When did fifty cents become the norm?

spmahn

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Obviously just about all games can be programmed to play on however many coins you want, or none at all even, but does anyone recall which game was the first where 50 cents became the norm for play over a quarter? I can't recall ever playing a Konami Beat Em Up back in the day that was more than a quarter per play. Was Street Fighter 2 the game that set the precedent for the price increase? I seem to remember most SF2 machines being setup by operators at 50 cents back in the day, and I feel like Mortal Kombat was always a 50 cent game. Was SF2 pretty much the starting point across the board for 50 cents vs 25 cents?
 
Obviously just about all games can be programmed to play on however many coins you want, or none at all even, but does anyone recall which game was the first where 50 cents became the norm for play over a quarter? I can't recall ever playing a Konami Beat Em Up back in the day that was more than a quarter per play. Was Street Fighter 2 the game that set the precedent for the price increase? I seem to remember most SF2 machines being setup by operators at 50 cents back in the day, and I feel like Mortal Kombat was always a 50 cent game. Was SF2 pretty much the starting point across the board for 50 cents vs 25 cents?

Dragons Lair was the first game I ever encountered that was $0.50.

Wasn't the norm, but might have started the trend.
 
Yeah, Dragon's Lair was first, but that one and Space Ace were clearly exceptions due to the more expensive hardware they used, and most games were still a quarter per play for another 8 or 9 years.
 
I remember Six Flags tried to make all of their games .50 cents in 1985, I believe. Every arcade in the parks were empty the entire year. Next year they went back to .25.
 
OH NO!!! Midway was the first with Astron Belt at .50 which was before dragon's lair.
 
.50 cents? Dragons lair was a dollar in my area when it was first realeased. Didnt become 50 cents till like a year aftwr
50 cents @ Chuck E. Cheese's on Jericho Turnpike in Commack Long Island NY when it first came out.Dropped two quarters in and my game was over in seconds dropped 2 more quarters died in seconds again.Walked away and never played again till I bought one 20 something years later.
 
Asteroids Deluxe has a 50¢ setting, as well. Seems like I remember the manual or flyer advertising the big sales because it was "deluxe" and Asteroids was such a bit hit. I still have the coin door stickers that would be say 2x 25¢. So, 1981? Maybe the first?
 
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Sorry, but it's pronounced "Fiddy" bra!

Eh, whatmovie was that quote from "hundreds and fiddies, and big as$ ti...."

Did I get that right?
 
Sadly, it's the "norm" for one of the arcades here in Portland. Admission is $3 then the vids are all at least .50. Pins are .75.

Went there once. eff that.
 
Afterburner Deluxe (1987) is the oldest game I can remember that was 50 cents. Technically 40 cents in 1987 because tokens at Alladins Castle were still 5 for a dollar. 88 or 89 they went to 4 for a dollar though.
 
most arcade games remain at 25-50 cents even today.

if u took the cost of inflation, what would 1980's 25 cents be worth today in 2017 money?
 
nm, there exists online calculators for this kinda stuff...

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

inflation.jpg


so yeah, a quarter in 1980 is 75 cents today in 2017 :)
 
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