Sometimes, there's no way to appreciate something someone else has without thoughts of pure envy. Such is the case when viewing Peter Hirschberg's elaborate, sprawling recreation of the greatest arcade that never was, dubbed Luna City. Imagine 2400 square-feet filled with nearly every classic coin-op game you can imagine -- including stunners like
Star Wars,
Tempest,
Tron,
Zaxxon,
Missile Command, and
Galaga -- available for your use, free of charge, 24 hours a day. The massive collection also holds gems like the original
Pong arcade machine and the
Space Wars copycat
Space War (based on one of the earliest known computer games), making the assemblage of coin-ops not just incredibly fun, but also a substantial act of historic preservation. Check out a walkthrough video after the break, and hit the read link for tons of photos and info. Needless to say: want.
[Via
Retro Thing]
posted Feb 8th 2008 7:32AM
want... to be his friend
does he keep it on 24 hours a day? wonder what his electric bill is ..
Nice selection, but... no Tapper Budweiser Edition?
check out our home arcade piece on open house. blough!
http://openhousenyc.tv/floorplan/2007/09/08/game-rooms-and-arcades/
Saw this when it was in the Washington Post - apparently his wife is actually OK with him doing this cause she likes the nostalgia too... lucky guy :P
But yes, this is a whole lot of win... it's a private arcade but if you call him up and he's in the mood he might let you visit :D
"...apparently his wife is actually OK with him doing this..."
I doubt it. My first thought was whose putting quarters in his wife.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/01/AR2008020103933_2.html?sub=AR&sid=ST2008020201061
Second paragraph from bottom: "Fortunately, his wife, Julie, likes having an arcade, and it doesn't sound like she's anywhere near losing her patience with her husband's pet project. "It's just cool to have an arcade," she said. "When I was a kid, I'd go to the arcade every day -- it was the thing to do in the '80s.""
It looks like a clown exploded on his carpet.
I remember the days when every mall in America had a miniature version of this place.
Damn, the guy shoulf have just got a slim PSP with a TV out cable..
Thanks for the Vid Zook. Anybody know why Sega's Zaxxon isn't included in arcades greatest hits compilations for gaming consoles? That was one of my favorites...
Zaxxon is hidden in either (or possibly both) the Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2 or PSP. You have to unlock it but it's not very hard to... but yeah, it's weird one of the bigger classics has been very hard to play legally at home for decades.
It's a shame that pinball machines are becoming obsolete. They were always my favorite as I could turn 25 cents into 3 hours of entertainment. Black Knight was it for me. (Then again, you could always get the 3 hours out of the Galaga glitch, too.)
i think you just answered your own question. who wants a game that big that isn't making money? I want a jokers wild for my house..
sorry I dont read gizmodo
His electricity bill must be through the roof with all those CRTs.
he must also be having a secret nuclear powerplant in his basement ;)
He may have the FIST PONG MACHINE But I WAS FIRST IN THE WORLD TO PLAY IT, back in the late 70's. HA top that mofo
Wikipedia sayeth : "The coin-operated Pong games manufactured by Atari were a great success, and by the end of March 1973, between 8,000 and 10,000 of the units had been sold.[1]"
These things were everywhere by the late 70s.
I miss that sound of an arcade. It instantly brings me back to childhood. If you close your eyes and just listen you can actually hear games you recognize.
AND ALL THE LITTLE GIRLS RIGHT KYLE!!! RIGHT KYLE!!! WHERE DID YOU BURY HER KYLE!!!....damn this crack got some kick!
AND ALL THE LITTLE GIRLS RIGHT KYLE!!! RIGHT KYLE!!! WHERE DID YOU BURY HER KYLE!!!....damn this crack got some kick!
See? I told you arcades were making a comeback!
Beautiful. An 80s sanctuary. Want one myself if I ever get the cash. Love the carpet. You swear that's the same carpet that every roller rink in America uses. :)
I want one!!
Reminds me of Alladin's Castle (but a lot cooler). This inspires me to build/buy a MAME Cabinet. You know... for my personal 2.4 sqft arcade.
It is sad that these are the exceptions these days. Fear of child predators, etc. I have 3 cabinets I'm restoring, and I think I'd have to travel 10 miles before finding a working game. Pizza joints still have them, sometimes.. I thouroughly enjoy ordering a pizza, putting 1 quarter in their Galaga and the pizza's done before I am.
Google 'arcade auctions' sometime if you are really wistful, though.. for the price of one modern games console you can own a bit of history. Even cheaper if you don't mind a bit of restoration work.. it's not any harder than wiring a car stereo.
In fact, I'm going to an auction tomorrow. Best bit of advice there is to either have a truck or someone you can call who has one.
That place rules. I figured he spent over $70,000 just on the games. Add the construction costs, upkeep, power consumption... that's a huge money sink. But since it's pure awesome, I can understand why he did it. I also want.
Want.
If I had my own private arcade it would just have ITG2, Pump Pro, IIDX, and maybe a Tekken machine with PS2 ports so I can mess around playing with a dance pad/guitar/various other peripherals.
come on, Engadget...proofread. spelling errors in every blog posted. "elborate."
At first I said "I hope this guy is not planning to make money, paying for play when copies of most of those games are free online is not anyones idea of fun."
But when I saw the free, I immediately thought "hey, here is some glorious cultural nostalgia for no cost. Awesome."
If I ever get a chance to go, I will. And yes, SPELL CHECK.
does it have Polybius?
I think I'm going to do a recreation of Flynn's then, with a sweet apartment upstairs to bring home the ladies. "SPACE PARANOIDS!!!"
does anyone else see the kids aimlessly wander around while the parents or adults play the games?
I'm going to make a 90's version of this.
Ah, memories...reminds me of the arcade in the Metropark mall before Jersey lawmakers managed to outlaw them...
I really really missed the old 4-person X-Men arcade...
JOUST!!!!!!!
DEFENDER!!!!!!!
I want to have his kids.
I had forgotten how much noise those machines make, Attract Mode is definitely set to on :)
That would have been SOOO cool 15 or 20 years ago, but today? ... eh.
Nobody ever bothered to mention if this was an addition to his house or if he has this space situated elsewhere. The carpet IS like you would find in most roller-rinks or arcades all over america before sitting on the couch, eating & watching TV became America's most favorite passtime. Does anyone remember the pinball machine "Gorgar"?