The Rise & Fall of Arcade1Up
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- čas přidán 24. 06. 2024
- #arcade1up#tretroarcade#arcadecabinet#homearcade
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ep 198 The rise and fall of arcade1up
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Do you guys agree that there'll be no new titles for '24, or will we see something new this fall?
I kind of have that feeling if no new investors invest in arcade 1 up within the next few months, I see them filing bankruptcy and just getting out of business. The arcades they made from 2018-2023 were awesome and I have a lot of them myself, but in the end, they are a novelty nostalgia product for which the market is quite small. All the Walmart's in my area here got rid of all Arcade 1 up items. We all know if the itch comes to play, we can play these games anywhere on any system.
I'll always be grateful to A1Up for trying to serve our market.
They're not perfect, but where else could you get a TRON or T2 cab? They make a lot of stuff that's pretty dang cool, and I do hope they can continue doing so.
I really liked the Partycades and wish they made more titles in Partycade form.
For those of us with limited space, it was the perfect way to have our own retro arcade. 😊
I'm glad you brought that up - it seems like those partycades were a great idea. If they could get the pricing right (say $249) you'd think they could sell a mountain of them.
Which is your favorite partycade?
Probably Ms. Pac-Man actually! It looked and played great. Then Defender (of course).
Hi JDV, nice summary of the history of A1up. Covid def made the home arcade space explode. The community asked for XL's for the successful cabinets of the past and they just won't do it. If A1up was a band they would be Dire Straits, looking at who is running the show there I have little hope of a turn around.
One solution could be a multi-cade approach, at least in terms of getting a new cab/title into the big box stores. It seems that they are now totally dependent on a box store pre-buying units, which if true severely limits new potential cabs.
Nice to hear some solid numbers reported.
Also enjoyed the Cornercade and PDubs shoutouts!
Thanks for making great content, entertaining and informative as always
Hey, thanks for checking it out!
It’s a shame I like them for what they were as I myself do not want full-size cabinets. They are too heavy required too much work and knowing me, I won’t even want them in a few years. For me, they were more decor as most of them only got paid when company was around anyway. The last cabinets they were actually not so bad. The only cabinet I find myself playing with my son was star wars.
17" cabs are completely fine for vertical games. Would have been nice to see larger screens on the shooters like Big Buck & T2. I think the quality of the latest gen is where it should have been right from the start.
A1Up did some great things for the retro community. But times have changed & selling cabinet furniture is no longer viable. They need to move into the online software game. Buying a new cabinet every time I want a new game, makes little sense anymore.
A1Up needs to reinvent themselves. One click to buy a game is where it’s at these days.
Yeah but the consoles and PCs have already done that to death. There is something to be said about having physical arcade cabinets in your space.
@@Madlou I hear you - there’s something to be said about nostalgia.… but the market is speaking to them .. these machines are not flying off the shelves & many cabinets in stores are heavily discounted. That has to say something ..
@@MadlouThe excitement around the MVC fighting collection would beg to differ
@@potatochipz3097 Good point
I have been arguing for a la carte buying options for years for A1up, similar to what the iiRcade did, and what AtGames is doing now for the ALP/4KP. Having 14 games (or less) per cab is terribly wasteful in any event - time to evolve.
Great video!
Thank you brother!
Waiting to see Evil Genius’ thoughts on that new NBA Slim 😂
I own 7 cabs and am done with buying them unless a stand up Spy Hunter is released, then that will be my last one.
Can't lie, that leaked SPY HUNTER cab did look tasty....
That's the 1 real cabinet I have. Bought it back in the 90's when nobody wanted them.
I've got 11 love um just need dragons lair and Star Wars then I'm done but bless a1up❤
That's kinda where I'm at too!
Some people bought their first when they first came out and are already bored through and through but I got my first A1UP in 2021. I have 3 now and that is all the space I have for them in my current house. would buy more otherwise and if the pricing (in Finland) wasn’t an outrageous 600-900€ per cab for the new ones. I understand there are different shipment fees etc added to drag them across Europe but still. A bit too much.
Pricing has been a challenge for a while now, and pricing in Europe even worse. Hopefully A1up can right the ship and getting pricing down to boot!
I own 3 cabinets currently. I love the product and have the space for 10 to 12 of them. The problem for me is that I remember them being around $300 in the beginning. I'm not spending $700 per cabinet going forward.
