I am a cook with over 10 years of kitchen management experience. Pizza is my specialty with over 15 years pizza experience. I currently live In Michigan and I am not sure what your kitchen staff is like but, this is a dream job for me. Been a big fan for many years and I am excited for you. Opening an arcade is very exciting. Many arcades fail but, with your experience and love of gaming I know it will succeed.
@@MrKaiserX Where in MI? I also live in MI and thought of opening a Arcade and the closed down family video store is so perfect for a arcade and the price keeps dropping im so tempted! A lot of love and ways to get people to participate to keep it running its what's needed! Im also a fan of the Black light and glow carpet from the past!
He needs to hire you! The arcade looks great but he didnt inspire confidence the way he spread that cheese! He seems too laidback to run an arcade kitchen, I think he NEEDS a real cook to act as chef EMAIL HIM
Probably better to paint similar florescent patterns on a hard floor and then seal the floor with transparent resin. Similar effect, but with a hard surface that's easier to clean than wacky carpet.
My wife and I just visited this arcade on our way back to San Marcos from Wichita Falls. It did not disappoint! So many great classic titles. I especially loved the games on the back wall row of 80s computers.
Wow the amount of work thats gone into that is mind blowing but those plumbers that dug out that concrete and dirt through the night are hero's and should get a special mention, good luck with the new venture Dave :D
I was kind of astonished when we first moved to AZ that most every home had a solid slab foundation. They are quasi-illegal (not really, but you have to add a bunch more reinforcement which makes them less economically viable than pier/boundary types more common) in California where we were from, mostly for earthquake code reasons. But when we decided to remodel our master bath, the contractor had no problem jack-hammering up the concrete and shifting sewage lines around - it was completely normal to him; routine even.
@@MrJest2 friend of mine got bilked into buying a house up in rural canada that turned out to have a solid slab foundation. not only was it shifting in the mud, but there was mold due to the.. something.. something. but she's doin fine now.
Seriously, I’ve always been astounded at how much good tradesmen/contractors can get done in a short time span. You blink and everything is patched up again. One of the backbones (to stretch the metaphor) of society that deserve more respect (and pay.)
@@bluewizardnet I love it when people talk about how they enjoyed the Arcade! Nothing like it! Great memories and connections from going to the arcade!
Restrooms are so much work. Taking out concrete to move plumbing, installing fixtures, it is crazy. Then when they are all done.... It is just a restroom.
yea but you need them. First because they serve food and second to keep people from leaving. Growing up Super Markets and stores like Kmart didn't have them.
Fun Fact: Most Arcades in Time Rift Arcade are in Freeplay mode. At least, for some who don’t have Freeplay mode it was modded with a button of a Coin Insert. Cheers to the team of Time Rift Arcade who done it possible! 🎉
Considering something like that. Partially because it is the easiest way to get around regulatory bodies with their minds in the 1950s. Really curious how they are going to argue gambling if it isn't even pay to play but instead an entry fee.
I got news for you, I used to run arcades. Free play buttons are stupid easy. Even easier are replacing circuit boards with modern equivalents that add free play options. That's the only way anyone should run an old game in a location. Otherwise, drill a hole, run wires. I used to do this in people homes on arcade games. Best part is with the right switches it's a no solder job
@@fgregerfeaxcwfeffeceit was a common belief that pinball required no skill. You hit the ball, it was all chance. It didn't help they and bingo machines were operated like gambling machines by bar owners. But they solved that in court; they put a player in a court room and after he announced every shot he was making....that was enough to change their status. Also, not requiring payment would have eliminated any of those concerns. If you don't put money in it, it's not gambling. Here's your next secret, the single ticket payout. Ever lose a redemption game and get a consolation ticket? That's the CYA ticket. You can't claim it's gambling if you give them something. Old slot machines dispensed gum for a nickel....or a $2 jackpot with gum. The gum...made it legally a vending machine with a potential bonus giveaway.
You are amazing! To face all of those obstacles and persist to the goal. Most people would've quit when facing the bureacracy. But the physical challenges you faced -- all the way to that glue on the floor -- show how tenacious you are. Absolutely amazing to see all the work that went into the arcade. Thanks for sharing. It's truly amazing to see someone take on a task and do it with full integrity ( you pulled all that wire out of the ceiling when everyone else left it). Great story.
