Another year, another Gadget Show flies by. And once again we shared a stand with the guys from the Play Expo and Replay Events. As always it was a proper retrogaming extravaganza. And our booth was chock-a-block from 9am-6pm for 5 days. It was a team effort from both Replay and ourselves keeping everyone happy.

Our arcades were also located at the Zotac/Steelseries booth, where an Evo and Apex were powered by 2 Z-Box units manufactured by Zotac. These really are the smallest PC’s in the business and pack quite a punch.

We made some great new friends during the exhibition and bumped into a few old ones. Alex Verrey (Big Boy Barry) and Ryan Hart (Streetfighter IV World Record holder) stopped by. Both are great spokespersons for the gaming community, and it’s always a pleasure to get thrashed at Super Streetfighter IV (apparently I’m predicatable).

All our arcades on show withstood a 5 day hammering and as always are a testament to the build of our arcade machines. All Bespoke Arcades products are made in the UK with no compromise in quality and attention to detail.

However we must admit- we are glad to be back home.

Happy Gaming!

This weeks blog into the world of the home arcade has gone a lot more glamorous (for once). A whole team of beautiful people from Vice Magazine descended upon our workshop for a photo shoot featuring the world’s most delectable arcades (namely one of our Evo arcade machines).

After an hour’s worth of game playing- the crew buckled down and got some great shots. My camera phone didn’t really do justice (despite the Galaxy s2′s excellent light metering and emulation) .

It was a pleasure to lend our showroom to such a friendly and professional crew and we cant wait to see the fruits of their labour. Operation Wolf got clocked a couple of times, Lethal injuries were sustained by all thanks to the 2 player simultaneous light guns.

When we set up the showroom- we wanted to create a simple place where people peruse our range of machines and have a look at some old consoles of yesteryear. A fresh set of batteries are always on hand should you want to feel queasy playing our Virtual Boy or a quick bout of surfing on our resident Atari Lynx.

If you’re interested in taking one of our arcades out for a spin- just let us know- we would be happy to open our doors.

Happy Gaming!

If you feel like demonstrating one of our arcade machines and are free on the last monday of every month, then why not pop down to Shoreditch House and socialise at the same time? (invitation only as it’s a members only club. So let us know and we will do our best to put you on our guest list!)

Its a great way to chill after a stressful day’s work, the salubrious surroundings do a great job of helping you unwind (the open air swimming pool on the roof helps too). Jonny and Jai have done a great job of putting a great night on providing a space where like minded gamers of all ages can revisit their youth via the classic arcade games they (or we) treasure from times gone by…

(Personally- has to be: 1942, R-Type, Slap Fight, Gemini Wing, Vigilante, Double Dragon, Trojan, Final Fight, Strider, Shadow Dancer, World Heroes, of course SFII). The list could go on…

As you can see from the photos- our arcade machines provide a great job of entertaining a crowd, no matter where- albeit in a games room at home or in a bustling London hotspot. Apologies for the poor cameraphone quality.

The Synergy arcade machines are great for providing the ultimate in “sofa side” entertainment. In a living room environment the Synergy 2012 edition does far more than simply play games. It can also be used as the multimedia hub of the entire house. Our Media and Elite units are also compatible with Apple’s Airplay and the Sonos wireless home music system (upon request).

All 2012 Media units feature 1 Terabyte Hard disks and full wireless capabilities. Our Elite units feature an i5 cpu, USB 3.0 and 2 terabytes worth of space (yes 2)!. As technology improves- so do our systems, we don’t slouch on tech- you get a lot of hardware for the money.

Simply call us on 0207 935-9005 or email info@page-global.com and we can tailor your arcade machine to your exact specification.

The next event is April the 30th and space is limited, so let us know ASAP!

10p’s not required Happy Gaming!!

For this week’s blog we thought we’d show a couple of our arcades in situ at clients’ properties. As you can see, Bespoke Arcades machines look at home in most settings. On the left- a Synergy Elite looking elegant as always. And on the right- an Evo Elite (with GT stripes) situated in a full-blown gameroom.