$700 was also a tough pill to swallow, especially for cabs with 4 or less games.
Its sad what arcade1up has become in less than 2 years. They were banging out new titles every 2-3 months and allowing people to affordably build a home arcade. Sure they weren't top quality, but that didnt stop your game room from looking and sounding great. But they have turned into a shell of their former selves. I honestly dont expect a new title to ever come from them under their current ownership.
That pretty much nails it.
I’ve have a number of these cabs and have been happy with them. They’re not perfect but for the price point they’re quite good. What has turned me off of them is the utter lack of titles for new cabs. Pac Man after Pac Man cabs and other repetitive games had me in a position where I lost interest. If they start putting out a better variety of games I will likely come back.
Thanks for watching! And I think that's about how most people feel - without new titles or some additional firmware, there's little to be excited about. But judging by the interest in some of those leaked cabs, you gotta think that people still want new products from them....
When Arcade1up started they stated their business expectancy was 5 years. It has been over 5 years now. Unfortunately the end is near. I'm satisfied with the 15 Arcade1up machines and 2 full-size arcade machines I own. They all still look new and work well.
I mean, that's probably the most realistic way to look at it - they made some very cool products, and will continue to make a selection of them, but probably nothing new (or very far between).
Honest opinion: anyone can compete with Hori, anyone can compete with the absurdly overpriced arcade sticks, countercades and couchcades made by other brands. 1UP stepped into a gap in the market: the gap is still there. Hori R.A.P. is still an outrageous ripoff that makes everything else seem affordable.
Great informative video, just subbed. Not sure how I missed this channel, good stuff. Sold 5 of my cabinets over the last few years. The one cabinet I won’t part with though is Dragons Lair. I’ve got too much history with that one, and my friends brother did the voice of Dirk the daring at the time. Was a memorable time to say the least back then, as that was one of my favorite machines growing up. There was nothing else like it at the time. Always wanted that cabinet as a kid and to me I think it’s one of the better jobs arcade 1up has done. Space ace was also a big one for me.
I’m wondering the same about some of these becoming collectors items in the future if arcade 1up goes under. Spy Hunter would be very hard for me to pass up as well. Another big one!
Hey, welcome to the channel, glad you found us! DRAGON'S LAIR is one I'm always on the prowl for.... just can't do it for $500 as I already have great versions on the iiRcade. But if I find it for $400....
I think that a1up should do a rerun of cabs people want ie Tron stand up outrun and get more of them into Europe
My last cab I purchased from them was the Street Fighter Big Blue cab in which they never fixed the audio issues on it, they did a firmware update, which created more issues.
They never really invested in the cabs in making them the best, just fast cash grabs, and folks finally ae waking up to their schemes.
Tom, I think respecting the customer did come pretty low on their list of priorities. Still waiting for spectate mode and other fixes to known bugs. I mean, there is always going to be a push/pull between lower priced cabs and quality, but some of these firmware fixes should have been relatively cheap to fix, and just never were.
Great video JDV! Love the overview of how A1U grew up and are unfortunately are dying. They have to change up their offerings to become relevant again. Both High and Low in offerings.
I just wonder if they have the reserve capital to make any moves at all. Seems like that at this point they're completely dependent on getting a pre-order from a big box store... who unfortunately don't seem as excited for SPYHUNTER or AvP as we are!
Want to come on this Sunday's livestream and talk Arcade1up? Would love to discuss this some more if possible.
Hey thanks for the invite! Sadly my internet signal is so janky it's all but impossible to do a live stream. Looking at getting a starlink, so hopefully in the future!
Starlink was a game on the Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. One of them has Star Fox in it.
I'm amazed that there are so many of you guys willing to pay for this stuff: the fundamental contraction we all live with is, "my laptop computer can already emulate that" -often enough, "my mobile phone can emulate that". In that context, every product is a niche product.
Then you must be too young to understand the draw of having a home arcade.
Playing on a cab - particularly 2 player games - completely different experience IMO. So too are the games with unique controls like TRON or STAR WARS. And of course they are a sort of playable art-works. It's def a niche segment of video gaming, but one that's interesting... at least to me!
You are comparing apples to oranges. What really sucks for you is you don't know the magic of the old school arcades.
When there was "free" money being given out in 2020 (for us US folk at least) I'm sure it was easier to put some of that into something cozy like these toy cabs. Otherwise, it's just the illusion of nostalgia. They're too small, don't always look right and in some cases, can't handle the game they're packaged with, especially for the price they've ballooned to. By the time you've bought a room full of these, you could have bought 2 to 3 really nice actual cabinets, instead of buying, effectively the "kit car" of arcades.
