Rather than circumventing copyright law, they have recreated “clones” of some of your favorite games. Instead, they ask you to contact them for a full list.Ī few companies, including Dream Arcades, are honest and transparent with this process. My assumption is that the unauthorized reproductions are the reason that some companies don’t publish their entire list of games. Some manufacturers don’t publish an exact list of games - instead they just market “thousands of classic games included.” Then, you need to browse message boards or Amazon reviews for a game list, or even email the company for a full list. Many of the multicades that include thousands of games are distributing unauthorized reproductions. For this reason, you should do your own research if the issue is of interest to you.Īs a buyer/user of an arcade machine, you should be aware that some companies sell unlicensed (“knock off”) arcade machine games. This is somewhat of a touchy subject, so I should preface by saying that I am not a lawyer. Multi-Cades & Licensing Rights: A Quick Word If your goal is simply to save money, find an Arcade1Up machine for less than $500 and you can be gaming by this time next week.īut if you are interested in geeking out and building an arcade machine, it can absolutely be done. Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, or MAME for short, is an entire community of arcade enthusiasts that have created an open-source project to maintain vintage gaming and computer programs.īefore you start reading about MAME, be aware that this is a rabbit hole that you may never escape. Online retailers like and generally have multiple versions of Pac-Man available.įor anyone looking to build a Pac-Man, or any other, machine, just Google “MAME” and your mind will be blown. These are generally multi-cades that include a dozen or more games in addition to Pac-Man, but the cabinet artwork is entirely decked out in Pac-Man. But the upside is that you can usually get free (or cheap) shipping, a warranty, and you won’t have to drive across the country to load a 300 pound machine onto a trailer.īest Buy and Walmart both carry Arcade1Up Pac-Man machines, and many locations even have same-day in-store pickup available. The downside is that these don’t have the same “cool factor” that an original machine possesses. If you don’t need an authentic vintage machine, sites like Amazon and Wayfair have new model replicas readily available. Because the games were so popular, it is surprisingly easy to find used machines available in good working condition, even 40+ years after their original release. If you want a classic, original Pac-Man machine, your best bet is to search eBay and used marketplaces. In total, it would be challenging (if not impossible) to count all of the different iterations of Pac-Man that have been made. There are also licensed Pac-Man versions of air hockey tables, pinball, and handheld consoles. In addition to arcade machines, a number of Pac-Man versions have been made for Playstation, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and almost any console you can think of. Original arcade versions of the following games exist: If you ever see a “Best Arcade Games” list that doesn’t include Pac-Man, you should be very, very suspicous. In the 42 years since its release, the Pac-Man franchise has generated an estimated $14+ billion in revenue, and it will forever be the game that put Namco on the map. Pac-Man, Pac-Land, and Pac-Mania were all introduced to satisfy arcade gamers’ extreme demand for the Pac-Man universe.Īlthough many Americans feel nostalgia and even associate Pac-Man with 80s Americana, the game was actually released worldwide by Namco, a Japanese gaming company. Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Professor Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, Jr. Whether you are looking to buy a Pac Man machine or just wanting to learn, you are in the exact right spot!īrief History of Pac-Man Game/Arcade MachineĪs mentioned above, Pac-Man’s release in 1980 kicked off the golden age of arcade gaming.
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