One of our arcade machines guarantees a talking point at any gathering, ensuring all men folk have somewhere to congregate. A serious grudge can also be settled via a game of Streetfighter II.

On the other hand, our arcade machines guarantee that 5 minute break is well spent, it’s also a great way to unwind after a hard day’s graft.

When you unwrap a Bespoke Arcades unit, its obvious we strive for perfection. Immediately one can see all our machines are professionally sprayed and polished- we don’t use pre-laminated materials.

When we started the company 6 years ago- our own brief was to develop the most luxurious commercial-quality arcade machine for the home. We feel we have achieved that, resisting outsourcing our cabinets in China (saving over 200% in costs), and continuing to have our arcade machines fabricated in London. In turn, taking the exorbitant rises in costs on the chin- as we cannot skimp on quality.

As a company- we want our products to represent the virtues that “Made In The United Kingdom” signifies.

As time progresses, so does hardware- we strive to innovate and next month- we have another ground breaker coming out.

HAPPY GAMING

This week’s blog is dedicated to our other halves. Yes, it’s almost that time of year again with Valentine’s day just around the corner! Everyone is getting in a fluster wondering what to get for their significant other…

Well worry no more ladies! Nothing says “I love you” to your man more than an arcade machine with those very words emblazoned on the side! Thanks to our dedicated team of artworkers, we can deliver a very special message unlike anyone else.

Just take a look at the example on your right to see the skill and precise workmanship in applying your special message to any of our arcades. With this custom order for one of our Apex arcade machines, we were sent a sample so we could get the chosen colour 100% accurate. We also took great care in choosing the exact font weight and size, ensuring the message wasn’t too large or obtrusive (the names have been blurred out)..

Here at Bespoke Arcades we always aim to ensure total client satisfaction, therefore we thoroughly go through every order with each client so we both have the same vision of your perfect arcade machine.

Never before has there been a better time to buy one of our arcade cabinets. 2012 is going to bring a wealth of hop-ups to the Bespoke Arcades range with a special upgrade which will be another world first coming very soon, so please watch this space.

Stay tuned and as ever…

Happy Gaming!!

We were happy to help Dynamo celebrate his 29th by quickly whipping up an Apex last minute. He was one happy customer and kindly allowed us to snap a photo while he was throwing a fireball (on screen of course).

His graphic designer supplied us with his own graphic which we printed and installed. If you want your own customised graphic on your arcade machine, then send it over to us and we’ll print and install it for free.

We gave the arcade red accents via the Sanwa joysticks and red buttons which complimented his custom pool table. We are always on hand to advise on which setup is suitable for each client, Dynamo was a fan of the fighting games, so we recommended the Sanwa’s premiere joystick- the Jlf-tp-8yt-sk. These sweet sticks are used in Streetfighter IV arcade machines accross the world

Dynamo is one of the hottest magicians around with his own TV show on Watch and has a star-studded fan base “Absolutely stunning” Will Smith “The greatest magic I’ve ever seen” Chris Martin (Coldplay).

He was also a top guy and honour to deal with and hope that he enjoyed his Apex arcade machine over the festive period.

Happy Gaming!!

From time to time we create an arcade machine of such awesomeness that we have to share it with the public at large. We were commissioned before Christmas to produce an Evo arcade machine for the world renowned DJ Jaguar Skills – we spent a long time discussing his artwork which would cover each side and as you can see for yourself, as always with our machines, it came out amazingly well!

Our printer Scott did a fine job of reproducing his artwork on a giant vinyl transfer. All his artwork was digitally cut out and painstakingly mounted onto one of our black Evo arcade machines. Rest assured Mr Skills, this artwork is sun and liquid resistant so will last forever in all its glory!

If you have a particular vision for your own arcade unit, then drop us a line. We have a team of art-workers on-hand to advise and adapt any design. We would be delighted to make your dream arcade machine a reality…

I nearly forgot to mention- this custom Evo is also 100 percent compatible with both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The Evo features effortless switching between the 2 consoles making both retro and modern gaming a complete pleasure.

