Hasta La Gadget!

Arcade machines are a part of a generation gone by. With arcade centers closing left and right, a lot of nostalgic gamers have taken to building or buying their own machine for home use. I’m sure many arcade fans would want to preserve the loud and garish old school look of the machines, but if you’re looking for something more subtle check out the Replay Arcade.

The Replay Arcade is a one-off machine made by London-based Tom Goodfellow. According to Tom, the machine is equipped with a JAMMA circuit board (similar to this one) that has 60 games built-in, as well as “arcade industry standard joystick and buttons.” I’m not up to date on arcade standards, but who are we to doubt the words of a Goodfellow? But it’s most outstanding quality is the cabinet’s retro and minimalist design.

Contact Tom via his blog to inquire about the Replay Arcade’s price.

[via Notcot]

After invading living rooms with his Space Invaders couch (which btw are now for sale), Igor Chak imagines the king of shelves, patterned after one of the most famous videogame stages ever made: the construction site aka Barrels stage from the legendary 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong.

The concept took shape when Chak imagined where the props in games are taken after they’ve served their purpose. He thought of a way to “encourage Mario” – who has since moved on to pipes and bricks – to take back these old steel beams and ladders. I’m not sure if Mario owns the construction site, but I’m sure both he and Donkey Kong would love to have this shelf in their cribs. After all, they owe a lot to this pixelated scene.

Insert a token in your browser and jump to Chak’s website for gorilla-sized versions of the images. I sense a trend of platformer-inspired shelves incoming.

[via HiConsumption]

These Space Invaders reusable sandwich bags are not only awesomely geeky, they are also environmentally friendly. It’s a great way to indoctrinate your kids into classic arcade stuff – and PB and J sandwiches just taste better in a classic arcade packaging anyway.

While most of the aliens represented aren’t the original Invaders, at least one of them is, and the rest get the point across just fine. These bags have a washable, BPA free and food grade compliant lining on the inside which makes the bag more durable, while the white hook and loop velcro-like seal keeps your food fresh and safe.

The Space Invaders bags come from Etsy shop Random Sacks of Kindness who has a bunch of cool handmade sandwich bags in their shop as well. Much to my dissapointment, it looks like this one was sold, but you can bet they will list more and then you can wrap your sandwich up in a cool 8-bit design soon enough.

[via Geeks Are Sexy]

As retro video games go, Q*bert wins the award for the strangest protagonist and sound effects in my book. If Q*bert was one of your favorite arcade games of the 1980s, then you’ll probably dig these pillows too.

These pillows are based on the familiar isometric patchwork game board from Q*bert. You’ll notice that Q himself is nowhere to be found, nor are his antagonists – Coily, Ugg and Wrong-Way (yes, I know how to use Wikipedia) though a single square is lit up as if it had already been jumped on. Maybe they already got Q*bert and he fell off the grid, cursing in gibberish all the way.

The 13″ square felt pillows were made by Regan Saunders of Regan’s Brain, and are available in either orange or blue and purple for $55(USD) a piece. So you’ll have to Qollect a whole lot of quarters to pay for a qouple of these for your qouch.

The advent of 3D printing is most certainly upon us, and its helped injection molding make the crucial transition from dated tech to a retro novelty. The Roto-a-Matic has recently gone live in toy maker Rotofugi’s store in Chicago, and will create a polyethylene plastic figurine for you in under a minute, provided you feed it a token. Rotofugi and product design company Squibbles INK have given the vintage Mold-a-Rama vending machine a new lease of life, and now they are looking for artists to contribute designs for future molds. Currently a one-eyed dragon designed by sculptor Tim Biskup is on offer for Chicago-based hipsters, but for the wind-averse, a token-to-toy video demo resides beyond the fold.

Continue reading Roto-a-Matic retro vending machine injection molds toys while you wait (video)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Roto-a-Matic retro vending machine injection molds toys while you wait (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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