Zombie Arcades launches first machine in the UK. Opinions welcome.

[zombie_arcades]

I recently launched my "zombie arcade machine" and would welcome feedback from this great forum. It has been 12 months in the making but I believe it's been worth it.

It comes complete with 24" LCD TV, Sanwa joysticks, LED buttons, speaker system, top-spec PC, 139 licensed games, plus fully mame compatible.

I look forward to your feedback.

[zombie_arcades]

Couple more images attached.

[zombie_arcades]

And a couple more images.

[zombie_arcades]

One more 

[Doctor Ugs]

awesome job dude.
Love the chrome t-molding. Really looks sharp and clean.
well done... 

[boogieman]

   AWESOME!  Really really clean and shiny looking!   

[gonzo90017]

It looks really good. The theme looks nice although it would look nicer if the screenshots were framed and somehow integrated in the theme. Hope that made sense. 

[arcadefever]

Simply gorgeous the panel 

[Blanka]

Nice product shots. Use a bit of "burn highlights" in photoshop to remove the wrinkles of the background sheet
Is there a TV inside, or the Samsung 245T LCD computer monitor? I have the later panel in an Eizo case, and it is awesome! Guess it is a PC screen. Samsung does not sell 24 inch TV's over here. Only 23 or 26 inch.

[DolansCadillac]

That control panel is just perfection. I would play the hell out of that thing.

[zombie_arcades]

Nice product shots. Use a bit of "burn highlights" in photoshop to remove the wrinkles of the background sheet
Is there a TV inside, or the Samsung 245T LCD computer monitor? I have the later panel in an Eizo case, and it is awesome! Guess it is a PC screen. Samsung does not sell 24 inch TV's over here. Only 23 or 26 inch.

It's an Acer. I've used their products for years with zero issues. It's a fantastic LCD.

[Donkey_Kong]

What do you mean by launch? Launching a business to sell these...or is this a one off? It's for sale?

That thing is nice, you wouldn't have a problem selling that! 

Edit: I googled your website and I think I pretty much answered all of my dumb questions!
Good luck wit da buz!
http://www.zombiearcades.co.uk/

[zombie_arcades]

What do you mean by launch? Launching a business to sell these...or is this a one off? It's for sale?

That thing is nice, you wouldn't have a problem selling that! 

Edit: I googled your website and I think I pretty much answered all of my dumb questions!
Good luck wit da buz!
http://www.zombiearcades.co.uk/

Thank you 

[leapinlew]

How does the licensing work?

[zombie_arcades]

How does the licensing work?

Only retail games / game packs are installed in the machine. For example, Midway, Taito, Namco and Capcom.

[leapinlew]

Cool. Whats the machine in the picture cost if I lived in the UK?

[zombie_arcades]

Cool. Whats the machine in the picture cost if I lived in the UK?

A snip at £2850 inc. VAT and delivery (UK mainland only).

[Donkey_Kong]

$2,850 Euros = $4,491.6 U.S. dollars


Damn US dollar is WEAK! 

[Turnarcades]

Actually that's 2850 pounds sterling = $5700 so sorry US buyers, it's just our economy!

Kev, you forgot your ebay link and maybe should have mentioned it's available through Arcade Depot UK;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ZOMBIE-ARCADE-MACHINE-24-LCD-SANWA-JOYSTICKS-NEW_W0QQitemZ270239202593QQihZ017QQcategoryZ3945QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Donkey_Kong]

Actually that's 2850 pounds sterling = $5700 so sorry US buyers, it's just our economy!

Kev, you forgot your ebay link and maybe should have mentioned it's available through Arcade Depot UK;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ZOMBIE-ARCADE-MACHINE-24-LCD-SANWA-JOYSTICKS-NEW_W0QQitemZ270239202593QQihZ017QQcategoryZ3945QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Well at least our gas isn't no 12 bucks a gallon! YET!

oh and....ah, ah...my dad can beat up your dad!

[Turnarcades]

LOL. You don't know the half of it. Petrol's up to £1.20 a litre round here and £1.35 for Diesel, so probably works out more than 12 bucks a gallon by now. Good job our country's small!

[zombie_arcades]

Actually that's 2850 pounds sterling = $5700 so sorry US buyers, it's just our economy!

Kev, you forgot your ebay link and maybe should have mentioned it's available through Arcade Depot UK;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ZOMBIE-ARCADE-MACHINE-24-LCD-SANWA-JOYSTICKS-NEW_W0QQitemZ270239202593QQihZ017QQcategoryZ3945QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks Craig 

[psychotech]

Great 

..err, no Bomb Jack? Worthless

I'd bought one if it had BJ. Honestly..

So, anyway. What kind of custom graphics options are available and @ what additional cost?

[zombie_arcades]

Great 

..err, no Bomb Jack? Worthless

I'd bought one if it had BJ. Honestly..

