Game Gate VU: Raising Arcade From Its Ashes or "Horrendous Idea"?

The legendary Brian Crecente has trotted down from mighty Kotaku Tower today to bring us news of the Game Gate VU arcade machine. Declaring it a potentially "horrendous idea", the device allows operators to charge people to play console games contained within a familiar arcade cabinet.

The machine accepts coins and bills and can even be fitted with an optional credit card reader. Specially modified consoles require an activation key and charge the operators monthly licensing fees. Assuming the fees are not paid the consoles can be deactivated until the invoices are clean again. Currently it can only hold one disc at a time, which Crecente believes is a step back in consideration of the stand-up Neo-Geo machines that could offer multiple titles at any given time.

Mr. Crecente's opinion is clear and many of the commenting audience share his sentiments. I see where this could easily be a terrible idea, but I am still not inclined to agree.

Commenter titlecade shares his thoughts:

"Faggorty at its best, why would people play console arcade games."

He brings up a good question despite being a douche while doing it. Why would people play console arcade games? I believe that the abstraction between console and arcade is not as prevalent as it may immediately seem to be.

If you were at a pizza restaurant I believe your only concern would be that you could play video games, not what medium you could do it by. At a reasonable price I would be just as happy to have a controller in my hand as a joystick assuming the game I am playing is fun. The hardware that comprises either setup is almost identical so its a surprise that so many people believe that this would be so much of a change.

There are also fringe benefits to this scheme including a simplified repair process, data backup, and expanded local multiplayer potential. Of course no one is going to play Final Fantasy XIII at Tony's SubShack but with the right selection of games there has got to be some potential here. Katamari Damacy, Gears of War, and Shadow of the Colossus all have modes of play that cater to that ideal 10-15 minute play time most arcade games should offer, and if you throw in a contest/prize environment like Chuck E. Cheese then kids are going to go nuts. Fuck I'll probably be there every weekend getting schooled by tweens at some game I hate anyway.

Pricing will play a big part in this machines success though. I've suffered the pay-for-play-time sham before and it fails almost every single time sometimes tries to make a business out of it. Price it right and they will come, and if anything is going to make this a regrettable investment it will be the operators own greed.

All the Game Gate VU profits went straight up Chuck's nose...

I leave you with Zac Shipley's opinion, which of course echoes my own:

"Cut yr cryin' babies. This is a genuine oppurtunity to load up an arcade cabinet with modern age fighting games. Soul Calibur IV didn't have an arcade version, Street Fighter IV didn't come out in the states, and games like Mortal Kombat haven't been seen in a cabinet in close to a decade.

I'd love to be able to take on some chumps in a real arcade again instead of having to deal with lag online. Get rid of those pads and put in some sticks and the audience will come."

You can learn more about the Game Gate VU at their website and a mock-up video of the cabinet can be seen here.

Ugly ain't it?

-Unfather

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