Mini Arcade Alert!

[negative1]

here's a couple of reviews of the 1/4 sized pac-man, and they look and sound great,

but the controls don't look very good:

 

 

and

 

 

 

later

-1

[wolfy62]

On their Facebook page I saw pictures leaked of the following: Ms. Pacman, Space Invaders, and Fix it Felix

I am really looking forward to these,thanks for the info!!!

[Andromeda Stardust]

here's a couple of reviews of the 1/4 sized pac-man, and they look and sound great,

but the controls don't look very good:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXrKAYiC_AM

 

and

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FkTRJqYSpE

 

 

later

-1

here's what I'm not getting. A quarter height arcade cab needs to have a bartop form factor in order to accomodate full scale humans. If I'm going to pay $200+ for a cab, it had better be really comfortable.

 

Bartop cabs accomodate full scale humans with a fraction of the real estate a full scale arcade takes. A quarter scale replica would fit perfectly a quarter scale human being. Even hobbits (halflings) are oversize for this purpose.

 

Bartops cut overall width and height while retaining full scale arcade controls, and comfortable viewing and play heght when placed on a table. The bottom half of the original cab is gone, then the remaining cab is shrunk by a factor of two, not four. The control panel is then extended a few inches to emulate the depth of a real arcade panel. An interior depth below the panel of not more than 3" is adequate for arcade quality controls. Sequential player games can merge p1 and p2 controls.

 

Set on a countertop is the perfect height for play standing up or perched on a barstool.

 

Minicades are value at $15-$35 even with lots of cut corners. For $200, I would value playability and ergonomics over scale replicas. My two cents.

[negative1]

here's what I'm not getting. A quarter height arcade cab needs to have a bartop form factor in order to accomodate full scale humans. If I'm going to pay $200+ for a cab, it had better be really comfortable.

 

Bartop cabs accomodate full scale humans with a fraction of the real estate a full scale arcade takes. A quarter scale replica would fit perfectly a quarter scale human being. Even hobbits (halflings) are oversize for this purpose.

 

Bartops cut overall width and height while retaining full scale arcade controls, and comfortable viewing and play heght when placed on a table. The bottom half of the original cab is gone, then the remaining cab is shrunk by a factor of two, not four. The control panel is then extended a few inches to emulate the depth of a real arcade panel. An interior depth below the panel of not more than 3" is adequate for arcade quality controls. Sequential player games can merge p1 and p2 controls.

 

Set on a countertop is the perfect height for play standing up or perched on a barstool.

 

Minicades are value at $15-$35 even with lots of cut corners. For $200, I would value playability and ergonomics over scale replicas. My two cents.

 

no one's buying these to play them, or play them for very long.

 

if i'm going to play on a bartop, i would rather just play with mame on a laptop or some other factor,

it's the same appeal to me.

 

the miniature ones are just for looks, with the gimmick that they are playable.

 

later

-1

[negative1]

i think i saw reviews of the myarcade galaga out now..

 

 

 

 

and also of the ms pac man model 2 version.

 

 

 

 

later

-1

[Tanooki]

I have to head out so I'm not going to fish, but I had a link pop up on another site that showed the Namco 10" kind of in action. Xevious attract mode, the game selection menu, and a few other shots (5 I think total.) LOoks good, but question sanity of the vertical panel twist given the horizontal titles in the list.

[negative1]

I have to head out so I'm not going to fish, but I had a link pop up on another site that showed the Namco 10" kind of in action. Xevious attract mode, the game selection menu, and a few other shots (5 I think total.) LOoks good, but question sanity of the vertical panel twist given the horizontal titles in the list.

 

which site. also what 10 inch version, myplay only has a 6 inch mini namco cabinet planned.

 

later

-1

[Tanooki]

 

which site. also what 10 inch version, myplay only has a 6 inch mini namco cabinet planned.

 

later

-1

https://www.pocket-lint.com/games/news/145457-my-arcade-pac-man-galaga-namco-arcade-cabinets-pictures Scroll about 3/4 of the way down you'll find a 5 image flip box you can page through. I've seen a few other images pop up too but that'll work.

[negative1]

https://www.pocket-lint.com/games/news/145457-my-arcade-pac-man-galaga-namco-arcade-cabinets-pictures Scroll about 3/4 of the way down you'll find a 5 image flip box you can page through. I've seen a few other images pop up too but that'll work.

