Arcade Lounge

surface tension will be at r3play - the arcade, retro and video gaming expo in Blackpool on the 6th and 7th November.

R3PLAY is a brand new show celebrating four decades of gaming history. Presented in association with Retro Gamer and gamesTM magazines, this unique event will offer gamers of all ages the chance to experience gaming systems from the 1970s to present day.

Hosted by TV personality and videogame fanatic Gail Porter, the R3PLAY Expo will take place at The Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre in Blackpool on 6/7 November 2010 – the final weekend of this year’s famous Illuminations.

So if you’re up in Blackpool for the weekend, live in that neck of the woods or want to discuss any possibilities, come see us on the stand on the Saturday or Sunday.

Build Your Own Arcade Controls member, H4CK3R has recently finished his LCD-based pinball machine. Though he says it’s at 95%, most projects sit around that mark forever as there is always something to tweak or re-do.

You can see the thread here which has some build detail, or check out his youtube video. Well worth a look!

Made in Holland, this is a modern take on Nolan Bushnell’s computer space arcade machine. Also reminiscent of the original Pong machine in my eye.

I really like the style of the cabinet, but I’m not sure it would fit in anywhere with my decor.

I’m also a fan of the control panel, but I think that’s a given if you’ve seen the surface tension control panel.

retro space

source :: retro thing

Coming soon from DreamArcades is the Octane 120 for those of you that wish to drink and drive in a safe manner.

The system contains a high-end gaming PC, built-in projector, 5.1 sound system and 2 beer-dispensing taps. No, that’s not a gear stick next to the wheel. Plus a cup-holder for when you’re driving.
Due in September, the Octane 120 from DreamArcades.

source :: Gizmodo

UK-based manufacturer, Zombie Arcades have recently launched their sleek new upright arcade cabinet which now also has a brand new website to show it all off.

Each system is fitted with market-leading Samsung screens, top-of-the-range PC, Sanwa sticks and Ultimarc illuminated buttons… well, Zombies play at night, right?

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There’s a constant flow of great machines to come out of the ArcadeControls forum. The majority of them following the discussed tried-and-tested styles for aesthetic and comfort reasons. Now and again something a little more interesting appears. This time from forum member, melarky. Behold the mighty… err the tiny Galaga cabinet…

Ok, the stats:

It’s 22″ tall, runs on a dedicated Jakks gameboard and the display is a 5″ LCD. That’s it!

See more on the forum…

Nerds are social recluses. So how do you get a nerd who still lives with his parents to come down to dinner and eat with the rest of the family? Simple. Get yourself to Ikea, then buy yourself a computer and a set of arcade controls, spending the next 6 months in the shed building one of these…

The creator, a die-hard Ms. Pacman fan says…

“This table is excellent when I throw large parties. There’s always someone who doesn’t feel comfortable around large groups of people, and so sits at the table playing video games. But because I serve food and drink on the table, and there’s always someone sitting down across the table, this person is forced into social situations which are lubricated slightly by the involvement of video games.”

A neat thought, and I know I’ve had this one many a time. I guess I’d rather sit and play arcade games from my couch.

source :: Kotaku

You could blog all day about what appears on eBay, but this cabinet is definitely worth a mention.

The auction has recently ended, but it came with 187 games, using a 24″ flat screen and 2-player controls. The most important part however is the space for a beer keg and cooling system for your beer. I’ve seen many home-uprights built with cup-holders… but never before have they been so appropriate.

It sold for $3100, which is going to make someone very happy over the Christmas period! Now, where did I leave that bottle-opener?
source :: kotaku

It was brought to my attention the other day that Argos are now stocking an arcade table. So, I checked out the site to find that it’s Arcade Mania’s cocktail style cabinet.

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Jason Scott over at textfiles.com is hosting a bunch of arcade manuals in pdf format. Well, when I say a bunch, I mean over 1,700. Not only the manuals, but there are also some schematics and machine information if you are trying to revive an uncared-for machine that you’ve managed to lay your hands on.

So anyway, here are the manuals…

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