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Games Entertainment

Xbox Coming to Arcades 389

Posted by michael from the blue-screen-of-quarter-eating dept.
Stanl writes "The San Jose Mercury News reports that Microsoft will be taking Xbox technology into arcades, including a statement that, 'arcade titles influence the kind of console games that fans buy.' That is an interesting unattributed observation."
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Xbox Coming to Arcades More

Xbox Coming to Arcades

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  • Would this help? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by gh0ul ( 71352 )
    Would a move like this really help Microsoft in the console market?

    • Of course not (Score:3, Insightful)

      by JudgeFurious ( 455868 )
      Microsoft is in fact very much the 800 pound gorilla when they have a chance to use their Windows/Office monopoly against you but when they have to go stand on equal footing with someone and compete they are so friggin lost it's really kind of comical.

      At one time I think this (Arcade games influencing what kind of console games people bought) was true but this is grossly out of date IMO. If anything then today it's the reverse of that.

  • Really? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by superdan2k ( 135614 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:22PM (#5440949) Homepage Journal
    They do? Funny, I think I remember hearing that the home console had killed the video arcade. I smell desperation in the XBox division...

    I get the feeling there's not going to be an XBox 2. Either someone at Microsoft will see the light, or a group of shareholders will, and they'll raise a stink...

    • Re:Really? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by levik ( 52444 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:27PM (#5441004) Homepage
      Actually, this is a very good move. I'm surprised more companies don't do it. Even if cabinets themselveds make no money, it's like having an ad for your system and games placed where people go to see cool games.

      This is probably going to be more effective than any other form of advertising, and all for a price of a monitor and a few plywood panels painted in bright colors. If they're smart, they'll give these owners at low prices, just to get good positioning.

      • Re:Really? (Score:2, Insightful)

        by intermodal ( 534361 )
        yes, but how many people who have actual money still frequent arcades? I know that by the time I had cash to drop on consoles, I didn't have the time to go to an arcade anyway, so I stuck to consoles instead. Besides, the only arcades local enough for me to get to were all running old-school games since they were cheaper, with a few hit machines like Mortal Kombat series games and other such. So when you break it down, arcades are a great place to get mindshare for the future, but not a place to reap of actual cash in most cases.

        • Re:Really? (Score:2, Troll)

          by tenman ( 247215 )
          The real question is, "How many people that frequent arcades have parents that have actual money?" BTW, Malls all over america host or are next to arcades. Again, this is not to attract people of incomes in excess of 100k. This is because teenagers hang out at the mall, and they bring their mommies credit card with them. Arcades today are a social club for the console owners.
      • Hmm, I've been playing console games exclusively for a while, haven't been to the arcade in five years. Well, once actually, but only because my gf was getting her nails done in the mall. I was shocked to see the state of the local arcade: a Dance Dance Revolution machine, a Galaga/Mrs.PAcMan, and some stand up big scren type games. There was literally nothing there. I don't think people frequent arcades like they used to in the MK and StreetFighter days.

      • Re:Really? (Score:3, Insightful)

        by JudgeFurious ( 455868 )
        Well see there lies the problem. If the cabinets don't make any money then you won't be able to give them away to arcade owners even at very low prices much less get them to pay for the games.

        Arcade owners will put what makes money on the floor. If it means they have 40 boxes out there that are all practically the same game then that's what they will do. They want a franchise and something that does "x" number of dollars/week in their best locations.

        They aren't going to be interested in being Microsofts "good positioning" if the games suck. Sure if they are good games and they are reliable then everybody wins but if MS is going into this with the same POV as your post (It's a good, cheap way to advertise) then the games will suck and the arcades will not buy many of them once that becomes apparent.

        I'm all for it. More MS money diverted from something serious.

      • Re:Really? (Score:3, Informative)

        by BigJimSlade ( 139096 )
        I'm surprised more companies don't do it

        More companies do release arcade hardware similar to their home hardware. I think just about every console going back to the NES has had an arcade equivalent. Naomi, for example, was Sega's hardware platform that was very similar to the Dreamcast. Sony teamed with Namco to do an arcade version of the PSX, and I believe there's also a PS2 platform as well.

        This site [system16.com] does a good job of going over hardware platforms used by Sega, Namco and Konami. I think there may be info on the XBox platform if it's being used by any of those companies.
    • They have $38B in the bank from their "not a monopoly" monopoly. They know they have to make money in new places.

      What are they losing on the X-Box ( say $300 million a year ) they can keep doing for oh, another hundred years or so.

      Also remember that most MS first attempts are crap. The X-box is actually a very good first attempt compared to early versions of CE and other things.

      • Re:Really? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by pubjames ( 468013 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:58PM (#5441247)
        They know they have to make money in new places.

        But they don't. Windows and Office are still the cash cows at Microsoft - and always have been. They have consistently failed to dominate other markets:

        a) They tried to 'kill' AOL with MSN, and failed dismally. Now dial-up is yesterdays market.

        b) They tried to 'kill' Palm and dominate the handheld market, and failed. The handheld market is now also becoming yesterday's news.

        c) Mobiles is where the action is at, and Microsoft is really struggling to make any impact at all there.

