Latest / Ultimate Rewinds Podcast / The TRUTH About Arcade1up & the FUTURE of Home Arcades! 💎 Ep #30

Transcript

The TRUTH About Arcade1up & the FUTURE of Home Arcades! 💎 Ep #30 · Ultimate Rewinds Podcast

0:00
What is going on everybody? Welcome back
0:02
to another episode of the Mighty Rewind
0:04
podcast. Today I want to talk about the
0:06
home arcade space. One of my favorite
0:08
topics to talk about and there's a lot
0:10
of angst out there right now within the
0:12
community within these companies
0:14
themselves that are making these home
0:16
arcades. And I think we need to dive in
0:18
and talk about this a little bit today.
0:21
Talk about where we've been, where we
0:22
are now, and kind of what we're going.
0:25
And most importantly, I want to talk
0:26
about the truth. what I'm seeing right
0:28
now on both ends. So today, no guess,
0:31
just me. Let's get ready to talk about
0:33
it.
0:48
Before we talk about where we are now, I
0:50
think we should spend a little bit of
0:52
time talking about the past, like how
0:54
this all came about, Arcade OneUp, and
0:57
when they came on the scene, what it was
0:59
like for us as home arcade enthusiasts,
1:02
as arcade enthusiasts, and how it kind
1:05
of molded where we are today. So,
1:07
obviously the beginning when Arcade
1:09
OneUp first kind of launched, they were
1:11
putting out some really great titles
1:12
that we haven't seen, you know, in the
1:15
home arcade space in our lifetime. And I
1:18
think the excitement was really vast
1:22
right off the get-go. I understand that
1:24
a lot of these smaller, you know, I
1:26
wouldn't even call them 3/4 scale
1:28
arcades were hitting the market. They
1:30
were really like halfsidizes arcades,
1:32
right, before they they came out with
1:33
the risers, stuff like that. And the
1:35
titles they released right off the bat
1:38
were really just nostalgic, right? Hit
1:41
home. Street Fighter 2, Asteroids,
1:44
uh, Space Invaders, arcade classics that
1:47
we grew up loving, right? Not only in
1:50
the 80s, but also in the early 90s as
1:52
well. So, that nostalgic factor really,
1:54
really, I think, made the arcade space,
1:57
home arcade space kind of take off from
2:00
the get-go. And then, of course, they
2:01
they came out with the risers and then,
2:03
you know, everything kind of took off
2:05
from there. The Walmart thing, trying to
2:06
find these cabinets in store kind of
2:09
hyped up the excitement, right? We were
2:10
looking at our local Walmarts trying to
2:13
find deals if they were on sales. We
2:15
were finding cabinets for $50, for $75,
2:18
for $100, which kind of added to that
2:20
excitement. But as Arcade OneUp grew,
2:23
you know, the demand from the community
2:25
also grew and that's kind of where
2:27
everything kind of started to go
2:29
downhill. So that was our backstory.
2:32
We'll go into where we are now, but I
2:35
want to talk about the main problems
2:36
here and we'll we'll look at it from the
2:37
community aspect and we'll also look at
2:39
it from the arcade oneup and these other
2:42
home arcade companies aspects as well.
2:44
So, first are first let let's talk about
2:47
what the issues are at hand in the home
2:49
arcade space, right? Cabinets are
2:52
getting more expensive. That that is the
2:53
main thing and I don't think the quality
2:56
uh is up to what home arcade enthusiasts
2:58
are actually looking for as well. for a
3:00
long time supporters of Arcade OneUp and
3:02
these companies. It feels like right now
3:05
the impulse buy of nostalgia is the only
3:08
reason people are buying these machines.
3:10
Right? Back in the day, as I said
3:12
before, people were going to try to look
3:14
for these things on the cheap. That's
3:16
what kind of got people into the space
3:17
in my opinion. if they weren't really
3:19
like too crazy about arcades, maybe they
3:21
they didn't have the space or knowledge
3:25
uh to keep them in their home or you
3:27
know know what these things are really
3:29
really should do. So right now people
3:31
are thinking these are like a premium
3:32
and premium investment and that's not
3:34
really what I think the home arcade
3:36
space should be. But right now in this
3:39
community people are asking why am I
3:41
paying more? Why are features still
3:43
inconsistent? Right? Why do some
3:45
cabinets feel like upgrades and others
3:47
feel like just re-releases? And that's
3:49
where we've been over the past 3 years,
3:51
just basically getting re-releases of
3:53
cabinets we've already seen before. Part
3:55
of part of that is because of licensing.
3:56
Obviously, it's hard to get licenses for
3:59
these titles. And I've been told that
4:01
it's not always easy to find out who
4:03
owns the licenses for these products.
