Hey, Larzini, thanks for the post. It just so happens that we've covered this machine last year when it first came out. While it's custom hardware, the technology is equivalent to those "TV games" joysticks with the built-in games you see for $20. While licensed, they are generally weak approximations of the original arcade games. The Midway Arcade is indeed a roughly 3/4 scale arcade style cabinet with a low resolution 14" television as its display device. The images are quite soft on this screen and bizarrely enough, some of the games are cut off, meaning that the games were not properly optimized for the display.
While the price is attractive at $350 (sometimes less), considering a proper custom arcade machine can cost well north of $1000 on the low end, from the controls to the display to the visuals and sound, this Midway machine ultimately falls far short of being worth it for the average consumer. Frankly, there are a plethora of choices out there that deliver a much more accurate and pleasing experience, as long as you're patient enough to save up for it (let me know if you need any links).
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
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Hey, Larzini, thanks for the post. It just so happens that we've covered this machine last year when it first came out. While it's custom hardware, the technology is equivalent to those "TV games" joysticks with the built-in games you see for $20. While licensed, they are generally weak approximations of the original arcade games. The Midway Arcade is indeed a roughly 3/4 scale arcade style cabinet with a low resolution 14" television as its display device. The images are quite soft on this screen and bizarrely enough, some of the games are cut off, meaning that the games were not properly optimized for the display.
While the price is attractive at $350 (sometimes less), considering a proper custom arcade machine can cost well north of $1000 on the low end, from the controls to the display to the visuals and sound, this Midway machine ultimately falls far short of being worth it for the average consumer. Frankly, there are a plethora of choices out there that deliver a much more accurate and pleasing experience, as long as you're patient enough to save up for it (let me know if you need any links).
If you want a 3/4 scale pinball machine, check this one out (I am getting this for Christmas): http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5238447 . It does a much better job of simulating the arcade experience on the cheap.
======================================
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
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