        It is a fallacy to say that Microsoft is good at making money in new markets. They are actually very good at wasting huge sums trying to dominate new markets, and failing.

        Bill Gates did the clever stuff over a decade ago, recognising the importance of the PC OS and Office markets, and fighting like mad to dominate it. That has generated vast amounts of money. But their efforts elsewhere haven't been so successful.

        It's only recently that they've started to take on Sony. Sony is Godzilla to Microsoft's King Kong. In the past, the giant gorilla has had an easy time swatting less powerful foes. Taking on Godzilla is a whole new ballgame. My money is on Godzilla.

    • Re:Really? (Score:5, Funny)

      by DarklordJonnyDigital ( 522978 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:28PM (#5441016) Homepage Journal
      I think I remember hearing that the home console had killed the video arcade.

      No, it's worse than that. They're putting X-Boxes in the arcade - instead of the machines being dead, they're just going to "die" on the player at unexpected intervals.

      "Alright, seventy-hit combo! A new high-scor---"

      "The application TEKKEN~1.EXE has performed an illegal function and will be shut down. Press LOW PUNCH, LOW KICK and COIN RETURN to continue."

      "Goddamnit."

      • Re:Really? (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Boone^ ( 151057 )
        I've seen a Sega Genesis "green screen" playing the original Madden Football, but I've yet to see anything go wrong with my XBox in the 16 months I've owned it.

      • Re:Really? (Score:5, Informative)

        by RobotRunAmok ( 595286 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @01:54PM (#5441684)
        The implication here is that the Xbox crashes and freezes to a degree similar to MS Windows.

        In fact, it does not. I've played the hell out of mine for 15 months, and it flows like buttah. I'm no MS apologist, and their PC operating systems have nearly made me Elvis my monitors on a number of occasions. But their XBox? Technical problems on an un-modded unit? Unheard of.

        Somebody mod this ignorant buffoon down.
    • I get the feeling there's not going to be an XBox 2.

      Oh, there will be an XBox 2, but games will only be a part of it. My guess is that it will be more of a TiVo/WebTV/XBox/DRM-crippled-jukebox type of product. Besides, everyone knows that MS doesn't get it right until the 3rd or 4th try.
    • I've been getting that feeling too. XBox live is cool, but SOCOM is pretty sweet too.

      If Sony is 50% on the mark with the Cell processor and PS3, a pentium on your TV with an NVidia DSP (err, I mean "3D chip") just won't cut it.

      How much money can they lose? It seems like every time they do something cool, Sony makes an equally cool move, I just bought some fairly recent games (within the last year) for $20 a piece, brand new with the red "Greatest Hits" box. Hard to beat that and 50million units in the field.

    • I love how every move made by MS in regards to the XBOx is greeted with such knee-jerk tripe like "I smell desperation in the XBox division...".

      Pray tell me, how does MS looking into other, extremely high profit, markets smell like desperation? Smells more like the Great White Shark of Redmond has smelled blood in the water to me.

  • Coooooool.... (Score:3, Funny)

    by G-funk ( 22712 ) <josh@gfunk007.com> on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:22PM (#5440954) Homepage Journal
    ...an 80" BSOD!

  • Ummm.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by the_skywise ( 189793 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:23PM (#5440960)
    What arcades?

    Of the 5 malls in my neck of the woods only one has an arcade (Sega City). There's one nightclub with a gameroom, and a handful of putt-putt golf courses. Oh, and a Chuck E Cheese, which hasn't gotten a new video game in well over 3 years.

    Midway just got out of the biz altogether.

    Or does Microsoft just want to be the next Sega?

    • Re:Ummm.. (Score:2, Interesting)

      by YetAnotherAnonymousC ( 594097 )
      Indeed. And, IMHO, the reason arcades are dying is that you can get game quality almost as good in your house. So what is Microsoft offering?:

      "For the arcade product, Nvidia probably will supply the same graphics chip it provides for the Xbox home console. In part, that's because the quality of the Xbox graphics engine is considered more than adequate to power a cool arcade machine, though the machine will have more main memory chips than the 64 megabytes in the Xbox to accommodate fast-action arcade graphics."

      Maybe I'm missing something, but this isn't going to be enough to bring me back out to the arcade.

      (and if I want a variety of games? it's called "rental")

    • Re:Ummm.. (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Cutriss ( 262920 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @01:08PM (#5441319) Homepage
      I don't know about Midway or other arcade game manufacturers, but I find one of the major problems with the arcade business to be that nobody wants the arcades around.

      There are at least three shopping malls in Jackson, MS, the largest city in the state. Only one of them has an arcade (Owned by Namco), and it's in the process of closing up. Why? Because the mall owners wanted to stiff Namco out of more money for the same location, while simultaneously enacting rules cutting back on the amount of money Namco can make at this location. Metrocenter enacted a new rule which basically forbids anyone under the age of 18 from entering the mall without being accompanied by an adult during the hours of 3-Close on Friday or Saturday...pretty much the only time you could have kids/teens in the arcade without it being a schoolnight.