4:05
So, with that said, I think Arcade OneUp
4:09
needs to kind of listen more to the
4:11
community, but also as a community, we
4:13
kind of need to know where they're
4:14
coming from. Okay. Uh, on a side note,
4:17
uh, four or five years, 6 years even
4:20
after, you know, initial releases, the
4:23
community of arcade enthusiasts are more
4:27
educated than we've ever been. There
4:29
aren't as many casual buyers as there
4:32
were before. right now. Now we've turned
4:34
into modders. We've turned into
4:36
collectors, people who know PCB specs,
4:38
monitor types, encoder boards, all that
4:41
great stuff. So, in the beginning, it
4:43
was a great to see these things finally
4:45
hit your home and it became like a
4:46
little bit of a niche and we've gotten
4:48
even smaller as a community, believe it
4:50
or not. So, a lot of people got out of
4:52
the game because they they bought a
4:54
bunch of titles and they have no more
4:55
space. Uh, a lot of people are priced
4:57
out now as well, uh, because of prices
4:59
being so high. So, the audience for home
5:02
arcades has definitely matured and
5:05
expectations are higher.
5:13
Let's talk about us as a community and
5:14
what we want for our home arcades
5:16
because I think to me that is the
5:18
biggest issue that is kind of talked
5:21
about the most in all these YouTube
5:23
videos, Facebook posts, Instagram posts,
5:25
wherever you go to find your information
5:27
regarding arcade and home arcade. That's
5:30
what the gist of it is in my opinion. So
5:32
obviously the hardcore fans, we want new
5:34
titles. Licensing that is the biggest
5:37
issue. We want our favorite titles from
5:40
the 1980s and into the mid I think
5:42
1990s. Uh arcade accuracy, right? The
5:45
artwork, the look and the layout. The
5:48
playability is also another aspect of it
5:51
which I think it is kind of limited
5:53
right now because of the uh the
5:55
technology we have. But obviously a lot
5:57
of collectors still flocked to 3/4
5:59
scale. But I think a lot of us out there
6:01
who are really serious about having
6:04
arcades in our homes are looking for
6:06
larger form factors, which we kind of
6:08
have now with the XL Supreme. Uh whether
6:11
it meets your expectations or not,
6:12
that's a different story. We'll get into
6:14
that. Larger screens is a huge issue
6:16
that I think not a lot of people talk
6:17
about enough. 17 in is just not big
6:19
enough in my opinion. Even 19 depending
6:22
on the cabinet size. In the Supreme, I
6:24
still want a bigger size screen than a
6:27
19inch screen for an XL Supreme cabinet.
6:29
That is just me. I think a lot of
6:31
enthusiasts all also want that as well.
6:34
Uh, better joysticks and buttons. That
6:36
has been there since day one. We've only
6:39
gotten a couple premium machines with
6:41
with better joysticks and buttons, and
6:43
that quick quickly went away, of course.
6:45
But these joysticks and buttons for me
6:47
have been the biggest issue that I have
6:49
seen collecting these arcade one-ups and
6:52
these other companies as well. They're
6:53
they're not as keen to give us that
6:56
incredible arcade experience that we're
6:58
all looking for, right? That that's why
6:59
we get into this space. That's why we
7:00
talk about the space, why we buy some of
7:02
these cabinets. We want that experience
7:04
that we had growing up. Better sound is
7:07
another issue, right? I think uh that
7:09
has been kind of addressed a little bit.
7:12
The sound has definitely gotten better
7:13
with the the two overlay speakers at the
7:15
top. Online play, which to me it is not
7:19
a big a factor to me because when I grew
7:21
up in the arcade, there was no online
7:23
play. Yes, we got to play our friends uh
7:25
that are right next to each other or
7:26
join in on certain games as well
7:28
competing together, but to me that is a
7:31
lesser extent for me, but I know for
7:33
other people out there who do follow the
7:35
space, that's something that they really
7:36
want to see on all titles going forward.
7:39
And I think leaderboards is the last one
7:41
that we talk about that that people who
7:43
compete online against each other, they
7:45
want those leaderboards, they want those
7:46
statistics, they want that recognition
7:49
if they are really good at a certain
7:50
game. So, uh, and lastly, they want
7:53
this, all of this for a good price, an
7:56
incredible price. We're not talking
7:57
about $800, $900 for an XL Supreme.
8:00
We're talking about $5 to $600. But
8:02
there are challenges in that. So, don't
8:04
forget it. But, I think I nailed this.