So, anyway. What kind of custom graphics options are available and @ what additional cost?

It's "primed" for over 4000 games, including Bomb Jack

You are the first person to ask me about custom graphics. Everyone that has seen the machine wants it "as is".

What do you have in mind?

I could do a custom control panel overlay. But this would be expensive as a one off because it's the set-up costs that kill you. Same with the marquee. Other than that, I would not recommend changing anything else.

[ark_ader]

Nice looking cab.  Really great workmanship.

I'd figure on dropping the price to say £700 all in. 

You should get more orders.

Good luck!

[Bender]

Can you explain what that cp is made from?

[Havok]

Any plans on selling the game packs separately? There are very few legal options for purchasing licensed roms anywhere...

And, nice clean cabinet - not a big fan of the Zombie theme, but I love everything else!

[Lutus]

Looks great except that one red button where the coin box should be.  I do not really like those little red buttons.

That CP looks great (even with the little red buttons on the top)

Good luck with the business.

[RayB]

"Sanway" joysticks huh? What are those, Chinese knock-offs of Sanwa ?

[danny_galaga]

that looks great! as we say here- just like a bought one. which is important, since ive seen some cabs from 'businesses' that look a little homemade. this looks the part and im sure if you market well, you will get some sales.

[zombie_arcades]

Nice looking cab.  Really great workmanship.

I'd figure on dropping the price to say £700 all in. 

You should get more orders.

Good luck!

Impossible. It costs more than that to build one.

[zombie_arcades]

"Sanway" joysticks huh? What are those, Chinese knock-offs of Sanwa ?

Fixed. Thanks for the heads up.

[zombie_arcades]

Looks great except that one red button where the coin box should be.  I do not really like those little red buttons.

That CP looks great (even with the little red buttons on the top)

Good luck with the business.

I'm considering replacing it with a coin box.

[Blanka]

Those gamepacks are stand-alone apps with a custom menu I guess? Or did you manage to incorporate them into mame or your own front-end?

[zombie_arcades]

Those gamepacks are stand-alone apps with a custom menu I guess? Or did you manage to incorporate them into mame or your own front-end?

Correct, and I use a custom front end. No keyboard or mouse needed. Completely controlled from joystick and buttons.

[surface tension]

These look great, good work. I've seen them on ebay during my regular crawls for a Taito upright.

Get used to the comments about 'if it was £700 I'd have one'! That's fine if you're making a one-off for yourself and pulling parts out of skips...

[Level42]

The overall cab looks really tight. Looks like really professionaly constructed and I like the overall theme of not using any busy art but instead going with a stylish look. Will make it acceptable for a lot of homes !
The piano-like finish of the CP is nice, but will mean a lot of cleaning finger prints I guess.

Things I don't like: the tiny red buttons, especially the one on the kick-plate.

The wide-screen LCD. I don't like LCD's for classic games, but I can understand why you chose it. But why a wide-screen ?

O, and where are the spinner and the trackball ?

[zombie_arcades]

The overall cab looks really tight. Looks like really professionaly constructed and I like the overall theme of not using any busy art but instead going with a stylish look. Will make it acceptable for a lot of homes !
The piano-like finish of the CP is nice, but will mean a lot of cleaning finger prints I guess.

Things I don't like: the tiny red buttons, especially the one on the kick-plate.

The wide-screen LCD. I don't like LCD's for classic games, but I can understand why you chose it. But why a wide-screen ?

O, and where are the spinner and the trackball ?

I'll consider adding a Trackball and Spinner in the future. I may include it as an upgradeable option. I just didn't want a "busy" looking CP panel.

We have a difference of opinion with regards to the red buttons, particularly on the CP panel, because I think they look great. I guess it's horses for courses but I do value and respect your opinion.

[leapinlew]

The overall cab looks really tight. Looks like really professionaly constructed and I like the overall theme of not using any busy art but instead going with a stylish look. Will make it acceptable for a lot of homes !
The piano-like finish of the CP is nice, but will mean a lot of cleaning finger prints I guess.

Things I don't like: the tiny red buttons, especially the one on the kick-plate.

The wide-screen LCD. I don't like LCD's for classic games, but I can understand why you chose it. But why a wide-screen ?

O, and where are the spinner and the trackball ?

I'll consider adding a Trackball and Spinner in the future. I may include it as an upgradeable option. I just didn't want a "busy" looking CP panel.

We have a difference of opinion with regards to the red buttons, particularly on the CP panel, because I think they look great. I guess it's horses for courses but I do value and respect your opinion.

I don't care for the red buttons either. I build my machines with clean control panels and coin doors. I started off having admin buttons, but quickly learned that a properly setup machine doesn't need them. I include an instruction sticker on the machine and so far thats been enough for end users.

[Franco B]

VERY nice zombie_arcades!

My favourite colour scheme too! 

