This $500 Out Run arcade cabinet relives 1980s 8-bit racing
If you were into cars in the 1980s, chances are you dropped more than a few quarters into Sega's classic Out Run arcade game, in which you race across the country in a custom convertible Ferrari Testarossa. That experience can now be recaptured with a retro arcade cabinet featuring 1986's Out Run and several of its sequels. Or, rather, it could have been recaptured had the $500 game package not already sold out.
Capitalizing on nostalgia for 8- and 16-bit video games in recent years, a number of companies have been issuing retro consoles and gaming systems. Arcade 1Up has sold a few — Pac Man, Burger Time, Golden Axe — but Out Run is its first driving game cabinet. As the standup cabinet alone, it retails for $399, but if you want the full Out Run experience, the padded bench costs an additional $100.
While the original Out Run arcade machine could weigh as much as 350 pounds, according VintageArcade, this one tips the scales at just 113. Part of the weight savings comes from an LCD screen rather than the old cathode ray tube. The cabinet measures 45.8 inches tall, while the bench is 38.5 inches long by 19.8 wide and 18.5 high, so it's not ideal for a studio apartment.
Like the arcade original, the cabinet features an old-school three-spoke steering wheel, a gear selector lever, and gas and brake pedals to control the car. In addition, the unit includes playable versions of 1989's Turbo OutRun, starring a Ferrari F40; 1994's OutRunners featuring several cars including a Shelby Cobra, '59 Cadillac, Lamborghini Diablo, and Acura NSX; and 1988's karting game Power Drift.
And while it's currently, sold out from Arcade 1Up, other retailers will carry the system as well. Orders ship in December, just in time for the holidays.