8:06
And you guys let me know down in the
8:07
comments. Is there anything out there
8:09
that you mentioned besides, you know,
8:11
titles, form factor screens, and
8:12
everything that I mentioned before in an
8:14
arcade that you're going to have in your
8:15
home? Drop the comments down below. Hey
8:18
everyone, this message is for brands,
8:21
companies, publishers, and fellow
8:23
creators. If you've got a product you'd
8:25
like featured, reviewed, or showcased,
8:28
I'd love to connect. Here at Mighty
8:30
Comics and Collectibles, we are
8:31
passionate about all types of
8:33
collectibles, from comics to toy
8:35
reveals, statues, and even event
8:37
coverage, including content from places
8:40
like Toyf Fair. I'm always looking to
8:42
spotlight cool, nostalgic, and
8:44
innovative products that fit the
8:46
collectible culture. I offer honest
8:48
reviews, highquality visuals, engaging
8:51
thumbnails, and authentic reactions that
8:53
collectors trust. Whether it's action
8:56
figures, limited editions, exclusives,
8:58
or new launches, I can create a
9:01
dedicated review, unboxing, hype video,
9:04
or event style coverage. If you're a
9:06
brand or independent creator and want
9:08
your product in front of a passionate
9:10
collector audience, reach out to me
9:12
directly. Let's collaborate and create
9:14
something awesome. So, now let's flip it
9:16
a little bit. Let's talk about the
9:18
companies themselves. Arcade OneUp
9:19
Iconic Arcade a little bit I want to
9:22
delve into and the challenges that
9:23
they're facing putting out some of these
9:25
products into the community right now.
9:27
So, I don't think a lot of people
9:28
understand how expensive everything is
9:31
right now. Really, it's quite insane. Uh
9:35
you may think they're a toy company, you
9:36
may think they're a home arcade company.
9:38
What they are is actually a hardware
9:40
company. And in 2026, it has not been
9:43
easy. even the the middle of 2025 still
9:47
tremendously difficult to kind of put
9:48
out a relatively affordable home arcade
9:52
that everybody wants. But you got to
9:55
consider the manufacturing costs are up
9:57
globally right now tremendously.
9:59
Shipping costs are fluctuating and still
10:01
rather high especially for these
10:03
highweight items. Retail shelf space is
10:07
very limited. I come from a retail
10:08
background and a healthcare background.
10:10
And I got to tell you right now, people
10:11
are cutting down what they are keeping
10:14
in stores. There's no question. Rents
10:17
are through the roof. So, they have to
10:19
make sure whatever they're putting on
10:21
their shelves is going to sell because
10:23
if if not, they're kind of wasting that
10:26
opportunity. But the main thing
10:29
obviously is licensing. Licensing, I
10:32
think, is more expensive than people
10:34
talk about. I said it a little bit
10:35
before, it's not always easy to find on
10:38
certain games who has the licenses. I
10:40
was told that by a good friend of mine,
10:42
but licenses is incredibly expensive.
10:45
And that's why partially we're seeing
10:47
the same games being released basically
10:50
month over month, year over year. How
10:52
many Pac-Man machines have we gotten?
10:54
About 30. Uh that's a little bit of an
10:56
exaggeration, but you guys know what I
10:57
mean, right? Then you got to add
10:59
distribution through major retailers,
11:01
customer service, infrastructure,
11:03
firmware updates, online functionality
11:06
that all costs money. I really love to
11:09
know how many units they actually sell
11:11
per cabinet, right? Especially with
11:13
these cabinets that we aren't asking
11:15
for, and we've gotten a lot of them, I
11:17
think, over the past 3 or 4 years or so.
11:19
But add all that up and let's talk about
11:22
margins, right? Margins aren't what
11:24
people assume they are. They're
11:25
operating on razor thin margins. When we
11:29
first saw Arcade OneUp come onto the
11:31
scene, where were they? They were in
11:33
they were in Walmart almost exclusively
11:35
and online. Then of course we started to
11:37
see them in Target. We started to see
11:38
them on Amazon, freaking Wayfair,
11:40
Kohl's, Home Depot, you know, they're
11:42
kind of everywhere. That that to me is
11:44
part of the problem. Let's kind of
11:45
consolidate where we're going to find
11:47
these things. That I think that also
11:48
helps. I understand from a business
11:50
aspect that's not what they want. They
11:53
want to get their products into
11:54
everybody's hand so everybody can make
11:56
money. But when you go into the retail
11:59
space and you ship a product and that
12:01
product doesn't sell, you're not doing
12:03
yourself any favors when it comes to
12:06
reputation on the products that you're
12:08
putting out. Okay. Um, at the end of the
12:10
day, they have to make enough profit for
12:13
this part of their business to be
12:15
sustainable. And right now, at least for
12:17
Arcade OneUp, before they got to Basic
12:19
Fund, they haven't been doing that. Is
12:22
it in part because they haven't been
12:23
listening to the community? I think
12:25
that's only part of it. I think
12:27
obviously the the economies and what
12:29
things cost nowaday plays a big role
12:31
into that as well. I do think they want
12:32
to do right by us. There's no question
12:34
in my mind. But you also have to
12:36
understand
12:38
if you're if the community is asking for
12:40
something and you're not doing it, what
12:42
does that say about you? So Arcade
12:44
OneUp, I hope you're listening. Uh
12:46
honestly, most companies don't just
12:49
exist to be profitable. They need growth
12:52
and that's where the problem lies.
