Form Follows Function And Location With Polycades New Videogame Cabinet

LOS ANGELES -- There is a new entrant into the home gaming field that could have some impact on coin-op. Polycade has come up with a compact videogame cabinet similar in design to a wall-mounted jukebox. Company founders Tyler and Dylan Bushnell, sons of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, are seeking to make a mark in the home videogame space by reimagining the arcade cabinet.

"Many people who don't have room in their homes for giant arcade cabinets will have room for this," Tyler Bushnell told Vending Times. "The style of the unit is more in synch with a piece of furniture. I have architects and interior designers calling me. They like the look of the thing, whose form factor is a change from classic arcade cabinets."

The potential in coin-op is clear. With dimensions roughly a third the size of a standard arcade game cabinet, the Polycade system is more likely to find a welcome reception at locations in which space is at a premium, especially high-traffic venues in big cities. It could also be a solution in cases in which standard arcade cabinet graphics might clash with existing décor, such as upscale boutique hotels.

"The goal is coin-op for sure," Bushnell said. "Right now we're looking into our options." In the meantime, Polycade is targeting the home and office recreation markets.

The concept has also gained some enthusiasm among gamers and investors. A recent Kickstarter campaign raised $100,000 for the Polycade project.

Polycade's MDF-constructed cabinet juts only 17" from the wall, stretches 30" wide and weighs just 45 lbs. The one- or two-player unit employs a high-def 28" Insignia LED flatscreen with a 60 Hz refresh rate. The system is loaded with nearly 100 legendary arcade videogames licensed for home play; Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Asteroids and Centipede, among other classics, are on the menu.

The system's control panel has a user-friendly layout for buttons and joysticks for one or two players, and can accommodate trackballs. Polycade is ready to use out of the box and is available as a kit.

UP AGAINST THE WALL:Polycade wall-mounted cabinet takes up about a third of the space of traditional arcade cabinets. It features controls for two players.

FAMILY GUYS:Tyler (l.) and Dylan Bushnell are following the family tradition when it comes to videogames. Their new Polycade cabinet looks to have wide home and coin-op appeal.