If you like you could LED light those bubble tops to match the buttons. I did a guide to lighting them if it helps:

http://www.retroblast.com/Articles/DIY-LED-Joysticks.php

[gonzo90017]

I personally like those red buttons. They're small and out of the way.

[zombie_arcades]

I personally like those red buttons. They're small and out of the way.

Thank you! 

[zombie_arcades]

VERY nice zombie_arcades!

My favourite colour scheme too! 

If you like you could LED light those bubble tops to match the buttons. I did a guide to lighting them if it helps:

http://www.retroblast.com/Articles/DIY-LED-Joysticks.php

This is something I've given serious thought to. Your guide is a good one and I will consider adding this feature into the control panel in the near future.

[leapinlew]

I personally like those red buttons. They're small and out of the way.

Thank you! 

It's been my experience that a kid will push any and every button. I wouldn't be surprised if someone requests a machine and asks for a way to disable those buttons or remove them all together.

[zombie_arcades]

I personally like those red buttons. They're small and out of the way.

Thank you! 

It's been my experience that a kid will push any and every button. I wouldn't be surprised if someone requests a machine and asks for a way to disable those buttons or remove them all together.

I have to disagree. I doubt very much one so young (whereby they cannot stop themselves pushing any and every button) would be 1. playing without an adult and 2. playing at all.

Also, my target market is predominately single, adult males. Executives, sportsmen, high flyers etc. It's a niche market, but a market nevertheless. I would imagine (I could be wrong of course) you're typical family with young children will opt for the cheaper systems (for example, chinese imports) costing less than £1000.

And coming back to my first point, I doubt a child so young would be left alone playing this system.

But I appreciate your input leapinlew.

[zombie_arcades]

Just to add to the issue of 'admin buttons'. In my opinion, it makes for a smoother and more authentic gaming experience when you remove the hassle of having to use your keyboard every time you want to Pause or select a different game.

The red admin buttons may not be to everyones taste, but their functionality cannot be underestimated.

[Ginsu Victim]

Just to add to the issue of 'admin buttons'. In my opinion, it makes for a smoother and more authentic gaming experience when you remove the hassle of having to use your keyboard every time you want to Pause or select a different game.

The red admin buttons may not be to everyones taste, but their functionality cannot be underestimated.

Two words:
Shifted functions

[EVEGames]

VERY slick looking machine, ZA.  Clean, shiny, minimalist, I like it.

Just a quick questions, would you consider offering an alternate CP layout without the staggered button layout?  While it may be asthetically pleasing, as a player I think that would drive me extremely nuts extremely fast.  But maybe that's just me.

Congratulations, and good luck with the business!
 

-E.V.E. Games

[leapinlew]

And coming back to my first point, I doubt a child so young would be left alone playing this system.

I agree. A child couldn't be left alone to play your system.

It's a nice looking system and I wish you good fortune.

[zombie_arcades]

VERY slick looking machine, ZA.  Clean, shiny, minimalist, I like it.

Just a quick questions, would you consider offering an alternate CP layout without the staggered button layout?  While it may be asthetically pleasing, as a player I think that would drive me extremely nuts extremely fast.  But maybe that's just me.

Congratulations, and good luck with the business!
 

-E.V.E. Games

I would consider it, yes. In fact, I'm considering offering several different CP's.

This machine is modular in that the CP can be removed and a replacement can be installed in it's place. It's very simple. I designed it with this in mind.

The feedback so far on here has been very helpful. I appreciate it.

[zombie_arcades]

And coming back to my first point, I doubt a child so young would be left alone playing this system.

I agree. A child couldn't be left alone to play your system.

It's a nice looking system and I wish you good fortune.

Thank you leapinlew 

[Ginsu Victim]

Well, it's a very nice machine.

Bub salutes you!

[ark_ader]

Nice looking cab.  Really great workmanship.

I'd figure on dropping the price to say £700 all in. 

You should get more orders.

Good luck!

Impossible. It costs more than that to build one.

Rubbish.

[surface tension]

Nice looking cab.  Really great workmanship.

I'd figure on dropping the price to say £700 all in. 

You should get more orders.

Good luck!

Impossible. It costs more than that to build one.

Rubbish.

You should expand on your one-word reply. I imagine that if you are mass-manufacturing, you might be able to get the cost near your dream price, with no room for profit. But in low quantities, the computer and LCD alone will account for all of this.

[Haze]

The wide-screen LCD. I don't like LCD's for classic games, but I can understand why you chose it. But why a wide-screen ?

probably the best point made here.

MAME supports *2* games with widescreen mode.  Street Fighter III 2nd Impact, and Virtua Racing.

NONE of the other games supported in MAME are designed to be rendered at widescreen.

Arcades, until very recently didn't have wide-screen monitors at all.  Your pictures show Street Fighter 2 stretched to widescreen.  It *isn't* a widescreen game, and was never designed to be.