I don't know, I love the various Pac-Mans I've owned: compact, good screens, clean, easy on power consumption, etc. In fact, I even like the one with risers - makes them so much easier to move (a huge factor if you live in an apt). Also, they've out many cabs you'll never find in the real world in good shape (TRON being a great example). There's a lot to be said about them in the positive, and depending on use scenario, are preferable to real arcades.
I believe John D mentioned that he expected 2 new releases, but didn't necessarily seem that excited about them.
Pretty clear it'll be 2 XLs, likely a CLASS OF '81, GOLDEN TEE, or (long shot) MK II.
@@evilgeniusentertainment If that is the case I will buy them... I'll take an XL SF2, MK2, and Class of 81 before they go if they put them out.Right now I want to upgrade to Deluxe, but, if they put out an XL...I'd much rather have that. So for now, I'm buying nothing. If they file bankruptcy, I'll pick up 3-4 deluxe cabs before they are gone. I really like the lack of riser plus the tilted screen and decks on the new ones.
Oh, the new Deluxe cabs are sweet - but 2 years too late it seems.
Those crazy 60% sales killed A1Up. It's done and over.
The debacle of BLITZ, SIMPSONS, and T2 really really hurt them. I don't it's "over" per se, but I do think they will, essentially, simply become a company that makes Pac-Man variants and infinity tables.
Im afraid your correct..
I don't want to be... that 720 leak pic was amazing
you’re*
@@MasterMayhem78 who gives a damn
Lol.. The 2000 people in this community think they can keep a whole company a float..... Lol the reason they died(if they're even dying) is because they aren't main steam enough....soooooo many people don't even know these things exist, this community is crazy 🤪
I agree that there are still large untapped segments of the population who has no idea these things exist. To their credit, A1up did try to expand their audience, but they did it the NBA Jam and BLITZ cabs, which perhaps wasn't the best return for the money.
@@evilgeniusentertainment NBA JAM they did, which is why we see so many versions...NFL blitz they didn't, which is why we won't see another version.... You know the formula
Buy you a coffee? Are you being serious? 40k subs and you can't afford your own coffee? If not maybe lay off the toys for a bit
Not sure you realize how little yt pays, but yeah - buy me a coffee dang it! :)
Arcade1up apppears to be done like IIracade. Its a shame. I have most of their cabs. Plus I loved watching all you Arcade CZcams gurus preview and review Arcade1up stuff.
I love my iiRcade... sniffles. Well, they're not "done" but they are likely done being innovators.
The countercades unfortunately went downhill in quality with those second gen games.
Yeah, I was surprised when the took away the lit marquees.
Absolute garbage products. Always failing, cheaply made, overpriced. The idea was excellent but the quality was terrible.
I think it's a cab by cab thing really. Some better then others for sure. My TRON died after 4 months of barely being used, while I literally beat the crap out of Pac-Mania, practically daring it to die, but it keeps on ticking.
@@evilgeniusentertainment I went through FOUR street fighter cabs. Two were DOA and the third had lines in the screen. The fourth one had a dead control panel. Decided to try a Pac Man cab. Worked great for two months.....then no power whatsoever.
I can only speak from my experience. I am glad that you found a rare working one though.
I've been lucky RE the various Pac-Man cabs I've owned - they've all been pretty good. I'd double check your power supply on your Pac-Man - I've found that sometimes those bricks fry out.
Sadly the writing has been on the wall since John and Scott left. The company has had cashflow problems and has tightened their belts. They were no-shows at CES because they have nothing new in the pipeline. Golden Tee Deluxe was just another rehash and X-Men 97 was an afterthought because Di$ney asked them to make one for a promotional tie-in. Here we are going into July with no new announcements. Likely we will get Ms. Pac-Man XL at Costco in the fall only because they placed that PO back in January. All the tea leaves read that they are looking to liquidate their inventory as much as possible so they can balance the sheets to put the company up for sale. Maybe ATgames will buy them or maybe John D’s Media1up will become the new Arcade1up.
I'm very interested in what John D has in store. And I think the company has more or less been up for sale since late last year.