12:55
Again, if they're not able to make a lot
12:57
of profit and then grow at the same
12:59
time, they're never going to go where we
13:02
want them to go as arcade enthusiasts,
13:04
as home arcade enthusiasts, right? Think
13:06
about it. What happens if a cabinet
13:08
doesn't sell at retail, even online,
13:10
right? What happens, right? They get
13:13
overloaded with stock. It's not just, oh
13:15
well, there's warehouse space. There's
13:18
retailer relationships. I talked about a
13:20
little bit about and there's capital
13:22
tied up. So when you don't have money to
13:24
kind of move on to the next cabinet that
13:26
we're all clamoring for, it becomes a
13:28
huge issue. So the community themselves,
13:31
they kind of feel unheard and I
13:33
understand that. But also from the
13:34
company aspect of it, these arcade
13:36
companies, OneUp, iconic arcade, uh they
13:39
also feel, I think, under supported,
13:41
right? They want to sell their cabinets.
13:42
So we kind of go hand inand but what I
13:45
will say is this. The community has to
13:47
understand what things cost, but also
13:49
these companies have to find a cheaper
13:50
way to make the things that we want or
13:52
they won't sell product.
13:56
Now, like I said, I want to talk a
13:57
little bit about Iconic Arcade and what
13:59
they're bringing to the community right
14:00
now. Obviously, John D putting out a a
14:03
product that really looks great from the
14:05
photos that I have seen. Again, we're
14:07
getting another Street Fighter title,
14:09
which I'm not really too happy about
14:10
considering I, you know, I'm a big
14:12
Street Fighter fan, don't get me wrong,
14:14
and I think they have a larger form
14:15
factor that really looks like, you know,
14:17
what we grew up with as kids. I think
14:19
it's awesome, but I'm just tired of
14:20
Street Fighter at this point, right? I
14:22
don't need another Street Fighter
14:23
cabinet. How many iterations have we
14:25
seen? We saw the original, you know, we
14:27
saw the uh the Big Blue, and I think
14:29
there was one more after that. So, I've
14:31
had the Big Blue. I've had it in my
14:33
collection. I actually ended up getting
14:34
rid of it. I do think it's one of the
14:36
best cabinets that Arcade OneUp put out
14:38
in my opinion, but to me, I do not need
14:42
another Street Fighter cabinet. But I
14:44
also understand out there that is one of
14:46
the premier titles out there and Iconic
14:48
is just getting started. So, they want
14:50
to put something out that really
14:51
showcases what they're going to be able
14:54
to do going forward in the future.
14:55
Again, we've had people pre-order this
14:57
product. No one has received it yet.
14:58
There's been, you know, quite a few
15:00
delays, but they have shipped from
15:02
overseas. Hopefully, they'll show up in
15:04
people home. people's homes late April.
15:07
I am excited for that. I did not
15:09
pre-order that title again because I
15:10
said I I just tired of Street Fighter,
15:12
but we'll see when it comes out. What I
15:14
am extremely excited for is the Double
15:17
Dragon photos that they released
15:19
earlier, you know, last year, I should
15:22
say. So, I was really excited about that
15:24
cuz that is a title we have all been
15:25
wanting for a really long time. I I've
15:27
talked about it in nauseium, you know,
15:29
on my channel about Double Dragon being
15:32
one of my favorite games growing up as a
15:33
kid and actually remembering where I
15:35
played it for the first time. So, to
15:36
have that in my home if it's everything
15:38
that I'm seeing from Iconic Arcade,
15:40
that's one I may pre-order as well. But
15:42
I want to see what this Street Fighter
15:44
looks like u from people I know in the
15:46
community, get their reviews, see how
15:47
they've improved on it. But again,
15:50
everything comes back to cost, space, uh
15:53
what we're asking for as a community.
15:54
But from the the pics alone, I will say
15:56
they look like they nailed this one. So,
15:58
I'm really excited for Iconic Arcade.
