Contrary to popular opinion, the average video gamer is older than 30. We may enjoy our console games now, but we remember a world well before Mario ever ate a mushroom, and even before we moved the first Pong paddle at home. The glory days of Pac-Man, Sinistar and others are alive and well in our mind’s eye, and many of us dream about having a home arcade to re-live those days.
A company called Dream Arcades specializes in making those fantasies come true. The company is the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of home arcade machines that, if you’re lucky, could also be used in your office. The company’s latest home arcade machine is the Dreamcade Vision 40, the largest upright home arcade machine available.
The Dreamcade Vision 40 features a huge 40-inch screen and comes pre-installed with more than 140 classic arcade games. And by classic, we mean it. Titles like Ms. Pac Man, Centipede, Galaga, Street Fighter and more are all included. None of them requires a quarter or even a nickel.
Once you pay the purchase price of $3,099, that is. In other words, this is less of a cheap toy and more of a nostalgic piece.
The Dreamcade Vision 40 features a control panel allowing up to four people to play at the same time, just like the old Gauntlet games. The 40-inch high-definition LED screen can also be used to surf the Web and watch movies, and the unit comes with built-in MP3 software to turn it into a jukebox.
The games included on the Vision 40 are the actual games that were played in the arcades, not fake reproductions. The same moves that helped you beat the enemies when you played in the arcade years ago will still work in your home. In addition, gamers can add even more games to their machine by purchasing additional titles in “packs” including classics from Midway Games (including Mortal Kombat) and Taito Games (including Space Invaders and Jungle Hunt). Players can also add classics such as Q*BERT and Golden Tee Golf.
The full list of arcade games included on the Dreamcade Vision 40 is available at DreamArcades.com. Here’s a sampling: Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong, Super Breakout, Tempest, Warlord, Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair II, Space Ace, Spy Hunter, Defender, Gauntlet, Joust, Paperboy, Rampage, Robotron 2084, Sinistar, Marble Madness, Toobin’, Satan’s Hollow, Root Beer Tapper, PAC-MAN, MS. PAC-MAN, Galaga, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Rally-X, Pole Position, Xevious, Bosconian and Mappy.
n addition, 60 Atari 2600 games are also included at no additional charge. All titles are trademarks of Atari, Digital Leisure, Midway, Namco, Capcom or Incredible Technologies. If you’re in the market and not averse to spending money, the Dreamcade Vision 40 sounds like the ultimate home arcade machine. Let us know in the comments below if you own one and share your impressions.
