Probably the most fun part of the A1UP launch has been watching the people on their facebook group. There are a fair amount of posts on there that are like the one I attached. There are a fair amount of people who are having quality control issues. There is a good amount of modding going on. Lots of the A1UP users are just catching the classic arcade bug.
How's the gameplay? I have a friend on a major budget that wants me to build them a Galaga. My thought is that for $50 even if I only kept the monitor and PCB there would be some value. Not unlike what PBJ was trying with his bartop and the Jakks 5-1.
Being a nit-picky arcade enthusiasts, I really like a CRT for Galaga. The rom they are using is fine and at the difficulty it is set at is what you would get in most arcades. I do like having access to fast shoot for casual gameplay, so I miss that. The controls are ok, but I slightly prefer a 2 way leaf joystick and leaf button for the feel. I also think they were pretty stingy with the game selection. Galaxian doesn't hold up well, so to me it's really only a 1 game cabinet.
You'll hear some negative nancies going on about "should've waited" or whatever. To me, that's a boring way to live. It's nice to be excited and as long as the income is disposable, who cares? I know folks who pre-buy limited run craft beers, because that's the only way to ensure you'll get them. Sometimes they get a dud, but that's all part of the hobby for them. Maybe I should tell them to wait till the reviews are in before they consider purchasing, lol.
At this point, I think it's safe to say the reviews are out and there is enough info to make a informed decision. Anyone who bought these originally have a 90 day return window, so anyone could have returned their units if they were unhappy with it by now. There really is no risk. If you buy a used arcade game, you usually don't have that kind of corporate guarantee.
Every hobby can have some risk, and as long as you aren't financially out - then by all means, join in on the fun. Right now I'm looking at the Star Wars repos by Alan-1. I'm probably going to take the risk and "pull the trigger" on one.