One thing you can do is for the website is make sure that you add a list of games that are currently in stock and available to play and possibly a request list for ones that you have but don't currently have out on display for playing because you're not sure if people will want that one or not. That would save a lot of time
Yep, especially if they were to rotate games in and out of storage on a monthly or seasonal/quarterly basis, and/or borrow certain games for certain amounts of time (e.g. for location tests)!
That bar top is AMAZING!!! Seeing the plumber dig under the slab 30ft like that AND were able to repair the pipe is amazing. I hope you tipped them really well lol. I loved this entire video. I'm 47 years old. I grew up in Reno, NV and i miss traditional arcades. Anything labeled an "Arcade" now, is filled with midway games for tickets and several large sit down racing games. That's it. Maybe a few stand-up arcade games here and there. These place are now insanely expensive and i can't see why people even go to them. $2.25 is the MINIMUM amount of "credit" worth to play one of these midway games. We went from $.25-$.50 to $2.25minimum!! 16 years ago, i built two arcade cabinets. The first, i used an old empty cabinet and put a PC running M.A.M.E and some odd front end software. It worked and it was cool, but i decided to build one from scratch. I use an updated PC to handle Killer Instinct 2 (among the other 90 games i loaded it with), a 32" CRT tv, full sound and subwoofer, 2 player 6-button, Trackball for Golden Tee, and a 8-button panel for M.A.M.E settings, a pull out drawer with keyboard and mouse to access windows if anything didn't boot. Full top Marque graphics and lighting, but no side cabinet graphics. I loaded it with every arcade rom i could find. Went through and setup each one and then deleted many that were just not very fun. I kept it for 2 years and played it so much. Especially the old Track and Field game. My brother (8year older then me) and i played this for 6 hours on the first day i had it up and running, not even completely put together lol. I do miss it, but have no space for something that big, so i've been looking at building a desktop version that would have all the same controls and house all the pc hardware in it and only need to be connected to a tv. Someday i'll get started on it. If i didn't live in california, i would totally come and patron your arcade sir! Great job at bringing back something many of us miss and something kids these days NEVER got to experience.
@@MegaDeox If you lie in print, it's libel. If you lie out loud, its slander. Both are examples of Defamation, which is the argument that whatever content was spoken/written was so bad that it literally "costs" you something. It could be losing a job to a rumor, it could be emotional turmoil from dealing with the defamation. However, you should know that ALL defamation cases, written or spoken, are defensible if the content in question is TRUE. Hence, Billy Mitchell has no lawsuit. He was found to be a cheater in a court of law. That is now fact. He can go kick rocks - that is, if he doesn't just doctor a picture of a rock and say he kicked it ;)
I'm not even familiar with the 8 bit guy, but I've been watching a lot of arcade videos lately, and this came up. I was hoping he'd give a ballpark of the cost, but nevertheless, I hope things go well for all invested there. Looks like they really did it right!
What an amazing project. I love the Tetris blocks. Little touches like that are very nice. Now I have a reason to visit Bedford. You and the crew have done an amazing job. Best of luck in your venture.
I had a similar thought. I was thinking of just all the greasy and grimy fingers after eating rubbing all over everything and it being a harder surface to just wipe down like with a smooth finished arcade top. Also people whose natural oils tend to tarnish old/beige plastics.
@@JadoShiRS Yep, I would have disinfectant wipe dispensers, so people can keep their hands clean (thereby keeping the machines clean). Older crowd will no doubt be much more respectful.
Awesome. There's nothing like sharing your passion with the public at large. Huge respect to those plumbers, and everyone else who worked on the place.
Been watching you for years! This arcade is literally just down the road from me. I'll definitely stop by. That donut shop by you is one of the best in the area.
I was pulling CAT3 in 1996/97. Why? Telephone line in a call center. And they were WAY cheaper than the plenum coated CAT5 cables we were pulling at the same time for the computers. So while CAT3 wasn't used for _computer_data_, it was used for voice until the late 90s.
@@kbhasi The PBX we were setting up was analog with very low data throughput requirements. At the time we were doing those jobs, the cost of the cat 3 wire was *much* cheaper than the cat 5e wire that we were using for data, and the company I was working for (relatively small engineering firm) had no plans to ditch the analog PBX for an IP based system in the foreseeable future.