[massive88]

Correct me if Im wrong, but 384x224 is a widescreen resolution is it not?  It seems pretty close to 16:9 [or 10] to me (which is not 4:3).

http://www.mameworld.net/maws/srch.php?resolution=384x224

Edit: I stand corrected!  Thanks Blanka!

[Blanka]

A lot of resolutions are pictured with non-square pixels. This resolutions was ment for 4:3 tubes as well. The pixels are 0.77x1 rectangles.
Compare it with NTSC. NTSC DVD's have 480x720 pixel resolution, yet they are displayed 4:3.
 

[amadama]

It's a nice looking machine but two things (that have already been mentioned).
1) The Price. Way too expensive. Here in the USA you can something equivalent for about $2-3k brand new.
2) The monitor. A widescreen LCD is only good if you are going to use it for next-gen consoles like Wii, Xbox360 or PS3. A good CRT would be best for retro gaming.

Best of luck!
Alex

[zombie_arcades]

You should expand on your one-word reply. I imagine that if you are mass-manufacturing, you might be able to get the cost near your dream price, with no room for profit. But in low quantities, the computer and LCD alone will account for all of this.

I second that.

[zombie_arcades]

The wide-screen LCD. I don't like LCD's for classic games, but I can understand why you chose it. But why a wide-screen ?

probably the best point made here.

MAME supports *2* games with widescreen mode.  Street Fighter III 2nd Impact, and Virtua Racing.

NONE of the other games supported in MAME are designed to be rendered at widescreen.

Arcades, until very recently didn't have wide-screen monitors at all.  Your pictures show Street Fighter 2 stretched to widescreen.  It *isn't* a widescreen game, and was never designed to be.

I agree with your point. However, you are thinking from an arcade purist point of view. My target market do not care if SF2 isn't meant to be played in widescreen. They want a big screen, quality craftsmanship, quality components and lots of games. The biggest screen I could find (within reason) was a 24" wide. The biggest 4:3 is 19".

Having said that, SF2 looks darn good in widescreen 

[zombie_arcades]

The wide-screen LCD. I don't like LCD's for classic games, but I can understand why you chose it. But why a wide-screen ?

probably the best point made here.

MAME supports *2* games with widescreen mode.  Street Fighter III 2nd Impact, and Virtua Racing.

NONE of the other games supported in MAME are designed to be rendered at widescreen.

Arcades, until very recently didn't have wide-screen monitors at all.  Your pictures show Street Fighter 2 stretched to widescreen.  It *isn't* a widescreen game, and was never designed to be.

I agree with your point. However, you are thinking from an arcade purist point of view. My target market do not care if SF2 isn't meant to be played in widescreen. They want a big screen, quality craftsmanship, quality components and lots of games. The biggest screen I could source (within reason) was a 24" wide. The biggest 4:3 is 19".

Having said that, SF2 looks darn good in widescreen 

[spacies]

Samsung make a 21" 4:3 LCD.

[FrizzleFried]

Games that aren't meant for wide screen look like ass on a wide screen.  Anyone with any sense of aspect ratio will immediately be annoyed by the stretching.  I know I'd be extremely pissed off if I purchased a cab for $5K and when I got it home,  all the games played stretched.

[ark_ader]

You should expand on your one-word reply. I imagine that if you are mass-manufacturing, you might be able to get the cost near your dream price, with no room for profit. But in low quantities, the computer and LCD alone will account for all of this.

I second that.

Ok.  You ask, I will expand.

Everything you included on your site minus the screen and the amount of games (customer supplies this) = £500 build + £200 profit.  Do your market research, locate international vendors and aim realistically at your pricing structure and you will succeed, otherwise it will be a monkey for your back and a cash blackhole.

I tried making a business plan based on your similar ideals.  Cost was minor, it was the market that was the stumbling block.  Stick to your design, and try not decide the outcome of the cabinet or product as how you would expect it, but how the customer expects it.  I.E. do not go overboard on design.

Lower your price and have patience and down the road you will do better.

If it was me and I wanted to start up again, I would focus on very small cabs which I could get better build pricing for.  Look how smaller cabs make more of an impact and the general selling prices on Ebay.

I'm sure you will disagree, after all its your business, and you have your dreams and expectations of being a quality arcade cabinet maker.  Just don't bite off too much than you can chew in an already saturated market.

You asked for my opinion, so I hope you will listen to it.

Good Luck!   

[Ginsu Victim]

Games that aren't meant for wide screen look like ass on a wide screen.  Anyone with any sense of aspect ratio will immediately be annoyed by the stretching.  I know I'd be extremely pissed off if I purchased a cab for $5K and when I got it home,  all the games played stretched.

Yep, it's pretty lame. Also, playing 4:3 on a widescreen and having black bars on the side is lame, not to mention how small vertical games appear. (Oh man....vertical stretched 16:10 widescreen.... blargh!!!)

