Arcade and Amusement Centre Longevity (August 2024):
It's timely to revisit a subject many fans and observers of arcade and home gaming circles have noticed – diminishing joystick (aka “lever”) usage in controllers and control panels.
Without conflating this topic with the FGC (Fighting Game Community) centric arguments of leverless gameplay advantages, I wish to offset this topic of reduced lever use to another issue that currently afflicts everyone in varying but not insignificant measure:
That of arcades and amusement centre longevity.
There exists a causative link between arcades/amusement centres and gaming nowadays that is undeniable.
Gaming in an amusement centre in Japan, the birthplace of fighting games, is a huge bucket list event for most of us interested in video gaming at any level. It is the source, the original and the undisputed path from which we trace back the evolving trends of our current gaming communities.
Additionally, Japan has well-known amusement centres, considered to be meccas to most in the worldwide FGC, such as Mikado Game Centre and Taito Hey! These locations, like most, do not always have USB inputs at cabinets for BYO controllers. The reality is that you are going to have to make peace with the fact you'll be using a lever.
Progressing along the flowchart we can make the observation that casual/competitive gaming within fighting games and shmups is, at its purest, original form, when movement is controlled via a lever whilst at an arcade cabinet (and furthermore: displayed on CRTs using real hardware, but that is a topic for another time). Simply put, this was the tech that existed when the craze started.
I draw the differences in lever arcade and leverless controller usage to analogies most will understand and logically accept – no rule street fights contrasted against the UFC. Or shooting firearms with zero accessories compared to shooting with red dot optics and foregrips. There exists many forms of crossover movements and philosophies, but one is decidedly more pure due to less aids/assists/QOL improvements.
I am cognisant of the fact the leverless VS lever topic always arrives in cycles and recently this has been in laser focus. The death knell of levers was sounded in the past and then a competitor goes and wins EVO (Evolution Championship Series) and CPT (Capcom Pro Tour) with a lever. Back to square one the debate returns to. What happens in the FGC can be at odds with the wider gaming community, sometimes quite often. Niches within niches can be worlds apart as a friend of mine often points out.
Similarly, arcade and amusement centres had drifted far away from any topics of conversation in the FGC for many years and then Street Fighter 6 is released, citing many homages to the amusement centres – for instance online battles occurring in a large stylised amusement centre for avatars and competitors sitting down at cabinets to “battle”. Other gamers/spectators walk up to the cabinet to “watch” the battle occur. The conversation is re-ignited and it is soon revealed the SF6 Director and Producer regularly play in arcades giving a short interview stating the influence battle arcade gaming has on their design decisions and personal gaming preferences (**please see full transcript at end of article).
I reference EVO opting in to hosting the largest ever SFIII 3rd Strike tournament on real hardware, candy cabinets (CRT’s mostly) and superguns this year, showing an immense dedication to authentic battle gaming.
EVO should be applauded for implementing numerous SFIII 3rd Strike setups, essentially lighting the way ahead in such an officially supported capacity. Preservation of the artform and the hardware continues to be what the community references back to whilst they simultaneously push ahead on current gen tech. We need that past waypoint marker to remain, especially to foster continued strength of the community as more new fans enter the mix.
There are obviously many controller styles and technology in existence nowadays to appeal to every whim of the gamer. However, there is an absolute purity in lever use that all gamers should have competence in for not only authentic battling, traced back to the beginning of popular gaming, but for longevity of the artform and arcade amusement centres broadly. We should never forget and forego the arcade gaming heritage. The continued health of our great hobby (especially the FGC) relies upon arcade game centres and the like remaining open and thriving. Lever usage is the wedge to make this possible.
Those of you yet to make it to Japan - visualise going to the Japanese amusement centres and throwing down using just the skills your brought with you and a bucket of 100 yen coins. Chances are you will be on stock Sanwa and Seimitsu levers.
**SF6 developer quotes:
Putting a (100yen) coin into the machine and not wanting to lose and the atmosphere of the arcade and the way the cabinet feels…
There’s a distinct edge present when playing in the arcade, being surrounded by people who can watch you. Those factors affect your abilities in a live setting and it’s so fun. Takayuki Nakayama [Director, SF6]
Of course, you can watch replays online, but I like seeing people playing the game live, so I’m glad.
There’s a real sense of significance (tapping the CP of a Vewlix)…it’s moving. Shuhei Matsumoto [Producer, SF6]
(Taito Hey! August 2024. Image used with kind permission)
Clone Parts Awareness and Avoidance (August 2024):
A pervasive issue that has affected many of us whether knowingly or not is that of: clone or knock-off pushbuttons and joysticks.
Even with a strong spread of legitimate vendors in the world, there are still consumers getting caught out after being lured into purchasing from a website listing that looked “good enough”.
It is imperative that the consumer performs some due diligence to avoid dissatisfaction with their purchase and reduce the market share clone makers currently have.
