The QuasicadePRO
by Quasimoto Interactive

Review by Tim Waller
July, 2005

Introduction

The QuasicadePRO is Quasimoto’s top-of-the-line arcade game system. Just in case you don’t know, the QuasicadePRO enables you to hook up a Xbox, PlayStation 1 or 2, GameCube and/or PC in the cabinet and play games just like as if you were at the arcade!

The PRO model is the largest of the company’s three offerings and weighs in at a 425 pound shipping weight. It includes a 27” H DTV capable of 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i resolutions, as well as a high-powered THX-certified 2.1 sound system, which produces very powerful bass and crisp clear audio. Every QuasicadePRO includes a custom, high quality controller, the QuasiCON control panel.

The Shipment

I ordered the Quasicade PRO direct from the manufacturer. The QuasicadePRO arrives fully assembled on a pallet and well protected cardboard box. I had opted for the Quasimoto’s “white glove service” which means they will unpack it and set it up in your house wherever you want it.

Unfortunately, the shipping company that was hired refused anything more than curbside delivery due to the weight of the product. After several calls between the shipper, and Quasimoto, the delivery company agreed to bring it as far as my garage.

The QuasicadePRO as shipped

Quasimoto agreed to refund me the difference between the shipping and inside delivery service. While I have not yet received a refund from them, I am confident that I will. I think this was a problem with the local agent for the delivery company and not a larger issue.

Unpacking the QuasicadePRO

When you unpack the QuasicadePRO, you are immediately impressed by its size and stature. I was able to talk two friends into helping me move it into my house by the sheer “coolness” factor that the unit exudes.

We were able to tip and tilt the unit fairly easily, however moving it was another story. I have seen several cabinet makers add hidden casters or rear wheels to make a cabinet easy to move around, no such luck here. However, a quick trip to the hardware store produced some slick plastic pads that when any heavy object is placed on, it glides easily across the floor. And yes, it worked!

From that point, it takes literally just minutes (as long as you’re not hooking up a PC) until you’re ready to play, and game play is impressive!

Some Minor Surprises

Here is where my first complaint comes in. The unit arrived covered in dust and sawdust. Even though you can see from the pictures, it is sealed in plastic. Not a big deal, but it did need to be wiped down inside and out. There were pieces of MDF between the glass and the monitor, luckily, I was able to open the top of the cabinet and blow it out with compressed air. (Later I removed the glass completely to have it coated in a non-glare film.)

Unpacking the QuasicadePRO

At this point I’ll mention that the included HDTV is an Advent model HT2751A. However, it is just the guts of the TV and not the entire TV. The picture tube is firmly mounted to the cabinet and all connectors are mounted as well. You only realize that it is not a complete TV when accessing the unit from the top; from the rear panel this is not obvious.

The HDTV monitor connectors

Overall, the picture quality is good: the Advent HDTV is a low priced model and lacks some of the adjustments that higher priced HDTV models include, but this is only a minor inconvenience. That said, for watching movies or cable I much prefer the picture of my Sony 32HS510 HDTV. For video games, while my Sony is still a better picture, it not enough to complain about.

The "guts" of the Quasicade display

I did notice though, when playing games that support the HDTV modes, my Sony TV would automatically switch to 16:9, whereas on the QuasicadePRO I needed to use the included remote to switch the picture mode manually to 16:9. The power button for the TV is located at the top of the machine by the left edge, which is very convenient. I only wish it powered off the marquee light and sound system too. This was easily cured by the Bits Limited Smart Strip.

The QuasicadePRO includes a lighted marquee and really adds to the arcade machine experience. The switch is located on the cord in the rear of the unit. Which is not easy to reach, also the quality of the printing of marquee graphics is a little fuzzy. From more than 12 inches away, it looks perfect but on close inspection, it appears to have dust or other debris on it. I can assure you that it does not, as I took it completely apart thinking it needed to be cleaned.

The Marquee

There were also several fit and finish issues with the unit, most noticeable was located where the QuasiCON and the cabinet met, or didn’t meet (see picture) I rectified this by the use of a black sharpie and some black vinyl tape.

There were some minor "fit and finish" issues

There were a few other minor issues as well, one screw was stripped out at the top of the marquee, one or two side bolt hex screws was slightly damaged from being over torqued and the vinyl side art was twisted around the side bolts in a few places. These were all minor though.

On the inside of the unit it includes a basic surge suppressor, I was disappointed that this surge suppressor wasn’t better quality or mounted to an inside wall, easy enough to fix on my own though.

The built in Logitech 200 watt 2.1 sound system really impressed me though. It is firmly mounted inside the unit and I actually found myself having to turn the bass down! At times the sound seemed muddy; however, I was able to rectify this by making adjustments to the sound system via the TV settings and was very pleased by the end result.

The Logitech sound system

The volume and bass control for the integrated sound system are mounted on the inside of the keyboard drawer, which is easy to access. I would prefer an external mount but this is just a personal preference. I did notice that one wire running to the subwoofer is pulled a little tight, but this is not really an issue.

The volume control pod