Synergy Arcade Cabinet

The Synergy Arcade Cabinet looks old-school, but it's actually quite moden and supports many games.

Atari’s 2600 may have liberated video-game fans from the grips of the arcade back in the late 1970’s, but the continuing existence of arcade games proves that there’s still no substitute for slamming joysticks around and jabbing colorful buttons. The Synergy multi-game cabinet taps into that retro lust by offering dozens of classic arcade games in a package that sports the same old familiar controls.

The Synergy has a 17-inch screen facing straight up, covered by a reinforced glass tabletop surface, which makes it a cocktail-style cabinet. Unlike a traditional upright cabinet, you can take a seat to play, and course, it doubles as a table when it’s turned off. Four sets of controls mean two opponents can play side by side or across from each other, depending on the game.

Image Courtesy of Liberty Games

But the Synergy’s form factor is by no means its most appealing feature. Underneath all that retro styling, there’s actually a high-powered PC running Windows XP, meaning the unit is good for a lot more than just an occasional round of Pong. A built-in DVD-RW makes it easy to transfer files to the unit’s 160GB hard drive, allowing it to become a home-theater PC or jukebox with the right connections. It even has 100-watt speakers already built into the cabinet. A 3GHz Pentium 4 processor is no longer considered top-of-the-line in the desktop world, but it should prove more than adequate for most media functions. Control is possible via a wireless mouse and keyboard, both of which come included.

The selection of games should keep even arcade veterans busy for quite a while. It includes titles from Midway, Taito, Capcom, and Atari; all from different eras. Gamers can fire up anything from Space Invaders or Asteroids to newer classics like Street Fighter II. And when the selection finally wears thin, or an old favorite isn’t included, users can install the highly regarded Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) software and have access to over 3,600 other games through the Internet.

Since the Synergy is made and sold in the United Kingdom and weighs nearly 200 pounds, overseas buyers should be prepared for heavy shipping costs if they decide to snag one. Then again, when they sell for between £2128 ($4,322 USD) and £2799 ($5,685 USD), shipping costs might be the least of a potential buyer’s monetary woes. However, for anyone who wants major bragging rights, or just a diehard arcade game fan, the Synergy multi-game cabinet may be worth the investment. You can find out more information on the Synergy Arcade Cabinet from Libery Games.