16:00
But again, everything that I mentioned
16:01
earlier, what we were looking for, from
16:03
the screen to the form factor to the
16:05
online play, all those features, the
16:07
artwork, they have to be there, right? I
16:09
understand, you know, us hardcore
16:12
enthusiasts, we're going to mod these
16:13
things anyway, but how much money do we
16:14
want to put into them, right? Especially
16:16
if they're going to keep making machines
16:18
that I want to own in the larger form
16:20
factor. I'm limited on space. So, uh, I
16:24
want to buy the cabinets that I see
16:25
myself playing, uh, for a really long
16:27
time. And I think that's one of the
16:29
other issues that nobody talks about is
16:32
we've seen a lot of titles, but how many
16:34
have you kept in your home for the long
16:36
term and still have to this day? You
16:38
know, from from when you started about 6
16:40
years ago, whenever it was to now, how
16:43
many are still in your collection? I
16:44
know some people have like 20 plus
16:46
arcades in their home, which is
16:47
fantastic. I can't do that. sell the
16:49
titles that I want to see come to
16:51
market. That is the main thing when
16:53
we're talking about Home Arcade.
16:57
So, I talked before about the community
16:59
feeling unheard, right? We're talking
17:02
about all these things we want. We've
17:03
touched on it a bunch here today and
17:05
that these arcade companies are not
17:07
actually listening. And I'll I'll focus
17:09
on Arcade OneUp here because Iconic
17:11
hasn't shipped anything and from the
17:12
photos we may get what we're looking
17:14
for. And I think that, you know,
17:15
attributes to to Arcade OneUp. they
17:17
better get their crap together soon
17:19
because if they don't start giving us
17:20
the things that we want and Iconic does
17:23
put out a product that is far superior
17:26
for the same price, that could be it for
17:28
them. So keep that in mind. But I do
17:31
understand when I spoke to them at least
17:33
that they're trying to put out things
17:35
that we want to see as a community. I
17:37
think social media also and myself
17:39
included kind of amplifies both sides in
17:42
a negative way sometimes. But uh small
17:45
issues become you know the company's
17:47
doomed and delays become they don't care
17:50
as a community. They don't care as a
17:51
company about the community. So I
17:53
understand that fact and that's
17:54
unfortunately where we are as a world
17:57
right now. Freaking social media is not
17:59
always the greatest thing, right?
18:01
Everything is out there. You cannot hide
18:03
anything. So and I'm part of the problem
18:05
because I love talking about this stuff
18:07
just like other YouTubers out there. And
18:08
I know I cover a lot of things between
18:10
comics, toys, arcades, you know,
18:12
anything nostalgia because that's what I
18:13
really want to talk about. So the home
18:16
arcade space is incredibly small. I
18:19
don't people understand how small this
18:21
actually is. If you talk about other
18:23
things that we enjoy like me, comics,
18:24
it's a a more vast community. Yes, it's
18:28
it appeals to again same age range. I
18:31
think older people, people who grow grew
18:33
up with arcades, but there are more
18:36
comic collectors and more toy collectors
18:38
out there than there are home arcade
18:40
enthusiasts, right? Most people are
18:42
married, most people have kids. They
18:43
don't really focus on bringing a lot of
18:46
these big pieces into their home. So,
18:49
the space itself is trying to survive in
18:52
a shrinking discretionary spending
18:54
market, and that's just really how it
18:56
is. So, I'll touch on this. the Sonic
18:59
arcade that was announced by Arcade
19:00
OneUp over at Toyf Fair that I covered.
19:02
I know other people covered as well.
19:05
What were the what was the thought
19:06
process behind that? Why are we taking a
19:08
console game and bringing it to uh a
19:11
home arcade space, right? Uh I'm going
19:14
to tell you this. I think having a a
19:18
well-known name like Sonic is going to
19:19
kind of draw people who don't
19:23
go out every year and buy three
19:25
cabinets, right? You're going to get
19:26
some people who are like, "Oh, I
19:27
remember Sonic. How cool would it be for
19:29
me to have a home arcade cabinet of
19:31
Sonic the Hedgehog in my home? And maybe
19:34
some of their kids know who Sonic is.
