Ultimate Arcade II kits - Save $100 by pre-ordering

[VMJ Team]

Ultimate Arcade II cabinet kit pre-orders will now be accepted.  The "Basic" kit will be available before the end of May 2004 and includes professionally milled (CNC) cabinet panels, pre-drilled countersunk holes and pilot holes, and assembling hardware.  The basic kit comes "unfinished".  Future add-on options will include a choice of finish (color laminate).  The basic kit does not include a control panel.  

Pre-order a "Basic" kit for the introductory price of $299.00 + Shipping & handling.  No payment information necessary at this time!  

This is an introductory offer (pre-orders) only!  These cabinet kits will retail for $399.00.  Save $100 by reserving your kit today!  (Limited quantites available at this price!)

To reserve a kit at this introductory price, send an email to info@cybertechdesign.net.

[SNAAAKE]

I wanted to buy last year,you are about a year late

[VMJ Team]

I remember, it's taken that long to put everything together.  Finding quality manufacturer's and vendors for parts/supplies is easy....finding one's that opperate at or below the competition is extremely difficult.  Besides, you wouldn't have the satisfaction of building the great cabinet that you did if I had kits available back then!

[BLACK KNIGHT]

Just out of curiousity what exactly is this?  Do you have pics or anything?

[Apollo]

Is this joke? Advertising an overpriced arcade kit on a forum for people who build their own cabs to avoid paying for over priced arcade kits? Am I missing something here?

[VMJ Team]

Wow, here we go (knew it was coming)...yes, "advertising" for something I'm selling.  I do believe I posted this in the right forum.   The forum guidlines clearly state "3. Commercial vendors of on-topic items are welcome.

 "Overpriced", PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE show me a commericial cabinet kit for cheaper!  $299

I understand that alot of people build their own cabinets, that's why the www.mameroom.com has decided to cater to the customers that do not have the tools or equipment to build their own.  Let's face it, not everyone is going to want to go out and buy a jig saw, circular saw, router, drills, etc...if their cabinet is the only time they'll use this equipment.

Your comments and feedback is always welcome....we currently have only a few cabinet kits left at this introductory price, which means a very large number of people placed a pre-order.   So to answer the question you posted...yes, I feel you are "missing" something....

[GadgetGeek]

I'm going to agree with Cyber on this one.  I personally have the equipment to build my own (and hope to soon) so I would not be a customer.  A buddy of mine decided he wanted a cab.  Had this been an option then, he might have purchased.  Instead, he came over and he watched me cut out parts.  He didn't do any of the work himself.  By the time we hauled the parts back over to his house, the product was basically the same as what he would have received had he ordered this kit, but he didn't have to pay for my time (ok a few beers afterwards).   But then he assembled the cabinet himself.  So did he BYOAC?  I think so.
Is Cyber's price reasonable?  IF you don't own any tools or have (free) access to them, yes his price is very reasonable.  And the end user is assembling it, laminating or painting it, adding bezels, marquees, etc.  In effect he is BYOAC.
And yes, for that same price (or hopefully a lot less) you can pick up a dead cab and "MAME" it and there are A LOT or BYOAC participants that go that route.  But for some people, that isn't the same as building a cabinet (even if you buy pre-cut sides).
I say thanks to Cyber for doing what he can do to help the saw challenged.

[VMJ Team]

Thank you for the response and feedback.  I would like to elaborate on the direction that these kits will be taken.  In the very near future, customers will be able to "customize" their kit with add-ons, so they will be able to determine the level of DIY (BYOAC) their kit will involve.  Yes, we will also be offering a complete "ready-to-assemble" kit that includes finished panels, control panels, marquee and monitor bezel glass, etc..for those customers that desire a finished prodcut.  But for those that want a good head start on their project, they can determine exactly how much work they want to put into their cabinet kit themselves based on their resources and budget.

[DarkKobold]

I agree with Cyber. He has a product, directly geared towards our community, and at 299 to 399, it is a steal. I've seen the same offer selling for 1000. Best of luck, cyber.


