Is the arcade industry dying?

[CallTheFBI]

Is it just me or is the arcade industry dying? Most of the arcades I have been to in the past couple years are in bad shape. They have old games and are just pretty much run down. The only exception is a restaurant called Dave and Busters. They have the latest arcade games but it costs an arm and a leg to play 'em. What's wrong with the arcade industry? Did something go wrong?

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: CallTheFBI
What's wrong with the arcade industry? Did something go wrong?

Nintendo, playstation, xbox, etc...

 

[CallTheFBI]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: CallTheFBI
What's wrong with the arcade industry? Did something go wrong?

Nintendo, playstation, xbox, etc...

They have had consoles around for years and they co-existed peacefully for the longest time. Are you sure that's why?

 

[aircooled]

Originally posted by: CallTheFBI

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: CallTheFBI
What's wrong with the arcade industry? Did something go wrong?

Nintendo, playstation, xbox, etc...

They have had consoles around for years and they co-existed peacefully for the longest time. Are you sure that's why?

True, but there was a time when arcade machines were superior in quality and gameplay to home machines, nowadays, consoles offer more power and development than ever before. The arcade may never die for social reasons, but home machines have more than caught up.

 

[CallTheFBI]

Originally posted by: aircooled

Originally posted by: CallTheFBI

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: CallTheFBI
What's wrong with the arcade industry? Did something go wrong?

Nintendo, playstation, xbox, etc...

They have had consoles around for years and they co-existed peacefully for the longest time. Are you sure that's why?

True, but there was a time when arcade machines were superior in quality and gameplay to home machines, nowadays, consoles offer more power and development than ever before. The arcade may never die for social reasons, but home machines have more than caught up.

I dunno I think they could put some pretty badass hardware in 'em. But that's where the problem stems from, arcade machines are hardware based, you can't just install a new game on the same arcade machine when one of them goes out of date. And games are going out of date faster than ever before.

 

[dpopiz]

But that's where the problem stems from, arcade machines are hardware based, you can't just install a new game on the same arcade machine when one of them goes out of date. And games are going out of date faster than ever before.

YES! which is why they need to do like the neo geo arcade machines, and make a standardized, but powerful hardware platform. Not only would that eliminate the problem of games becoming outdated, but also make new games be developed a lot faster because they would just write the software, not try to build some custom hardware just for that game.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: dpopiz

But that's where the problem stems from, arcade machines are hardware based, you can't just install a new game on the same arcade machine when one of them goes out of date. And games are going out of date faster than ever before.

YES! which is why they need to do like the neo geo arcade machines, and make a standardized, but powerful hardware platform. Not only would that eliminate the problem of games becoming outdated, but also make new games be developed a lot faster because they would just write the software, not try to build some custom hardware just for that game.

They would put a PC in a cabinet. I mean, what else would they do? They'd have to be able to come out w/ a new machine every 2 years if they wanted to keep ahead of the consoles. It's going to cost probably at least $1000 to put one of these things together in parts. Then, if you want people to play it, you have to offer titles that aren't available on the consoles, so you have to add the cost of software development, which will be hefty since you can only sell the software on these machines. So, just to break even with the $1000 hardware cost of the machine, at $0.50 per game, you'd have to play the game 3 times a day for two years. That doesn't count software costs at all, and the machine has to be replaced after two years with something bigger and faster.

 

[CallTheFBI]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: dpopiz

But that's where the problem stems from, arcade machines are hardware based, you can't just install a new game on the same arcade machine when one of them goes out of date. And games are going out of date faster than ever before.

YES! which is why they need to do like the neo geo arcade machines, and make a standardized, but powerful hardware platform. Not only would that eliminate the problem of games becoming outdated, but also make new games be developed a lot faster because they would just write the software, not try to build some custom hardware just for that game.

They would put a PC in a cabinet. I mean, what else would they do? They'd have to be able to come out w/ a new machine every 2 years if they wanted to keep ahead of the consoles. It's going to cost probably at least $1000 to put one of these things together in parts. Then, if you want people to play it, you have to offer titles that aren't available on the consoles, so you have to add the cost of software development, which will be hefty since you can only sell the software on these machines. So, just to break even with the $1000 hardware cost of the machine, at $0.50 per game, you'd have to play the game 3 times a day for two years. That doesn't count software costs at all, and the machine has to be replaced after two years with something bigger and faster.

What if the arcade management just bought a supercomputer and had every game in the place run off of that?

 

[jfall]

we dont even have an arcade where I live.. I wish there was one though

 

[apoppin]

IMO. arcades will again be successful when they can offer what the home environment cannot.

When technology again pushes hardware, we will see primitive arcades attempting to offer what the "holodeck" can do. We already have "lazer-tag" buit somehow this isn't really satisfying (yet).

 

[Bojangles139]

the arcade nook will be the Dance Mix Revolution (shudders) and the Beachhead 2000(at least 'round here, they have a lil helmet capsle that you pull over your head with a lil monitor in it and you can turn 360 degree's shooting stuff) and all the gun games. the gold ole days go whooping your buddies arse in Mortal Kombat in an arcade are over. :-(

brandon

 

[CallTheFBI]

Originally posted by: Bojangles139
the arcade nook will be the Dance Mix Revolution (shudders) and the Beachhead 2000(at least 'round here, they have a lil helmet capsle that you pull over your head with a lil monitor in it and you can turn 360 degree's shooting stuff) and all the gun games. the gold ole days go whooping your buddies arse in Mortal Kombat in an arcade are over. :-(

brandon

Ah but the days of whooping your friends at a LAN party at Unreal Tournament 2003 have begun!

 

[Queasy]

Combination of lack of quality games and cost of the machines to the arcade and cost of playing for the consumer.

Personally, I miss the days of Golden Axe, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Cyberball, etc.

 

[dejitaru]

Yeah, arcades are dead. Though they get a lot of the games sooner than consoles, no one's willing to pay $1 for a single game when they can play at home with better graphics. A long time ago, arcade games had the best graphics, and a home console was a luxury.

But you can't play go-carts or air hockey on a home console.

 

[KillaBong]

Golden Axe was soooo fun!

 

[jcovercash]

MAME, bring the arcade to your home

 

[kursplat]

about the only arcade things i still look forward to are REAL pinball machines , and a flight sim game that i've only seen at the Disneyland arcade next to space mountain.
strap you in and it goes 360' in every axis. lots of fun.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Please give me a king size break. I mean really. Unless you were around for the very first arcade boom / bust cycle of the 80's, which I was, you dont know how bad things can really get it.

Today things are better than ever. As long as you have people who like to waste time playing video games and other people like to eat - and happen to program, you will have an arcade industry.