Taito/Namco to restart sales of the original Space Invaders!

[Adrian M]

http://news.com.com/2100-1043_3-5113788.ht...ml?tag=nefd_top

 

Namco will handle distribution in the US. Taito hopes to sell 10,000 or so units here in the States and these are standalone units running the original SI. Cost to play is now 50 cents, but regardless, GREAT NEWS!!

[Inky]

That is way too firckin cool!

[Adrian M]

Indeed!

 

Even better is the fact that the new unit will only retail for a little of $2,000! That's super affordable for most arcade distributors and is actually less than the Ms. Pac-man/Galaga anniversary coin-ops that were distributed a few years ago!

[Ze_ro]

I was all in favor of this up until the line about it costing 50 cents a play... I seriously stopped playing pinball altogether when it jumped to 50 cents a play.

 

If I was able to go down to the local arcade (which actually closed up a few months ago, but whatever) and play Moon Patrol and Berzerk for 25 cents a pop, I'd definitely do it, but doubling the price really does change things for me.

 

--Zero

[joeybastard]

It's just wrong that it costs 50 cents to play it. I'll pay it because I'm a moron but it's still too much.

[Adrian M]

It's just wrong that it costs 50 cents to play it.  I'll pay it because I'm a moron but it's still too much.

 

Unfortunately, this is necessary largely due to inflation, as the article states. There's really no way around it.

 

However, I own a few arcade PCB's and all of them let you adjust the coin settings, so I'm guessing that operators will be able to charge only 25 cents if they really want to!

[Xot]

Indeed!

 

Even better is the fact that the new unit will only retail for a little of $2,000!  That's super affordable for most arcade distributors and is actually less than the Ms. Pac-man/Galaga anniversary coin-ops that were distributed a few years ago!

 

$2,772. Wasn't Ms. Pac/Galaga only $2,500?

[NE146]

I'd pay 50 cents anytime to show off some skills for ONCE in this day and age.. (somehow I fail to do this on DDR)

 

I wonder if this reissue will be based on the Midway or Taito versions of the game. It sure as hell better be the superiour Taito version.

[joeybastard]

I don't know what the breakdown on costsare, but with modern technology shouldn't this thing cost much less to produce? Do you think the majorityof the cost is the cabinent/graphics?

[Cassidy Nolen]

Can't wait to see what they do with the reflective monitor, art, control panel, monitor colors, etc...

 

 

$2,772. Wasn't Ms. Pac/Galaga only $2,500?  

 

Used price. I haven't seen the 'real' ones for under 2700 or so (deals of the day might be a bit cheaper, but thats retail). There are so many ripoffs of that machine, its not even funny.

 

As for .25 play, I would be all for it. Problem is, games are almost twice as much as they used to be, and the return is a 1/4 of what it once was. Most current operators are old-school, or the company has their roots back into the heyday golden-era.

 

Game-Economics 101 (as it has been explained to me):

In order to make a profit, the machine should pay for itself in a period of time, say, a year. Two years tops. Take a 5 Grand game, and try making it back .25 at a time, assuming a 50% split with the location, and take off 10-20% of its value for every year its on location (age, wear, interest, etc). You almost have to charge 50 cents for a year just to take the beating on depreciation. I have seen the Galaga combos for a quarter now, and know a few operators who can afford to do it that way. I bet money (no pun intended) no new operator would lower the price; too used to all the modern stuff playing at 50 cents.

 

Cassidy

[Adrian M]

Indeed!

 

Even better is the fact that the new unit will only retail for a little of $2,000!  That's super affordable for most arcade distributors and is actually less than the Ms. Pac-man/Galaga anniversary coin-ops that were distributed a few years ago!

 

$2,772. Wasn't Ms. Pac/Galaga only $2,500?

 

I remember seeing various price lists for it that were well over $3,000.

[NovaXpress]

Does the machine come with a tube of vaseline?

 

This game would die a horrible death at the family amusement centers which now pass for the "arcade business." Kids don't ant to play it and there won't be enough oldsters around to make it profitable.

 

I think the real mmarketing goal is to sell it to yuppie scum. A nice conversation piece for the den. If that's what you want it for, then find a real classic machine on Ebay for a fraction of the price.

 

Fifty cents is NOT a reasonable price to play for Space Invaders. Yes, money is worth less now, but so is video game hardware. We've seen this game ported onto the smallest and cheapest of chips and Java apps. What the hell makes this machine cost neary 3 grand? The monitor and cabinet sure aren't worth that much. If anything we should be paying five cents per game.

 

The real motivation may have figured out by this poster from Slashdot:

 

1. Re-release ancient games that have been ROM ripped and emulated to the millionth degree just to show that you still have the rights to produce it

2. Grossly overcharge to set a baseline cost from which to calculate how much you're going to get when you...

3. Sue ROM traders gangland RIAA-style

4. Profit!

[NE146]

I think the real mmarketing goal is to sell it to yuppie scum.  A nice conversation piece for the den.  

That'd be me

 

If that's what you want it for, then find a real classic machine on Ebay for a fraction of the price.

#1 it's almost impossible to find a nice Taito upright Space Invaders in the U.S.

 

#2. If found it's usually about the same price and not as reliable

 

#3. The only other option is to get the extremely crappy (and prevalant) Midway arcade cab with it's pos BUTTON CONTROL and inferior cabinet and artwork.

 

1. Re-release ancient games that have been ROM ripped and emulated to the millionth degree just to show that you still have the rights to produce it

2. Grossly overcharge to set a baseline cost from which to calculate how much you're going to get when you...

3. Sue ROM traders gangland RIAA-style

4. Profit!

 

Rom schmom. I've been dying to play this game again on a real cabinet forever which any emu nor a mame cab could ever even get close to. The hardware is where it's all at in this thing obviously.

