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NEW!! LCD monitors now available

Another brand new innovation has been incorporated into our fabulous Asobu Arcade Table.  Will it never stop??  (Not while we're in charge!) We are now building our tables with highest quality LCD monitors.  To date, all our tables have used CRT (Cathode Ray Tue) monitors because they were the only ones that could display the old-style graphics without distortion.  Well, in an ironic twist on chronology, modern technology has finally 'caught up with' the good old days!   The new LCD monitors are not only capable of appropriately displaying the graphics, but they do it with slick style. Mounted right under the glass, the LCD's make the graphics appear to be on the glass, whereas with CRT, you would look down into the table.  For retro enthusiasts, CRT may still be the way the want to go, and we're happy to oblige ... for now.  Eventually, all our Asobu's will roll out with the stunning LCD's but for now, we will continue to offer both options.  The LCD unit, as you can imagine, are far more expensive to produce, so there is an extra $200 charge. For visually-impaired folks, the new LCD's that we use will be fantastic!  They have a viewing angle of up to 86 degrees which means you can view in perfect clarty from almos all angles.  Poorer quality LCD's look distorted when viewed on an angle but not these! Size: 21 inches (53cm). Now's the time to grab your CRT version of the Asobu Arcade Table as they will be gradually phased out.

The cleverest pizza box/gadget thingy ever!

Right!  You've got your Arcade Table fired up and ready for a Friday afternoon beer, and you just know it's going to turn into Friday night dinner, and that probably means pizza.  Well, we'd like to enlighten you on this crazy, but really clever, idea for an enviromentally-friendliER pizza box.  As gadgets go, this is pretty cool.  It transforms with ease into four pizza plates and a leftovers box that doesn't take up all your fridge space.  Why hasn't some on-the-ball pizza company developed this yet?

Buzzwords for 2009 (Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter)

Evidently, there are people in the world who decide what the year's buzz words are each year.  That's fine by us; we're into creating magnificent arcade gaming units ... buzzwords, not so much.  But it definitely suited us to see that one Graydon Carter - Canadian-born American journalist and author who also happens to be the editor of style bible Vanity Fair - has designated as 2009's buzzwords: sophisticated, innovative and entitlement. Hey, we're all about sophistication and innovation.  We've proudly re-designed the old retro arcade gaming units into a sophisticated wonder of gaming innovation.  (Humour me!)  As for entitlement, well, aren't you entitled to have a bit of fun?  Life's not all about paying bills, sweaty palms in the dentist's chair, flat tyres on rainy days and empty gas bottles when you have ten hungry guests over for a barbie! Wheel out your fabulous Arcade Table and play a few games whilst the fillet is cooking.  You're not supposed to keep turning the steak anyway! Ah yes, we love the word entitlement.  It invokes guilt-free pleasure and the belief that you deserve what you work hard for.  Play on!!

Human Space Invaders - you have to see this!

Ever wondered what a human version of Space Invaders would look like? Me neither!!  Ever wondered what people who have too much time on their hands get up to?  Here's the answer, and it's pretty cool ... in a nerdy kinda way.
 

The choice: little silver ball, or big red joystick?

View an older post on a similar topic here. Granted, pinball machines are as cool as The Fonz in the 50’s (or so Henry Winkler thought!) but Arcade Tables, especially the sit-down, cocktail style are to the 80’s what shoulder pads and big hair were.  Happily, the Arcade Tables remain a classic whereas a lot of other 80’s trends became sad old has-beens.   
  
Pinball machines have dozens of, if not more, moving parts which can wreak havoc at any given time.  Calling a technician to repair one can be hellish because you need to find a techie who is well versed in this specialised field.  Our Arcade Tables contain very few moving parts and in fact, all the games are burnt onto a single board so this prevents system crashes or software failures and the like.  Servicing, if required, can be carried out by your local electrician.  Pinball machines require you to stand up the entire time.  Take a load off, pull up a stool and give an Arcade Table a good workout and you won’t need a good lie-down after an extended session!  You can’t rest your stubbie/wine glass/bowl of Cheezels on a pinball machine.  Not only can you do that with an Arcade Table, it has been designed so that there is space for such absolute necessities during play.  And because they were designed with commercial purposes in mind, even a spill won’t cause any harm.  Arcade Tables are much more sociable than pinball machines.  They can be played as one- or two-player units, everyone can sit or stand around cheering on the player and, again, it doubles as a buffet/cocktail table/coffee table/dining table!  Pinball machines in good nick start in price from around $3,000 for a refurbished one!  The sky is the limit for an original, mint condition unit, and expect to pay around $5,000 for a new one. Arcade Tables take up less room and look far more stylish in a wider range of environments than a pinball machine would.  And last but not least …  You can play 60 different classic games on the Arcade Table and just ONE on a pinball machine.

To rent or to buy - cafes, clubs, pubs, hotels

To rent or to buy ... that is the question.  There are advantages to each and I'll list them below for you so you can make an informed decision.

