Microsoft reveals Game Room pricing News

a couple of pounds isnt so bad - so long as they have achievements and on line high score boards...if its just the game running in an emulator I dont so much see the point - I may as well just use mame.

Is that 40MSP per- play? 'Cause there's no way in hell I'm paying per-play in a digital arcade

only costs 10p down the slotties!!

I'm hoping that if you opt to buy the cabinet you don't have to pay each time you play it.

Thats how I was reading it, buy the thing and then pay to play it.

That's my hope too Dan, because I'm not interested in throwing virtual money into a virtual arcade machine; avoiding that is pretty much the reason I bought a console and games in the first place (Super Ghouls and Ghosts and the SNES in my case).

Edit: Apparently that is the case. You can pay 240-400 points for unlimited play or 40 points for a single play. Not so bad then. I'd pay that for some classics.

From what I've read, it's free to play if you own it, just pay-per-play if you're using a friend's cabinet.

Nah, it must be you either own the cab or pay to play one, surely even MS wouldn't charge people to play a game they've bought.

When will people realise putting 'M$' is neither funny nor witty and never has been.

So it's about £2.30 to buy an arcade machine for the 360 alone? Maybe tempted by some but in all honesty these games are widly free on the internet.

So thinking this through MS have basically found a way to charge for demos;
Pay 40MSP to play a game once to see if you like it, pay 240MSP to get "full access" - because lets face it you'd have to be pretty stupid to pay-play a game more than a couple of times given the full game cost the same as 6 plays

Sneetch said it all really. This is just exploiting gamers appetite for retro titles.

those 40MP are per play or per day?
if its per game, I could see myself buying some good cabinets the same way I buy XBLA/Indie Games, but I would not touch anything else

240 points for a cabinet and you've got yourself a deal, MS.

Yes, I've been playing these games for free for years in MAME but I also pumped lots of cash into the actual cabs. I've also picked up plenty of retro compilations and I've always preferred the ones where they have replicas of the official machines to look at. Having a collection of the cabs to wander around in and play whenever I want....

/Sexwee

240 is not bad at all i might buy most of them. I cant wait for that Kart racing game does anybody know when it will be out?

"This is just exploiting gamers appetite for retro titles."

I don't think simply selling something that people want is classed as exploitation, and at £2 a game it's hardly extortion.

Give me Space Harrier, Spy Hunter, BattleZone, Marble Madness, Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Alien Syndrome, All versions of Gradius, R-Type, Shinobi and you've got yourself a deal.

Oh and I want to see shady gaunt people hanging around pointless slot machines, rain outside, a morose looking cash attendant, ambient sounds of Galaxians/Any annoying SEGA loop and flock carpet with garish fluorescent lighting.

Hmm maybe MS should offer scratch and sniff cards of old sweat, wet carpet and eau de stale fags for the complete experience.

If we buy a "own" a cabinet, do we still have to pay per play, or is that only if we don't "own" the cabinet?

The amount of people who seem to be endorsing these payments is unbelievable.

They should all be free for Christ sake; any moron can see that.

If any moron can see that, does that mean that if I can't see that I'm not a moron?

Phew, I'd hate to be branded a moron simply for disagreeing with someone.

As a recent XBox purchaser I'm amazed by the additional costs which aren't particularly obvious when you 'sign up'.

My favourite example is Forza 3, my assumption was always that a Gold subscription = online play, Silver = most other online things.
Forza takes that to another level, obviously you can't play online - as expected - with Silver, but you also can't customize single player races (a staggering 'oversight') without it or access quite a few features which have nothing to do with playing oneline, then there is the LCE version, which is borderline redundant without Gold.

Sure, Gold isn't too expensive, but with that cost you would then expect it to be plain sailing...then you realise the incredible cost of customizing your avatar to any degree. Sure, you don't need to do it and nobody is forcing you (I don't), but I'm amazed at the cost of such items.

Can you kick the machines so the money falls out.... I will watch with interest but I didnt renew my xbox live membership its cheaper to buy the cards now thats just crazy.

@freakzilla
No, you pay £2 if you want to keep the machine, that lets you play it as much as you want for free.
You have to pay 38p if you just want to have one game, without actually buying the "cabinet"

@teh9182 : It was a polite question - no need to get insulting.

