Although they may be known as retro games, many people even today still harbor a deep fondness for them. Titles like Ms. Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Galaga quicken heartbeats in remembrance of the many hours spent dumping quarters into machines attempting to get the highest score.
While there exists many ways for someone to get their retro gaming fix, Spectrum Technology Solutions is looking to give people another choice with its Spectrocade. The product is a miniature arcade cabinet equipped to work together with a Rapsberry Pi, making it wholly customizable in which games can be emulated, no matter the availability. This isn’t the case for those who may use popular mini arcade cabinets that work with iPads or similar tablets, as their app stores may not have what they’re looking for. However, that flexibility comes at the price of simplicity; $541 is a lot pricier than those toys. It’s slated to ship in August 2015. Spectrum Technology Solutions is hoping to raise $22,000 by June 17th, 2015.
The Spectrocade gets points for working with a Raspberry Pi, but is unimaginative and priced like it isn’t. In addition, a lack of headphone jack or even a fourth button on the pad are obvious design flaws that should be included. The use of acrylic as the product’s material of choice rather than something else a bit more environmentally friendly rounds out a spotty execution.