 

Now that being said, if I COULD get an original Taito cab (esp for Part 2), heck yeah I'd jump at the chance But the likelihood of that is pretty slim

[Brad2600]

Wow!

 

Sounds cool!

 

Too bad the last arcade in this area has ceased to be.

 

However, there's a mall in Barre that has a Millipede machine. Maybe they will get a SI machine too as well?

[NovaXpress]

How much should a SI machine realistically cost? Nowhere near $2700. I've seen good condition Midway uprights for less than $1000, if you wanna spend 2 grand extra to have the Taito version then you have more money to blow than I. I still want to see this machine, so far companies have a horrid track record of accurate classic gaming translations.

 

I can't handle the Galaga/Ms PacMan combo because I hare playing Galaga with a 4-way stick, all my best gesticulations are thrown off.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

Makes me glad that the arcade I go to has a VERY large section devoted to classic games. While they dont have SI, they have other classics, Joust, Frogger, DK and more. 50c a shot is crazy though.

[SteveW]

I wish they were doing a Neo Geo type of thing, with something like 4 different games in the cabinet. Taito has plenty of games under it's belt, they could put 6 or 8 in one console.

 

50 cents is just too much for a boring game like Space Invaders. I have a copy of Space Invaders XL Special Edition for my Nuon DVD player, and I can't play it for more than 3 minutes. Space Invaders isn't all that deep a game, and I can't imagine a lot of people playing the arcade game, especially for 50 cents a pop.

 

They can't get Space Invaders running on a console for less than $2700? The Atari 2600 had a superior version of the arcade game, and the console only cost $129. What are they putting in that cabinet that makes it so expensive?

[goatdan]

Coin settings on most games are extremely easy to change. Changing the game to a quarter a play is easy, and I don't see many large arcade operators trying to charge more than that for it.

 

The cost of the machine is reasonable. For anyone that says that you can get a used such-and-such for $500 doesn't realize that the $500 machine will probably require a good $1000 worth of work to get it ready to go on route again... and it won't make much money. A classic and popular old game like Space Invaders that simply isn't around any more would be worth $2700 to people with routes.

 

To make the money back on that game at a quarter apiece, you have to have 10,800 plays (not including taxes and parts and stuff). While that seems like a ton, that is under 30 plays a day for a year. If you put that game into a large arcade and had 50 plays a day, it would take about seven months to repay it.

 

50 games a day is not a totally unrealistic rate of play for a machine, especially a well-known one. I have worked at a few arcades, and there were video games that would average more than 100 plays a day! One of the arcades I worked at had a few poorly maintained old school games that still pulled in that much. The old, crappy and dying Space Invaders that they had pulled in about 25 a day, and it was literally on it's last leg.

 

I think that some arcade owners will see this new game as a huge deal, especially with new games from Sega or whomever costing well over $10,000 apiece.

[sku_u]

This is great news. I'd love to see this game again!

 

I don't know if Fortunoff is a local company of a national one, but they are selling NEW Galaga/Ms.Pac-mans for $3500.00 a piece. I'm saving up for one. Hopefully it'll still be there when I have the money together.

[Rob Mitchell]

All very good .. In the meantime I'm gonna play YASI on my Vectrex.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[Zaxxon]

You guys are missing half the story. This is a SI/Qix combo machine like the Galaga/Ms. Pac Man machine so you're not just getting SI. Plus it'll more than likely have another hidden game included (ZooKeeper?) just like Pac Man was hidden in the other Namco machine. That price is the list price, not the actual street price which should be much, much lower.

 

[SteveW]

Good. I'm just happy that there's something other than Space Invaders in the console. It would have been nicer if there were more classic Taito games in it. Here's a quick list, games between 1980-1983, taken from www.klov.com's Taito listing.

 

Wild Western

Electric Yo-Yo

Jungle Hunt

Space Dungeon

Colony 7

Front Line

Elevator Action

10 Yard Fight

[Ze_ro]

I'm guessing that operators will be able to charge only 25 cents if they really want to!

 

Heheh, that's funny! The local arcade (the one which closed down recently) used to intentionally jack the difficulty to the max specifically so that they could make more money. They were greedy buggers, and most other arcades around here were much the same.

 

In any case, I'm really glad that I bought Protector/YASI for my Vectrex... YASI easily fills my Space Invaders need.

 

--Zero

[ussexplorer]

Nickel arcade in this area. Then you get nailed for the price of pizza and the soda at the snack bar. LOL Plus they have over more epensive games up to 1.00. Plus a wonderful collect the ticket games and get cheap prizes. If I ever win the lotto "Famouse Saying" I could picture myself opening up a nickel or quarter arcade in a old building downtown. Their is tons of places that haave mostly been gutted open. So a little work into a sturdy structure. Then load it up with games. Wouldn't be to hard to make a break even or profit in a few years.

 

Laters.....

 

oh and my soda would be 3.00 a can to make up for the nickel arcade. LOL j/K

[NE146]

You guys are missing half the story. This is a SI/Qix combo machine like the Galaga/Ms. Pac Man machine so you're not just getting SI. Plus it'll more than likely have another hidden game included (ZooKeeper?) just like Pac Man was hidden in the other Namco machine. That price is the list price, not the actual street price which should be much, much lower.  

 

 

 

BLAH!!!! OH NO IT'S THE BUTTON CONTROLS. Forget about it then I'll pass on this ugly bastard. I was looking more for this: