|
|
|
|
 |
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
Part 1 |
 |
UPDATE BY REQUEST - New Screenshots Added!
Go to Part 2 of this Review >>
Review by Ron Brown, Jr.
August 2006
Back before the holidays, my wife and I were walking through our local BJ’s when my gamer-sense started to tingle. Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw an arcade cabinet. Slowly I turned, and to my surprise, I found myself gazing upon PVG Tech’s Gameroom Classics Taito Cabinet.
First Impressions
Naturally, my first thoughts were “Oh no, not another cheap Midway-style Cabinet!” – but after my initial skepticism, I realized that the cabinet seemed to be well built. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to spend with it, as I WAS shopping with my wife, but I left the store being impressed.
Later, I was informed by James that RetroBlast! had scored a demo unit, upon which I obviously called “dibs”. A few weeks later, waiting at my door were TWO PVG Tech tabletop demo units (Taito and SNK NEOGEO), ready to be put through their paces.
Ron's Wife Loved this Part (x2)
Upon opening the packaging, each unit appeared to be safely nestled between custom foam inserts and protected by a large plastic bag. At 60lbs, most shouldn’t require assistance in lifting the unit out of the box, just be sure to place it on a sturdy table!
Aside from the cabinet itself, the only other items in the box were a standard PC-style power cord and a generic instruction manual. As the instruction manual is essentially a manual for their entire line of cabinets, it only contained information about general operation, such as powering the cabinet on, adjusting the volume, and navigating the main menu. I would have liked to have seen a bit more information in the manual regarding the specific cabinet’s selection of games, and perhaps a bit of history on each selection.
Power cord and Instructions
Physical Appearance
The cabinet is constructed out of MDF and covered in a textured black
laminate. The entire unit is finished with a thin T-molding, and looks
sharp. The monitor is surrounded by a snug-fitting plastic bezel; with
little room for artwork, it’s not surprising that it was left black.
At first glance, the cabinet looks great, but the details were a bit surprising.
Tabletop on a Tabletop
From an art standpoint, the cabinet seems to bring back the feel of the arcade with bright and colorful sideart. The Taito cabinet’s art primarily consists of the Bubble Bobble characters, for example, while the SNK NEOGEO cabinet shows off characters from Metal Slug and Samurai Shodown. The marquee area contains similar artwork, but it should be noted that it is not behind Plexiglas and it does not light up. A single mono speaker is centered underneath the marquee area.
The joysticks are mounted with standard black-finished carriage bolts and dust washers. Unfortunately, there are four wood screws that mount the control panel to the rest of the cabinet. These don’t necessarily detract from the overall appearance of the cabinet, however they are noticeable. Considering the size of this bartop cabinet, I’m not certain how else it could have been done.
Taito Control
On the rear of the unit are the power receptacle, power switch, and a fuse. The location of the power switch may be a bit difficult to access depending on the placement of the unit, as it is at the base and further towards the center than I would have liked. The rear of the unit also contains plenty of ventilation, protected by screens to prevent little fingers from getting into high voltage areas.
Power Switch and Plug
Rear of the Tatio Cabinet
Are You Qualified?
Go to Part 2 of this Review >>
|
