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1. Size

Size is a major consideration. Unlike most digital arcade platforms, basketball arcade machines require a lot of space. They need to imitate actual shooting distances found on a real court. This can vary quite a bit since some machines will aim at a free-throw distance while others will want to challenge players with a three-point shot. More advanced games will feature a moving hoop that can utilize all these distances.

Height is also a factor. While many games feature a standard height, there are still quite a few machines that play with this by having a low hoop or an especially high hoop to give players something new. Like distance, there are still more machines that feature vertically-moving hoops.

Take a moment to assess your arcade space. Measure the area for length, width and height. Whenever you find a good machine, compare measurements with the specs listed in the profile. A basic average is 70-90” long, 80-90” tall, and 25-50” wide. This varies quite a bit however, and the spectrum for machine size is all over the place. This is not even taking into account most multi-hoop machines or machines with major light displays or unique netting requirements. Measure your space and work within those boundaries.

2. Shooting Distance

Shooting distance is also worth considering and is closely related to size. As mentioned before many machines tend to be around 70-90” long which is more or less the standard shooting distance. However, many machines go up to 120” or more while still others will go below 70” with games aimed at small children.

There are several manufacturers who don’t work within the standard shooting distances and this makes it doubly important that you understand what your own space is like. Standard shooting distance is a one size fits all, but you may want to keep your games shorter for little kids or longer for more game-savvy adults. Thus, you need to know your measurements and your target audience.

3. Levels

What can really set other games above the rest is how they continuously challenge players and keep them coming back for more. Game levels increase the difficulty and excitement with every round. The most common way is by demanding that players beat high scores within an ever-decreasing time limit. Having at least this feature is important if you want an exciting machine worth the investment.

If you’re interested in really blowing away players, buying a machine with a moving hoop is a great way to do it. As the game gets harder, the hoop begins to move in different directions. It is this little touch of crazy that can quickly turn the basketball arcade machine into one of the most popular games in your space. Features likes this can obviously be more expensive, but the cost may very well be worth it.

4. Battles and Player Vs. Player

Every basketball arcade machine that keeps score features PvP. Players can simply compare their scores after each game. However, this can be taken into a whole new realm once multiple hoops are brought in. Some machines will come with two or more hoops built in. This allows at least two players to play separately or battle each other.

Simpler games will show two different LED panels to be compared. More advanced ones will have a system that actively engages in the competition. Announcers will narrate the action and compare performances, players will be able to track each other’s scores in real-time, and exciting lights and sounds react to what is going on.

Some basketball arcade machines feature a network where players can battle online. That said, this is a very rare and expensive feature. Players are able to compare their scores to machines around the region or country and may even be able to battle in real-time with someone in an entirely different arcade. This feature is fantastic for drawing in players who do not have anyone to play with. It is definitely something to consider if your budget allows.

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5. Appearance

Appearance is the most diverse variable in buying a basketball arcade machine. First, consider what kind of look you want. If you run an arcade that caters to a specific fandom, there are NBA trademarked machines that can either be generic or themed after your favorite team.

There are also machines that feature trademarked characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pikachu, and Pacman. Some machines keep their designs basic with attractive colors and a clean basketball court look while others cover the display in decals and bright netting and fencing. Some have enormous LCD screens with interactive characters and scenes while others have a basic LED bar that just keeps track of times and scores. The case of the machine may be netting and fencing, or it may be a tunnel of LED lights. The options are always growing. 

Think about what you want your machine to be. If it is supposed to be a centerpiece, consider one that has a lot of exciting lights and colors that will draw players right to it. If you run a sports bar, having an NBA machine with a team logo is a perfect choice. The variety is mindboggling, and you will definitely find something that suits your needs. Even more, multiple manufacturers and wholesalers have options for creating custom designs on a basic set up for your own logos and images.

6. Music

Music keeps the game exciting. Each machine will have its own soundtrack to pump up players while they compete. Silent games can feel a bit awkward so if you opt for a cheaper set-up that does not have built-in music, make sure it has an audio jack and speaker. This way you can at least put your own sounds on.

Many trademarked machines will have highly recognizable tunes which can be very exciting.

An NBA machine can feature classic broadcasting music and basketball chants to simulate being at an actual game. A Pokémon machine might have music from the anime or the game. All of this can add a lot of flavor. Whenever possible, investigate what music comes with your machine or simply ask the developer to provide a sample.

7. LCD Screens

While most basketball arcade machines use an LED panel for scores, times, and game types, there are some that go the extra mile. Advanced machines will feature LCD screens of various sizes, some even taking up the entire back panel.