19:35
There've obviously been some movies out
19:36
there as well about uh the property, so
19:39
that could bring in some younger kids as
19:41
well. But as arcade enthusiasts and
19:43
people who grew up with it, we never
19:44
played Sonic in the freaking arcade. It
19:46
never happened. If I want to play a
19:48
Sonic game, guess what? I'll go buy a
19:50
used Sega Genesis for 50 bucks and buy
19:52
Sonic the Hedgehog probably one two and
19:54
whatever other titles out there for
19:56
under 30 $40 $50 and bring it home and
19:59
have that experience that I remember
20:00
having for that game in my home. So, do
20:03
I want to spend $800 plus dollars or do
20:06
we talk about tax to own a game that I
20:08
could play for a hundred bucks? And
20:09
that's where I think these companies
20:11
miss the mark, right? Um, now with that
20:14
said, how many games out there that were
20:16
ported to consoles that the consoles
20:19
really didn't do it justice? Those are
20:21
the things that these arcade companies
20:23
should be f focused on, right? Like we
20:25
could talk about Double Dragon. It was
20:26
ported to the NES and it was a good game
20:28
on NES, but we never had the same
20:31
experience as going to an arcade and
20:33
playing that for the first time. Another
20:35
example I talk about all the time is
20:36
Paper Boy, right? Paper Boy, another one
20:38
was ported to the NES, which I still
20:40
love it on the NES, but you don't get
20:43
that feeling of riding that bike and
20:45
using that handlebar and throwing those
20:46
papers all over all over the place. It
20:48
is not the same experience. Still
20:50
enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but how
20:52
many of you out there would buy a paper
20:54
board cabinet and you add some other
20:56
motocross games that that could be
20:58
available via license or or driving
21:00
games, whatever you want to, you know,
21:02
add uh for that that genre of game to
21:05
the cabinet. I think that would be a
21:07
massive hit. Now, we could talk about
21:09
3/4 versus Supreme. I'd still rather the
21:12
Supreme version for that game, but
21:13
again, I understand licensing is an
21:16
issue, but they have put out Paper Boy
21:17
before on a freaking regular arcade with
21:20
buttons and a joystick, which was
21:21
absolutely ridiculous in my mind. So, I
21:25
understand where they're going with
21:26
Sonic because they want a household
21:27
name, but I also understand that nobody
21:30
from the home arcade community, us as
21:33
enthusiasts, are going to purchase that
21:35
game. I'll tell you right now, Arcade
21:36
OneUp, it's not going to happen unless
21:39
there's a fear of missing out, right?
21:41
That they say, you know, I have almost
21:43
every Arcade OneUp game there is. I have
21:45
to get it so I can complete my
21:46
collection. That is my thought process
21:48
when we're talking about Sonic.
21:51
Let's also touch on the good, right?
21:53
They did put out a title that all of us
21:55
wanted, WrestleFest. So, obviously, they
21:57
are listening to us. They do want to put
21:59
out titles that I think people
22:02
want to have in their homes that they
22:03
remember playing growing up as kids. I
22:06
also understand that licensing is an
22:08
issue, right? We're missing some of the
22:09
characters in the game. The 3/4 scale or
22:12
ultra version, whatever they're calling
22:13
it, didn't meet expectations, not only
22:16
because of the uh the missing
22:17
characters, also because of the artwork,
22:20
uh because of the form factor. I think
22:21
it was a little small and tight in my
22:23
opinion. The marquee was washed, but you
22:26
saw them fix it so far with the Supreme
22:29
cabinet. From all eyes, from I saw this
22:31
thing at Toyf Fair, the marquee was
22:33
fixed. It's so much better than the
22:35
ultra version of uh the cabinet. It is
22:38
so much better. Again, playability was
22:41
good, but you're missing some of the the
22:42
main characters. But that's not
22:44
something I think that should be blamed
22:46
on them. Those are hard gets, and it's
22:48
going to cost a lot of money to get
22:50
those characters in the game. And you
22:52
have to focus and you have to understand
22:53
that there has to be concessions.
22:55
There's there's no question. The artwork
22:57
was a lot better on the Supreme as well.
22:59
Not as good as it should have been in my
23:01
opinion, but again, the
23:04
machine itself looked and played to me
23:07
like it might actually be worth it at
23:09
$600. 650 plus tax. It gets a little
23:12
tight. If you if you want the game and
23:14
you're a wrestling fan, you want to pick
23:16
it up. There's no question. And I think
23:17
if you really want that game and it's
23:18
one of your favorites, you hope somebody
23:20
can put out a a a soft mod to add those
23:22
characters in and I think you got a
23:24
pretty decent cabinet in my opinion. So,
23:26
Arcade OneUp, if you're listening, and I
23:28
hope you are, this is what your strategy
23:30
should be. Okay? Really, really listen
23:33
to me here. I don't think we need five
23:35
cabinets a year. I'll be on record
23:37
saying that. I think you're going to get
23:38
yourself in trouble if you decide to do
23:40
that. Uh, I think you should put out a
23:42
brand new cabinet every year. New title
23:45
and a title that the home arcade
23:47
community enthusiasts really, really
23:49
want in an XL form and a deluxe form. I
23:53
want you to ship them at the same time.