 

thank you,

that is very interesting to see,

 

here is the selection screen for those wondering how it will work:

 

later

-1

[Andromeda Stardust]

and also of the ms pac man model 2 version.

 

 

 

 

later

-1

Must put on my get list, thanks...

[atarilovesyou]

here's a couple of reviews of the 1/4 sized pac-man, and they look and sound great,

but the controls don't look very good:

 

 

and

 

 

 

later

-1

I am sooooo fighting the urge to pre-order...THIS is the kind of product I want to support! Sadly, cash is king and I'm going to have to pick only one: the Galaga cab, when it comes out.

[wolfy62]

I had someone come to my house and ask if my my arcade Galaxian worked.

 

I set it up and he found out it only kept score up to 5,000 points.

 

Kinda bummed about that,it is not mentioned in the booklet and I see no reason why it wasn't made to keep whatever score you get.

 

I am going to play some of my other my arcade games and see if they do the same thing,stop keeping your score at a certain point. Pretty big design flaw in my opinion.

 

any thoughts on this?

[AtariNerd]

Am tempted by these and get the "quarter" scale play of words and that it's meant as a display piece, with added functionality and not an arcade tank for regular play; especially in relation to keeping these within affordability to produce, shipping, etc. A third-scale model might have a slighty- better feel (hand wouldn't be as cramply-situated), while still being space-manageable, though probably at a price outside of my personal impulse-try range ($250-300 tops for that scale, personally), Pac-Man is a go-to for me, though, if I were to get a cab and at $200 USD, I'm almost willing to risk it, with the knowledge that if it doesm't advance my key-level, I could resell at original price and not be at a loss. I really do fancy the idea of having a cabinet to display , but also one that is playable, so I'm a bit torn. In reality, I'll likely never be able to make space for a full-size cab, but this might do....almost. *looks at going-rates for restored Pac-Man cabs* Can you do a half-scale for "significantly" under 800USD? *rubs chin*

[atarilovesyou]

Somebody said these 1/4 scalers are for 'looks', with the actual playable feature as a gimmick...I never thought of it that way, but really, it's true. You simply can't expect gameplay to be reproduced using your fingertips, which these videos clearly show. But then I also wonder...part of the look of an old arcade machine is the glow of the screen. With a backlit LED screen, I wonder how that's going to translate...as well as no CRT type 'trails'...although perhaps a proper CRT filter effect might be able to capture it.

 

Compromises have to be made of course. I'm still in it for at least one, and the reality is I have room for perhaps one full size arcade machine...and that will be a MAME cab, whenever it is that happens in my life

[negative1]

Am tempted by these and get the "quarter" scale play of words and that it's meant as a display piece, with added functionality and not an arcade tank for regular play; especially in relation to keeping these within affordability to produce, shipping, etc. A third-scale model might have a slighty- better feel (hand wouldn't be as cramply-situated), while still being space-manageable, though probably at a price outside of my personal impulse-try range ($250-300 tops for that scale, personally), Pac-Man is a go-to for me, though, if I were to get a cab and at $200 USD, I'm almost willing to risk it, with the knowledge that if it doesm't advance my key-level, I could resell at original price and not be at a loss. I really do fancy the idea of having a cabinet to display , but also one that is playable, so I'm a bit torn. In reality, I'll likely never be able to make space for a full-size cab, but this might do....almost. *looks at going-rates for restored Pac-Man cabs* Can you do a half-scale for "significantly" under 800USD? *rubs chin*

 

well, we have the miniscule ones, that are on keychains, the 1/4 scale, the 1/6 myarcade versions, and the 3/4 1up arcade model ($299).

 

 

somewhere out there is one in the proper price range,

 

later

-1

Edited September 3, 2018 by negative1

[Andromeda Stardust]

I am sooooo fighting the urge to pre-order...THIS is the kind of product I want to support! Sadly, cash is king and I'm going to have to pick only one: the Galaga cab, when it comes out.

I may actually get a Galaga and a Ms Pacman, eventually.

[Andromeda Stardust]

here's a couple of reviews of the 1/4 sized pac-man, and they look and sound great,

but the controls don't look very good:

 

 

 

Upon closer inspection (I finally watched the videos), I noticed some issues with the low resolution screen.

 

The pacman arcade unit is using a 480x272 pixel tft lcd screen to display a 240x320 pixel image (or 224x288 displayable resolution after accounting for crt overscan of the original arcade monitor). The 240p/224p image is being stretched at non-integer ratios to fill the slightly larger 272 pixel width of the screen.