LCD screens provide infinite display opportunities. Everything from interactive scenes, narrators, and characters to realistic NBA backgrounds and exciting special effects. They cost a pretty penny but if you want a true arcade centerpiece there is nothing better for drawing in players and keeping the energy exciting.

8. Quality

Each machine should have a frame made from power coated steel that is easy to assemble and take apart without damage or difficulty. The backboard should, at the very least, be made up of medium or high-density fiberboard to handle constant impact. The rim should be made from steel with high quality sensors built-in that register scores with no less then 98% accuracy.

The frame and ramp should consist of hardy materials like steel, fiberboard, and lightweight yet durable wood. Netting should be made from quality nylon or other synthetic material. Any LCD or LED screens not only need to work well over time, but they need to be protected from impact. Shields and casings should come as standard.

Keep in mind that better materials mean higher prices. However, no good company will be selling a machine that is easily damaged with frequent use. Even the cheapest machines will be hardy and strong. Also, most good companies will be able to replace damaged parts, provide customer support, and even machine repair. Take this into account when choosing where to buy.

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9. Price

Price is everything. You may want a single-hoop machine with an LCD screen, flashing lights and an amazing exterior display, but you might not be able to afford the $10,000 price tag. If you want something basic, then there are scores of solid machines with decent features for less than $2,500.

The range of prices with basketball arcade machines is truly enormous. There are massive, 4-5 hoop set ups that cost well over $20,000 dollars and there are portable, simple single-hoops for $500. Price is the biggest factor you will have to contend with when deciding on what you want. Higher prices mean more features, levels, exciting displays and competitive options. Be realistic about your budget and make compromises based on what you can spend. Especially if this is your first machine, it will be wise to keep expenditures low and buy a single-hoop with levels and PvP capabilities. Even better, buy a machine that can be linked up to a second and buy more machines based on increasing need.

10. Compressible

It is important to pay attention to how a machine is packed and moved. The best and most versatile machines can be easily packed, shipped, and then reassembled in the desired location. It can be a nightmare if a large basketball arcade machine cannot be taken apart or moved without a team of workers and U-Haul truck. Most companies should be able to provide relevant information on this.

With regard to compressibility and transport, consider a manufacturer like NeoFun which provides a detailed section on exactly how they send over their games. It comes complete with photos, diagrams and descriptions. Furthermore, companies like NeoFun, Sega and BMI should be easy to contact when information or advice is needed in terms of disassembling and reassembling their games. This kind of quality should be expected at any price.

11. After-Sale Services

The best companies will have a robust customer service support system. Regardless of your choice, you have likely invested thousands of dollars and you deserve to have your needs taken care of. When picking your seller and your game, make sure there is an active customer support line either by or . Some companies will even feature 24-hour chat services.

There should also be an easy to access part-replacement service that makes it simple to find what you are looking for. There should be troubleshooting guides and repair services where they either guide engineers in the repairs or send someone out to do it for you. This should come as standard for doing business with a reputable company.

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12. Brand

Brand is important because it often incorporates all the previously mentioned variables. Having a name-brand like Sega is a mark of quality with regard to both the game itself and the company that is backing it. However, like everything else, higher quality brands will require higher prices.

Furthermore, the brand of the manufacturer is different from how the game is trademarked. The NBA’s brand on the exterior is a trademark that the manufacturer is licensed to use. This also means a game may require a higher place because the machine now represents two separate parties, the maker’s brand and the style’s brand. This is important to consider with your choices and the prices you are willing to work with.

Conclusion:

Considering these factors should help you find the perfect machine for your arcade. Also, much like the machine itself, you want to find the company that works best for your situation. Try to stick with major wholesalers and manufacturers. They will most often have the widest selection, best prices, and most reliable customer service.

Also, if you don’t know what you are looking for, you will want to be able to trust that the company you are partnering with is not going to take advantage of you. Companies like Sega, NeoFun, BMI, and Primetime Amusements have built themselves up on good reputations and great service. Do not hesitate to check them out.

Get it? Wreck room? Like rec room, only wreck?

Of course, the thing about Arcade1Up’s selection of games is they’re not really about the games. If it were about the games, their machines would be expandable and offer a wider variety of options. $499.99 for a thing that only plays three games, and can’t be made to include more games (well, without doing warranty-voiding moderation) is pretty dang steep. Honestly, they were off our radar until they announced they’d be doing pinball tables. While we don’t have dates or prices on their Star Wars or Attack from Mars 3/4 scale tables they’re partnering with Zen Studios for, it actually sparked excitement from our readers, who were curious if we’d be doing them. Then people said they wanted reviews for their arcade machines. It’s not pinball related, but if these machines are the focal point of family rec rooms the same way pinball tables are, then this is the perfect place for them. $500 later and we had Star Wars.

