Unless you have an entire basement at your disposal, I am afraid your dream of an 80s-style arcade center will not materialize. Space is one thing, the rarity of functional arcades is another and they are usually not cheap. Thankfully, there are quarter arcades from Numskull.
Joining classic titles like Bubble Bobble and Pac-Man is yet another seminal arcade game from the halcyon days of arcades: Space Invaders. The influence of Space Invaders needs no introduction.
The Numskull Space Invaders Quarter Arcades are not just any old replicas. They are exact replicas of the original arcade cabinets from back in the 70s, recreated with the blessing of TAITO.
Everything from the artwork, shape, and buttons has been faithfully recreated. The only difference is, they are super space-saving at a quarter scale. Speaking scale, each cabinet measures 166 mm (6.5”) wide, 215 mm (8.4”) deep, and 440 mm (17.3”) tall.
Two versions are being offered: Space Invaders and the sequel Space Invaders II, each quarter-size arcade cabinet is fully playable using the original arcade ROM and features a mirror screen with “Pepper’s ghost effect” based on the original cabinet.
In addition to two versions of the game, each version of the game is further offered in Coin Edition, Exclusive Stool Edition, and Exclusive Signed Edition (signed by the creator of the game Tomohiro Nishikado). The latter two are JustGeek Exclusive with the signed edition limited to just 78 units and 79 units for Space Invaders and Space Invaders II, as a nod to the year the games were introduced.
With the signed edition, you will also get the works, including collector’s packaging, collector’s certificate of authenticity, collector’s postcard, collector’s coin in unique packaging, and official quarter scale TAITO Space Invaders/Space Invaders II stool.
The Coin Edition is available to order now in the U.S. from Big Bad Toy Store for US$339.99. Both the Stool Edition and the Signed Edition can be pre-ordered from JustGeek.com for US$299.99 and US$699.99, respectively. I know. It’s kind of complicated.
Images: Numskull.