This is awesome! If I wasn't 1000+ miles away I'd come visit the arcade in a heartbeat! I really appreciate sharing the successes and the hardships the arcade had in opening. Setting up a business for success isn't as easy as just opening up one day and expecting the money to flow in. There is an incredible amount of work that needs to be done before opening day to get things off on the right foot!
@@smiththers2 You are possibly not too far from "Funspot" in Laconia New Hampshire, which is a pretty big arcade. Decent selection of games too, though from the one time I was there a disappointing number of them were in some disrepair.
Sounds like you and your brother and Mike knocked it out of the ballpark with the opening. Arcades are an excellent place to introduce the younger generation to the classics of gaming that we grew up with; I have fond memories of the old Neo-Geo 6-slot in the coin laundry that I’d go to growing up, and the idea of some lucky kid with a few quarters walking up and learning to play some Metal Slug 2 & 3 in the Time Rift makes me smile. Good luck with any future cabinet restorations as well as your other endeavors!
YES!! Been looking forward to this for a while. DFW area is about 3 hours from where I am, so my next trip to the NVGM will include a visit to Time Rift Arcade. Best of luck to you guys on this, the place looks great and I hope it continues to be successful =)
The strobe light and the horn was probably an old "Zunk Alarm" from the fitness center. They set those off when people drop weights or do other things that break policy.
this guy is a genius: first he built a fan community on youtube of millions of people, then he opened up an arcade a business that is literally dying but thanks to the community he built that store will see a lot of customers on a daily basis. very smart approach to a dying hobby .
this was a dumb move sorry lol. arcades are dead. you aint gonna make enough money quarters at a time. he may eek out a little bit of profit on nostalgia, youtube recognition, being the only one of it's kind, etc. but yeah. this is like retro game stores, it's just a bad business (but those actually work, because there are quite a few, but still a tough business) look at his footage, hardly anybody was even at the opening. i wish him the best but, yeah. its just tough who wants to play these old games, when every game is on ps5, series x on 75" hdr tv at home. ipad. netflix, so many options. same reason movie theatres are dying. not too mention all the Chinese retro handhelds, i just got one on aliexpress for 40 bucks. heck you can even buy an arcade1up for home. speaking of, if i was him i'd try that, add some arcade 1up's it would be cheap.
@@cryengine_x I don’t think the allure of an arcade in the modern day is the availability of games but rather as a venue for social gatherings. Cidercade here in Houston would be an example of that model succeeding.
My concern is the longevity of this kind of entertainment - I see these pop up and close down frequently, across the planet (Ones I've visited in the last decade in Russia, France, Poland, most are closed now)
@@joalex79 Usually it's StepMania X or In The Groove these days since you can get them as modern systems. DDR Machines require a lot of maintenance. You've got a controller designed to be jumped on by 200-300 pound people all day it's intense. I've got some metal home dance pads and it is nowhere near a set it and forget it machine. I've noticed many places have just 1 of these machines, and there's more specialty rhythm dance machines these days.
Love how you preserved all the renovation footage. Few suggestions that might be helpful going forward: For the Apple II/Oregon Trail disk swap issue, maybe look into something like a CFFA3000 card? Would solve the disk swap problem and let you keep that classic everyone wants to play. The multi-carts on the consoles are perfect too - gives people way more options without losing the original hardware feel. Those vintage computers deserve some history placards too, people clearly love learning about them! On the maintenance side, might be worth setting up a preventive schedule to catch issues before they become problems (like that plumbing issue). The LED retrofit project seems really smart, that kind of documentation could help other arcade owners. Seeing how popular the vintage computer section is, you could probably do some amazing educational workshops or events around retro computing. The tech room looks perfect for repair workshops too. Speaking of repairs, filming some of that work would make fantastic content for both channels. Your rare machines like that Billy Mitchell Donkey Kong have such interesting histories, those stories would make great features. That multi-player Pac-Man looks awesome hope people are making good use of it! Really love seeing your attention to detail on all this stuff. Also love the idea of letting visitors suggest games they'd want to see added. A "Game of the Week" spotlight could be fun too. You've got those ceiling power drops on special breakers which is great, but with 62 fixtures and constant machine cycling, might be worth setting up a power monitoring system with alerts. This is something that would help catch if any circuit's getting close to limit before it trips, especially during busy times. Could even help identify machines that are starting to draw more power than they should (often an early warning sign). Maybe worth building a dedicated degaussing station in the tech room? Since you mentioned having to degauss lots of machines after they sat in storage, would save having to move the degausser around. Could mount it on a movable arm for different sized cabinets. Some strategically placed air purifiers could really help keep dust off the machines, especially near the ventilation spots. Would reduce cleaning time and help protect the electronics. Also, you mentioned needing to cover all roles - might be worth creating detailed machine troubleshooting guides for other staff members. Basic stuff they could handle while you're not there, like simple resets. Could save you some trips for minor issues. But man, you've built something really special here. It's obvious how much care and thought went into every detail, from the Tetris wall art to the custom menu systems. The way you're preserving gaming history while making it accessible to new generations is exactly what the arcade scene needs. Really excited to see how Time Rift evolves! Keep up the amazing work on both the arcade and RUclips fronts, they complement each other perfectly.
