Asteroids...worth having?

Mango7

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Hi guys. I have the opportunity to buy a NICE asteroids upright for $600. I played this game a lot in '80/81 and, as everyone does, moved on to newer games. I'm hoping not to get buyrs remorse after a couple plays. Has anyone experienced this, or did u just love seeing an icon sitting in your game room, while occasionally playing it? Thanks if u can offer your opinion.

K
 
600.00 seems kinda high . I think 350.00 is about right for a nice one . But then again im in California so pricing is a little different over here
 
$600 is a little steep for the game. I sold mine this year for about $300 fully working and in nice shape with the High Score Save Kit. I sold it because I needed the money, and not because I really wanted too. The gameplay is a bit repetitive, but for some reason I never minded it. I played it as often as my 60-in-1. Some things that will give you added value: purchasing the High Score save kit. Or getting the multigame kit with Asteroids/Lunar Lander/Asteroids Deluxe when it's eventually released. At $600, unless the machine is mint, it'll be hard to get any money back if you decide to sell the game. I'd hold out and wait for a better deal to come along- personally. When I have the room again, and have the money, I'll be rebuying the game.
 
Asteroids is a very simple game. If you get bored quickly with simple games (as in simple rules, not deep)... you'll grow bored with Asteroids. If you have only a game or two... Asteroids USUALLY isn't a keeper... if this is your first game... I couldn't recommend Asteroids.

That said, Asteroids is iconic.... the cabinet is iconic (see the KLOV logo).... and some select few people REALLY REALLY dig it.

Me? I'd pass... especially at $600. I've had 3 Asteroids cabs and 2 Asteroids Deluxe cabs... I've sold all 3 Asteroids and 1 of the AD's... NONE I've come across was bought for anywhere near $600 and none was sold for that much. $300-$350 seems to be the going rate for a decent Asteroids around these parts.

Since you emphasized "NICE"... perhaps it's worth the asking price... but at $600 it better shine...
 
the game is worthy of any collection,i got both asty and dlx and i am in uk,pricing here is high as the cabs are few and far between,that said i payed £350 for my asty although it is rough,not pretty rough,just rough.i got high score and it def adds that replay value as you can always aim for the high score.
;)

$650 for a NICE! example would be a steal here.nice big cabs,nice on the eyes,nice talking piece and i love the gameplay.
:)
 
I paid $340 for my asteroids deluxe and love it,play it everyday. I would love to have an asteroids but I wouldnt pay $600 MAYBE $400 on the tipi top highest end.
 
I will always have an Asteroids in my collection, got a Deluxe now too. The high score kit is a must have at least until the multi comes out. Like others have said $600 seems a little high unless it is a super nice early production model.
 
Like most here my game room is partly about recreating the look and feel of how an 80's arcade was. So mine will always have an Asteroids, as well as Frogger, Pac-man, Galaga, Q*Bert, Donkey Kong, etc... It's iconic, everyone recognizes it plus it's very fun to play, simple but fun. I would recommend it based on if the above appeals to you, if so I would also recommend the high score kit as others have mentioned.
 
As long as I am collecting games, I will have an Asteroids in my collection. Simple yet a challenge every time.
I Agree totally that the HSS kit is a must. I also agree that $600.00 is high. For a really nice one with the HSS kit already installed, no burn on the monitor and spiffy clean on the inside, I'd pay $500.00 tops.
 
Asteroids was the game that got it all started for me so it was an easy decision to make it my first game purchased. No regrets. I don't play it that much but it's easily worth the money I paid (it was a lot less than $600) just to look at and have available.
 
I got bored with Asteroids really quickly. It was the same with space invaders with me. Around here, Asteroids tend to go for around $200. Try to find one in the wild to try.
 
Pricing is all over the place on this game. I've seen it for $50 and seen it for $600. No way would I pay $600. An average price is around $350 working all the way and in decent cosmetic shape.

You did not mention, or perhaps don't know, which of the two versions of asteroids - fast or slow, are in the machine. In addition, the early versions used an owl eye coin door. The owl eye cabs are in my opinion the ones to have.

I forget if you can swap out Asteroids Deluxe and Asteroids in the same cab. I recall seeing an adapter for playing Asteroids in an Asteroids Deluxe cabinet. I have both machines and Asteroids Deluxe is a much harder and challenging game, and if I had to choose between the two, Asteroids Deluxe would be the one to have. The black light and 3d effects are very cool.
 
Several years ago, I sold an Asteroids for $800+, but the cabinet looked near mint and I'll probably never find one near that condition again. I mean, it looked new. I just didn't have room for it at the time.

Price is all over and it's based on condition.. FYI..the cardboard monitor surround is reproduced by Arcadeshop and the entire metal control panel with screened artwork will be reproduced..search for the thread, not sure if he's still building interest.
 
Last 3 Asteroids I have sold for around $400 they were all in average condition unrestored.. Its a awesome game.. If the machine is really nice I dont think $600 is out of line. Mine is totally restored would not even sell it for 1k..
 
Wow, thank you gentleman for your kind replies! I didn't expect more than a few responses! :)

I'm going to see the machine on thursday. Supposedly it is in mint condition, minus a smaller gouge to one side. The machine does have the owl eye slots and is to be free of screen burn. Pics show it to be in beautiful condition, but we know how pics can lie. I will try bargaining down to at least $500! It would be great to see a real asteroids machine sitting in my mancave. This machine was really the one that sucked me into arcade gaming, too (I did play computer space, space duel, pong, et al when I was younget, but I was mostly consumed by pinballs of that era).

The Asteroids/Lunar lander/Deluxe board sounds fantastic. Is this really in the works, and easy to incorporate into a stock machine? This really makes purchasing asteroids much more attractive.

Btw, I don't know if this is the fast/slow version..I'm assuming its the regular configuration!

Does anyone know how much the 3 in 1 board is going to be?
 
If it really is in great condition with the owl eyes and you can afford it spend the $500, you won't regret it. Make sure you look at everything, the bottom of the cab and the inside, everything. For that amount don't be afraid to play it for some time and leave it on while talking so you can notice if the screen acts funny at all or any other problems after running for a little bit. Like I said $500 is okay if everything is solid and clean but it should be really nice.
 
If they sent you pics, post them in here, we can notice/point out little things that you wouldn't be familiar with, and you can use to talk him down to $400 or less.

Much less. :rolleyes:
 
Asking a question like this should get you a one week suspension.

Not saying "yes it is" should get you banned for life.

.
 
I have an Asteroids that I paid $50 for. But it was dead then.

The early Asteroids' with owl-eye coin doors also tend to have the monitor plexi with the yellow text (instructions). Later ones have white text.

Having NO screen burn is difficult to believe, unless it has had its CRT replaced, or if the game managed to escape ever being used for making money.

IMHO, for $600, an Asteroids would have to be pretty damn fine condition (excelent marquee, nearly no sideart damage, fully complete including original coin box, original CP in very good shape, Brazy HSS kit, etc.) And delivered.

Oh, and I still enjoy playing it. I'm not good enough to "marathon" it. It's pretty difficult with the Braze kit, which has the latest ROM code that makes it harder: http://www.brasington.org/arcade/products/adl/ast-rev2a.jpg
 
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Hard to have a 80's arcade without one. Location is important when dealing with price.
Speeding too much on gas just makes the game more expensive.
 
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