      Furthermore, Northpark Mall shafted the Cyberstation's lease (also owned by Namco), because they just didn't want an arcade. The complaint was that "the arcade went against the family atmosphere" which the mall was trying to obtain. They offered a renewal for an exorbitant amount of extra money, but the manager turned down the extortion rate and went on operating the arcade in Metrocenter (until recently anyway).

      I went to all of the Wolfchase malls in St. Louis, and *none* of them had arcades anywhere. I checked later, and it seems that most of the arcades are in smaller complexes and shopping centers that are out of the way. Nobody seems to want them around anymore. Perhaps it's somewhat of a "fashion taste"? Are arcades *so* 90's now?

      Games like Dance Dance Revolution and Mo-Cap Boxing are demonstrating quite clearly that the arcade industry has life left in it. I disagree with the assertion that the arcade industry is dying, and say instead that outside influences are killing it purposefully.
      • Our local Wal-Mart supercenter has an excellent arcade, constantly being updated and very reasonable prices (for an arcade, at least). Cruisin' USA is
        50c, the new Nascar sit-down is $1.

        The local Simon Mall also has an excellent arcade, it's not being killed by the prices though but by the little brats that keep vandalising the machines :(

        I wonder how long it will take MAME to have an emulator for the X-Box? arcade machine? :-)
    • I know most Slashdotters wouldn't notice this.. but there is a growing trend in resturant/entertainment places starting up. Dave & Buster style places are really cool. They cater mostly to young adults, 18-35-ish. They usually have Skeeball, darts and other games, but there is a lack of arcade games--there jsut aren't any cool ones out there.

      The problem is that no one has put arcade games, internet games, and rpgs together. The best example I can think of is Pokemon.

      It was very nicely tiered across their line of products. You could take your handheld characters and use them to battle in 3D on the console! If you know anything about Pokemon, you'll understand what's next... It would have been the perfect arcade game! They attempted something like it with snap? but it was too low key. As an arcade game, they could have had big screen Poke-battles at the arcade, and connect them with the internet to other arcades. Then you could have standings, and lots of other stuff. And of course, you would take your original cart home and train up your monster after you lost horribily.

      I think Id or EA could pull something like this off using PCs instead. Quake isn't really a general public style game--it's too violent. Something like Warcraft or Diablo would work. The key is to involve the spectators as well as the players! Lots of PC games would be cool to watch if you could see the big picture [a whole Quake, Warcraft, Diablo level at once] They would see things the players wouldn't notice.

      And of course you could use massive plasma screens with high-powered video cards. [32-way GeforceFX anybody]

  • Maybe in the 80's (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MrByte420 ( 554317 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:23PM (#5440963) Journal
    Arcades were the thing during the 80's when the newest technology really needed to fit in something the size of a refrigerator but kids barely go to arcades anymore. Nearly all the ones in my area have gone way under and I think microsoft is living in a dream world.

    • Arcades aren't for kids anymore (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      The most succesful ones are marketed at adults these days. Think places like ESPN Zone and Dave & Busters. They can often offer games most people can't, or wouldn't, buy for long term use, multiplayer gaming and, of course, food and drink.

    • Re:Maybe in the 80's (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Morgahastu ( 522162 ) <bshel ... fave bands name> on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:35PM (#5441076) Journal
      Perhaps in typical North American areas. But what about in Japan? Arcades are still huge in japan. Microsoft has a very weak grip on the japanese market and maybe if they put some of their games in japanese arcades the japanese will start buying X-boxes.

      • Re:Maybe in the 80's (Score:5, Insightful)

        by mikerich ( 120257 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:51PM (#5441191)
        Perhaps it will raise their profile in Japan, but the problem isn't the technology - Microsoft have bent to the Japanese - smaller controllers, even a smaller box.

        The real problem lies with the games. There is almost nothing that is likely to appeal to the Japanese market (and precious little to appeal to this XBox owner). Pretty much everyone agrees that the XBox has one 'must-have' game - Halo - and that's it. Halo's brilliant, but FPS don't seem to have taken off in arcades and that genre doesn't do well in Japan.

        Now maybe Microsoft' strategy is to flood the Land of the Rising Sun with arcade DOA Beach Volleyball, but I can't see it selling many more machines.

        Best wishes,
        Mike.

    • Exactly. When you can get a decent console at home, why go to an arcade and pay £1 for 30 seconds worth of play? Arcades are a rip-off, for the price of 3 hours play in an arcade you can get a full console and a handful of games.
  • That is an interesting unattributed observation

    This from Slashdot, the home of unattributed observations!

  • Arcade Madness (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Hellraisr ( 305322 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:24PM (#5440978)
    I think the whole reason people go(went) to the arcade in the first place is because you get to play something that you cannot possibly afford to own yourself.

    It defeats the purpose if you can buy the exact game and play it at home.

    Remember Mortal Kombat.. they kept us going to the arcade because the Sega Genesis and Ninento versions were so terrible compared to the real thing.
    • "Capcom wins! Flawless victory."

      Though now the once ubiquitous arcade games are being replaced by X-Boxen, it's more like "fatality" for Capcom...

    • Re:Arcade Madness (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Glock27 ( 446276 )
      Yeah, but you might not have an 80" 3D screen (OK, they're not out yet) or a full-sized motorcycle to ride at home in your living room.

