Mini arcade cabinets; they’re a product that’s created for a very specific and niche crowd of folks that yearn for the good old days of arcade gaming.

I fall into that group as a kid that practically lived in Chuck E. Cheese arcades for most of his childhood, so I was very eager to get my hands on New Wave Toys’ newly released 1942 X RepliCade arcade cabinet.

While I enjoyed my time with this minicab, there are some big issues that may deter potential buyers.

What’s in the Box

New Wave does an absolutely fantastic job at giving quite a bit of fan-fair in this miniature cabinet. The box is wonderfully crazy with a look and feel of the actual decade that you’d find the full-sized cabs in.

Inside you’ll find the 1942 1/6th scale lowboy cabinet, the 1943 mini arcade stick, 4x mini arcade tokens, 2x micro-USB cables (charging/external controller), a “top secret” sticker, and a replica 1942 owner’s manual.

Everything that’s included really makes for a fun experience when opening the box up as well as figuring it all out through the owner’s manual. Everything is explained pretty straightforward and it doesn’t take much to get it running.

Aesthetics and Build Quality

When it comes to looks, New Wave killed it with this one. The screen, decals, and marquee look fantastic alongside the wood-panel shell. It harkens back to the 80s for sure.

With the lights off, this thing really can light up a room. Having it sitting on my desk really made it a focal point in the room every time I came in to sit down. It actually makes me wish I had a wall of these to make my own little desk arcade.

Build quality can be hit or miss though. While the majority of the machine is sturdy and quite heavy, there are some areas that don’t feel up to par when compared to the rest.

The back speaker and power/volume panels are cheap-looking plastic that doesn’t really look as great as the rest of the cabinet. The other low point is that the marquee is actually a bit loose on the one I received. Not horrible but definitely worth mentioning.

Besides the black rocker button on the front of the machine, the buttons used for actually playing the game leave much to be desired. They’re a bit mushy anyway but I found that the shoot button (red) is actually more set in compared to the others. This makes gameplay a bit hard when using the cabinet itself as my finger goes to the board with each press.

The mini arcade stick on the other hand is absolutely spectacular and gives clicky responsiveness that made using it a pleasure. I really wish that they’d put the same quality and craftsmanship into the actual panel of the cabinet as it would’ve made more sense.

Specs and Special Features

One really cool area of the 1942 X RepliCade is on its back screen. Here, you can swap between 1942 and the additionally included 1943. Both games are the original ROMs that you’d find in the cabinets back in the day from ROMSTAR/Capcom, and are officially licensed by Capcom.

Besides that, you can adjust things like the marquee lighting level, backlight, scan lines, starting lives, and so on. It’s pretty cool to have and I really like the aspect of feeling like an arcade god when it came to being able to dictate what’s given to me.

Going into a game of either title recreates actually playing at an arcade as you have to click the front rocker to add credits in order to actually play. It’s pretty easy to become acquainted with the machine’s buttons as there aren’t too many actions and plenty of instruction throughout.

Gameplay

As far as gameplay goes, it’s a double-ended sword, at least in my case. The control panel on the cabinet isn’t exactly in top shape but still gets the job done at the end of the day. The games themselves play very well and the screens are pretty responsive.

The one thing I found weird about booting this thing up though is that it isn’t very prompt. It takes over 10 seconds just for it to show any sign of life once you push the power button. I’m not sure why it takes that long, especially without any kind of signal that it’s actually working either.

Sure, there’s a red light that ignites on the backside, but who wants to turn it around to make sure it’s working? The light doesn’t even come on immediately either.

The best way to play this cabinet is by using the include external mini arcade stick. The buttons are more responsive, bigger, and it’s a pretty comfortable controller in its design. I would’ve liked to see it integrated a bit better as you have to toggle P1/P2 switch in order to use it as a single player.

Allowing it to be used for single-player use natively would be an easier experience off the bat and just more user-friendly. You are able to use the machine in conjunction with the mini arcade stick or any supported controller as well to play with another player. The screen is small so huddling in or attaching it to an HDTV are your ways to play.

Like most things with the cabinet, HDTV connectivity is hit or miss. While it’s extremely easy to just plug into the machine’s HDMI port in the back and hook it up to your TV’s port, the signal moves in and out.

By that I mean, the signal can drop altogether for a moment or two. I also had issues with pixilated lines happening often. Not sure if the components used for the HDMI port are just cheap or what. I’d still say that plugging into a TV is definitely worth trying in multiplayer sessions.

What It Could Have Done Better

I think that the 1942 X RepliCade suffers from not only material quality issues but quality assurance issues as well. Some of the problems I’ve discussed are design choices while some are just faulty parts altogether. I’m actually pretty let down as this is a really cool cabinet, just in its appearance alone.

Verdict

New Wave continues to produce some extremely beautiful-looking mini cabinets that would make any collector’s jaw drop. Unfortunately, at least in the case of the 1942 X RepliCade, there are many issues that need to be addressed. $149.99 is a lot to ask when about half of the machine works poorly or not as intended. It’s really going to be your choice as to whether the pros outweigh the cons.