In case you didn’t know, Jaguar Skills is a British DJ well known for his mixing style and has a top radio show on Radio 1 and 1-Xtra. He can normally be seen stealthily somersaulting from rooftop to rooftop in his ninja outfit on the way to gigs (much like Tenchu but with a record bag)!

I’m off to play Shadow Dancer now, so as ever…

Happy Gaming!!

We just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year. Make sure you keep an eye out for some extraordinary upgrades and new products due in 2012.

2011 was a great year for gaming- Deus Ex, Battlefield and MW 3. But personally, Skyrim was my highlight. I’ve spent far too much time in Tamriel (much to the missus’ chagrin), but at least i clocked it. Playing this game on an Elite in 3D with a couple of tweaks to the .ini was a joy (although the ending was underwhelming to say the least). So much more to see in Skyrim but for now time to get on Arkham City…

Who knows what this year will bring.

Happy Gaming!!

Hi guys,

We are in the process of refurbishing our North London workshop and are starting to set up a showroom for prospective clients and interested parties. Intended primarily as somewhere to show off our range of products, we have been developing the idea of making it part showroom, part arcade museum. As serious fans of the genre, we all have a multitude of retro consoles and handhelds which we have decided to put together making a fairly impressive collection (even if we do say so ourselves).

We got to thinking; as we spend our lunch breaks and after work time playing all the classic arcade games on our arcade machines, maybe we should collate our personal collections so that we can all enjoy them in one place!

Between us, we have managed to dig up most of the machines of our childhood from the obligatory Sega Megadrive and SNES – both with a huge range of games, controllers, converters etc.. – through some of the more obscure relics such as the Nintendo Virtual Boy and the Sega Genesis Nomad which is a US handheld Sega Megadrive capable of playing regular Megadrive games.

Here’s a list of what we have collated so far, bear in mind that our MD still has large crate in storage which is due to be added shortly:

Consoles:

3D0 (Panasonic Version), Sega Megadrive & Saturn, Sony PS2 & PS3, Nintendo NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube & Wii, NEC TurboGrafx (US PC Engine).

Handhelds:

NEC PC Engine, Nintendo Virtual Boy, Gameboy Advance & various ‘Game & Watch’ titles, Sega Genesis Nomad, Atari Lynx 1 & 2, Neo Geo Pocket.

All of these come with a huge selection of games for endless hours of retro-fun! Other toys included in the collection are an Atari 2600 TV game, a Namco Plug ‘n Play TV game and an authentic Pachislo (Japanese version of a 1-armed bandit).

Now when clients come to the workshop to customise their purchase, they are free to plug any of these beauties on our 42” Sony Bravia HDTV and relive their classic arcade memories. With more to come, our showroom is turning into quite the retreat and is proving incredibly popular with staff and prospective clients alike who come for an hour and end up spending the rest of the day stuck in the room.

If you would like to come and visit the workshop then please do not hesitate to contact us by email or telephone +44 (0)207 935 9005 to arrange a visit.

Off to play some 4-player Bomberman…. Happy Gaming!!

Hi gamers,

As some of you may know, our arcade cabinets are sold in some of the most exclusive shops in the country; none more so than the world-famous Harrods in Knightsbridge.

For well over 4 years now, visitors to Harrods have been able to see and play our arcade machines in the adult gifts department located on the lower ground floor.

In the run-up to Christmas and the obligatory January sales, we have been asked to provide a new machine to sit alongside the black Evo Play and Apex Elite which they already have. We have furnished them with a brand new Synergy Media arcade table in white.

Complete with all of our recent updates such as increased memory and processor power, this cocktail arcade machine is incredibly desirable and is set to make visitors very happy. We went down to Harrods recently to spend some time in the Adult gifts department located on the lower ground floor.

We found a queue of eager gamers lining up to get a shot on the Evo. The Synergy is for display only at the moment so we got some in-situ pics..

So if you happen to be shopping in Harrods or just cruising round Knightsbridge, why not pop into the lower ground floor and give our arcade cabinets a whirl? Guaranteed happy gaming!