[surface tension]

Ok.  You ask, I will expand.

Everything you included on your site minus the screen and the amount of games (customer supplies this) = £500 build + £200 profit.  Do your market research, locate international vendors and aim realistically at your pricing structure and you will succeed, otherwise it will be a monkey for your back and a cash blackhole.

I tried making a business plan based on your similar ideals.  Cost was minor, it was the market that was the stumbling block.  Stick to your design, and try not decide the outcome of the cabinet or product as how you would expect it, but how the customer expects it.  I.E. do not go overboard on design.

Lower your price and have patience and down the road you will do better.

If it was me and I wanted to start up again, I would focus on very small cabs which I could get better build pricing for.  Look how smaller cabs make more of an impact and the general selling prices on Ebay.

I'm sure you will disagree, after all its your business, and you have your dreams and expectations of being a quality arcade cabinet maker.  Just don't bite off too much than you can chew in an already saturated market.

You asked for my opinion, so I hope you will listen to it.

Good Luck!   

One word replies get on my goat, so good of you to expand. Some good points in there and certainly the voice of some experience in these matters.

I don't want to go messing this thread up, but I have to say that economies of scale come into it and there are many people willing to pay more so they have to do less... or even nothing.

Back to the thread...

[TPB]

Games that aren't meant for wide screen look like ass on a wide screen.  Anyone with any sense of aspect ratio will immediately be annoyed by the stretching.  I know I'd be extremely pissed off if I purchased a cab for $5K and when I got it home,  all the games played stretched.

LOL, have to agree.   

That applies to all video displayed on these screens, not just games.  There's nothing worse than viewing a picture with an artificially distorted aspect ratio.  I can't stand seeing a Widescreen playing a 4:3 TV broadcast or other media, and having the picture stretched to reach the edges.  It makes everyone in the picture looked like bloated, with melon-like heads and broad, stocky bodies.

[ark_ader]

Games that aren't meant for wide screen look like ass on a wide screen.  Anyone with any sense of aspect ratio will immediately be annoyed by the stretching.  I know I'd be extremely pissed off if I purchased a cab for $5K and when I got it home,  all the games played stretched.

LOL, have to agree.   

That applies to all video displayed on these screens, not just games.  There's nothing worse than viewing a picture with an artificially distorted aspect ratio.  I can't stand seeing a Widescreen playing a 4:3 TV broadcast or other media, and having the picture stretched to reach the edges.  It makes everyone in the picture looked like bloated, with melon-like heads and broad, stocky bodies.

Its classic "what I want cab" instead of "what it should be cab".  I'm not going to reiterate what I have posted before, but I would just love getting into the market again with faithful recreations.  Like cabaret cabs like Asteroids or Pac Man.  Perfect for the UK or US home market (you can put it away somewhere easier in a 3 bedroom semi).  Also the customer can relate to the cab, during his or her childhood than a mega bling bling ding dong cab.

And what a perfect arena to voice these questions.  I have yet seen such replicas come out.  Any cab maker out there worth his salt would like to venture an opinion?

What is wrong with new single game cabs anyway? 

Do we need to play gazillions of games? 

[TPB]

Zombie,

That's a great looking cab.  It was real Wow factor, and would be a nice piece of furniture to grace any living room.  Probably the most "Wife Friendly" cab on the market, if such a thing exists.   


You've got a lot of fat built into your price.  Perhaps ark_ader's pricing suggestion was a tad aggressive, but you've got a huge margin built into your price at 2,850 pounds, which is about $5,500 USD.

Case in point ... you can pick up that Acer screen for 204 pounds, which is only about 7% of your asking price.  And that's the retail cost for "Joe Average" who purchases a single unit.  They could be purchased even cheaper by a business at Wholesale prices, and/or in Bulk quantities :

http://www.unbeatable.co.uk/product/Acer-AL2416W-Silver-Black-24-in-LCD-Television/28515123.html


Of course, you're entitled to define your own business model, and set your own prices.

Let's be frank.  You're not striving to be the lowest cost producer.  You're marketing to the image and style conscious (yuppies, metrosexuals ?), those to whom money is no object.  And hopefully you'll also pick up business from newbies who are scarcely aware of cheaper alternatives, or who are unwilling or unable, or simply don't have the time, to investigate alternatives.

I don't know if you'll pick up a ton of customers from this forum.  The average BYOAC'er doesn't fit this profile.  Many of your target customers would have never heard of BYOAC, or if they have, think we're a geeky bunch of fanatical tech-head's.  And maybe they're right, it's all a matter of one's perspective.   

... you are thinking from an arcade purist point of view. My target market do not care ...

... you'll tend to find a few of those types around these traps.   

Arcade purists are unlikely to shell out that sort of serious dosh for a cab. with no spinner, no trackball, limited options for expandability (the CP is quite narrow), and a Widescreen LCD screen that distorts & stretches all of the games.