      On the other hand, maybe you do and I'm just wasting my time... ;-)

    • Re:Arcade Madness (Score:4, Informative)

      by DarklordJonnyDigital ( 522978 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:37PM (#5441093) Homepage Journal
      Oh, a tidbit of information I just remembered. Satoshi Tajiri, inventor of Pokmon, played arcade games almost non-stop as a child and spent all of his pocket money on them. When he wasn't playing games, he spent his time catching bugs, which is where he got the idea for Pokmon.

      When the arcade manager realised that Tajiri had spent enough in his arcade to buy an arcade machine several times over, he presented the kid with his very own Space Invaders machine. True story. That's got to be worth something today, eh?
  • Maybe it's just me, but I find that arcades are really not very popular any more. Everyone I know either uses their computer or console at home. Is the arcade market really still big enough to justify this move?

  • Sega Chirhiro (Score:5, Informative)

    by The Moving Shadow ( 603653 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:25PM (#5440985)
    This is not really breaking news as System 16 already had pictures and specifications of this new system by Sega which was built on XBOX hardware. I quote from that wonderful arcade site managed by SixToe:

    System : X-Box based configuration.
    CPU : Intel Pentium III 733MHz (133MHz FSB)
    Graphics : nVidia XChip 200MHz (based on the nVidia GeForce 3)

    I don't know how long it's been under development already, but i know it's been on the System 16 site for a few months now already. Check out the rest of the specifications here on Sega Chirhiro project:

    http://www.system16.com/sega/hrdw_chihiro.html

    • Sega uses the Tri-Force hardware. Not Intel. (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Viewsonic ( 584922 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:31PM (#5441036)
      The latest Sega coin-op hardware is the Tri-Force board which was jointly made by Namco and Nintendo. Their latest F-Zero game can be found in Japan with nearly 3 hour long lines to play. It's quite insane. Eats that imaginary system you've listed above for breakfast.
      • I wrote "new" not latest ;-) BTW, the Tri-Force is not the latest machine, it's the Atomiswave, the Tri-Force runs on a Gekko processor by IBM while the Atomiswave runs on a Hitachi SH-4 64-bit RISC CPU.
      • Guess I'll have to wave my hand through the House of the Dead 3 machine at the local Gameworks, the next time I'm there. Shikigami no Shiro also runs on Chihiro hardware. If you'd bothered to read the link, you'd have seen a few more.

        Doesn't look like it has a rosy future though. Sega picked it up in hopes of an el-cheapo arcade system, but it looks like they're adopting the Triforce instead. Pity--a few more shmups on Chihiro would make a few nice Xbox ports.

  • arcade games are fundamentally different (Score:4, Insightful)

    by acomj ( 20611 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:26PM (#5440991) Homepage
    Arcade games by there very nature are different from many console games. Arcade games are very time limited as you usually have a bunch of people standing in line waiting. Console games don't have that limitation.

    Many arcade to console conversion were very successful. I can't think of one where a console game made it into the arcades.

  • Arcades a thing of the past? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by thefinite ( 563510 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:27PM (#5441002)
    I remember as a kid playing the arcade version, the playing the console version. Naturally the console version was noticably of lower quality in terms of graphics, and even sometimes in features (Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat come to mind as examples I recall).

    I imagine the days may be upon us, if not already here, where this is no longer the case. That said, if the console is a good as the arcade version, why does it influence it anymore? This rings especially true when I compare the popularity of arcades today with the days of my childhood. Before, they were all hopping, happening places where you had to stand in line to play a game. Today they are barely-staffed ghost towns, at least all of them within 20 miles of me. Sure you still have the Chucky Cheeses, but the days of the mall arcade, where people went just to play a game, seem numbered.
    • The one thing arcades still have over consoles is the superiority of hardware. Since there's a base cost of about $2000 just to get a working arcade game, a special $200 controller is nothing. A lot of games have thousands of dollars of specialized hardware. Just look at something like Silent Scope - the experience in the arcade was totally different from the home experience. On the other hand, a lot of the controller options are just gimmicks that are easy to reproduce at home - from the DDR pads to the Samba de Amigo maracas to whatever fancy steering wheel. And most of the examples of games with truly unique hardware are just plain sucky.
      • You know what I would dump quarters into at a prodigious pace? A well done arcade version of Gran Turismo, with multiple windows, a stick shift, nice steering wheel, and the like, I would probably have to own one to save money. Why is it that this has not been done? If I could race a few friends or bring my PS garage to the arcade, I would just begin cashing my paycheck in quarters.
    • Arcades still see some action, worldwide, as a way to balance a game before its console conversion.

      I speak specifically of fighting games, where the arcade version will come out while the console version is still in development. The arcade version will be tweaked and studied, and any lessons learned there will find their way into the console game.

      Or so goes the theory.

      I know I personally dumped about 1/4 the purcahse price of the (not yet released) Soul Calibur 2 into a SC2 arcade machine. But, of course, knowing the game was coming out on the consoles within 6 months kept me from going back and dumping any more....
  • ...you must agree to the game's EULA-- after you put the quarter in!