What would you like arcade 1 up to sell you expensive joystick buttons as the real arcade machines that will cost you over $3,000 go try to buy the original arcade machines like Donky Kong that were released in the year 2000 as the MS Pac-Man galaga Pac-Man pixel their still new but will cost you $3,300
Like every innovation there comes a tipping point. A1UP has not done enough to sustain. Just like iiarcade, tiny arcades, my arcade, basic fun arcade classics, numbskull, etc.
It's a tough market, ever more so for sure. I do think the various "gate" issues for various generations - bad screens, bad speakers, bad marques - hurt a lot too. Poor QC combined with design defects (like poor button placement on Simpsons as an example) did a lot to hurt their reputation.
I'll give my obligatory comment here. You cant discount how bad the economy is. Going dormant in 2024 may prove to be very wise. Not sure they've made bad decision after bad decision to bring their demise, I think the economy is the lead factor
The economy is absolutely a factor... but their pricing was out of wack almost from the get go. Wildly up and down pricing, and nearly always had the pricing too high upon release. The poor economy has exacerbated that issue mightily.
Good riddance to bad rubbish! Arcade 8-Up was for the folks who wanted a very limited MAME board and cardboard cutout midget units. Nice if the player is 5 years old, but all of it was trash tier.
Arcade1UP fall from poor quality cabs, poor customer services, and poor mismanagements.
And very high and expensive prices.
They just look and play ugly. In store they are just badly packed and usually damaged. This is a direct to order/preorder thing you handle online or through secondary online partners. This is such a niche of niche product market it only made money because of Panda Mike. If what you wanted was a cheap garbo home arcade, that's what you get, but that's probably what you could afford.
Who the hell is Panda Mike????
A1Up sold junk, plain and simple. The cheapest product, made the cheapest way with the cheapest materials. Every single one of the cabinets I had from that company was trash. The only thing that I will give A1Up credit for is wising me up and sending me in the direction of better quality cabs.
Many of us jumped on these the minute they came out. There was nothing else really on the market with the flashy nice artwork and at a $299 price, it seemed affordable. Then you start to really take a look at the construction along with the complete greed of price hike up and start to lose interest. Especially if you’re trying to play a fighting game. That thing on a frikin riser is gonna practically tip over! I’ve already sold 5 of mine, but will keep dragons lair. That cabinet they did a good job with and that machine holds a special place for me. Attack from mars also as it gets alot of mileage around here. I also got them both for a little over $300 each on wayfair. They aren’t worth anything more as far as I’m concerned. I regret selling my original Donkey Kong Jr cabinet when I moved. Still worked and was the 2 in 1 board with Donkey Kong in it as well. My Primal Rage machine took a shit and ended up sitting in my garage for years. Had to sell it too. Nothing beats a real cabinet and none of these atgames or arcade 1ups will compete
Then go pay $3,000 for a Pac-Man pixel arcade machine I own arcade machines and arcade 1 up you shouldn’t complain if they aren’t charging you 3,000
@@bryancook6345 Yea, you’re right. I’ve owned both real arcade cabs and 1UPs and some of these newer 1UPs are just fine. They are affordable. I was able to get class of 81, mars attacks pinball and dragons lair for around $300 each off wayfair. Using 10% off during sale and then getting a discount ontop of that for any imperfections they had. At least Arcade1up was trying to reignite the arcade and what many people got to do turning bedrooms into arcades is very cool! Dragons Lair is a very sweet cab from them. Used to play the original back in the arcades and it did give me that feel again playing on this cabinet. Sure I can play dragons lair on my handheld, coinopsx and tv, but it’s more to that. Some of us want that actual feeling what it was to play on the actual cabinet again, and arcade 1up can deliver that on some of their cabinets. I know the wood is not the same and doesn’t weigh a ton, but in some ways that can be a hassle. I’ve dealt with them before and it’s just not practical for what we’re trying to do. I can pick up my mars attacks pinball and dragons lair and move them into another room by myself without having to use a dolly. I will always prefer the originals of course, but these can be very cool and look very nice when setting up a game room.
The Atari 50th cab is awesome wtf you talking about
@@bryancook6345Atgames arcade cabs are much better than arcade1up
Still holding out hope for ms pacman (blue) deluxe, centipede deluxe, robotron/smash tv, street fighter alpha/3rd strike, and Tekken...
The Ice Cold Beer ganee woukd be nice
ROBOTRON/SMASH TV would for sure be a buy for me. Great games with a (kinda) unique control setup.