This is much different than that Jon from coinopwhatever who wasn't geared to sell to diy'ers. That guy started to irritate me. "Look at our PCB specials!" "PCBs? We (mamers) don't need no stinkin pcbs!"

[SirPeale]

This is much different than that Jon from coinopwhatever who wasn't geared to sell to diy'ers. That guy started to irritate me. "Look at our PCB specials!" "PCBs? We (mamers) don't need no stinkin pcbs!"

I agree and disagree.  A lot of us do use PCBs.  The problem with Jon Lee was that his expectations were completely unrealisic.  99.99% of us will not be purchasing 1,000 buttons any time soon.

[maraxle]

99.99% of us will not be purchasing 1,000 buttons any time soon.

I dunno, I've seen some pretty cluttered control panels...

[Chris]

Is this joke? Advertising an overpriced arcade kit on a forum for people who build their own cabs to avoid paying for over priced arcade kits? Am I missing something here?

The forum says build your own arcade CONTROLS, not cabs... and that isn't even remotely overpriced!

[patrickl]

Just out of curiousity what exactly is this?  Do you have pics or anything?

Yeah what's up with that? The only "info" I could find was a mention of "Pre built cabs" on the home page.

[zaphod]

Excellent price point!  Good luck, Cyber.  I know you'll sell of ton of them.

[Todd H]

I think $299 or even $399 is a very good price for those that can't build their own.  I'm not sure why there's so much hostility.  

[VMJ Team]

Thanks everyone for the support.  I must say that I do not sense "hostility", but apprehension.  I can't blame anyone for this...we have all become accustomed to "overpriced" merchandise because that has become the "norm" and that's what we've come to accept as the "going rate".  Well, I have a feeling that after these kits flood the market, prices will be driven down to what they should be.   I want everyone, whether they are 13 or 55 to be able to own their very own arcade cabinet...it would be great if it was an Ultimate Arcade!

[BLACK KNIGHT]

Well that is very cool!  And the price isn't ridiculously high like most other places.  Just the wood for mine was about $100 and I had to sand it, cut it all up, and everything else! I could never understand why someone didn't really do this sorta thing before for a reasonable cost.  KUDOS to Cyberpunk on this one!!!

[SNAAAKE]

I'm not sure why there's so much hostility.  

Cuz...I would tell you but lets not go there
Apollo's post was obviously a minor flamebait but CP didnt go off on that,good to know.

As for the cost,I was fine paying $400 last year anyway so yeah price is ok

[Apollo]

Yeah I admit it, sorry for the wind up  

My bad..........

[walls83]

thats a great price.  I bought the templets from Cyber over a year ago and I had to buy all the tools.  I would have bought all the tool eventually but I have a buddy who doesnt have one tool to his name and he wants to build a cab.  Ill send him your way cyber.

[VMJ Team]

Kit update:  Kits should be shipping by mid-late next week.  Due to the numerous pre-orders received, there may be a 1-2 week lead time.  Kit pre-orders will be processed in the order they were received.  We will continue to take pre-orders at the $299 introductory price until 12:00 pm EST Sunday (5/23/2004).

We will also be accepting pre-orders until that time for the x-arcade control panel base kit.  This kit will fit the 2-player x-arcade control panel to the Ultimate Arcade cabinet.  These kits will retail for $100...pre-orders will receive $25 off for a total of $75 plus shipping.

[greywolf22]

Hey Cyber,

I know this is a "kinda depends on where you are located" type of question...but do you have a general estimate on approximately how much shipping will cost on the kit...I agree that this is a GREAT price for people who don't have the tools/skills required to do this.

[VMJ Team]

The cabinet kits will ship in 3 seperate boxes.  I'm hoping to have a "packaged" weight for each of the boxes today.  Once I have the exact weight, I will be able to quote exact shipping charges.  Until then, I really don't have even an estimate to offer.  I will have shipping calculated before the pre-order dealine.

[greywolf22]

Great thanks  

[Sylentwulf]

I'll also throw my lot in with Cyber. I know EXACTLY what it's like to try and make a living off of something you love doing while trying to help out others, only to get bashed in return for doing so.