    ~Philly
  • I wish that I too had owned such a dominant monopoly that I could afford to dump millions into a failing market and video game format, in addition to loosing millions in other markets (including another video game market). I wish I was Microsoft.
  • I think a lot of the early posters are missing the point here. The home consoles of late killed arcades because they offered the same quality for a one-time charge at home, as opposed to quartering one to death.

    By introducing almost identical titles (they would have to change the payment scheme, etc.) in arcades and at the same time offer a one-time buy cabinet that you could easily change the game on (cheaper for the arcade), they would have people paying to advertise for them.

    Say you go to blockbuster, or the local game store, and they have a game you never heard of on the arcade. You play a game for $0.25, and really enjoy it. Then you can either rent or buy the exact same quality game and take it home. This was an old dream to have, bring the arcade home (remember atari 2600 pac-man). Now when you do it, it actually IS the game at the arcade. No more need for MAME.

    Just my 25 cents.
    • don't know that they are missing the point.

      1) many (most?) console games don't translate well into arcade-style, pay as you go schemes... and many arcade games don't translate well into console (DDR, F1 Racing - where unique controls and immersion are a real draw)

      2) arcades really *are* a dying breed... sure there are a few places that still thrive (think Dave & Buster's if you have one in your area), but it's not for the gaming, its for the social experience. (and I also guess that ski-ball makes more money than the latest incarnation of House of the Dead or whatever.)

      3) I don't ever recall Sony having jack to do with arcades, yet the PS1 and PS2 have done quite well for themselves. Yes, there was a lot of software that was in the arcade first, but I'd say most of the PS*s success didn't stem from arcade 'previews'...

      my .02c

    • The home consoles of late killed arcades because they offered the same quality for a one-time charge at home, as opposed to quartering one to death.

      Up in Canada the average PS2 game is about $85(plus tax!), while the average arcade is $0.50, Considering you can play the game in the arcade 170 times for same price as the console game (and we aren't even including the cost of the console) I'd hardly consider it 'quartering one to death'. Vgame rentals, as well as the dramatic improvement in PC/console CPU/grapics to the point where there is little difference from arcades has had a much greater effect.

  • Arcade Were Cool... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by LordYUK ( 552359 ) <jeffwright821@noSPAm.gmail.com> on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:31PM (#5441039)
    ... when the "good" games were .50 to start and .25 to continue, and the really really good games were .75 to start. Nowadays games are .75 (average) and not really any different/more enjoyable than the run of the mill PC/console game.

    I used to spend alot of time (and money) going to arcades, but now I'd rather spend 40-50 bucks and buy a game than 1.00 to play one for 3 minutes.
    • Have you ever heard of "inflation"?

      • Re:Arcade Were Cool... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Zigg ( 64962 )

        Yeah. It's this neat thing that's normally pegged at 3%/year. In twenty years, a 25 cent play should only be costing 45 cents (or, in the interests of roundness, 50).

    • I hate to do this... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by LordYUK ( 552359 ) <jeffwright821@noSPAm.gmail.com> on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:45PM (#5441159)
      I hate replying to myself, but another problem with arcades is that alot of them (and this isnt really new) went from quarters to tokens. At the start, it was 4 quarters = 4 tokens, and if you bought like, 10 dollars worth they gave you extra. Then it went 4 quarters = 3 tokens, and they upped the amount of tokens needed to play. Now they have "credit cards" that you "buy" and add money to, and games are like, .35 or .65 cents a credit (which means that you'll almost ALWAYS have a balance leftover, so you put more money in to recharge it)...

      Now, I can understand that they want to keep their customers, and if you can only spend the "money" in one establishment well you're not going to "hop ship", but there are many times that I've decided not to spend a few bucks in arcades, simply because I wasnt sure how much time I had, and I wasnt going to get stuck with useless tokens (think, at a mall or whatever that is not close to home that you go to maybe 1 time a year if that, or possibly the first and last time you go there for whatever reason)...

    • Man, am I the only person who still lives near an arcade where the games are $0.25? There's got to be other people here that live near Worcester, MA. If you're in the area, check out Playoff Entertainment. $5 minimum, but all games are two tokens and you get 8 tokens for $1.
    • I used to spend alot of time (and money) going to arcades, but now I'd rather spend 40-50 bucks and buy a game than 1.00 to play one for 3 minutes.

      I've noticed a lot of people would rather pay 3.00 for an hour at an internet cafe and play Warcraft or Counterstrike.

      No wonder arcades are struggling, the only thing keeping peeople there are shooting games, dance dance revolution, and fighting games... and if capcom or someone came out with a really good networked pc fighting game, well that might hurt arcades further.

    • What the heck are you talking about? Back in MY day, arcade games were only 25 cents to start, and there frequently was no option to continue!

      And we liked it!
    • Arcades were cool when ALL games were a quarter. I too would rather not spend $1.00 to play a game for 3 minutes, which is why I stopped going to arcades when they started jacking the prices up.

      -Poot
      CREDIT0/2

  • Not so dead? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by molrak ( 541582 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:33PM (#5441055) Homepage
    So I guess that arcades [slashdot.org] and arcade [slashdot.org] machines [slashdot.org] aren't dead after all?