 

In the attached screenshots, you can see the effects of the non-integer scaling has on the prototype display. The single pixel wide Pacman walls are double thickness in some areas:

 

Given the high dollar nature and attention to detail on this device, using non-integer scaling on a low resolution screen is unacceptable. I would happily put up with such artifacts on say a $35 My Arcade NOAC minicab, but not on a high dollar boutique reproduction. This device really needs a 480x800 screen (a common resolution for this size range) with 2x integer scaling on the horizontal and vertical resolutions, and possibly the top and/or bottom of the screen can be masked by the marquee to adjust for the wider aspect ratio. If a 480x272 screen is to be used as in the prototype, it needs 1:1 integer pixel aspect with the marquee covering the outside (overscan area) borders of the screen.

 

Seeing visible scaling artifacts in the demonstration video kills my excitement for this device if not corrected in the finalized retail version. Scaling artifacts are acceptable in a $20-$30 toy range, but not in a high end collectible such as this. Yes, tiny details like this do actually matter to gamers / collectors who purchase these devices with the intention of actually playing them or displaying the unit while running.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I had someone come to my house and ask if my my arcade Galaxian worked.

 

I set it up and he found out it only kept score up to 5,000 points.

 

Kinda bummed about that,it is not mentioned in the booklet and I see no reason why it wasn't made to keep whatever score you get.

 

I am going to play some of my other my arcade games and see if they do the same thing,stop keeping your score at a certain point. Pretty big design flaw in my opinion.

 

any thoughts on this?

Default top score in Galaxian is 5000 pts. Many vintage arcade machines do not retain scores after being powered off. Those that did, typically had non-rechargeable lithium batteries in them which could leak and damage components over time if not replaced every ten years or so.

 

So if you do exceed the built in high score, it may reset after being powered down. This is typical of early arcade machines. Also check that the pcb inside the unit does not have a dead or leaking sram backup battery. You don't want a 30-year-old crusty battery leaking it's juices all over the circuit board.

 

And I'm not even getting into the horrible "suicide batteries" placed in later 90s era Capcom games. They stored decryption keys for the arcade ROM inside volatile backup SRAM, that once the battery expired, would brick the entire arcade machine, with no option for recovery or backup (besides the extremely risky procedure of replacing a still functioning sram battery while the arcade machine was energized and running)...

[AtariNerd]

Was wary of the non-integer screen-scaling on the 1/4 scale units by NumSkull.

 

I'm a bit ridiculously picky, but the thing about the 1-up units to me, is they aren't replicas/facsimiles of any of the games they contain, unlike the Numskull units,though undoubtedly they are far more playable. Yes, they have the side-art and marquees of one of the featured games and appropriate controls for the contained games, but the profile is generic, with the art-work getting cut off in places (which kind of bothers me), at least in the proto images.That's sort of OK, since they're licensed games, the cost-issues involved, but I'd actually kind of prefer some versions more akin to the generic 1-up cab pictured on the web-site, provided they each had a few more games catered-well to a specific control-scheme, licensed from more than one IP-holder, if need be, instead of a scattering of controls on a slightly miniaturized control-panel. (EDIT: Noticed the Gauntlet / Bally Midway unit had more generalized art-work on the sides, which fits the cab design (doesn't matter if the edges get cut-off with the line-art) and sits well with a multi-cab theme.The Street-Fighter design, though those games not being my thang, doesn't bother me, the cab design seems suitable to it for some reason, probably being that that simple logo fits anything, really. )

 

More control options are fine, but at some point , if you're altering the control-panel and going for a standardized profile, anyways, one might say one might as well go all-out for a licensed MAME/ other emulator console, with a full-size control-panel, even if everything else is out of scale or a unique configuration , build it yourself or if you can swing it, a retro-fitted old cabinet. Heh.

 

I want ...maybe not need, but want...I'm going to have to compromise, somewhere.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Was wary of the non-integer screen-scaling on the 1/4 scale units by NumSkull.

 

Our one hope is that this issue is brought to their attention by concerned fans before the prototypes go into final production. It is unfortunate that none of the early hands on reviews noticed this defect. Everthing else is nearly perfect, so this is a serious oversight that could easily be fixed by including a higher resolution screen (like the 7" 1280x800 screen in my $100 Samsung Galaxy Tab A, but without the capacitive touch) and by either ensuring that whatever screen they choose has sufficient hd resolution that scaling artifacts are negligible, or that integer scaling is used on lower fidelity displays.

