The MaruBot Football League table can use up to four players, each controlling one of the four robots. I don't really know how much fun is this to play, but I would just do it to see the cute robot's faces. [IR Robot via ChipChick]

There's something awesome about this mini-arcade machine and I want to build one so badly that I even ignored the fact that this video was filmed in a bathroom. [YouTube via Boing Boing]

Created by Atari founders and all-around gaming legends Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, Computer Space came out in November of 1971, a full year before Pong hit the streets. The gameplay seems like sort of a mix of Asteroids and Space Invaders, with a rotational thruster (that phrase will never cease to sound filthy) controlling a rocketship (it's just getting dirtier) trying to take down a UFO (well, if a UFO is a euphamism, I don't want to know what it's referring to).

There's a green and a yellow version for sale, and the price is currently hovering around $1500 and $2500, respectively, but it's kind of an awesome-looking piece of furniture even if you're not into classic gaming. If you like those uncomfortable egg-chairs, this'll fit right in with your aesthetic. [Technabob]

Games2U puts PS3s, Wii and Xbox 360 games inside of a van and delivers it, letting 20 people play no matter where you are. We can imagine it being useful for kids' birthday parties, tailgating parties or funerals; especially since the company also offers laser tag and giant hamster balls.

And if you think this is a good and viable business opportunity, they even offer franchise options to set one up where you live. [G2u via Kotaku]

The home experience always felt half-baked and watered down—but that was also in the days before everybody had a 46-inch TV and you had to share a single display for multiple people. Now, it's coming to Xbox 360 and people have giant TVs, but there's no twin-stick to play it. Yet, anyway.

But you can build it! (Oh yeah, that was the point of this post.) All you have to do is find two tube-like candy containers and some arcade buttons, then re-wire your Xbox 360 controller like so. Done! And so worthwhile. [Gamerbook via 1UP via Kotaku]

Other that the vibration functions, it's a pretty typical arcade stick, featuring turbo modes and four memory buttons that can be programmed with complicated stick/button maneuvers reaching up to 20 steps apiece. (That's like the whole Konami Code in one button press.)

It doesn't look like the stick is on sale just yet, but what do you think, have you been missing the impact of a full-out Hadouken on your fingertips? [XCM]

The Price: $6 for full version, with a free Lite version to try as well.

The Verdict: I miss arcades! Galaga Remix does a great job at bringing one of the tried-and-true game forms of our time—the shoot-shit-in-space-that's-falling-at-your-ship form—and does it up right.

The classic version is great, but I actually prefer the remix—mainly because the fundamentals of the game are completely unchanged. The remix adds power-ups, boss battles and the ability to save your game to start back up at the level you achieved when you had to quit playing before.

You've got three options for controls, which is nice: three virtual buttons you can tap to move left/right and fire, a slider that you can drag like the iPhone's default unlock slider to move your ship, or accelerometer tilting. As you might expect, the accelerometer control is a little awkward, but the other two methods are actually very intuitive.

One weird thing: the controls, and the game in general, feel much more responsive on the updated Remix version than they do in the classic one. This is a shame.

But like I said, the Remix is pretty faithful to the original—with the same great sound effects and music (which are both totally awesome throughout), so it's a fun diversion. And like several of Namco's other games which were initially released with sluggish performance, an update could fix it.

Overall, a great game.

Gameplay video via Touch Arcade:

Totally faithful Galaga gameplay, with excellent sound and music

Lots of options for controls, which are responsive

Continue feature in Remix lets you pick up where you left off

Classic version runs slower and is less responsive than Remix

Using a few Xbox 360 controllers, Happ joysticks and 14 buttons, one modder built two Mad Catz Fightsticks of his own...in a pair of shoeboxes. Apparently Nike boxes can withstand the wear and tear of intense SFIV sessions (but if not, they're not all that difficult to service).

I'm pretty keen on the design, but I'd probably rip those boxes a new one trying to fend off the 2D onslaught of Matt Buchanan. [Kotaku]

These aren't some weird scam knock-offs. The Capcom-sanctioned cabinets made their public debut at a recent SFIV event. Each system one-of-a-kind, the work of various participating design companies. Proceeds from the sales go to charity.

Keeping in mind the free shipping on all of these cabinets, you have more than a few excuses to place a bid and fill your home with a sadly dated but still tempting dedicated full-out arcade cabinet.

Note: We're only linking one auction page, scroll to the bottom for the related cabinets that are up for sale. [eBay via Kotaku]

UPDATE: Ahh, there's a catch. It does appear that the joysticks/buttons do not work. You need to provide your own controller along with something to read the SFIV game.

