amazon JP, and never had delivery fees remotely like that. Weird.

I don't know if we entered something wrong or what.

We had everything translated into English,but when you get to the purchasing page it was all in Japanese. 

Like I said,the whole jumping through hoops part of the process took the fun out of it for me,and the final price.

Did you preorder one from the site?

If you do please let me know if your experience was different than  mine. Thanks!

[Zoyous]

When I ordered the Astro City Mini from Amazon.co.jp, the shipping worked out to be 3255 JPY or roughly $30 USD.

[Tanooki]

For what it's worth I had to make an amazon jp account too which bugged me, and the quotes they're throwing match up with around what I saw for the US shipping on that Astro too.  But well, principle of it all, kind of fumed I didn't get in on the LRG thing, and having to pay extra, then extra on top shipping, I've blown it off.  Maybe when the fun dies down and people stop caring I'll see some people get fed up collecting dust and get later if I care by then.

[+jgkspsx]

Something is wrong. The unit itself costs like $20 to ship. Adding all of the accessories costs $20 to ship. But the bundles cost a fortune. I bet they have the weight in wrong.

 

It also seems cheaper to add items a la carte than to buy the bundle? I want the soundtrack CDs but I don’t think I want them $200 much ?

[wolfy62]

1 hour ago, jgkspsx said:

Something is wrong. The unit itself costs like $20 to ship. Adding all of the accessories costs $20 to ship. But the bundles cost a fortune. I bet they have the weight in wrong.

 

It also seems cheaper to add items a la carte than to buy the bundle? I want the soundtrack CDs but I don’t think I want them $200 much ?

Here the order detail receipt: Isnt that crazy? Maybe I will try a preorder of just the unit and see what the shipping and handling is.

Is if dont pay it in a week they automatically cancel it anyway. 

[negative1]

i've bought cd's from amazon japan before.

 

they are not linked to the american account. why would they be.

 

they run a totally different store, with different laws, and different fees, so that's why its independent,

although it has the amazon name.

 

i'm used to high shipping costs from japan, for cd's, laser discs, videogames, and electronics.

 

this isn't anything new.

 

if you really want something, just wait until some people import it here, and then buy it from them.

it will still be expensive. but at least it will be less of a hassle.

 

do you really need it right away, its not like there's anything new on it.

 

later

-1

[wolfy62]

8 hours ago, negative1 said:

i've bought cd's from amazon japan before.

 

they are not linked to the american account. why would they be.

 

they run a totally different store, with different laws, and different fees, so that's why its independent,

although it has the amazon name.

 

i'm used to high shipping costs from japan, for cd's, laser discs, videogames, and electronics.

 

this isn't anything new.

 

if you really want something, just wait until some people import it here, and then buy it from them.

it will still be expensive. but at least it will be less of a hassle.

 

do you really need it right away, its not like there's anything new on it.

 

later

-1

Exactly right,especially the not needing it right away and theres not really anything new or that I dont already have part.?

[+thanatos]

On 6/20/2021 at 12:26 PM, wolfy62 said:

So I go to try and order this because I really want one,and a couple things stopped me.

I wanted the deluxe package despite the $450. price tag because it's really cool and so are things such as the trackball accessory. 

Plus with 50 games,when you break it down that's less than $10. per game with a bunch of alltime classics.

Then my Wife and I get an account set up on Amazon Japan and find out with tax and shipping it's an additional $170.dollars to bring it to the whopping total of $620. US dollars.

Then they give you one week to make payment through a 7-11 convenience store with a special code they send you. 

I told my Wife if it's that difficult to purchase and acquire,that expensive at the finish line that  my ultimate decision is to pass on it and try to pick it up later if I can get it from another domestic company at a later date. Or just pass on bbn it completely. 

When collecting something is more difficult than fun,that's where I draw the line.

 

Bolded the part that screams SCAM.

 

[+jgkspsx]

1 hour ago, thanatos said:

 

Bolded the part that screams SCAM.