    This is a happy moment for me, but I can't really think of any games currently on Xbox that would translate very well into an arcade experience. Maybe Panzer Dragoon, the platformers, and a few racing games that, while I don't personally find them all that interesting, tend to be popular in arcades. Is this just a continuation of this article [slashdot.org] involving Sega though? Or maybe they're just going to use MAME [slashdot.org]! Realistically, without Sega's support, what would Microsoft have to offer for the arcade world?
    • I would say that Steel Battallion, the $200 xbox game with its own table sized controller would translate nicely...Could be a better market for it in the arcages than in the living room

  • More like Fairground rides (Score:3, Insightful)

    by WebfishUK ( 249858 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:33PM (#5441058)


    Given that home games consoles provide much the same compute resource as arcade machines what is the added value of an arcade? I think there are two 'extras' which arcades provide.

    1. Modern arcade machines tend to be more like fairground rides with hydraulics to augment the game experience and probably better screens

    2. An audience.

    I can see kids refining their skills at home and then going head-to-head in the arcades. Integrate this with on-line gambling and we may see a return of the gladiatorial arena

  • It looks stupid, but... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Featureless ( 599963 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:33PM (#5441060) Journal
    ...I can see why they thought of it.

    It is black-letter fact, the arcade is dead. Has been dead, in fact, for a long time. From the article itself:

    Eddie Adlum, publisher of arcade magazine RePlay, said arcades have been in decline ever since the rise of console gaming. About a decade ago, he estimates there were 10,000 arcades, but that number has since dropped to about 3,000. Hit games such as ``Ms. Pacman'' once sold 100,000 machines, but today, typical hits sell maybe 4,000 to 6,000 units, Adlum said.

    However, there is something very similar to the arcade which is growing moderatealy well both in the U.S. and especially in Asia. It's a kind of mutation of the "internet cafe." It seems, while kids won't plunk down dollars to play conventional arcade games, they will go out and "rent" a PC to play Counterstrike or Starcraft for an hour or three. Multiplayer games, it seems, still have draw. And thus the article goes on...

    Lately, the rise of online gaming, especially in Asia, has transformed many arcades from stand-alone machines to networks of connected computers where players can play against each other or anyone else over the Internet. That transition plays to the Xbox's strength, since it is primed for broadband gaming, and it also plays to Microsoft's strong relationship with Sega, which is a big supporter of online gaming.

    So they think they will somehow tap into this growing phenomenon, instead of merely blowing 50 million or so producing expensive collectors items. I'm not holding my breath, but anything is possible, I guess.

  • Next Step: Preschool (Score:5, Funny)

    by burgburgburg ( 574866 ) <splisken06@@@email...com> on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:33PM (#5441063)
    Microsoft announced today that XBox technology would be a federal requirement for all licensed preschools. FCC Chairman Michael Powell explained that this was a good decision, a consensus decision and had no political component to it whatsoever. After everyone stopped laughing, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer explained that exposing preschoolers to the technology now ensured a steady revenue stream for Microsoft. Ballmer then announced that the first game available will be "Dancing Monkeyboy". Players will jump around trying to collect developers. If they sweat too much, have a coronary or get hit with the dreaded "Monopolist" tag, they lose.

  • huh? (Score:2)

    by Lxy ( 80823 )
    Xbox hackers brought the Arcade to the Xbox [slashdot.org], and MS got pissed. Something's missing here....

  • Competition (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Sophrosyne ( 630428 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:34PM (#5441067) Homepage
    Microsoft is always trying to undermine their competition, and they do that by copying what other companies do and try to saturate the market..
    Nintendo/Namco/Sega - have their Triforce arcade system [vgln.com] based on gamecube arcitecture, and I think Microsoft is just scared and lost, as usual.
    I don't think they actually have a solid plan for what they are doing- just release a few arcade games to push out Triforce's dominance, and in turn take away some thunder from beaneath the wings of Nintendo.
    • in the future please actually read the article before you post =[

      The story says that Microsoft and Sega are working TOGETHER to get this plan put through. A strong alliance of the money from Microsoft, technology from nVidia, and industry experience from Sega could really produce some great products in the long-run

  • The draw (Score:4, Insightful)

    by torinth ( 216077 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:35PM (#5441075) Homepage
    I don't know why no one else (who comments) sees how this works.

    The idea behind this is that MS can have some development house make/market an arcade game that is designed from square one to work on an XBox.

    Everybody gets hooked on the arcade game, then when the XBox/Console version is released and people go home and buy it - including buying an Xbox if they haven't already. It's pretty much the same as exlcusive titles, but people get to "Try Before They Buy" at the arcade.

    -Andrew

  • is this really news? when i took the xbox home i was convinced i had actually bought a arcade cabinet ;) .
  • "arcade titles influence the kind of console games that fans buy"
    just like...
    "nobody will ever need more than 4k of RAM"
    Ironically both statements would be true if this was 1989. But is isn't.
  • Recently, I walked by the arcade at the mall, and it was filled with rather insecure-looking teenagers trying to socialize. It certainly wasn't like the stereotypes we see in Tron, but more like something I remember seeing in Mad Magazine.