 

Also while it might upset purists, it would not hurt to change the scale slightly so that it isn't a perfect 1:.25 ratio to the original, but provides a slightly more comfortable form factor for casual lap or bartop play. Examples could be trimming some material off the bottom in favor of a slightly wider form factor, allowing for slightly bigger joystick and viewing screen while not increasing the price or ruining the aesthetic of owning a standup arcade replica (the way a standard bartop form factor might).

[atarilovesyou]

Upon closer inspection (I finally watched the videos), I noticed some issues with the low resolution screen.

 

The pacman arcade unit is using a 480x272 pixel tft lcd screen to display a 240x320 pixel image (or 224x288 displayable resolution after accounting for crt overscan of the original arcade monitor). The 240p/224p image is being stretched at non-integer ratios to fill the slightly larger 272 pixel width of the screen.

 

In the attached screenshots, you can see the effects of the non-integer scaling has on the prototype display. The single pixel wide Pacman walls are double thickness in some areas:

Non-integer Scaling.jpg

 

Given the high dollar nature and attention to detail on this device, using non-integer scaling on a low resolution screen is unacceptable. I would happily put up with such artifacts on say a $35 My Arcade NOAC minicab, but not on a high dollar boutique reproduction. This device really needs a 480x800 screen (a common resolution for this size range) with 2x integer scaling on the horizontal and vertical resolutions, and possibly the top and/or bottom of the screen can be masked by the marquee to adjust for the wider aspect ratio. If a 480x272 screen is to be used as in the prototype, it needs 1:1 integer pixel aspect with the marquee covering the outside (overscan area) borders of the screen.

 

Seeing visible scaling artifacts in the demonstration video kills my excitement for this device if not corrected in the finalized retail version. Scaling artifacts are acceptable in a $20-$30 toy range, but not in a high end collectible such as this. Yes, tiny details like this do actually matter to gamers / collectors who purchase these devices with the intention of actually playing them or displaying the unit while running.

 

While I'm still more disturbed by the white light from the LEDs (is there really any way of getting around that?), I didn't even notice the artifacts you mentioned...until I did, and now I can't unsee them If enough people bring this up, and the relatively simple fix, perhaps they'll incorporate the changes into future models. The Pac Man machine seems too far into the plan to make such a big change.

[Tanooki]

Since we're talking mini arcades, and it keeps getting twitter blasted by so much thrown out like hourly by anthony in that neo geo thread I think it's worth mentioning.

 

News hit today that the US/Int'l version of the NEO GEO Mini arcade cabinet is coming out for PRE-SALE in our market on September 10th, that's a week away. They have been running this site with a rolling counter for a little, and with that being the 10th I guess they're the same: https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/snknewgame/

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

While I'm still more disturbed by the white light from the LEDs (is there really any way of getting around that?), I didn't even notice the artifacts you mentioned...until I did, and now I can't unsee them If enough people bring this up, and the relatively simple fix, perhaps they'll incorporate the changes into future models. The Pac Man machine seems too far into the plan to make such a big change.

Exactly. You may not notice even on subsequent playthroughs. But anything relying on pixels will be affected. Large pixels are not bad, however video games just don't scale the way arbirtarily captured video does. Even with anti-shimmer filters, it will be noticeable. At 272 pixels wide, a bilinear algorithm will have bands of sharp + fuzzy when scaling 240p or 224p. Worse case is a pixel straddling the boundary between two other pixels. A software solution could even fix this without altering hardware, by scaling the screen to 1:1 pixel aspect. The maze would be imperceptibly smaller with a 1:1 ratio, but will work undistorted.

[negative1]

I am definitely going to get the dig dug one,

 

not a fan of frogger, but fans of that might like it.

 

 

later

-1

[Tanooki]

I saw that video last night and I was impressed. Also was a little miffed at people knocking the Galaga unit for the compromises made. There was good whining about frames dropped for the bug drop down/swoop into line and not dropping all those bombs. THe problem is the 1.5" screen is so small it wouldn't fit, and even if it did, you'd have under a second to impossibly move out of the way of the bombs making the game unplayable. Actual play though looks like it's smooth, not stop and go like Galaxian is. DIg Dug looks to be spot on, and Frogger is too other than the licensed changed music.