Your market is out there, albeit not in great numbers on this forum.  Your challenge is to effectively seek out & pinpoint this market, to enable your business to thrive and prosper.   

[Blanka]

The big trouble is that 24 inch full HD widescreen sounds way more sexy and expensive than 24 inch CRT or 21 inch LCD (biggest 4:3). I really follow that marketing technique.
On the other hand, if Acer is mentioned, you have some dikshrimping brand in your catalog that might scare your metroman. If you really wan't it to be a good arcade, consider the Samsung 214T to be included. That one is an awesome 4:3 LCD with real viewing angles, the option to pivot it for Pac-Man and Galaga (if it is a motorized auto pivot than that is also sexy) and real blacks (for those old space and pacman games). 24 inch TN screens like the acer are the cheapest to get big-size, yet they do not have very fine picture quality. But, with S-PVA you might have some extra lag, but that is definitely not a problem for your market. If you really want to score with widescreen, go for the Samsung 275T. That 27 inch beast is way beyond anyones dreams. Acer looks poop next to it.

[headkaze]

I don't see the problem with the black bars down the side of a widescreen LCD when playing at the correct aspect ratio. You should be playing in a dark room full of smoke anyway, and the black bars are hardly noticable.

I'm curious will there be a "Zombie cocktail"?

[zombie_arcades]

I'm curious will there be a "Zombie cocktail"?

No "zombie cocktail". I'm going to focus on upgrades and new upright models.

[Haze]

The wide-screen LCD. I don't like LCD's for classic games, but I can understand why you chose it. But why a wide-screen ?

probably the best point made here.

MAME supports *2* games with widescreen mode.  Street Fighter III 2nd Impact, and Virtua Racing.

NONE of the other games supported in MAME are designed to be rendered at widescreen.

Arcades, until very recently didn't have wide-screen monitors at all.  Your pictures show Street Fighter 2 stretched to widescreen.  It *isn't* a widescreen game, and was never designed to be.

I agree with your point. However, you are thinking from an arcade purist point of view. My target market do not care if SF2 isn't meant to be played in widescreen. They want a big screen, quality craftsmanship, quality components and lots of games. The biggest screen I could find (within reason) was a 24" wide. The biggest 4:3 is 19".

Having said that, SF2 looks darn good in widescreen 

who are your target?

MAME is explicitly not for commercial use, so you can't sell it, or use it in a commerical environment (keep that in mind)

the price is prohibitive for a general purpose family entertainment machine

so your target is going to be arcade enthusiasts who want a machine at home and are going to care _very_ much if the games they're running are stretched to unnatural sizes.

if you like fat chicks, then sure, SF2 in widescreen with an obese Chun-li might be for you.. but otherwise?

[leapinlew]

who are your target?

MAME is explicitly not for commercial use, so you can't sell it, or use it in a commerical environment (keep that in mind)

the price is prohibitive for a general purpose family entertainment machine

so your target is going to be arcade enthusiasts who want a machine at home and are going to care _very_ much if the games they're running are stretched to unnatural sizes.

if you like fat chicks, then sure, SF2 in widescreen with an obese Chun-li might be for you.. but otherwise?

I agree. On their website they say:
We prime all our Zombie arcade machines for a further installation of 4000 classic arcade and console games. That isn’t a misprint. A further 4000 all time classic games in one fantastic arcade machine! Classic gaming truly resurrected with a Zombie arcade machine. Please ask for details.

137 licensed games, primed for 3000+:
Which leads me to believe it's setup with Mame and other emulators.

I did say something about the lack of authenticity regarding the red buttons but was quickly dismissed as a "purist". I also wondered what market he was aiming for since a purist would most likely be the person interested in an expensive stand up arcade machine in the first place.

Assuming the licensing issue is all squared away, I wish him luck. My guess is this is too expensive for nearly everyone and the people who do have money to spend have plenty of options at that price range.

[CheffoJeffo]

First -- that is a beautiful cab.

I agree with LL and others concerning the red buttons. You may not think that your target market has kids or that kids won't be playing alone on the cab. The flaw in your argument is that your target market likely has nieces/nephews/kids of friends who will love to play when they visit. Also remember that age isn't the only factor -- the inebriated buddy is another obvious choice for inappropriate button mashing and has been known to foul-up the configuration of more than one MAME machine.

With respect to the widescreen, so long and the AR is fine, I have no objection ... but nothing is worse than a fat ChunLi ... or MsPac ...

Finally, I am not exactly enthusiastic about the pricing. I was just in the basement, looked around, saw 20 coin-op machines (and have another at the lake house). I made a mental tally and I would have to sell them all in order to purchase one of your machines.

FWIW, I think that you should set your own prices and be fairly compensated for your efforts. I understand completely that I am not your target market (for starters, I have kids) ... just pointing out the obvious discrepancies in the economics.