The arcade I used to go to as a kid, Starship Fantasy. Was set up much like the bridge of the USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701. You walked into the arcade via a long tunnel much like the Turbo Lift. The Center pit was filled with cocktail arcade games. around the perimeter of the pit before the upper ring rail Starship Fantasy had stand up arcade games. When you stepped up into the upper ring along the rail were placed more sit-down arcade games with people sitting back to back. Opposite the rail in the upper ring you found more stand up arcade games placed like the workstations on the ENERPRISE. The Bridge is round. So in the deeper odd corners of the room you would find the larger Sit inside type of games. This was a late 70's to early 80's arcade. So you would not have banks of those sit inside games, and you would not have pinball machines either. The place ran on tokens, you could find the token machine just past the inside of the entrance tunnels as well as in the odd corners of the room. The corners sections were accessed via a walkway between the machines into those corners. Two rooms were reserved for the crew/operator area for the employees. No mater where you stood it felt like you were inside a space ship. Ceiling was 12' plus and blacked out with large movie prop type space ships hanging from it, all the walls were black other than the rails. The place was dark and lit with black lights and other effect lighting. Just name off those early games between 1978 to around 1985, Playing 80s rock and pop mixed with the arcade sounds from those early games. The place was amazing. I thought all arcades were like this. Come to found out most other arcades if not all arcades were just games crammed into a box store in a strip mall. I had no idea growing up that all arcades were not themed. Starship Fantasy was so close, I could walk across the street from my house and see it. Starship Fantasy. was a 5 minute walk from my front door.
Whitehall Mall in Whitehall, PA had Space port arcade a generic space station themed arcade that was eventually taken over by Namco who closed it it's now a comic book shop.
Re the strobe light and siren: Did that used to be a Planet Fitness? At one time they were famous for an alarm that would go off if people made too much noise. It was part of their effort to make beginners more comfortable by getting the "lunks" (advanced workout-ers) to stop grunting or yelling during their sets. I don't know if it's chain-wide, but at least a few of them seem to have gotten rid of theirs in recent years.
Come to think of it, that might be possible! I did a Google Maps Street View search and found that the lot was vacant as far back as 2007 (around the time Street View launched), so if there was a Planet Fitness location there, I'm imagining it probably closed in 2005 or thereabouts. Edit: I think the gym would've closed some time between 2018 and 2020, as Street View images showed the space having a large room with a desk window thing prior to then, which may or may not have been part of the gym.
This is so.. wierd. You just ask people screaming their a**es out to stuff it. If I was in one of those I'd do my best to set off the alarm every time :D
Hey, I'm so hyped and hope I can come to the arcade at some point! I used to watch your content with my dad all the time (He and I are big on retro PC history and games, and we found your content together). He sadly passed away beginning of last year but the video pop up on my feed was definitely a warm memory. Keep doing what you do!
This is absolutely incredible. I hope to be able to take my wife with me one day and either fly or drive to your arcade to check it out, play the old games and have the honour to meet you. Massive fan of your work. Congratulations for the opening.
This is a brilliant channel we need more of these places in the UK what i wouldnt give to spend a few days in this brilliant retro arcade . Its a dream awesome love it . ❤
I love the collaboration between your brother and Mike. They make for some very entertaining videos. Been binging on Mike's videos for about 3 weeks now. I loved the Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet the 2 Mike's made from scratch. It was amazing. I really do hope that this arcade works out for you and everyone else who is involved. Thank you Dave. Amazing video as always.