    This sad bunch would probably cling onto anything that looks well presented and potentially trendy, so Microsoft's "get-em while they're young" approach just might enslave a few more into the MS Horde. Unfortunately, Microsoft is very successful at capturing those first seeking direction in their technological lives...but more like a cult leader than a genuine visionary.
  • I think this is actually a great idea.. I agree that the old arcade in the malls are kinda out of date with all the new consoles out but the 21+ arcades, like Dave and Busters and Gameworks are GREAT moneymaking places for M$ to display their technology. I just hope the PS3 will have the same headstart that the PS2 enjoyed for so long...
  • ...of reviving arcades. Yes, many attribute the death of arcades to home video game systems, but if the arcade is able to deliver something that the home system can't, then maybe you have something.

    First, more emphasis could be placed on graphics and *wow* factor than depth of game play.

    Second, there really is no reason I can think of to have the system cost more than $1000, or even less. And with a cheaper arcade game, more will be bought.

    Third, Microsoft could possibly open their own line of arcades and rake in the quarters profit.

    Fourth, have games return to a quarter per play. This, combined with the first point above, will give the kids (and adults!) something they can't get at home -> cool games at cheap prices.

    Fifth, similar to the first point, you could either make games that you can't buy for the home system, or make games that are previews of games to come. But if they are previews of games to come, the arcade game must be cheap to quickly gain profit.

    Sixth, possibly have (more) chairs in the arcade. That's one of the benefits of home gaming -> comfort. The lazy kids (and adults!) will like that.

    Seventh, pinball! (I just had to put that in there. I love pinball, and many a home does not have one. Possibly the solution to bringing back arcades.)

    John

  • X-Box loss leader (Score:2, Interesting)

    by lavalyn ( 649886 )
    Considering that Microsoft loses big bucks on each console sold and that modchips are out there to play pirated games, the only route left for the console games division is to enter the arcade market.

    Perhaps a bad example, but this is what the Naomi board was to Sega Dreamcast.
  • People used to go the arcades because the arcade games were so much better than the consoles. Now you go to the arcade and you see games that don't look good as what you just saw on your PC at home.

    Arcades are a in a huge box yet the only have a little board in there with a big TV. Make use of that space, put a quad processor in there if you have to, put the latest in graphics technology, a GeForceFX or a R9700.

    Arcades are supposed to show us what can one day be in our living rooms, not the other way arround. Its like going to the worlds fair to see a product you already have.

    Its just not exciting anymore.

  • They're already there (sort of) (Score:5, Interesting)

    by tweakt ( 325224 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @12:45PM (#5441156) Homepage
    I was in a local arcde walking around and saw an arcade machine being rebooted. I saw the Windows 2000 splash screen come up. I'm not sure but I think it was a standing up jet-ski or speedboat racing game.

    Can anyone confirm this?

  • Arcades have been dying quicker than *BSD, for a number of reasons:
    • Arcade machines are friggin expensive.
    • Arcade machines have expensive, proprietary parts.
    • Arcade machines break. A lot.
    • Games have become increasingly greedy with their "Continue" function.
    • Games are too difficult and inaccessible for most people.
    • Home versions are usually better. (My, what a turnaround that is from the early days of arcades!)


    Arcade hardware that uses a console for the base is a good step towards lowering the price. Yes, it's been done before, but the Xbox uses commodity parts like the Celeron and GeForce, so it could potentially be a lot cheaper.

    A cabinet redesign to make arcade machines easier to carry would help. Perhaps with LCD technology making strides, we might see that. More durable joysticks wouldn't hurt either.

    It's still possible for arcades to make money. Look at the success of DDR...it's a simple, accessible game that doesn't munch your quarters, and the arcade version is MUCH cooler than the home version.

    Accessibility is such an important factor, too. I think you could make more money with an arcade full of Ms. Pac-Man and Tetris machines than with the latest Street Fighter clones. Just my opinion, of course...
  • Intel Open Arcade Press release [216.239.33.100]

    Basically a platform for arcade gaming based on the x86 architechture.
  • I used to have frequent visits in the arcades, because the coin-ops were miles ahead of home arcade games in terms of graphics, sound and controls. Many coin-ops where stand-alone custom cabinets with huge hydraylic systems that made the experience more believable. Huge amplifiers and 28" screens were some things that I did not have at home (of course I had other types of games at home, more intellectual stuff, which I liked very much, but there was no comparison in terms of graphics and sound).

    Now things have changed. Today's machines are so powerful that can play cinema-quality 3d games. The WOW factor is in my PC, not even in the consoles, let alone the arcades!!! The only reason I would get back in the arcades is if they offered me an experience that I could not have at home. For example, a complete virtual environment which rotates 360 degrees at all directions is an experience that I can't have at home (ala SEGA's R360 which hosted G-LOC).

    So, If the XBox-based arcade board is going to power those types of coin-operated games (virtual environments/custom controllers etc) then it might be successful. If it is JAMMA based to cut costs down, then it will fail.