Oh, and for $5700, I want a freaking coin door ... or a NIB IJ4 and some change ...

[Ginsu Victim]

The simple breakdown of all this:

It's not aimed at us. It's aimed at people with too much money to know better.

That being the case, good luck. I hope you dupe people into buying your nice looking, albeit, overpriced cabinet.

If I built my own for that amount, I could have the fastest PC available in my cabinet, with a 6 player panel, trackballs for everyone, Tron stick, spinners galore, a monitor for each player, the best sound system possible, an LCD marquee, and a little Puerto Rican boy hired to wipe the machine down every day.

Oh, and it would have a coin door. 

[Donkey_Kong]

the inebriated buddy is another obvious choice for inappropriate button mashing and has been known to foul-up the configuration of more than one MAME machine.

If all that really needs to be adjusted is the price, dude's done pretty good. As far as the buttons go, I think they are alright. Either way would be fine. I'm sure they will get pressed, especially if you tell people not to! Put a brand new arcade machine in front of me with 4-5 little shiny red buttons, and tell me not to press them. YEAH, RIGHT! 

Maybe just rewire the buttons to some really funny sound bites like
"Hey you --smurfing-- idiot!! I told you NOT TO PRESS THE LITTLE RED --smurfing- BUTTON!!"
and, you know
"Insert actual funny or witty sound bites here"

That would be great. An awesome arcade machine that can really mess with your drunken buddies. Yea, do something like that and forget about lowering the price!
 
 

[headkaze]

"Will Stimpy be able to resist pressing the button that will destroy himself and the entire universe? Will he be able to hold back from causing total annihilation just from the push of a...SINGLE...BUTTON? A BIG RED button? A BEAUTIFUL, SHINY, CANDY-LIKE button? Can he do it folks? Can he?!?"...

[lettuce]

Im thinking of sticking my arcade cab on ebay soon, and i wouldnt dare ask more that £1000 for mine if that! (more like £800). The £2800 asking price does seem rather high, must be making 80-100% profit on it, but it is a nice cab though, not one for the purist but more for the average joe, but then does the average joe has the best part of 3 grand to spend on such a thing??

[Ginsu Victim]

"Will Stimpy be able to resist pressing the button that will destroy himself and the entire universe? Will he be able to hold back from causing total annihilation just from the push of a...SINGLE...BUTTON? A BIG RED button? A BEAUTIFUL, SHINY, CANDY-LIKE button? Can he do it folks? Can he?!?"...

I was thinking the same thing. 

[TPB]

if Acer is mentioned, you ... might scare your metroman.

Games that aren't meant for wide screen look like ass on a wide screen.

if you like fat chicks, then sure, SF2 in widescreen with an obese Chun-li might be for you.. but otherwise?

the inebriated buddy is another obvious choice for inappropriate button mashing and has been known to foul-up the configuration of more than one MAME machine.

...

I was just in the basement, looked around, saw 20 coin-op machines ... I would have to sell them all in order to purchase one of your machines.

...

Oh, and for $5700, I want a freaking coin door

If I built my own for that amount, I could have ... a little Puerto Rican boy hired to wipe the machine down every day.

Oh, and it would have a coin door. 

Man, you guys are on fire ... talk about classic quotes.   

It's just the bare honest truth, warts and all.

The strength of this cab. is the upmarket "style and glam" factor, so it's on this basis that it must be sold.

Zombie, try to arrange to have product reviews published in some Men's magazines that are read by your target market.  Such as in-flight aeroplane magazines, Men's fashion magazines (for those chic metrosexual men), and hell, don't leave out the Girly magazines for the lads.

[zombie_arcades]

Acer is mentioned, you have some dikshrimping brand in your catalog that might scare your metroman.

You're absolutely right. From today all zombie arcade machines come with 24" Samsung LCD's.

[Turnarcades]

Sorry Kev, but a lot of these recent points (target market, price tag, design authenticity, poduct variation etc.) I raised with you last year when we spoke and are now voiced by others.

I do love what you have designed but it's going to be difficult to market both ways; either it has to be a budget, 'educated demographic' focused machine (ie. MAME-specific, BYOAC-experienced buyer who knows the cost but just wantnkss the build labour done a specific way without picking up tools themselves), or it has to be a dream machine (something we would love to buy if we had the cash, and that the genuinely rich and lazy definitely will buy cos they are unfussy and have money to burn). I don't think you can have it both ways.

I think you have a great product for the price tag and being a builder myself I understand the production costs of a cnc-cut machine of this finish with so many people in the chain, but I feel your target audience may not be amongst the BYOAC ranks. A lot of people here (myself included) appreciate the quality and the effort of the machine, but I imagine the design and cost is a little beyond the comprehension of most BYOAC-ers.

It is nice that there is a serious UK builder though at the other end of the scale. With the right marketing and no current competiion in that price bracket you should do well.