I remember the old cocktail machines. They're perfect if you only had space for once machine. Saw one at the barbershop at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa in the 1980s as a kid. I often saw them in old Pizza Huts. They're great for the one space machine.
Great looking arcade David. In 2017 I designed the infrastructure and built the computers for a Virtual Reality arcade. Five full motion chairs, four VR “rooms” and a multiplayer arena. Thirty TV’s, audio system and a video wall. I can appreciate all the hard work you and your crew had to do. Best of luck with your venture.
Everything looks awesome! You should make some tokens for us old collectors! Even if the machines don't need them they are a rite of passage and would let us help support your business. Most of all keep making videos!
There may not me anyone making tokens anymore. All the arcades went away from tokens years ago. Most of the places retooled to making challenge coins. Not to mention tokens weren't cheap. It was far cheaper for me to take real quarters....it cost me more than a quarter to physically get that token in to my location. It was why I hated people walking out with my tokens. You paid 25 cents for that token that cost me 30. It's why we all went to cards to hold value.
@@dewdude It's kind of interesting you say that because I hated it when an arcade took tokens rather than quarters. Sometimes I would choose not to spend all my allotted money in the arcade and with quarters you could walk away with some of it. With tokens though I felt obligated to use them all. Often I wouldn't get as many tokens so I may have spent a bit more when quarters were used.
Clearly an enormous amount of blood, sweat, and tears went into this arcade, congratulations on getting it done and opened! If I ever get down to Dallas, this is at the top of my list to visit - Jonathan
I saw another video where they put a QR code on each game so that if something is broken you can scan it on your phone and report it to their game techs. That seems like a GREAT idea to manage the games that are down. Otherwise, this is an amazing and well produced video and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. That 30' tunnel is crazy to fix the plumbing. I'm building my own "arcade" myself (12x24' shed) for my pinball and arcade machines for my Airbnb customers to enjoy during their stay. This vas very inspiring and great job!!!!
Ironic the place that burned down had tables with “TNT” on them. Really great video very inspirational! Also side note, a video game bar I love to visit in Las Vegas had locked their multi carts in their retro systems but somehow someone still stole the NES one. Which sucks because they didn’t replace it and now it just plays Mario Bros and Duck Hunt. Sucks you have to think about security for people that ruin it for everyone else.
We went there this past weekend. It was a lot of fun. My 10 year old now wants a Commodore 64. We got there right when it opened so no parking issues. I can see it being an issue later in the day especially since the restaurant a few doors down is popular. I plan on getting the monthly pass for November.
I have been watching your videos on and off for years. Great Job with opening an arcade! Preserving history and giving people a place to see each other in the real world. Love your work keep it up Mr. 8-Bit.
Same as the guy above...I've been watching your channel for years...seeing you start your own arcade business is literally the dream of many of us nerds... I hope to visit this place one day...the greatest thing of your concept is to be able to play with old computers or consoles...that sounds amazing!
I saw someone else do a video on this and I'm blown away. You told me about it when I visited you a couple of years ago but I had no idea how awesome this is. Next time I'm in the area, I'm 100% going! Congrats!
I had no idea this was going on, and i'm really happy you did this. I remember growing up, I had a small arcade near my home. I spent a lot of time there playing great games, making good friends, and most importantly memories. When the place finally closed down I was devastated. Seeing arcades now is a rarity here in California. There were a few attempts at arcade chains both big and small doing general admission models like you are, but after the pandemic they along with the few surviving mom and pop shops almost all vanished. So seeing you take all your knowledge and pouring it into (1/3rd of) an arcade of your own warms the heart.
Your videos are becoming a rare treat, I hope you'll be movitated to do more consistantly. BTW what was the reason to go with a bare concrete floor instead of an industrial carpet? I would think an arcade would produce a substantial amount of noise, so a carpet would help with that. Is it because you are serving food and anticipate spills? Was it a cost cutting measure?
There are still suppliers who have the cool “movie theater carpet” available, with all kinds of cool shapes and fluorescent colors. I agree that it would look really good in there. That said, they probably opted out since they serve food/drinks and don’t want to deal with the associated messes (movie theater carpet can get nasty). So I don’t blame them there. Would have looked awesome, though.