And really, this is so far the only 1up Arcade that kind of makes sense to get on its gameplay merits. Why? Because of this.

The famous yoke controller is along for the ride, and it feels amazing. The yoke, along with the crystal-clear screen and genuinely good gameplay that holds up today make the experience something I wasn’t expecting: genuinely immersive. Think about it: these games came out six years before I was born and I’m famous for not giving retro games a break because they’re old. I also wasn’t inexperienced with these titles: they were included as a pre-order bonus for Star Wars: Rebel Strike on GameCube back in the day. So many of those bonus discs were printed that Best Buy sold them for $0.49 each. But Star Wars didn’t hold my attention as a teenager. In fact, they didn’t hold my Dad’s (known here as Oscar) either. For him, it wasn’t the same without the Yoke.

So, Star Wars didn’t blow me away as a throwaway pre-order bonus that I probably played for like five minutes. But, it absolutely did blow me away as a 30-year-old sitting next to a Cathy-sized cabinet, with the proper controller. The yoke does make it feel like you’re piloting an X-Wing and attacking the Death Star. Okay, so the vector graphics aren’t totally convincing, BUT you can tell yourself you’re looking at the targeting computer inside the X-Wing instead of out the window. There, problem solved.

So, what does $500 get you? Well, it gets you this.

Unlike a lot of earlier cabinets, Star Wars comes with the riser that brings it to just over five feet tall. It’s not as big as a standard arcade cabinet, but not as cumbersome to move around either. 1ups are packed in huge boxes with all the components coming in smaller boxes. Much, much assembly is required. Think if IKEA made arcade games. Similar instructions, similar tools. It takes my Dad about an hour to put one together. If you’re not the type of person able to put together per-fabricated furniture, you’ll need help putting together Arcade1Up stuff.

But, you get a really super crisp screen that looks great, especially for the price. There’s options to give the game an old TV tube feel for Return of the Jedi, though you’ll not want it on since it’s annoying as hell. All the games have adjustable settings, which is nice. Most importantly, the vector graphics of Star Wars are bright, vibrant, and colorful. The music and voices are clear. Early on in Arcade1Up’s existence, I wasn’t a fan of their cabinets. In fact, the whole build quality has come a long ways since the ones I played on display around . I gave the machine a good shake and it didn’t feel like it was going to collapse. It’s solid, and if you take good care of it and clean it regularly, it should look great in your man cave until the inevitable death by garage sale.

So, the cabinet is great and the controller is, I assume, arcade perfect. I sort of have to assume since I don’t happen to have access to the authentic machine. It doesn’t feel like a cheap replica even though, yeah, that’s technically what it is. Probably the best thing I can say about the yoke is it feels more expensive than it actually is. So really, it comes down to whether you like the games. $500 (only $450 on Amazon with free Prime delivery!) only nets you three games. I’m operating under the assumption nobody really buys Arcade1Ups expecting a long term gaming investment. The same price nets you any current console + the games for it, or you can save it and buy the PS5 or XBX this fall. No, you buy these to have them, because they’re cool.

Unlike with the pinball machines, The Pinball Chick won’t recommend or not recommend Arcade1Up’s arcade selection, because really, these cabinets are in the eye of the beholder. NOBODY is buying these just to play games. They’re conversation pieces. What people would want to know is how good is it made? The answer: very good, almost great. The screen is the highlight. The vector graphics look fantastic on it. As a cabinet, it’s mostly good. The thing I hate is how they have the logos stacked on top of each other where the coin door would have been. It looks rushed and low-rent. They could have gotten really creative in presenting them. The way they look now looks like an intern was given five minutes to whip up something to cover up the coin door space. The light-up marquee, the wonderful side art, and the control panel art look fantastic. Really, if you’re wanting a 1up Arcade game based on how it looks, this is probably the one get.

For those that do care about the games, continue below.

Game Index

Star Wars: 1up Upright Arcade w/ Riser

$499.99
Games: 3
Cost per Game: $166.66

And, it’s actually a little more difficult than simply talking about three games, because really, there’s two games, one of which was altered to be a “sequel” and sent to arcade operators as a conversion kit.

THE PITS

#3: Return of the Jedi
Atari Coin-Op
Oscar’s Rating: Bad

Let me get the crap out of the way first: Return of the Jedi is a terrible game. The isometric view doesn’t serve the game at all. The yoke controller doesn’t work great with it. In fact, it doesn’t feel like it belongs to it at all. I’d prefer a track ball if you insist on isometric gameplay. Either way, this feels like a typical mid-80s gotcha-type quarter-stealer. Pretty much Zaxxon with a Star Wars theme, only cheaper. Even with the adjustable difficulty, I just couldn’t get into it. Just a series of short, repetitive stages where you dodge stuff (trees or pipes or logs) and shoot stuff. Return of the Jedi feels extremely uninspired and was a HUGE letdown after Star Wars.