 

[zombie_arcades]

I do love what you have designed but it's going to be difficult to market both ways; either it has to be a budget, 'educated demographic' focused machine (ie. MAME-specific, BYOAC-experienced buyer who knows the cost but just wantnkss the build labour done a specific way without picking up tools themselves), or it has to be a dream machine (something we would love to buy if we had the cash, and that the genuinely rich and lazy definitely will buy cos they are unfussy and have money to burn). I don't think you can have it both ways.

You're right. However I'm not trying to have it both ways. I think I've made it clear who I see as my target audience.

I feel your target audience may not be amongst the BYOAC ranks.

I in no way see BYOAC members as my target audience.

I think you have a great product for the price tag and being a builder myself I understand the production costs of a cnc-cut machine of this finish .

Thank you Craig

[surface tension]

It is nice that there is a serious UK builder though at the other end of the scale. With the right marketing and no current competiion in that price bracket you should do well.

Bespoke arcades are approaching the same price for an upright.

Im thinking of sticking my arcade cab on ebay soon, and i wouldnt dare ask more that £1000 for mine if that! (more like £800). The £2800 asking price does seem rather high, must be making 80-100% profit on it, but it is a nice cab though, not one for the purist but more for the average joe, but then does the average joe has the best part of 3 grand to spend on such a thing??

80-100% profit... I'm sure Zombie could only dream of that. If he was producing 1000 at a time, then maybe. But it's not going to be these numbers. You also have numerous tooling/artwork costs which have to be included. Generally, people expect higher standards from a purchased item than if they were to build it themselves, so you can't cut any corners.

It's clear that BYOAC is not the target audience as everyone here tends to do everything themselves and in their own time, which means everything's a lot cheaper. You can put together a bracket out of a bit of scrap or make that interface out of an old joypad. These things you can't (or shouldn't!) do in retail.

[grantspain]

just want to make some points,

cab is very nice,alot of time and design has gone into it

your sale cost is high,you should look at where you get your parts-being in the u.k you can source cheap lcd from pentranic and source cheaper controls.

the reason i say the sale cost is high is because the taito viewlix cab is cheaper than the cab you offer,sure it don't come with a pc but pc's ain't that expensive to build

there is a market for what you do,just try to manage the costs a little better

[Blanka]

because the taito viewlix cab is cheaper than the cab you offer

Do you have a link of a European seller of those with prices?

[grantspain]

fella i know shipped one in for £3000 including all the fee's and this was a one off,i would think i could get one £300 cheaper no problem

[ratzz]

Great looking cabs ... they really do look nice.

Good luck buddy, you found your niche, now all it takes is smart marketing - oh, and a great looking website. Give me a shout if I can help with the latter!

Ratzz

[Crazy Cooter]

It's "primed" for over 4000 games, including Bomb Jack

How so?

How are the graphics on the panel done?

[Bender]

How are the graphics on the panel done?

Yeah, how are those graphics done?

[Ummon]

I recently went to best buy and looked at a new LG or Westinghouse monitor that has 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 2ms response, and goes for under $400. The only thing I looked at was the viewing angle, and it wasn't any different in quality than LCDs have every been. Maybe it was the model, but I think I might buy a plasma before an LCD. (I'm REALLY waiting for something better than both.)

However, I can see the general public, especially younger lads, immediately wanting an LCD and a widescreen one at that. And there are more of these single, well-to-do boys than you might think. My brother, who's now 35, was easily making 80 grand in his mid-to-late 20s. He wasn't anywhere near the top of the heap, and though he lives in L.A., if he'd been into this kind of thing, he'dve bought it - and had plenty to spare. (That boy spends money, I'll tell ya.)

As for the price, I kind of figure that just because British currency is twice what it is here, doesn't mean it buys twice as much there. Hence, close to three grand sterling is probably similar to three thousand dollars - which are what Arcade Legends and all that stuff goes for.

[Turnarcades]

You're spot on there about the currency conversion. Our economy is such that your amount in $ on your salary would be like us getting the same in £. For example, you pay $100 for a top-end pair of trainers (sneakers if you like!), we pay £100 for the same. Same with everything; beer is a couple of bucks to you, a few quid to us. That's a very brief comparison of how our economy is at the moment. However, right now our salaries aren't keeping up with inflation and we may be in a slight recession, particularly as city living expenses, house prices, fuel and groceries are rocketing in cost. I'm just glad we've refused to enter the Euro, or we'd be even worse off.

My missus (and until recently, me) earn just over £15000 a year each, which is good pay for an average office job over here, and we struggled to get a mortgage for our first home recently. Now Turnarcades is doing well though I'm glad I lost that job to a stroke, as I'm doing a job I enjoy! 

[ablizno]

I like the whole thing except i dont like that the marquee is green

Also love that the joysticks are not LED-ified. Makes the cab look crisp IMO.