Drawbacks on playing a cabaret instead of an upright?

processedmeat

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Drawbacks on playing a cabaret instead of an upright?

Hi I'm intrigued about the space saving nature of cabarets but is there any drawbacks to playing on one instead of an upright cab? Get a kink in your neck looking downward for a longer period of time? Smaller monitor making your eyes hurt more? Thanks for your replies!
 
Perhaps less precision in your gameplay due to 13" monitors.

i.e. Hitting the small asteroids on Asteroids.
 
Perhaps less precision in your gameplay due to 13" monitors.

i.e. Hitting the small asteroids on Asteroids.

This. The biggest issue for me is the 13" monitor. My eyes are going and I like the 19" monitor. That's why I grabbed the Tempest cabaret because it has the full size monitor in it. The other one I have is a Battlezone which has the smaller 13" monitor in it, but for that game it's not that bad.
 
This. The biggest issue for me is the 13" monitor. My eyes are going and I like the 19" monitor. That's why I grabbed the Tempest cabaret because it has the full size monitor in it. The other one I have is a Battlezone which has the smaller 13" monitor in it, but for that game it's not that bad.

battlezone actually uses a 15" monitor
 
i know certain games become much harder at certain levels than there full size upright counter part. some like that about them. other then the moppets and the goldie neo geo without a stand i dont think neck crank will be an issue. control panel can become troublesome for two players (tetris).
thanks
blake
 
Luv the look of WMS Robo and SG Cabarets (etc), but always considered them too small to play properly (and well).
If you're over 6ft tall, playing these can be problematic. Best to be "Todd size". LOL :)

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yeah, if you are tall sometimes the marquee blocks the gameplay when you're getting into it (especially robotron)

honestly, everyone says the 13" monitor is a detriment, but I actually think its a benefit in most cases... the picture looks better than a 19" equivalent, and you can use your peripheral vision easier and/or see more without moving your head as much
 
Only real downside is they can be much harder to come by these days.. and expensive for the harder to find titles.
 
The last cabaret I played was Missile Command and didn't enjoying playing it with the small monitor, small trackball, and small cabinet. The full size is so much more comfortable to play on.
 
They are to small for me to play, feel like I'll knock them over. I'm also to big to fit in them to work on them. There was a time when no one really wanted them.
 
The Atari Cabarets of Centipede, Dig Dug, and Tempest are fantastic with the 19" Vertical monitors. The overall footprint is so much smaller and great for home use.

The "Downside" is that the side artwork is almost nonexistent, and in it's place is the old wood grain look, which takes some getting used to. Of course, you could change things and put on corresponding artwork, but then you get into "non original" changes which the purists in the hobby don't like.

Other 19" monitors in cabarets that have a smaller footprint are Sega Outrun and Atari Tetris and Klax. All very nice horizontally mounted games. Also, Super Zaxxon (19" Vertical monitor) cabaret is really sweet too.

There are probably other 19" monitors in cabarets, but I can't think of any more offhand.

Personally, I think the 13" monitors in the small cabarets are a bit TOO small (as others have stated). But if you don't mind the small monitor, they sure are fantastic space savers.
 
I was told the lack of side art was because they were marketed to places like bars where they didn't need to be attractive to kids. They were also cheaper than the full size arcades.
 
A few additional differences:

TRON - The front of the mini cabinet has no black light or MCP back artwork.

Asteroids Deluxe cabaret - Missing the backlight, mirror, and backdrop artwork.

BattleZone cabaret - No periscope

Scott C
 
All of those Cabarets use a smaller monitor, and as you mentioned they are lacking a lot of the cool artwork and design touches of the full sized uprights (downside for sure).

Clearly, the 13" and 15" monitor size cabarets have quite a bit of "downside" when you compare them to a full upright.

That's why I prefer the cabarets with the 19" monitors. Less "downside".
 
Like others have said the small size of the monitors is an issue...but for me the biggest drawback is that they just don't feel right. I have a Tempest cabaret, it is awesome. It has a full size monitor and the exact same controllers as the big game. While I love it, whenever I play a full size tempest I just enjoy the experience more. The CP is bigger/less cramped and the spacing of the controls is more comfortable. The art on the cabinet is a joy to look at. Finally, the full size game is what I remember from back in the day, so it's more nostalgic as well.

Also, some games (like asteroids deluxe) have cabinets that give the game a certain ambiance that is completely lost in the cabaret.

Don't get me wrong, I love the little cabinets. I have several and I think they bring a form factor that is quite nice for the home collector. They are also cute and a bit more collectible since they are less common. When it comes to actually playing them...I feel the full size game almost always gives a more enjoyable experience.
 
I went mostly cabarets a few years ago for space since I have limited areas of the house I want games in and got sick of lugging heavy ass games around. I have zero complaints..

Cabarets are easier to move around and they fit just about anywhere, unless you are really big/tall I cant see anything being an issue.

Like I said earlier your main issue will be finding them, there are only a few that are somewhat "common".

Its hard enough these days to buy something like Robotron or Donkey Kong as a upright ... try finding the cabarets where they made so few.

some games they only made a few hundred total cabarets even though there are thousands upon thousands of uprights of the same game
 
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