If that ’80s nostalgia is hitting you hard, New Wave Toys sells classic arcade games small enough to put on a shelf. The RepliCade series is only about a foot tall but fully playable. The joysticks and buttons function just like the originals and even the music is era accurate for that full arcade experience. Games like Missile Command and Q*bert will set you back $160, with more coming soon. Each is a limited edition, with titles like Centipede, Dragon’s Lair, and Street Fighter II already sold out.
To really complete the arcade experience, they also sell replica change machines at the same 1/6 scale. While it does dispense gold tokens, its main purpose is as a charger for the arcade games and other USB devices. Or you can buy a power bank that looks like a cassette player.
There’s also scale soda vending machines with classic ’80s styles and fonts. There’s even one advertising New Coke. It dispenses tiny soda cans but also swings open to reveal a mini-fridge for keeping actual sodas cold. And even though I don’t use a key chain, I’ve never wanted anything more than the lighted “insert coin to play” one that sells for $14.99.
New Wave Toys got started as a Kickstarter and more than tripled its goal of $50,000 to start making the Centipede RepliCades. While the games are fully playable, they also make for great photo ops with 12-inch toys and action figures. You can pose them with Barbies or the Star Wars Collector Series. If you’re looking for something bigger but don’t have room for full-sized arcade games, another company sells versions that are three feet tall. Though they’re designed for kids, we’re sure more than a few adults play them.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
