Pinballz Arcade

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:13 am

I went to Pinballz Arcade over the weekend. I'll add a link to my review, but for those of you who have been to other retro arcades, here's the takeaway:

- Austin, Texas
- No cover / token based
--- (.50/games, .75/most pinball)
- 100+ pinball tables
- ~75 arcade games (old and new)
- ~75 ticket redemption games (zzz)
- BYOB (!)

Link: My review
Link: My Pictures
Link: Pinballz Arcade

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 2:05 pm

NIIIIICE PHOTOS! Dude, you are becoming excellent at taking photos of arcade games.

I enjoy a roundup that lets me see pictures of all the games I wish I had or used to live with, or are tall enough to crush my sad existence and end all this bullshit posturing.

I give this article FIVE out of SIX "Stave Off Suicides!!!"

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 2:29 pm

I touched on this in the review, and it's unfortunate, but right in the middle of their classics area were three 60-in-1 machines. Now, I don't personally care -- fill your arcade with them if they're making you money, whatever -- but most of my time was spent in their classic area and so those three cabs ended up in a bunch of our pictures. The place has 75 arcade games and only 3 of them are 60-in-1 machines but somehow they ended up in the background of 50% of my pictures. Plus they're all vintage game cabinets (a Mario Bros. cab and two cabaret cabs) so... eh. Hate to see that I guess. As a guy who had a MAME machine stuffed in a Donkey Kong Jr. cabinet I don't have any room to talk.

Many of the machines had price tags on them. I think Galaga was $3k. I never know if people are serious about prices like that. When I owned 30 machines at once I had spent less than $3k on all of them combined. I get it that they all weren't Galaga but... $3k.

Most of the pinball machines had prices on them too. Addam's Family and Twilight Zone were ~$10k, most of the others in that row like Avatar and Tron were $8k.

I/we didn't take nearly enough pictures of the back room, which was full of pinball goodness and lots of arcade games.

I don't know if I prefer the "cover charge and free games" or the "token based" business model more. If you're going to stay all day then obviously with the free games model you get more bang for your buck, but we spent $5/person there and it was good for 60-90 minutes which is how long we would have stayed anyway. Note that some of the places are starting to raise their prices. While Arkadia and the 1984 are still $5 for admission, the Galloping Ghost is $15.

I thought Pinballz was very clean and very professional. if I lived anywhere near it I'd be there once a week.

Jizaboz · Post by **Jizaboz** » Fri Sep 05, 2014 9:32 am

That's a really nice looking arcade.