Purchase		Rent
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
Tax deductible expense.	Larger initial capital outlay.	Smaller capital outlay.	You don’t own the Arcade Table.
Depreciable asset.	3 months commercial warranty.	Ongoing warranty agreement.	More expensive over time.
Customisable colours to suit your venue’s decor.		Chance to trial how it will work in your venue.	Can’t customise.
Fixed cost;  no more to pay.		Tax deductible expense.	Receive rental stock, not new.
Receive brand new, never-used unit.		Rental payable monthly.
Can be branded using your logo and artwork.		Only 12 week initial lock-in period.
Outstanding re-sale value if you choose to sell later.		Always supplied with coin mechanism.
Purchase with or without coin mechanism.

Style over "value"

“Classic design rarely dates, never depreciates and makes an instant impression", writes Susan Redman in her Sydney Morning Herald piece entitled "Homewares to last a lifetime", published Mar 05, 2009.

We would agree entirely and in fact, our customers come to us because they are specifically looking for that great design piece they remember from the 1980’s.  Most love our modern take – black with stainless steel accents – but some insist on the wood grain look and we are happy to oblige (see left)!

Susan goes on to say: “Now more than ever it's time to invest in design classics - sometimes pricey, you bet, even well-made reproductions, but the aesthetic perfection produced by such design legends as Saarinen, Castiglioni, Thonet, Aalto... is luxury worth paying for. Enduring, functional, well-crafted and always in fashion, such premium brand homewares are the style equivalent of blue chip stocks.”

Now, we’re not pretending to be in the same league as the legends Susan mentions, but the ethos is still the same.  “Value” purchases depreciate massively whereas quality purchases retain their actual value for years and years.  Consider a Toyota Corolla versus a Ford Mustang.  Which would you be prepared to pay for twenty years down the road?

Arcade Tables versus 'the others'

We know you want to do your homework before you buy an Arcade Table for home ... or for your club, hotel or workplace. From gauging the market, we know what's out there and whilst there's a product to suit every consumer, we believe we stand out from the crowd in terms of quality, styling and our ability to customise. The Asobu Arcade Table is no pocket money purchase, we're fully aware of that.  It's an investment.  When you buy something that costs around the same as a big screen TV, you want to know it will last and that it will perform in five years time, the same way that it performs the day it arrives. Our international customers love that they can order from us and their Arcade Table will be customised according to their currency and electrical voltage, and our custom packaging means it will arrive in perfect condition. Now, if price is your ultimate deciding factor, we may not be the company for you.  But we do offer layby and were always happy to discuss your requirements with you.  What we can absolutely guarantee for you is that the arcade game machine that you buy from us will be of top quality and it will last many, many happy years.

Arcade Tables	Others
·         Top quality laminated plywood construction – anti-moisture, anti-peel, anti-swell.	·         Cheap chipboard – swells, buckles and is not moisture resistant. ·         MDF – better quality but still inferior to plywood.
·         Jamma platform – stable, user-friendly.	·         MAME platform – requires some technical knowledge to operate and customise.
·         Highest quality componentry – durability, reliability.	·         Cheap joysticks and fire buttons – can stick and become loose.
·         Contemporary styling incorporating quality finishes – industrial stainless steel accents, full laminate, 5mm toughened glass table top.  Standard black with stainless steel.	·         Aesthetically-inferior cabinetry with old fashioned features. ·         Some units festooned with bright decals.
·         Available in over 50 custom cabinet colours.	·         One or two colour options.
·         Fully certified with CE and C-tick international recognition.	·         Tagged and tested.
·         Optional state-of-the-art coin mech – anti-jam, accepts all coins and tokens, lockable within unit, electronic coin counter. ·         Can be set to free play or a range of charging options. ·         Can be set to accept international currency.	·         Manual coin slot – frequent jams, accepts limited coins, cannot be customised to a range of charging options. ·         No international currency options.
·         International compatibility – can be configured for any country’s electrical system and currency.	·         For local configurations only.
·         Designed for commercial use – knock-proof, spill-proof, tantrum-proof!	·         Designed for domestic use.
·         Australian designed and owned.	·         Mass produced in China.
·         12 month on-your-premises warranty.	·         3-12 month back-to-base warranty.
·         High re-sale value – second hand units have sold for $1,950.	·         Low re-sale value.

Sami Lukis and Steve Renouf - Galaga Challenge

It was a big day out at Triple M when radio babe Sami Lukis went head to head with former Bronco Steve Renouf at the Arcade Table.  Renouf even brought his trademark headgear along for extra intimidation factor ... and it worked!  After fiercely battling it out round after round, the battle of the sexes and the war for Galaga supremacy was nailed by "the man".  

At one stage, it looked like Sami would triumph but inappropriate attire looks to have been the cause behind the unfortunate loss.   Evidently, stiletto heels do not a winner make!  At least, not at the Arcade Table. Triple M listeners delighted in the Galaga Challenge, played out live on morning radio.  What more could you want with your Rice Bubbles than a bit of blurp, bleep and siren as two of your favourite celebs fight to retain the glory they remembered from their own mis-spent youth?

Testimonial: Urban Grind (Morgan Daly)

"Arcade Tables offer great service and an awesome product. Our customers love it as they try to match their childhood scores. A good zone out activity for the local office crowd." Morgan Daly, owner and barista extraordinaire Go there for FREE arcade games any time! Urban Grind www.urbangrind.com.au 530 Brunswick St New Farm Brisbane