It has been announced that a home version of the Star Wars Battle Pod Arcade Machine, the aerial battle arcade game from Namco Bandai, will sooon be available and it is really, really expensive. Really expensive.
Arcade machines as a product tend to be expensive, especially such high end games using the latest technology in giant cabinets, but the even arcade aficionadoes are raising eyebrows at the US$35,000-$100,000 price tag (and no, that does not include shipping). In saying that, this is coming from the company who have put their Pacman license on a
$15,000 watch.
The question everyone is asking now is, is it worth the money? The home version comes in a standard ($35,000) and a premium ($100,000) cabinet. It is made-to-order and a real luxury when it comes to gaming, as it contains genuine leather seats synchronized to move and react to the action of the game. And motion simulation is only one part of this super-teched out machine: it also includes a 180 degree dome screen and super high definition graphics. It is also available in two different versions to showcase the customer’s personal allegiance: Rebel Alliance or Darth Vader.
But that's not all your money gets you. It will also contain the owners name along with a product serial number engraved on a side plate, a “specially bound owner’s manual” and exclusive carpeting. Owners will even have their name added to the game ending credits. That's right, you can see your name up in lights and pretend you were in the movie (because why else would you put your name in the credits?).
There are still more purchasing details to be announced, reportedly coming after mid-June, and will be posted on the Star Wars: Battle Pod official website. However, if you are the early bird type, you can pre-purchase the arcade unit starting June 18.
Star Wars: Battle Pod arrives in arcades in North America, Europe and Japan back in January.
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