 

 

 

[+jgkspsx]

So for those playing along at home, here's what comes with each of the bundles:

 

Console alone:

• Body (built-in 40 titles)
• USB cable for power supply (1.5m)
• HDMI Cable (2.0m)
• Instruction card
• Instruction manual

Egret Two Mini Body + Paddle & Trackball Pack (First Run Only) adds:

• Egret Two Mini Dedicated Paddle & Trackball Game Expansion Set (10 Titles Included)
• Instruction Card Mini (50 game-specific cards to slot into the holder above the screen)
• TAITO 70th Anniversary / ZUNTATA 35th Anniversary Soundtrack CD (CD 3-4 discs)

Egret Two Mini Full Package Luxury Special Edition (First Run Only) adds:

• Control Panel (2P Color)
• Control Pad
• DX strategy book with all 50 titles (160 pages, KADOKAWA Game Linkage Special Edit)

 

There is some kind of Amazon bonus (if you pay 4400 yen extra...), but it sounds like they don't know what it is yet? https://www.amazon.co.jp/イーグレットツー-ミニフルパッケージ-豪華特装版-【初回特典】「歴代タイトーロゴ-【Amazon-co-jp限定】オリジナル特典企画中/dp/B096FL5D67

 

3-4 discs of Zuntata music is hard to pass up, but I already have... many albums of Zuntata music. I don't care about the strategy guide I can't read. I do really want the game-specific instruction cards. It seems cheap that they're not including them with the main unit and the paddle/trackball unit ?

[negative1]

13 hours ago, thanatos said:

 

Bolded the part that screams SCAM.

 

you must not have ever bought anything from japan.

this is totally normal over there.

 

later

-1

[+thanatos]

3 hours ago, negative1 said:

you must not have ever bought anything from japan.

this is totally normal over there.

 

later

-1

Sounded the same to me as being asked to buy gift cards and reading the numbers off to the scammer on the phone.

[+jgkspsx]

For what it’s worth, the cost of the full bundle is the same as the cost of the paddle bundle plus the stick and pad. If you’re buying it all, you may as well buy the whole bundle and get the book.

[Zoyous]

Looks like New Wave Toys will be making a Q*bert replicade! They just sent out a postcard that is a reproduction of the original flyer design.

[wolfy62]

4 hours ago, Zoyous said:

Looks like New Wave Toys will be making a Q*bert replicade! They just sent out a postcard that is a reproduction of the original flyer design.

An actual postcard? That sounds cool!

I have purchased all their products so I have been looking for an e-mail announcement. 

Very glad they are doing Q-bert,though any number of games would have been great choices as well!??

[negative1]

33 minutes ago, wolfy62 said:

An actual postcard? That sounds cool!

I have purchased all their products so I have been looking for an e-mail announcement. 

Very glad they are doing Q-bert,though any number of games would have been great choices as well!??

That's very worrying. They have had issues with almost every machine they've put out.

My centipede gave out after a few months, and they have no clue on how to fix it, or replace anything.

Tempest is unplayable with either spinner.

 

Qbert will have a ton of issues with the controls, and also, how in the world are they

going to have the knocker sound inside sound like the original.

 

later

-1

[Zoyous]

16 hours ago, wolfy62 said:

An actual postcard? That sounds cool!

I have purchased all their products so I have been looking for an e-mail announcement. 

Very glad they are doing Q-bert,though any number of games would have been great choices as well!??

Yeah, actually a postcard sent in a nice envelope. I guess I got it because I've pre-ordered from them a few times.

 

16 hours ago, negative1 said:

Tempest is unplayable with either spinner.

Huh? I thought previously you said the spinner was just fine and it was the buttons that let it down.

[negative1]

1 hour ago, Zoyous said:

Yeah, actually a postcard sent in a nice envelope. I guess I got it because I've pre-ordered from them a few times.

 

Huh? I thought previously you said the spinner was just fine and it was the buttons that let it down.

Its a combination of both. Yes, it is playable with the spinner, if you don't move much.

But most people don't play it that way.

 

later

-1

[Tanooki]

I know these are somewhat older, but yesterday I scored for 50 cents each the MyArcade Bad Dudes and the Basic Fun DigDug.  I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on either?  The first seems to just be a straight NES port, hard and unforgiving but it is what it is.  The other though it's one of those newer coded ones BF did I think, seems to be closely enough accurate to the original, definitely not another Famicom port.

[negative1]

another portable format for frogger from 2011:

 

later

-1

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by negative1