I sell classic and modern videogames and accessories for a living, and everytime I post that I have items for sale on a classic message board, I used to get flamed for charging too much, or that I should be selling at cost to help everyone out, etc... etc...

Fact is, he's offering it for $100 less than what it's going to be priced, and $299 for what he's including is great (depending on shipping) and if I didn't have the tools, I would jump all over it. Even HAVING ALL of the tools I need, and ALL of the know-how, I'm STILL tempted to order one

When it comes down to it. How many of you would KILL to be able to build arcade cabinets for a living? Yeah, I thought so.
I'm not saying he's making a living off of this, I have no idea of his circumstances, I'm just trying to compare to my own. I'm sure it's a LOT more work than most people assume. Personally, I work over 45 hours a week on ebay and my website, and most people assume it's an easy 5-10 hour per week job.

[VMJ Team]

It has been reported to me that the www.mameroom.com message boards were down all weekend...I will accept discounted pre-orders until 6:00 pm EST today (5/24/04) because of this down time.  I have also selected a shipping carrier...Airborne/DHL.  Customers may log into their website to calculate shipping costs for the kits:

http://www.dhl-usa.com/home/home.asp

Go to the RATES section and use 32789 as the originating zip code.

The cabinet will ship in 3 seperate packages...enter the following information to receive a shipping estimate:

Box #1 : 35x27x5 = 90 lbs
Box #2 : 54x29x2 = 42 lbs
Box #3 : 42x41x2 = 40 lbs

Please send any inquiries to info@cybertechdesign.net
-CP

[GamingGreg]

I think that $299 is a good price for what you get.  But shipping is not cheap on these types of things.  I computed shipping to my house and it came to $390.89 (more than the kit itself),  so be aware of the total cost of things here.   All in all, it's still a fair deal, expecially where there are other commercial kits out there that start out at $1000 and up.

[BeefyD]

Unfortunately, I'd be all over this except for the fact that the pieces are not pre-routed for T-molding. Unfortunately, I don't have the resources or know-how for a router....

Unless... maybe other can let me know their opinion.

Do you think t-molding is necessary to have a nice looking cab?

[VMJ Team]

GamingGreg,

I doubled checked where those numbers could have been coming from...it may be possible that you request 2nd day delivery (the website defaults to this).  If you change the shipping method to "Ground", it should MAX out at $143.  Depending on your location, it could be cheaper.

BeefyD,

We will be offering pre-cut t-molding slots as an "Add-on" option in the VERY near future...but unfortunately, the $100 off of a pre-order will not include this option.

[BeefyD]

Naw, I understand.. I just got excited there for a second...
But I think T-molding really makes the cab (outside of the working parts, that is).

Luckily, I have family who I can use their space and tools..

Beefy

[nipsmg]

First I want to say, that i love the UAII.  That's why I built one.

2nd of all I want to say, DAMN YOU CYBERPUNK!!  

All that blood, sweat tears (miscut wood, sawdust, weeks/months of work) can be bought for $300!! >:O

lol..

For all of you who have been hesitant about building a cab, BUY ONE OF THESE.  This is an AMAZING price . (hell, look at the other ready to assemble cabs.  they're a lot more expensive).

--NipsMG

[dema]

Great idea Cyber and good luck. I have to admit I'm bummed I found out about this now, because I started building this cabinet for my brother about 2 months ago. I would have much rather had the wood pre-cut.

[VMJ Team]

Sorry to all of you who would have wanted to purchase a kit opposed to building a cab from scratch.  The production of the cabinet kits fell into place alot faster than expected.  Thank you all for your support and feedback.

[VMJ Team]

Well, there was an "overwhelming" number of people who signed up to be on the pre-order list and save $100 on the cabinet kits...but only a fraction of these have secured their order.   This means that we have several cabinet kits budgeted at the $100 discount.  I would be more than happy to resell these at the retail cost, but I have decided to keep the pre-order purchases open until 12:00 midnight tonight (6/2/2004), or until first thing tomorrow when I can remove the pre-order page:

http://www.mameroom.com/uaIIkit_pre-order.asp

The 27" cabinet kit is now available and available at the same pre-order price!