The Decline of the Arcade
Despite recent attempts to prove otherwise arcades aren’t as big as they used to be.
Once upon a time a trip to an amusement arcade was, for many a gamer, like stepping into the future. With a gulf between the potential digital output of the latest arcade boards and what home consoles were able to achieve it seemed difficult to believe, as a young teen standing in line to play Street Fighter 2 in Camber Sands amusements, that this would ever be obtainable at home. And so pumping coinage into the latest cabinets was a worthwhile, fun and perhaps most importantly, rewarding experience.
As the technical gulf narrowed with the release of titles such as SF2 on the SNES the crowds began to wane, the R&D cash pumped in to new games lessened allowing consoles to catch up even quicker, thinning the crowds ever more, which further reduced R&D budgets... ad infinitum. The social aspect of arcades has been replaced by the inclusion of online multiplayer on home PCs and consoles meaning setting up a game against a real life opponent, friend or otherwise, is a doddle.
“[One of my biggest disappointments is] going into any arcade and trying to find a game without a gun or a wheel in front of the cabinet - keirboy
Yep, arcades now are mostly the preserve of the gambling machines and quirky games that require a peripheral the size of the Vatican to play. The decline of the arcade is such that Capcom have not, as yet, made an official announcement as to whether Street Fighter IV will be released on these shores in all its arcade cabinet glory. This perhaps being the one game, more than any other, that would tempt many of today’s 20 and 30 something gamers back to old stomping grounds with a fistful of 50 pence pieces. Alas, seeing the pathetic offerings in arcades these days is like a Dragon Punch upside the head...
Red Ring of Death
RROD, nothing to LOL about
‘Things break’ so said ex-Microsoft executive, Peter Moore. Two small words that poured petrol on an already blazing fire. Despite such a reassuring, ‘what’s all the fuss about?’, statement from Microsoft, RROD should never have been allowed to happen. That much should be obvious even to the company from whence the broken products originated.
Everyone knows it happens, but you still buy the console. You’re setting yourself up for a fall... I’m surprised no American has sued. dante 76-
Whether the cause of this debacle is bad soldering, software malfunction, overheating components or Gremlins chewing wires, whether the failure rate is 10%, 20% or even 40% as some estimates put it at... Whatever the cause and whatever the regularity with which it occurs it is inexcusable in this day and age, so screamed an incensed internet army.
I know they work from a script at the Indian call centres but being asked if my 360 is actually plugged in flipped the angry switch in my head. - pal_version
And they’re right. Many will tell you that Microsoft have been efficient at replacing broken consoles. And so they bloody should be. With the best that Microsoft can offer being an assurance that the failure rate of its hardware is falling it seems that the gaming community as a whole is left to tut and shake its collective head in disgust.
For shame, Microsoft, for shame.
