No it's hilarious that you think the rub-off graphics/chip-wood/dead pixels/fisher price controls was a sensible approach.
These cash-grab trend riders need to be openly mocked for cutting corners for their bottom line. I'm all for saving a buck, but if you compromise the integrity of your product and pass it off as an authentic experience, then you deserve all the backlash this niche market gives you.
I think the vast majority of businesses are cash-grab. Money is the name of the game after all.
I think the control panel graphics issue is legit, and hopefully they resolve that for this release. If you had issues with the controls, I really didn't, but if you did, it seems you are not alone and the trackball they chose for Golden Tee is Happ and the controls for MK appear to be different than the SF cab, so perhaps those are upgraded too.
Based off what I've seen, I'm not really a wall-arcade kind of guy, but I did like the bartops. I might love the Mortal Kombat. I have never liked ergonomics with a cocktail, so no interest there. If the wall light is a Galaga ship, I'm interested.
I liked the previous release and I'm going to remain optimistic for this new release. Why not? I mean, why be so pessimistic about a product you haven't put your hands on yet?