23:55
This way, people from both sides of it,
23:58
whether you live in an apartment, you
23:59
you lack space or you want that Supreme
24:02
Edition cuz you want the that nostalgic
24:04
feel of playing on a larger, you know,
24:06
arcade machine, you should release them
24:08
at the same time. So, that's I count
24:09
that as one cabinet. Okay, two sizes,
24:12
one cabinet. The next thing I want to
24:14
see is a cabinet that you have released
24:16
before in a smaller form factor released
24:19
in an XL Supreme size. So, we could talk
24:21
about Golden T. You know, I know there
24:23
was one already that they had out uh
24:25
that was exclusive to the big box
24:26
stores, Sam's Club or Costco, wherever
24:29
wherever that machine was. I want to see
24:31
a cabinet like Return of the Jedi put
24:33
out in a Supreme form that's already
24:35
been released in that 3/4 scale form. I
24:38
think that is a good way to kind of also
24:41
be on the right track when we're talking
24:43
about being in good standing with the
24:45
arcade community and making money also
24:47
on uh the back end. I also think you
24:50
need to release another cabinet as well.
24:52
So, we've said so far a a Supreme
24:54
cabinet and an ultra in a brand new
24:56
title that we actually want a a smaller
24:59
cabinet re-released in a Supreme size.
25:02
And then I understand as a business you
25:04
want to release a household name
25:06
cabinet, Allah Asanic, Allah, you know,
25:09
something else that everybody knows. I'm
25:11
not going to give you examples, but
25:13
there has to be a cabinet on their end.
25:15
Whereas, they have to hit the
25:17
mainstream. That's how they're going to
25:18
make money to kind of move forward in
25:20
this space. They can't just appeal to
25:23
us. I'm going to be honest with you
25:24
guys. They cannot just do it because
25:26
they're just giving us what we want.
25:27
They're not going to make any money. We
25:29
want everything I mentioned before
25:30
between screens, joysticks, games, you
25:32
know, form factor, all that. If they
25:34
give us all that stuff, they're not
25:35
going to make any money. And I
25:36
understand that as a businessman,
25:37
someone who's come from a business
25:39
background, a healthcare, a retail
25:41
space, they have to do something for the
25:43
mainstream. So, on the community aspect,
25:45
you guys have to understand it. And on
25:47
the arcade oneup side, and I and I'll
25:49
include all these other companies, you
25:51
have to give us something mainstream as
25:53
well as something for the enthusiasts.
26:01
So that's kind of I think what the truth
26:03
is and where we should go if I was a
26:06
company focused on home arcade, right?
26:08
We have to kind of reach everybody. I do
26:11
think your your main focus should be on
26:13
the arcade enthusiasts. Those are the
26:14
people buying these cabinets. But I also
26:17
understand as a business, we talked
26:19
about profit, we talked about growth, we
26:22
talked about reaching the masses. That
26:23
that's a big part of it. Okay. So the
26:26
golden hype of early home arcade days,
26:29
those days are gone. Like that's the
26:30
lightning in a bottle moment. I don't
26:32
think we're ever going to see that
26:33
again. So right now we have to be in
26:35
what I'm calling the maturity phase.
26:37
People have to understand on both sides.
26:39
That means tighter wallets, smarter
26:42
consumers, higher expectations, slower
26:44
impulse buys. So, I don't think this is
26:47
a collapse of home arcade. It's kind of
26:49
evolution and we we kind of have to
26:53
understand, but also these companies
26:54
have to kind of jump on board into what
26:56
we want. The question is who's going to
26:58
adapt first, right? Is it going to be us
27:00
as a community? Are we going to be like
27:01
more understanding to what these arcade
27:04
companies need in order to kind of
27:05
thrive in the space or are we going to
27:07
wait for them to answer all our prayers
27:09
and put out the absolute best cabinets
27:12
uh possible which we want? And I think
27:14
it has to be both. I I think there's no
27:16
way around it that that's why I
27:18
suggested like the three cabinets a
27:19
year. What we want, what needs to be for
27:22
the masses and then kind of something
27:24
that is like a surprise. So that's just
27:26
my take for the companies. Be
27:28
transparent. you're gonna have loyalty.
27:31
Don't overcommunicate because I think
27:34
that if you overcommunicate like you
27:35
have in the past and say we're going to
27:36
be doing this and then we get something
27:38
totally different, you're going to see
27:39
the backlash that we've already seen
27:41
over the Sonic arcade. So, focus on
27:43
fewer and focus on better releases. The
27:46
licensing is the most important thing
27:48
and I understand that's out of our
27:50
control as an arcade community, but you
27:53
need to acquire it. that is going to
27:55
keep you going forward uh to put out
27:57
some arcades that we want to see and
27:59
keep this, you know, kind of dream that
28:01
we have as as arcade enthusiasts alive
28:03
because I I know that's part of a dream
28:05
for all of us growing up. Uh if you were
28:07
a kid growing up like I was in the
28:08
1980s, you know, you saw shows like I
28:11
forgot the name of the show, Silver
28:12
Spoons, that's what it was. You saw us,
28:14
you know, watch that show and see these
28:16
kids have like pinball machines and
28:17
arcade machines in their home and that's
28:18
something we always wanted. So to have
28:20
that now as a possibility, we want it
28:23
the way we want it. But as a community,
28:25
we also have to understand that scale
28:28
is not always attainable. Cost reality
28:32
is not always attainable. Right? We're
28:34
in a different world in a different
28:35
space than we were back in 2020, 2021.