Way to gooo, Congratulations! I'm also Glad that you got to put Your Own Game "Attack of the PETSCII Robots" into your arcade! That's pretty dang cool that you have an onsite repair room for your cabinets too. I don't know if this helps, but there's a product called Stabilant 22 that helps to prevent corrosion and maintains electrical contact for power connectors and socketed chips. You know how you pull out a chip and it sounds and feels 'crunchy' while you extract it? This stuff completely does away with that, since it has a light oil in it to protect the tinned pins and parts from tarnish, and it also contains a conductive polymer to ensure a good electrical connection. It's good for Molex connectors and socketed chips, but Not good for foil flat ribbon cables since it will delaminate the contacts at the ends of the cable. A bottle seems very expensive, but a little goes a long way. I remember repairing a PacMan cocktail cabinet for a friend of mine about three decades ago, it powered up to a white grid. I tested the power supply and it checked good, then cleaned and reseated all connections and socketed chips, and got it to boot to a very glitchy display. I did some research and tracked it back to possible bad memory chips, so I sourced and made my purchase, and then replaced those old chips. Sure as anything, that system went through POST and booted to PacMan without any issues. Success! The repair experience Totally satisfied my inner geek. So naturally I played with the dip switch settings to give myself as many lives as possible, then I played the heck out of PacMan until he came back to pick up his cabinet. But to have your own arcade And an arcade game restoration and repair depot? You, my friend, are living the dream. Stay awesome!
Congratulations to all involved, I loved watching the video of the arcade coming together, so much work goes into starting a business it's great to see it come to life. Wish you nothing but the best and will stop by if ever in Texas!!!
@@kontrarien5721 Countered by the ones that would have clamored 'What about the restrooms?' if he *hadn't* shown them. Restrooms are mandatory in a place that serves food and drink, anyway.
Well done guys, and really love the bar top that you made looks great. Really hope it take off well. i live in the uk by the East coast and the arcades bring back very happy holiday times and would love to have a retro acrade there to. Again well done to all involved and best of luck to you all. From me and my dog Max 🙂
i swear, there's so much good stuff in texas, all it needs is to be A) closer together and B) in a significantly better climate. can't we just move stuff around? where the hell are the teleporters..
I really enjoyed my recent visit. Didn’t spend as much time the first go around but will definitely be back to spend more time. Very clean facility and extremely well cared for machines! Nice job
I recently went to the Free Play in Denton with my 9 year old. It was so cool watching her run around and enjoy all the games, just like I did when I was her age. I'm so appreciative of you and people like you who work to restore and maintain that piece of our childhood. If I'm ever down in Bedford I'll make sure to stop by.
Pretty much, these things weren't so popular in my country (Hungary) and if there was few these was available around the late 80's early 90' and the last ones in 2000's. I never visited any of these arcades because when I was youngster we had no money or interest for this and my parents had sinclair, atari and early pc. When I grow up these already were dead in most places and replaced by casinos and other kind of entertainment. Still nice to see there are will to start arcades.
@@TonyPombo Traditional arcades running coin-op arcade cabinets have largely died out in America with prize game arcades like Dave and Busters taking their place. But there is a small but growing interest in "Retro Arcades" where you restore old coin=op arcade cabinets and then allow people to play all the arcade games on "free-to-play" mode, for a flat all-day admission fee per person, just as David and partners are doing with the Time Rift Arcade. Could this concept take off in the Europe too? I don't know about mainland Europe but I do at least two instances of retro arcade opening up in the UK (or about to open shortly). What's dead when it comes to arcades is the old put in a quarter (or two or three or four or whatever) and play a single game arcades. Much like how amusement/theme parks with a pay-per-ride policies died off largely in favor a "pay one admission, ride all you want that day" policies.
This is really impressive, I love how David (and co) just get stuff done with a minimum of fuss, showing that any daunting task is achievable. Inspirational.
It's not. It's obviously a hobby project. In a couple of years when it gets old pouring money into a bunch of constantly broken arcade machines it will close and the machines sold off or sent to landfill. The 8 bit games generation is aging out and in5-10 years nobody will care any more.