First of all, the mere existence of clone parts should not be understated. Their existence is a threat – they are generally made with lower quality materials, poorly constructed and then sold at marked up prices. This makes clone profit margins unbelievably high, encouraging their makers to continue the practice. This in turn, severely harms the real manufacturers cost of operating and therefore leads to higher prices for the real product, further hurting the consumer.
Purchasing clones bolsters a false economy of sorts, potentially financing other illegal activities within the country of manufacture and nearby economic areas of influence. The sale of clone parts damages the reputations of real brands due to the cloned products failing much sooner than the authentic version.
Electronics parts are a particular focus for clone makers, so it comes as no surprise Seimitsu. Co. and Sanwa Denshi products have suffered this fate, along with associated industries such as microswitch makers Cherry and Omron. Industrias Lorenzo (IL) parts are also heavily cloned and used widespread by the industry of flat-pack/pre-built arcade cabinet makers.
Recently reported areas of concern are, for example, eBay and Amazon sales listings in which the product is listed as the real thing. There is zero mention of the actual authenticity in the listings within those cases and no website referenced so as to interrogate the sellers credentials. The seller/s have utilised the established and trusted sales site in hopes of hiding the true origin of the part in question and in doing so, granted an aura of legitimacy to the part and listing.
This highlights some common giveaways of clone sellers and the products - Clones are almost always marketed as the real thing to hide the origins of the part in question. For example: They will normally use the exact manufacturer name and have pricing parity with the real thing or just below (to draw in more eyes under the temptation of getting a great deal). The listing will have a single stock photo with very little detail in the description. Without having the part in your hand for closer inspection it is near impossible to tell the difference between real/fake based on a photo displayed on a sales listing.
The consumer can also be sometimes led to assume the parts are the genuine article due to the collation of vague generalised information offered in the listing. After performing a surface level risk assessment they say to themselves “it should be alright”.
It is important to be willing to ask questions as a consumer and be satisfied you are purchasing the real product. The nature of eBay and Amazon listings make it hard for a consumer to have confidence on the authenticity of parts unless the seller is using the listings as an extension of their actual website store. It is wise to be suspicious in the post COVID-19 world when the costs of raw materials and manufacture skyrocketed. Regarding websites – ask questions. If the website does not implicitly state the origin of the part/s, assume it is a clone. The owner/operator should be able to categorically explain where they get their parts from and point to a supply chain or network from the parent companies to them (respecting of course, commercial in confidence information).
In the example of cabinet makers, ie. sellers of pre-built cabinets and DIY kits: they might gloss over the parts authenticity in their builds/kits. Even if the clone parts are identified as such, the consumer would be better served with the real thing which would have a positive feedback return on the seller as well. Satisfied customers will tell others and perhaps return another time in the future. If they are spending $1000's on a cabinet then they will likely be happy with a small additional spend for the authentic experience via quality parts that will undoubtedly last a lot longer and perform with a higher functionality. Even if there is a price gap it is normally not severe and the buyer can likely afford the real thing anyway. Consumer satisfaction is always higher with the real thing.
With some fighting game tournament prize pools reaching up to $1,000,000 in addition to arcade cabinet refurbishments exploding in popularity, it has led to a bold stance for the clone makers to further harm and damage this community of players/enthusiasts and creators. Consumer awareness is the first and easiest defense against the clone sellers.
The enjoyment of this fantastic hobby is severely undermined by clones from sellers who think their customers won’t know any better or worse, won’t care. Customers in general deserve better as do the worldwide gamers and fans.
Be informed, spend your money wisely and support your local authorised seller.
Arcade Cabinet Ownership: beginnings and modern realities (September 2024):
Straight off the back of EVO 2024 hype was the intense interest concerning the arcade cabinets and supergun setups that facilitated the Street Fighter III 3rd Strike pools and finals. It is abundantly clear, there is a surge of interest within the tournament community for using real hardware for the legacy games once more.
This brings me to a topic that a lot of people perhaps are yet to deliberate – that is, the feasibility and reality of arcade cabinet ownership inside the modern home/workspace.
It was once upon a time that only wealthy companies would decide to place a tokenistic arcade cabinet in the staff lunch room for the employees. Outside of dedicated amusement centres, only wealthy companies could afford to do so. Even the concept of an arcade cabinet in a home setting was at that time considered, preposterous. What is abundantly clear is that these old preconceptions are not reflective of the recent changes in the expanding arcade ecosystem.
With the shift in console gaming power and downsizing of the market share amusement centres held on peoples time/entertainment, the arcade cabinets have ended up in a slow decline of commercial use. In lock step with this trend is the devaluing of legacy arcade cabinets along with the rise of available flatpack build arcade cabinets and other connected arcade by-products/replicas.