The graphics and the music are just spot on, the controls simple, and the purpose is clear: Kick goons' ass either as the good old shortie-panties of Nightowl or the sex-queen-on-two-long-legs Silk Spectre, who is like a superhero version of Virginia Bell, without the pasties.

The game is not a masterpiece, but it has plenty of charm. Enough that I wish the Watchmen production team actually released a version of this for the iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile. [Kotaku]

Aside from all the vintage game machines (including Playboy pinball), the folks at J & C Studios also have a nice cell tower replica you can use, creating an RF field next to your coffee mug for the tiniest tumors.

[J&C Studios via TechnaBob and BBG]

The hangUP coat hooks are available in 3UP and 4UP versions and come with customizable ball-top colors. You can also request the board to be made of a different material, though the standard is black Walnut. So far no price, but they're available at Arcade Lounge. [Arcade Lounge via Nerd Approved]

The universe really threw us a curve. Instead of the faint signal we hoped to find, here was this booming noise six times louder than anyone had predicted.

According to NASA, "the source of this cosmic radio background remains a mystery". It's not primordial stars, it's not any known radio source, and in fact, the problem here is that there is "not enough radio galaxies to account for the signal". In other words, nothing in the known cosmos is capable of producing this deafening sound. University of Maryland at College Park's Dale Fixsen—part of NASA's ARCADE team— says, that to get this kind of signal, "you'd have to pack [radio galaxies] into the universe like sardines. There wouldn't be any space left between one galaxy and the next". So in more scientific terms: They don't have a flying frak about what the hell this may be.

The sound has been detected by ARCADE, a balloon-borne probe which is chilled to 2.7 degrees above absolute zero. The instrument itself is inside a tank of 500 gallons of liquid helium to reach that temperature, which is the same temperature as the cosmic microwave background radiation.

Needless to say, plugging into this completely unexpected and mysterious alien iPod playlist has made scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center more excited than Jason Chen at the Las Vegas' Adult Entertainment Expo. [NASA]

For those who already have a PC of their own to stick inside, the table is a available gutted of its computer components but still packing all of the joysticks and handy ports. In this bare bones configuration, the table runs about $4,000. Fully loaded with the PC and two packs of games, the system is priced at $4,900. (Those prices include delivery and VAT in the UK.)

Of course, there are other options if your cheap or like your MAME furniture in black. But this Surface Tension table is the most stylish tabletop arcade setup we've seen yet. [Surface Tension via Bornrich]

But the best part may be what the designer used to create the sleek black frame around his computer screen—it's just plain old black cardboard. And to further the simple mod theme, the joystick simply pulls out from the table's built-in drawer. There's no mounting, but maybe that's actually a good thing. [Mamebook cocktail via Unplggd]

So they start with a 19" touchscreen, add a Blu-ray drive with video out and a Microsoft keyboard and mouse to control is all. (And we're pretty sure a PC is stuck in there too.) To round it out, 6mm of "toughened glass" protects the top, though we're a bit confused if the touchscreen still works when covered. You can definitely see the arcade influence in the design, but we wish they'd gone a step or two further in incorporating the glossier elements of tabletop games. And would a splash of color hurt anyone? Price TBA. [Retro-Tech via Ubergizmo]

In addition, since the Zune has Wi-Fi, you can also do multiplayer games as well! You'll be able to multiplay from Windows to Xbox to Zune, which means that you might be able to develop one game for three platforms (with slight tweaks for each) that people can play with each other. Definitely cool. Check out Kotaku for more GDC coverage. [Kotaku and Kotaku]

Jesús Díaz: Stunning museum, Peter. When was it completed?
Peter Hirschberg: The building was completed just a couple weeks ago. I'm still working on the inside a bit, but it was good enough to have my first Game Day over there. The building is 60'x40', with 12' ceilings. There's a bathroom and a finished upstairs. The outside matches the house, with cedar siding and stonework around the bottom.

The electrical system was a pretty interesting aspect of the building. We had two 400amp breaker panels installed, along with commercial-grade wiring, to handle the load of all the games (our entire house is only 200amps). Between the gameroom and the house, we are using an entire outdoor transformer.

JD: Is there any admission fee or could people just get in and spend quarters on the machines?
PH: Nope, totally free. I insist that people use the quarters I provide. The change machines are set to dispense quarters for free. My rules are "don't use your own money" and "don't take my money home with you."

JD: What's your crown jewel, your fave arcade of them all?
PH: It would be a tie between Discs of Tron, Tail Gunner, Space War and Lunar Lander.

JD: And what's the public's favorite, what machine sees the most traffic?
PH: The favorite game among visitors would probably be Galaga. The only reason I got that game was because people kept harassing me for not having it. I don't really like the game that much. Star Wars is another really big favorite among guests.

