Please support and pre-order the ultimate book about Handheld games: 2kB of Fun

History of arcade cabinets

In 1971 Nolan Bushnell created the first coin operated video arcade machine “Computer Space”. The striking yellow fiber-glass cabinet and the remarkable marketing flyer lead the way to almost 4 decades of video arcades. After this first video game machine, the cabinet design became less important than the games inside. The video game cabinet was mostly side art stickers on black melamine furniture ever since.

Today the video arcade, as an institution where we hung out, is dead. The few that are still open either struggle for life or generate income by other means. The home gaming console and its owner mr. couch potato have won the battle.

As a homage to the video arcade era, and especially to honour the design of the first ever arcade cabinet, I created “Retro Space”. The perfect machine to mark the end of this marvellous time in gaming history. Either as art or as the ultimate gaming gadget.

A machine that plays ALL the games us kids of the seventies, eighties and nineties have burned onto our retinas. Modern technique, modern style, retro gaming and retro style are all blended together in Retro Space...

Retro space

Retro Space promotional flyer, modern interpretation of the classic Computer Space flyer.

Recreating the past - space for the future

Wouldn't it be great to relive your classic gaming experiences on a machine that is made for the future? Retro Space is a pretty cool piece of furniture. The stunning arcade cabinet fits either your 70's retro room or your minimalist interior. It is ready to play all the games you know from the past. Load it with all your music and movies for use as a media jukebox. And feel free to load it with software to add any functionality you might imagine in the future.

Play

First of all Retro Space is a retro gaming machine. Equipped with real arcade controls in a durable and timeless anodised aluminium control panel it plays all classic 1 and 2 person titles with genuine arcade feel. Retro space comes with a pack of more than one hundred licensed arcade classics and all the emulators needed to play your old 8 and 16-bit disks and cartridges from the attic.

Listen

Busy with other things? Let Retro Space play all your music. Use it as stand alone jukebox with its built-in hi-fi audio system, or tell it to stream your favourite music to your stereo set.

Watch

The built in full HD (1080p) capable screen can be used to watch high-def movies directly on your Retro Space. If you do not like standing while watching, let it drive the TV near your couch.

Get creative

Tweak Retro Space to fulfil your imagination. Use it as video phone, as terminal to control your house appliances, let it monitor and talk to unwanted visitors, use it as web or media server. Or even use it to feed the cat while you are away. Nothing is too mad.

Construction

Retro Space has been made in a one-time small production run of 33 cabinets. 26 were bought by the Dutch Game Garden to promote the best game productions from the Netherlands in an anual event called Indigo Showcase. At the moment there are no cabinets for sale, but you can rent a yellow or a blue one. If you are interested in at least 5 cabinets, we can make a custom production run suited to your requests.

Cabinets are ready to go to the paint shop. Final assembly of screen, speakers, door and wiring.

Tech Specs

Cabinet

• High precision CNC milled MDF cabinet
• 4 layers scratch proof semi gloss paint in RAL 1003 yellow, RAL 9016 white,
• 6mm tempered glass screen bezel

Controller

• Arcade quality Sanwa joysticks, pushbuttons and a Suzo trackball
• Dual fighter layout with analog/4-way section for classic games
• Optional spinner with dual analog stick configuration
• Sturdy anodised aluminium control panel

Closeup of the controller panel.

Screen

• 1920x1200 pixel 27 inch S-PVA LCD monitor
• 1:1200 static contrast, 500cd/m2 max
• 178°/178° degrees viewing angles
• Wide Gamut display
• Visual image area comparable to 24 inch horizontal CRT or 19 inch vertical CRT

Computer

• 2.4 ghz Intel Core2Duo computer
• 4Gb RAM, 250Gb HD, WiFi, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, MDP
• BT keyboard for cordless typing, trackball for OS operation

Sound system

• Hi-Fi stereo 2x90 watt 2-way speaker system
• Audiophile T-Class amplifier

Miscellaneous

• Size: 725×1815×610mm
• Weight: 40 kg
• Power consumption: 200 watt in full operation
• Made in The Netherlands

Retro Space 2.0

The biggest client for the original Retro Space, Dutch Game Garden, wanted to be present at the Game Developer Conference (GDC 2013) in San Francisco. Shipping all original cabinets was not prefered as it would take a month by boat and truck with the risk of damaging the cabs. So Dutch Game Garden asked me to make a lighter flat pack version. Call it Retro Space 2.0, or the road edition. This time no hand sanded and spray painted version, but a DIY assemble plywood one. From march 25-29 2013, Dutch Game Garden will use 20 of the new cabinets to show the best of the Dutch game industry in a special Indigo event at the Dutch Consulate in San Francisco.

The first of a new series of Retro Space 2.0 cabinets.

Contact

Retro Space
Torenallee 30-38
5617 BD Eindhoven
The Netherlands
+31-40-7878618

www.retrospace.nl