Fans of this hobby, no matter the gaming interests, are now spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a fit for purpose arcade cabinet. There is a viable avenue of choice for every room/space, intended genre and budget;
Particularly when we observe the legacy arcade hardware – it is no less significant in popular culture, however just not used as much as previously and certainly not a “dead” scene. As a result, this is where the privateer market has risen within this vacuum to procure and maintain the hardware in a home/garage/shed or workspace. Sometimes adopted as a project/refurbishment, other times just a re-homing of a fully functioning unit - the long legacy of older arcade cabinets still to this day, reaches far and wide.
The Japanese candy cabinets are the prime examples of this project trend, whereby they are diminishing in use at amusement centres domestically in Japan yet hold an enduring, strong sense of relevance to all worldwide gamers and have been embedded into popular Japanese culture.
In fact, there are numerous worldwide arcade export/importers shipping hardware from Japan to your nearest capital city. Local Australian importers such as Blue Spring Express can access the full suite of notable High Definition (HD) cabinets (Vewlix, Lindbergh, Noir etc) as well as the legendary CRT candy cabinets, dedicated dance and drive cabs etc. The barrier for entry to this ownership for Australians is now the lowest it has ever been thanks to the efforts of companies such as this. This marks a huge shift in accessibility for Australian fans to adopt their favourite Japanese arcade machine into their stash of game hardware and own a working example of popular arcade culture. The list of available hardware is truly vast and there is a cabinet for every budget and space.
Locally, what was observed during COVID-19 included the sharp rise in interest around the unique cabinets made in Australia at the height of the arcade dominance period (companies such as Leisure Allied Industries, Viper and Gamemasters to name a few). A sudden willingness emerged in people wanting to take on an Australian arcade cabinet project.
Questions of technical maintenance concerning aging hardware are important to acknowledge - Australia is equally fortunate to have many talented repairers (eg. JOMAC, Perth) and helpful online communities (eg. Arcade Projects, Aussie Arcade) willing to assist at the first sign of any maintenance required. Capital cities are still blessed to generally have a few mobile technicians who will repair equipment on site or at their workshop. Transport is always a question that is raised for initial cabinet ownership and once again, Australia finds itself in an enviable position - there are dedicated bespoke delivery companies that exist to service this burgeoning niche of arcade cabinet transport across the country!
Looking at the homage and replica products - The company UNICO, previous makers of the SNK licensed flatpack bar-top cabinets, has now made a pseudo-Sega Astro City homage product. The fact this company has decided to leverage the strength of the legacy pertaining to perhaps the most iconic candy cab to create this product, is representative of a belief that with some modern trimmings and conveniences, candy cabinet replica like products could have a current place in the market.
The fightstick and parts maker QANBA has released an arcade gamer desk the “2009” recently. It is a curious product that occupies the middle ground between modern flat panel computer desk and dedicated arcade stick gaming desk/equipment cage. This product has received good feedback and consequently has a lot of people talking about bringing the 2009 into their homes as a user friendly and space saving way of enjoying an interest in fighting games/shmups. The 2009 owners also cite an appreciation for included modern conveniences such as computer monitor mounting, PC hardware spaces and overall maximum integration into an existing home/workspace environment.
A mainstay at the local electrical superstores (ie. Harvey Norman or JB HI-FI) is the availability of licensed ¾ sized cabinets from company Arcade1UP. For some people, the smaller form factor size and arcade style aesthetics is enough of a nostalgia trip to provide that journey back to gaming that they desire. This is another product that has a dedicated fan base and easy accessibility. The Pro-Gamer Justin Wong has been involved in software QA on a few titles from early on to ensure the games perform accurately. In addition, a supportive scene of owners on social media are there to assist with upgrades and general maintenance. The benefit of this style of cabinet, is an easy modification pathway to allow greater joystick/button performance and better monitor vibrancy/speaker sound. In addition, these cabinets can be purchased easily on the second hand market and will fit into most small size vehicles for transport, further lowering the difficulty in acquisition. Arcade1UP products are not for everyone, however it is an easy toe in the water solution if a full size arcade cabinet was still a daunting prospect for a gamer, casual or not.
Lastly, there is always a huge choice of local companies offering new prebuilt full size cabinets should that be of use to a given consumers circumstances. Ensure you insist on authentic brand arcade joysticks/buttons though!
Casual fans and enthusiasts alike often view the arcade cabinet, as a gaming bucket list of sorts – ie. something they will purchase when they have the space, buy a house, get a better paying job, etc. All of those reasons can be relevant in context but as the resilience of popularity in the arcade scene has proven, there is an arcade cabinet for every house/space and budget.
There exists a stepping on point for everybody within this topic. Considering life is short and full of curveballs, why not take a dive into this exciting hobby? You will likely be amazed at how arcade cabinet ownership can enhance your enjoyment of gaming and bring a social aspect to your games you hadn’t realised before. Take care of yourselves and all the best!