JD: Do you think there are any modern games that capture the feeling of the classics?
PH: I like the game Echoes, and Geometry Wars. Back in the heyday of the arcade, Geometry Wars is what we thought arcade games would look like in 20 years. It's the first game since the '80s that I can play and not feel dirty.

JD: What's your favorite home gaming system?
PH: I like the Wii since it has that childlike innocence that I miss in game systems. I don't play it that much. It's pretty much just for the kids. But I do like playing Geometry Wars on it. The control scheme is pretty interesting.

JD: Do you receive donations from any big companies to maintain the machines or is it just you and friends?
PH: I wish! This whole thing was financed entirely on my own nickle. Any big companies out there? This is your chance to sponsor me!

Indeed. Hopefully all those dirty rich EAs and Microsofts of this world could spare some of their own quarters in helping Peter with this amazing effort. In the meantime, if you want to help him, contact him at his page. [Peter Hirschberg]

For a limited time you can pick up the Konami arcade cabinet for a sweet $320. From Linens 'n Things, enter "NOV2907" at checkout and save 20% on the system that often runs $400 and up...if you can still find one around. Either the cabinets have been a hot commodity or they're being discontinued. Either way, we think that the machine looks a lot more tempting for around $300 than it did at $400. [linensnthings via bargainjack]

If you do have the means, you will also have the high-output DLP projector with a 2000:1 contrast ratio and a native resolution of 1024 x 768 (1400 X 1050 max) to enjoy. There is also some decent power under the hood with the whole thing running on a "high-end PC" with AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ . Wow, it sucks being poor. [Product Page via Crunchgear]

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 22, 2007 — Just in time for holiday, Microsoft Corp. today released a new Xbox 360® console that delivers games and content to everyone in the family for an incredible value of $279.99 (U.S. estimated retail price)*. Available in stores beginning today, Xbox 360 Arcade console is the first Xbox 360 console to include five family-friendly games, a wireless controller, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connection to enable high-definition output if desired and 256 MB of memory useful for storing games and entertainment content. At $279.99, the Xbox 360 Arcade console will include five best-selling games: "PAC-MAN Championship Edition" (NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.), "Uno" (Carbonated Games), "Luxor 2" (MumboJumbo), "Boom Boom Rocket" (Electronic Arts Inc.) and "Feeding Frenzy" (Sprout Games).
"As families gather together this holiday, it's the perfect time to launch a new low-priced, high-value Xbox 360 that plays games, TV shows and music for everyone to enjoy," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "In addition to offering an incredible all-in-one package for families to get right into the fun, the Xbox 360 Arcade system features the industry-leading Family Settings, which allow parents to control what their kids are watching and playing — and we know how important that control is to families around the world."
Karen Dodge, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer at Toys "R" Us, added, "We are excited to offer this new gaming experience to our customers — children and families — who can now enjoy the fun of Xbox 360 together. Many of this holiday season's hottest items provide Internet connectivity, and with the online entertainment options available through Xbox LIVE®, Xbox 360 Arcade offers families a great mix of online content and traditional gaming in one console."
The news of Xbox 360 Arcade comes as part of a broader initiative by Microsoft to bring the Xbox 360 experience to families everywhere. Microsoft also announced today that it is significantly expanding its catalog of high- and standard-definition family fun content that is available on demand direct to the consumer's living room. This includes the addition of everyone's favorite characters such as "Bugs Bunny" and "Daffy Duck" from Warner Bros., which will be delivering the first ever "Looney Tunes" cartoons for download on Xbox 360, starting today. In addition, Nickelodeon is adding three new shows to its already large library of more than 300 episodes of TV shows on Xbox LIVE, Microsoft's premier online gaming and entertainment service, with the inclusion of "Blue's Clues," "The Backyardigans" and "iCarly." "SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam™" (THQ Inc.) and "SHREK-N-ROLL™" (Activision) games will also be available exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade, the place to download games for Xbox 360 over Xbox LIVE, adding more fun for everyone in the family.

Microsoft's commitment to family entertainment is complemented by the largest next-generation library of "E"- and "T"-rated games, more than 200 in all, available at retailers nationwide this holiday, including "BEE MOVIE™ GAME" (Activision), "Guitar Hero III®: Legends of Rock" (Activision), "Naruto: Rise of a Ninja" (UbiSoft Entertainment), "Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" and "Viva Piñata®: Party Animals."

Featuring four triggers for each of four laser canons, you can blast green-matrix TIE fighters for hours on end while Skywalker, Obi-Wan and Han Solo quote you favorite lines to your heart's content. Of course, at $7,100 this restored game isn't cheap. But just think of all the quarters you'll save...or would save...if this were still 1983...and arcades still existed... [product via redferret]