On the plus side, they turned the engine from this game into Paperboy. Which is equally horrible. So are indies based on it.

Oscar’s Thoughts: I think Cathy quit on it too quickly, but I agree that Return of the Jedi is the weak link of the cabinet. The speeder-bike stage isn’t an exciting opening level. Weirdly, the Death Star run is the second stage, followed by another speeder-bike stage. I got excited when Chewbacca hopped into an AT-ST “Chicken Walker” in the fourth stage, but it was just a slower version of the same level. Then, without warning, it switches to the Millennium Falcon fighting Star Destroyers. Then back to the Chicken Walker to blow up the shield generator, then back to the Millennium Falcon to blow up the Death Star again. They kind of ruined the build-up to it. I guess it’s nice Atari tried something different, but Return of the Jedi is pretty boring.

GOOD

#2: The Empire Strikes Back
Atari Conversion Kit
Oscar’s Rating: Great

In the mid 80s, conversion kits were all the rage for arcades. But, apparently a lot of arcades opted to not convert their consistently-lucrative Star Wars cabinets or cockpits into Empire Strikes Back. Even two years later, it was a reliable quarter-earner. So a lot of people aren’t familiar with Empire Strikes Back. It’s really just the same as the Star Wars, only with different levels. Here the recreation is the opening Battle of Hoth from the film. First you have to take out probe droids, then you take on AT-ATs. The options are to fire tow-cables at them or to shoot vulnerable areas. The game then jarringly becomes a virtual clone of the original game with tie-fighters, only this time you recreate the asteroid field scene. If this sounds great, mind you, it takes about five minutes to see it all.

Despite looking amazing (I was blown away by a few random dots on the ground to signify snow, showing that I genuinely have grown soft in my old age), let’s face it: the Battle of Hoth isn’t the Death Star battle. It’s still fun, but gamers of the era really didn’t miss out if their arcade opted to not convert their existing Star Wars games. Also, the AT-ATs were a lot more flimsy to shoot at. The target on them is so small and you have so little time to aim it, while the tow-cables are in limited supply. I happily shot the probe bots. That part was fine. But then, I really just wanted the AT-AT section to end. It’s a shame that they crap the bed with Return of the Jedi because the second Death Star battle with Lando would be preferable to the isometric crap.

Oscar’s Thoughts: I think they should have either had you only take down the AT-ATs with tow cables or only by shooting them down. But, I love the variety of stages Empire offers, and unlike Catherine, I don’t think more of the same from Star Wars is a bad thing. It’s a shame that arcade operators in the s didn’t have the technology to simply add these stages to their Star Wars cabinets instead of replacing the old ones. Empire has gameplay merit as its own entity and enough subtle changes to make this worth playing.

GREAT

#1: Star Wars
Atari Arcade Game
Oscar’s Rating: Masterpiece

I really did think of going all-the-way with Star Wars and saying it’s a masterpiece, but I don’t think it’s quite there. Don’t get me wrong: Star Wars holds up remarkably well for a nearly four-decade-old video game. The action is fast, white knuckle, and feels authentic. It’s probably one of the biggest shocks of my gaming life: it feels like you’re piloting an X-Wing. Even with the wire frame graphics. Even with the digitized voices. It just feels real. Still, thirty-seven-years later. More than any higher-tech game in the franchise that has come since. This is the only one where it feels like you’re really in the movie. Whoa.

Of course, once you get the hang of everything, it takes like three minutes to blow up the Death Star, but I sort of love that. Kids who paid their quarter back in the day didn’t have to spend a month’s worth of allowance getting to the memorable part. A long time ago I reviewed the Simpsons arcade game for PS3, and we counted how many quarters we would have needed to beat the game on the easiest setting. Answer: about $22 worth. Here, I needed two practice runs before I blew up the Death Star. On the easiest setting, but still.

And then everything repeats. That’s fine. That’s what old arcade games do. I was THIS CLOSE to going all the way with it, but I feel the game gets a tad too unfair after the first few waves. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s genuinely exhilarating to shoot down TIE-Fighters, and the transition from the surface of the Death Star to the trench legitimately put a big smile on my face. It looks JUST LIKE the targeting computer from the movie. It’s so cool. Of course, after a couple minutes when you blow it up and everything starts to repeat, you have to really love the game, because you’ve experienced the high of it. Here, the gameplay is fun, but not “get lost for hours” fun. Star Wars is a milestone in licensed game design and holds up, but it’s not quite pantheon level, even with the yoke.

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