28:37
So you have a choice. Support the
28:40
products that they're making. Keep
28:42
advocating for what we want. But it's a
28:45
two-way street. So, if the company
28:47
ignores your feedback, the fans are
28:49
going to stop buying. And what happens
28:50
when the fans stop buying? There's
28:52
left on the shelves, uh, the retailers
28:55
get annoyed. They have to kind of blow
28:57
out their inventory. Then all of a
28:59
sudden, they they don't order the next
29:01
wave of product that gets released. So,
29:02
it's it's really like just an avalanche
29:04
of stuff that happens. So, I'm going to
29:07
plead to Arcade OneUp to please not just
29:10
listen to us, but start putting out the
29:12
things that we want. start putting out
29:14
the titles that going forward are going
29:16
to keep us interested in this hobby
29:18
because that's really what it is. Uh
29:20
lastly, I I want to say I'm really
29:22
excited about Iconic Arcade. Uh from the
29:24
pictures that I've seen, I know I've
29:25
said this before, but uh I want titles.
29:28
I want titles in that form factor with
29:30
correct joysticks and buttons and
29:32
layouts and everything we talked about
29:33
before, screens, form factors. I
29:36
understand it's going to be a more
29:37
expensive product, but we have to try to
29:39
work that price down. Hear me Arcade
29:41
OneUp, same thing. You have to try to
29:43
work these prices down. I understand
29:45
profitability and growth is a thing. I
29:48
understand it's a, you know, a blockage
29:51
into where you want to go for your
29:52
company, but if you want to be in the
29:54
arcade space, you're going to do what I
29:56
asked you to do. Three arcade cabinets a
29:58
year. That's it. Nothing more. I think
30:01
everything anything past that is
30:02
overkill. Give us the titles you want.
30:04
Work on licensing and put out those
30:06
titles. The last thing I want to mention
30:08
to everybody out there is that
30:12
for you to use
30:15
the people who have voices in this
30:16
community. That doesn't mean you have to
30:18
listen completely. But if you want
30:21
feedback, I've seen other people in the
30:22
comic space, you know, if you're if you
30:24
follow that space, great. If you don't,
30:26
I understand. But they've taken notes
30:28
from other people in the community about
30:30
what should be done, right? for the
30:31
people who have a voice uh in this small
30:34
niche that we're in. Listen to those
30:36
people. Maybe give them some insight.
30:38
Hey, can we do this? This is our cost.
30:40
What do you think we could do? Involve
30:42
them in it if you need to. There's not
30:44
stupid people. I shouldn't say that.
30:46
There are some stupid people in this
30:48
community. I'm not going to lie to you,
30:49
but there are some really smart,
30:50
educated people who kind of can help you
30:52
if you let them. So, that is my message
30:55
to both of you guys. Uh please, we want
30:58
to keep this thing going.
31:03
I'm going to leave you guys with this.
31:05
You know, I've been on the ground. I've
31:07
been an arcade enthusiast my whole life.
31:09
And when the home arcade space kind of
31:11
boomed a few years ago, I was really
31:13
really excited to the fact that at one
31:15
point I think I like had eight or nine
31:16
arcades, which may seem a lot to you or
31:18
may not, but uh my excitement really has
31:21
dwindled because of the the releases
31:23
that we got and unfortunately some of
31:25
the things that were left off those
31:27
releases. So, I cover Toyf Fair. I see
31:30
the excitement or the non-exitement. I
31:33
see behind the scenes what's going on in
31:35
the community. I see it also from the
31:36
company's aspect. I don't think these
31:39
brands are villains and I think the fans
31:41
are also not entitled. But at the same
31:44
time, if we can't come together on a
31:46
product that we all want, this thing is
31:49
doomed. And people will focus on their
31:51
own mods and stuff like that. And that
31:52
may be an okay thing. I think mods are
31:55
really cool. uh they get better every
31:57
year. So maybe that's an aspect that
32:00
everybody kind of needs to go and attack
32:02
and see if that fits their personal
32:04
style. But I understand that we want
32:06
that nostalgia feeling, right? We want
32:08
that 1980s, early9s nostalgia feeling in
32:11
our home. And there's only so much that
32:14
these arcade companies to do. If you'd
32:16
like to become a sponsor here on the
32:17
Mighty Rewind podcast, make sure you
32:19
reach out at the mighty rewind podcast
32:21
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