Prime Day has slashed a bunch of Arcade1up retro arcade machines, so it's not my fault if I end up replacing my furniture. From Mortal Kombat cocktail-style machines to dashing upright homages to Street Fighter and Pac-Man, you'll be able to grab a selection of machines for up to half price and beyond.
I'll start off with my favorite of the bunch, as it happens to be the one that's down to a new record low. Over at Amazon right now, the Arcade1Up Mortal Kombat Head-to-Head Arcade Machine is down to $299.99 from $699.99, and calling it one of the best Prime Day gaming deals ever is a hill I'm willing to die on. Look, I love new consoles and handhelds much as the next nerd, but if you make me choose between saving a Steam Deck OLED or this MK cab in a trolley problem scenario, you'll end up sweeping bits of Valve plastic off the track.
In addition to the gorgeous Mortal Kombat discount, Amazon also has an Arcade1up Street Fighter cabinet for $349.99 (down from $499.99) and a very cute Pac-Mania machine for $344.34 (was also $499.99). Both of those alternatives aren't down to their absolute lowest prices, as last year's December discounts managed to bring things under $300. Still, offers on these replica gaming systems aren't too common, so I'm still happy to see them pop up for Prime Day.
Prime Day's best retro gaming deals
Arcade1up: cabinets starting at $299
Atari: Plug and play console from $79
Handhelds: Up to 20% off the Anbernic
Evercade: $20 off bartop arcade pre-order
Sega: 23% Astro City mini arcade machine
Nintendo: Zelda Game & Watch for under $50
Should you buy an Arcade1up machine?
Let's get real for a second, as if I'm being frank, I'm not exactly a rational person when it comes to old tech. I have a full attic room in my home dedicated to retro console and old games, which would be completely fine if the rest of the house wasn't bursting at the seams with stuff. What I'm saying is, many players won't practically have the room for an Arcade1up machine, and picking one up without planning ahead could really sour what would be an exciting purchasing experience.
But hey, let's say you're not just like my Grandad who once bought a full size snooker table that filled his entire spare bedroom. You know deep within your soul that you want an arcade machine in your home, but should you opt for a fancy new-age replica of a cabinet over searching for an OG from an amusements? The short answer is "probably, yes" as restoring old relics and keeping them working is an absolute pain, not to mention originals will cost a fortune.
What you will get with an Arcade1up cabinet is a reliable retro experience that looks great, feels nice to play, and comes with a bunch of modern connivences. For instance, machines like the Mortal Kombat model featured above use a new fangled high-resolution LCD display that looks super sharp and it's got 12 games built in rather than just one. In a sentence that's going to sound like I'm joking, it also has Wi-Fi, but rather than using it to surf the web, it essentially makes it feel like you're visiting an actual amusements with access to leaderboard scores and more.
Whether you yearn for the glory days of stick-floored arcades or you were too young to experience it for yourself, Arcade1up cabinets are easy, but slightly expensive way to travel back in time. I say expensive, but with up to 57% off thanks to Prime Day, right now is the opportune time to save big on some silly purchases.
Fun fact: My party trick is playing the Mortal Kombat theme on banjo, so I really should pick this cabinet up.
Looking for even more offers? Check out Prime Day TV deals and Prime Day monitor deals for big screen savings. If you'd rather venture outside, swinging by Prime Day Steam Deck deals will also see you right.
