Arcade1Up is a brand of home arcade and pinball machines manufactured by Tastemakers LLC. The company specializes in producing 3/4-scale replicas of classic arcade cabinets and digital pinball tables, designed to provide a nostalgic gaming experience for consumer use in private homes.
History and Concept Launched in 2018, Arcade1Up was conceived to make the experience of owning and playing classic arcade games more accessible to a broader market. Traditional full-sized arcade machines are often expensive, difficult to acquire, and require significant space. By offering 3/4-scale reproductions, Arcade1Up aims to address these challenges, providing more affordable and compact alternatives that can fit into typical home environments. Their products are designed to emulate the look and feel of original cabinets, often featuring authentic artwork, control layouts, and pre-loaded collections of classic games from specific franchises or eras.
Product Lines Arcade1Up's product catalog has diversified since its inception, encompassing several distinct form factors:
- Upright Cabinets: These are the brand's signature product, resembling traditional stand-up arcade machines. They typically feature a screen, a control panel with joysticks and buttons, and often include a riser to elevate the cabinet to a comfortable height for standing play.
- Counter-cades: Smaller, more compact versions of their arcade machines designed for tabletop placement.
- Cocktail Tables: Replicas of the two-player, sit-down arcade machines often found in bars and restaurants, where the screen is typically laid flat with controls on opposite sides.
- Digital Pinball: 3/4-scale digital pinball machines that utilize a high-definition screen to display various classic and modern pinball tables. These units include haptic feedback and physical plunger and flipper buttons to simulate the pinball experience.
- Legacy Edition Cabinets: Newer iterations of popular cabinets that often feature an expanded selection of games and sometimes improved components.
The cabinets typically require some assembly by the user upon purchase. Games featured span a wide range of genres and iconic titles from the golden age of arcade gaming, including fighting games, maze games, sports titles, and beat 'em ups.
Reception Arcade1Up products have generally been well-received for their ability to deliver a slice of arcade nostalgia at a relatively accessible price point, particularly when compared to acquiring original vintage arcade machines or full-sized custom reproductions. They are credited with making classic arcade gaming more viable for home entertainment enthusiasts. While the brand has been praised for its innovative approach to home retro gaming, some criticisms have occasionally surfaced regarding the build quality of certain early models, the physical size (which can still be substantial for very small living spaces), and the emulation quality of a few specific games. Despite minor criticisms, Arcade1Up has maintained a strong market presence and continues to be a prominent player in the retro gaming and home entertainment sectors.