Arcade Collecting > Merit/JVL Touchscreen

Megatouch Live...ML-1

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lilshawn:
And now, for something you'll really like...

"Infallible scientific proof that live is useless" OR "How to skin a cat without killing the cat."

OBSERVATION: GT Live vs Unplugged

QUESTION: Does having a live machine make more money than an "unplugged" machine

HYPOTHESIS: try 1 live machine because apparently some people at a bar HAD to have a live machine, not an unplugged. insert machine and leave it for a period of 3 years. see if it makes money.

EXPERIMENT GROUP 1:  Place LIVE machine in the site. pay for machine and monthly service fees for 3 years, paying to upgrade to the latest software version  when it becomes available. see if the machine makes more money than an "unplugged" versions of same game.

EXPERIMENT GROUP 2:  Place UNPLUGGED machine in the site. pay to upgrade to the latest software version when it becomes available. see if the machine makes more money than  the "live" versions of same game.


COMMON MODUS: machine Is considered "making money" if the cost (the site's split plus the cost of the kit/upgrade/connection/fees etc) is less than yearly income generated by the machine. IE: the machine pays for itself (excluding the actual cost of the cabinet itself)

RESULTS GROUP 1: Machine in first year lost money. The fees sucked up our profits. Machine in 2nd year made some money but we basically lost money. This was due to having to pay to upgrade the system to the next version. Machine in 3rd year lost money BIG time.  This was due to having to pay to upgrade the machine AND having next to no revenue for the game at all.

RESULTS GROUP 2: Machine in first year almost broke even. i think we were 50 or so bucks shy of turning a profit. Machine in 2nd made an okay profit.
Year 3 I think we lost money. mainly due to no revenue for the game at all.

NOTES: year 3 was a bad year, profits were down all over. people were afraid to spend money. (the "recssion" if you want to call it that)

CONCLUSION: In comparing live vs unplugged versions of the game...results in similar whole incomes, but the additional fees and other costs associated with a live machine meant any profits generated by the machine where eaten up. In our case, live was the loser because we needn't dip into our profits to pay for the service. There is always the possibility that the site was simply a "bum" site... but the specific request of the live machine by the players proves that just because it's LIVE doesn't mean they will play it any more than if it's not.

CONTINUATION: The LIVE machine was removed from it's site and placed in another site. This machine made about as much money as the unplugged machine which it replaced. The fees continued to eat into the profit of the company, breaking even. Since then, it's online services have been suspended. So, even though it says live, the tournaments and other online features are unavailable. It still makes as much money as the unplugged machine which it replaced...only we don't have the bleeding artery that is INET sucking up our profits.

 :dunno

TL;DR: the cost associated with operating a LIVE machine results in less profit for the operator.

smartbomb2084:
Yeah Ed after 20 days TouchTunes 'barks' as you say about not updating but it takes a full 30 days without being conncected  for it to DISABLE itself completely.. at least here in the lower 48...

I don't agree that a non-Meganet game ALWAYS makes less than a Meganet connectyed one.

Many of our locations WON'T EVEN PLAY a non-connected game...They gotta spend $50 to try and win $25...

Besides, location operation is a package deal.  Not every piece of equipment in the location will make money...

One location shoots more pool than darts..another has a money-making jukebox and a Meganet connected Megatoiuch that barely breaks even...The Megatouch is there to keep the location happy so we can make money off of the jukebox and not have the competing operator in town steal the location from us because we are too cheap to give the customer what they want and the competition isn't.

Coin-op is a cut throat business these days...it hasn't been like 1983 for a long time.

ed12:
smartbomb2084
i will not argue with u at all
u are 100% correct
drop the ball on a locations demand and another co. is there to take over
even at lower return's ie:30% instead of 50%
for a fact i now starburst will do it..lived it had it done to us


ed

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