Amazing and Expensive Arcade games
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| Check out that lense flare |
I wanted to find out more about the game, but my little iPod doesn’t have the greatest camera. Luckily it had some very distinct gaming aspects. Such things as undead pirates, cannons, and a steering wheel. It had some problems, especially with aiming, but all of the additions made it a really fun game.
So it wasn’t too hard to find Deadstorm Pirates. A Namco Arcade game with a lot of different types. The one on the Namco page was the standup edition of the game. After a google search for the name I not I found it, but found it for sale. Click that link to see some of the prices.
If you think that seems a bit high, check out what Amazon has it listed as. That is the price of a car. Which makes me wonder how much the biggest, and most expensive one actually costs. The links so far about it show that the dealers want you to call them, and ask. It means you are either really interested and have the money, or twelve and really interested. (I once called Silicon Graphics up about the price of their computers. Bad Move.)
I wasn’t able to find out what the more expensive version cost, but I did find out why it is more expensive. In a trailer for similar type of game, I saw how it was all set up.
As you can see, they added a lot. There is surround sound systems being played so you can hear the pirates attack. Wind systems make it feel like you are at the high seas. There are 3D glass that make it seem like everything is coming right at you. The seat rumbles so you can feel the attacks. A very complex setup, and one that would excite any arcade fans. Also, based on the price guide, we can see that it will be at least twice the price of the one I played. So, somewhere around $30,000-$40,000.
Arcades are starting to have giant displays, and humongous offerings. For example, Terminator Salvation, which was right next to Dead Storm Pirates, is just as big and expensive. A giant HD screen lets you see every movement of the oncoming T-800s. When I went to Gameworks I didn’t realize I was staring at millions of dollars in equipment.
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| Seen here, a higher gross domestic product than some countries. |
I will likely price out as many of these machines as I can to figure out what I was looking at. The thought never even entered my mind as I was looking around. Then I wondered how much something like a classic arcade game would be.
When I was thinking about this, I had another question hit me; What about the little arcade? I worked at a smaller arcade in University. We had a small area dedicated to arcade machines. At one time the entire place was arcades, but consoles, Pool tables, and those dratted ping pong tables started replacing them.
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| My home away from home. I still dream about this place. |
It makes sense though. A big screen TV costs about $2,000, depending on what you want. A console costs around $300 to $500. A game costs $50 to $60 brand new. And, another controller will cost $60. So, roughly $2,500. Not only that, you can change the games faster, and hook up more systems to the TV.
What about smaller games though? Let’s say I want to play some classic fighting games. Those run about $1,500 to $2,100. For a brand new version you could purchase one for around $3,000. This is the same price as a the console set up. Which is what my little arcade had. They had classic games up on display, and nothing that would cost the same as a car. There were consoles that took up more room and space for everyone.
It seems that the arcade companies are going more and more toward the bigger arcade systems. Many of these games are fun, and the add ons really do make things more exciting. However, smaller arcades will likely use older machines, and move toward Console gaming. What does this leave arcade companies? What do the smaller arcades do? I will try to find out more answers for tomorrows article.
