Retro gaming is huge at the moment. The new Arcade1Up gaming machines allows customers to relive their cherished childhood when gaming arcades were the place to be.
And people like me who are old enough to remember these classic games are looking at recreating those glory days so a product like Arcade1Up is ideal.
There are five models to choose from and each has a different size and form factor.
For our review we played the Arcade1Up 8-in-1 Namco Pac-Man ($499) which has eight games onboard – Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac n Pal, Galaga, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Mappy and Xevious.
This is actually a smaller unit with a 17-inch LCD screen and full size joystick, buttons and controls.
It absolutely transported me back to my teen years – especially when I was playing my favourites Galaga and Galaxian.
The sharp screen and speakers provided a fantastic experience and the nostalgia factor just slapped a massive smile on my face as I was working to beat my own high score.
The Arcade1Up 8-in-1 machine we used is a compact unit that can placed on a tabletop, mounted on a wall or even hung on a door.
This way they don’t take up any space.
But if you have the room for a larger machine there’s the Arcade1Up Premium 4 Machine Pac-Man Edition or the Arcade1Up Premium 4 Machine TMNT (both $999).
They each have a full-size cabinet like machines in the arcades in the old days so you can stand up and play.
There are two versions to suit Pac-Man fans and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans.
And if you want to go even smaller there are two Arcade1Up Counter-Cades ($299) which can rest on a table top.
The Pac-Man version includes Pac-Mac, Pac & Pal, Galaga and Dig Dug while the Frogger edition has two games and naturally includes Frogger and Time Pilot.
What they all have in common are high quality cabinets that are well built and sturdy.
Each also has a bright 17-inch LED display which is a far better look than the old days when you could only play the game on a cathode ray tube screen.
These games have never looked or played better.
The speaker quality is also impressive so they sound amazing as well.
The full size controls and buttons are solid and can handle even the fastest moves trying to dodge the missiles and creatures raining down on your ship in Galaga or piloting that plucky Pac-Man to eat the dots and power pills and go after the ghosts.
If you want to relive your childhood gaming memories, the Arcade1Up machines are worth every penny.
For me it was opportunity to show my kids the type of games I was playing when I was even younger than them and that made them want to try their hand and try to beat Dad.
They were good – but not good enough to beat their old man.
My high score, like the old days, is still the score to beat on Galaga.
The Arcade1Up machines are available now from Harvey Norman, Kogan.com, Catch.com.au, TVSN, Openshop, Costco and Arcadegamer.com.au.
