Viva la video arcade!

[RagnorakTres]

Recently (like, a year ago or so), a video arcade opened in my hometown. I know what you're thinking "Whoop-de-freakin'-doo, you can play Speed Racer."

That's not the kind of video arcade I'm talking about. This video arcade lets you literally rent a HDTV, all of the games they have, an Xbox 360, a Wii and a high-end gaming PC for an hour for $5. Let me repeat that: you can play Gears of War 2 or Super Smash Bros. Brawl or World of Warcraft for an hour for $5. Seems a little steep, but you also get online and stuff. I waited to see if they would survive the winter before saying anything to the world at large about it, but as they seem to have weathered the cold season fine, I feel safe.

This. Place. Is. Awesome. Do these exist anyplace else? Could this catch on like video arcades did in the primal days of gaming?

 

[NeutralDrow]

My school's combination bowling alley/video arcade has a large-screen TV and a Wii. People can check out games and Wiimotes with their ID cards or cell phones as deposits.

They used to have a copy of SSBB, but it disappeared (though some guys bring in their own copies). Now there's just Guitar Hero III, Boom Blox, Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii, and a couple of things I never pay attention to.

Honestly, what you're describing sounds almost like an internet cafe.

 

[GRoXERs]

My school's combination bowling alley/video arcade has a large-screen TV and a Wii. People can check out games and Wiimotes with their ID cards or cell phones as deposits.

Your what what what?
Man.
I can only assume it's a university, and even then that's pretty effin' awesome.

Also, this is a fantastic idea - but can you play Crysis on the computers provided? If not, I don't quite approve.

 

[NeutralDrow]

My school's combination bowling alley/video arcade has a large-screen TV and a Wii. People can check out games and Wiimotes with their ID cards or cell phones as deposits.

Your what what what?
Man.
I can only assume it's a university, and even then that's pretty effin' awesome.

Yep, university. Confused me the first time I saw it, too; Bowling, ping pong, and pool tables, mostly, but it's got a few arcade games (MvC2, Police Trainer, Tekken 5R, CvS2, SC2, and DDR Extreme...and some crap thing called Gunmen Wars). They used to have Guilty Gear XX before the machine broke...

 

[RagnorakTres]

Also, this is a fantastic idea - but can you play Crysis on the computers provided? If not, I don't quite approve.

I believe you can. They are the super-computers from future space Yahtzee talked about in his review. Seriously. They're ridiculous.

Whether or not they have it installed is another question...

Honestly, what you're describing sounds almost like an internet cafe.

It almost is, though they don't sell food, only candy and energy drinks and pop. Oh and they have all-nighters. They don't open till noon and they don't close till midnight. They're open six days a week, only closed on Mondays. Let me reiterate:
This. Place. Is. Awesome.

 

[Squarewave]

The last place I've seen like that was back in the PS1 days. It was a video game store that had a bunch of 60" TVs setup with ps1/snes/genesis/3DO/N64/saturn and a few others they would charge people something like $5 for 30min. With some games they would let you play free for 5 min to test drive them before you buy (as their main focus was selling games)

I don't know what happened to them but they ended up going out of business despite the store always being packed. It wouldn't surprise me if gamestop had bought them up just to close them

 

[whiskey_hicks]

It almost is, though they don't sell food, only candy and energy drinks and pop. Oh and they have all-nighters. They don't open till noon and they don't close till midnight. They're open six days a week, only closed on Mondays.

Yeah, that's an internet cafe not an arcade. Generally arcades have game cabinets, you know... those things you put quarters in and play using a joystick.

Not wanting to bust your bubble because internet cafes are what replaced arcades, but let's not call an apple an orange, right?

 

[RagnorakTres]

Yeah, that's an internet cafe not an arcade. Generally arcades have game cabinets, you know... those things you put quarters in and play using a joystick.

Not wanting to bust your bubble because internet cafes are what replaced arcades, but let's not call an apple an orange, right?

Wait, I've seen internet cafes. They're brightly lit and only have computers. They charge you through the nose to let you browse the internet. They're big in Japan where some people don't have enough room for their own computer. This place is not an internet cafe. It's a modern video arcade with consoles instead of cabinets.

 

[squid5580]

Recently (like, a year ago or so), a video arcade opened in my hometown. I know what you're thinking "Whoop-de-freakin'-doo, you can play Speed Racer."

That's not the kind of video arcade I'm talking about. This video arcade lets you literally rent a HDTV, all of the games they have, an Xbox 360, a Wii and a high-end gaming PC for an hour for $5. Let me repeat that: you can play Gears of War 2 or Super Smash Bros. Brawl or World of Warcraft for an hour for $5. Seems a little steep, but you also get online and stuff. I waited to see if they would survive the winter before saying anything to the world at large about it, but as they seem to have weathered the cold season fine, I feel safe.

This. Place. Is. Awesome. Do these exist anyplace else? Could this catch on like video arcades did in the primal days of gaming?

Yes a place exactly like the one you describe opened up down the street from me. And I doubt it will really catch on. It makes more sense to save those 5 dollars and buy the console for so many reasons. You can't save your games and go back another day and pick up where you left off. You don't get your own profile (and if you do you will be paying to recover it). The only time it would make sense to use one of these places is if you plan on buying a console but are unsure of which one. Although renting one from Blockbuster (or a reasonable facimile) would make more sense.