    Because arcades need the WOW factor.
  • The arcade scene really sucks now. It used to be that you could go into an arcade, and play the latest games with other GAMERS.

    Sadly, most of the independent / good arcades have shut down nowadays. They've either been forced out of business by the big corporate ventures, or have been killed by the fact that console hardware is just as good if not better than arcade hardware. There are very few "good" arcades nowadays.

    So now if you want to go to a "decent" arcade, chances are you'll have to go to a place like Game Works, Dave and Busters, or another lame Bar/Arcade "entertainment center." There you will have to purchase a game "card" ($10 minimum) only to find that a game of Capcom vs. SNK 2 (if they even have it) or Tekken 4 costs 79 cents, and that a game of DDR (if they have it - and if they do it will be "DDR USA," the crappiest DDR arcade release out there) costs $1.55. And forget about finding a Neo-Geo cabinet to play King of Fighters on. The prices are high and are designed so that you'll always have a "little left over" on your card.

    You'll also have a hard time finding another real gamer to play a fighting game with, because most of the people there are non-gamers who are there for "entertainment" value.

    Bleah.

    Fortunately I'm lucky enough to live nearby one of the "real" arcades still out there. I don't know how much longer it'll stay in business, but at least I can play DDR 8th. Mix there, and have a decent chance of playing a fighting game with a "real" gamer. Plus it has the same atmosphere as arcades USED to have... I can't quite explain it, but it is an atmosphere that a place like Dave and Busters completely lacks.
  • There actually is still one arcade near to where I live. It does have cabinets of sorts (although I think they technically call them booths). You deposit 50 cents, you get 10 minutes of game time and piece of toilet paper.

    Of course, maybe this is Microsoft's strategy. Leisure Suit Larry 13 with photo-realistic rendering would be a smash hit at such an arcade.

  • Probably not. The people who frequent arcades (Dave & Buster's, Gameworks, etc.) are already console owners. I'm looking at my consoles (8 at this point, 9 if you consider that the PS2 can play PSX games...but that may be stretching it ;) and realizing that I bought each one on its own merits - not based on an arcade game. I did buy Crazy Taxi for the Dreamcast after playing it in the arcade. But that is the only case, of the 150 or so games I have sitting here, that an arcade game affected a purchase decision (and I already owned the DC - I don't think playing CT in the arcade would have convinced me to buy a DC).

    So, let's say MS brings Halo 2 to the arcade...that's not going to make me go out and buy an Xbox. Why should I? If I need a Halo fix, I can go to D&B's, get a beer and play...and proably tire of it before I spend the $250 needed to buy the Xbox and the game...

    Nope, MS was infected by something at Sega. They've no real direction for the Xbox, or even the games division, to take. There is nothing that MS can be said as doing right - other than throwing money at something till they win.

    Thankfully, Sony can fight them off, Nintendo should be able to, and I'm sure Bandai can keep kicking their asses in Japan. Certainly is an interesting time to be a gamer...

  • Seriously, I don't know what the XBox has to do with this, but I think there's money to made in more "adult" (not that kind of adult...) arcades. I suppose Microsoft could use it as a marketing thing, have a room with some big TV's, nice stereo, some couches and some networked Halo action...

    I'd love to see more "arcades" with a 21+ only after 10pm thing going on. Serve liquor, and have not only arcade games, but a room with a bunch of machines on a LAN with the "big" games loaded up.

    I'd certainly frequent a place like this...

    I know Minneapolis (downtown) has an arcade similar to this (no LAN room), and it's a blast. They've got plenty of arcade games, and liquor to go around, and the prices aren't half bad. $50.00 kept three people playing racing games and such for a couple of hours.
  • House of the Dead III, Virtua Fighter Evolution, and Virtua Striker 3 all run on XBox based hardware.

    HotD 3, VFE, and VS3 were all premiered at the AMOA 2002 show.

  • Knees Fully Jerked. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by RatBastard ( 949 ) on Wednesday March 05, 2003 @02:15PM (#5441917) Homepage
    Hands up, everyone one who bothered to read the article. That's what, six of you? Wonderful.

    The article states that Sony and Nintendo are also working on arcade versions of their systems. Is anyone crying doom and gloom over this and claiming that Sony and Nintendo are idiots who must be desperate? No? Okay, why is (almost) everyoine saying that about Microsoft?

    Do I need to even ask? No. I don't. It's the typical unthinking knee-jerk "M$ is a bunch of stupid poopy-heads and Bill Gate$ eats babies!" panty twsiting that goes on here every time a article about Microsoft gets posted.

    Is the arcade scene dead? In the USA it pretty much is. But it's alive and well in Japan, the one market where the XBox is not doing well at all. The arcade scene is good enough in Japan that Sony and Nintendo also think it's an idea worth looking into.

    I'm not a pro-Microsoft nutjob. They do lots of things that piss me off (XP is a disgrace, Media Player 9 is evil beyond compare, MS Bob was a joke, I dislike their embrace and extend policy) but this automatic anti-MS spew is laughable at best and sadly pathetic at worste.

    By now most of you mods have decided to mod me down as a troll. But take a momet to think about this. Are we doing ourselves any favors by acting like jackasses every time Microsoft does something?

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