And the alternative is Mame and some ROMs... total price - nothing.

What a total rip off... Honestly, with this and the almost certainly doomed Project Natus, MS are really screwing up lately.

Get one of the many emulators on the PC, for free.

1982's Atari VCS (Atari 2600) version of Star Raiders was terrible, I remember because I saved up my pennies to afford the £40 or so it cost ... £40 was a lot of money to a 14-year old back then, equivalent to £100 today adjusting for inflation.

Although it did come with the Atari Video Touch Pad peripheral (a keypad that fitted in the joystick port), which was sadly only used on this title.

One of my friends had well-off parents and an Atari 800, which is how I knew the 1979 Atari 400/800 version was far superior. Even the subsequent Atari ST version was inferior to the original.

My friend also had Eastern Front on cartridge, which was completely awesome too.

Atari 800 emulator, now _that_ would be worth paying for.

Don't they realise that of you price these things too high people will just use mame and illegal roms.

>Get one of the many emulators on the PC, for free.

Like many people have said... this is actually piracy.

Anyone remember Yar's Revenge?

F'king bag of shite that was.

Well there's a few videos going around now demonstrating this whole thing, and it seems most peoples suspicions have proven true.

Really doesn't seem to be anything like Home, there's no walking around or interacting, it's simply a 3D interface for selecting the game and customising the area. Which does make it seem rather trivial, but still, people eat this stuff up. Also confirmed that the games have revamped menu's and achievements, etc.

38p would buy me a Mars Bar. Money better spent methinks.

How much is it to by a second-hand virtual cabinet... maybe one with the wrong stickers on?

Why the hate for this? After watching the brief video on xbox live I have to admit I can't wait to have my own little arcade!

£2 a pop is basically an impuse buy. The idea of being able to invite friends to your arcade, and free play games you own is also a great idea. If this does have friend leaderboards this could potentially be huge!

Only complaint would be these games are almost to retro for my liking. Personally I wouldn't mind fast forwarding to the Double Dragon

@StooMonster

Ahh ... Atari 800 Star Raiders - still my favourite game of all time.

/polishes Star Commander Class 1 badge

Anthony_fast >>>> forward >>>>>>> to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MAME

Anyone else buy their 360 to play current gen, full titles?

MS are smoking bananas if they think this will take off - seriously!

@MrsPacMan I love MAME, but the friend leaderboards get get me every time. It's the ease of use to a certain degree also. Alot of my personal friends are on xbox live, and as much as we grew up with games alot of them genuinely have never heard of MAME or would even have the know how to use it properly if they did! Surely we've all got friends like these, those friends who we had to go round and set up live for them in the first place!......'whats a mac address' and all that business! So a service like this where we can invite each other to our own little pretend 'early 90's' arcade I think is great!

Besides i'm lazy!

Must admit reading a few of the later comments WinterSnowBlind's especially, its dissapointing to here that the arcade itself seems to be just a 3D interface rather than somewhere you can walk around!

"What the hell! I was joking earlier about them charging a lot, but the not only charge you 5 bucks for the stupid old game, but 50 cents to play the game you just bought? HAHAHAHAHAHAH"

Only, they aren't.
Buy the game for the higher amount and try it for the lower. When trying you will get access to the full game, as opposed to the other XBLA games where the demos only give you certain amount of gameplay.

will these arcade games be full screen (i.e. widescreen) or the horrible 4:3 version that they tend to release

What's the betting all the launch games are already available on LIVE. Double Dragon, Joust, MK etc.etc.

Does the 40msp per play still apply if you buy the cabinet? If so that's rediculous and I'd not even bother visiting the Game Room even though I'm a huge retro game collector.

This could be quite interesting - if they dont screw it up with greed. (IE the cabinet is on FREE PLAY and you dont infact have to pay once you buy it - Im assuming nothing ! And of course the prices need to stay at a reasonable level. )

Oh and I had better get free cabs for the ones I already about on XBLA (does a quick fist shake at M$ just in case)

Call me when they get Escape from the planet of the robot monsters and Xybots.