@@Heike-- Well, arcades have been gone a long time already. Clearly, there's a bit of resurgence going on, but the "retro" trend is likely going to pass fairy soon. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean arcades can't thrive, it's just that no big money is spent on making arcade games/machines. New hardware would be more reliable, I reckon, but you can't run an arcade without fun, new games. There seems to be something of a stagnation going on in game development in general. It's not easy to predict what the new trends will be like. Despite missing fun places like arcades, I too am doubtful it's going to come back and be a lasting thing.
As for Oregon Trail, you might want to look into one of two options 1. Like Multi-disk games for Playstation, there's people who just make a disc that has all the data in one giant file. So you might be able to make a super flip-free disc you just can hit enter for 2. They sell little electronic handheld ones at Target for $25 or so. I know Ben Heck did a really great teardown of modifying the rom on that. You might consider if you can modify that or pull the rom file from that, or even build a cabinet out of the guts of one of those.
They might be able to program a Pi Pico or another microcontroller to emulate a floppy drive and have a button to change the disk image for the game. If lots of people are keen on playing the Oregon Trail they could set up a smaller rev, like the Apple IIC, in its own area to stop the computer section from getting swamped.
some of the old dos game programs require the hardware bit to flip indicating the disk change, so it doesnt matter if you merge all the files together.
This is amazing. I remember arcades fondly and ones around me don't really hit the mark for what I'm looking for. Hopefully someday I can visit your arcade!
The competitor arcade across town "Mysteriously" burnt down.
KEKW
David knows, how to do business. ;D
David Soprano
mandoline music playing for no reason
The one was told by a mysterious guy you can do retrobright with gasoline too?
I am a cook with over 10 years of kitchen management experience. Pizza is my specialty with over 15 years pizza experience. I currently live In Michigan and I am not sure what your kitchen staff is like but, this is a dream job for me.
Been a big fan for many years and I am excited for you. Opening an arcade is very exciting. Many arcades fail but, with your experience and love of gaming I know it will succeed.
hire this dude
@@MrKaiserX oh man u gotta email him
@@Ugi000 nae danger, let's just hire a guy based on a random youtube comment.
@@MrKaiserX Where in MI? I also live in MI and thought of opening a Arcade and the closed down family video store is so perfect for a arcade and the price keeps dropping im so tempted! A lot of love and ways to get people to participate to keep it running its what's needed! Im also a fan of the Black light and glow carpet from the past!
He needs to hire you! The arcade looks great but he didnt inspire confidence the way he spread that cheese!
He seems too laidback to run an arcade kitchen, I think he NEEDS a real cook to act as chef
EMAIL HIM
your landlord ought to thank you- seems like you're starting off by getting this place into way better shape than it started in
If their like any others as soon as the lease is up for renewal they'll jack the price to make it unprofitable.
@@Lines-In-The-Sand1 landlords are scum. They won't be grateful at all and will actually think they are entitled to that the whole time
@@locoguy420 I mean, they are landlords. They are entitled to it.
Wow, those plumbers did absolutely phenomenal work!
We need to know if the plumbers were Italian.
@@hackerx7329Mama mia they sure were-a tallyin' a massive bill, I guarantee you that.
They worked all night around the pesky turtles and mushrooms under the bathroom.
their Bill was probably extra large too ! along with the AC units !!
@@orbitalair2103 Probably was told the princess was in another castle..
Aw, no wacky carpet? Still looks awesome. I'll have to visit if I'm in the area.
whacky carpet means whacky stains and grime. they're great for one month LOL
Those arcade carpets (heavy duty use) are expensive as. trust me, i've tried to buy a glow in the dark for my cinema room. motherload of cash required
Probably better to paint similar florescent patterns on a hard floor and then seal the floor with transparent resin. Similar effect, but with a hard surface that's easier to clean than wacky carpet.
@@ZeroGravityShisha Damn the price. It's not an arcade without the carpet!
@@ZeroGravityShisha Finding some clearance carpet tiles for ~77 cents/foot online, even a few that are mildly colorful...
My wife and I just visited this arcade on our way back to San Marcos from Wichita Falls. It did not disappoint! So many great classic titles. I especially loved the games on the back wall row of 80s computers.
Wow the amount of work thats gone into that is mind blowing but those plumbers that dug out that concrete and dirt through the night are hero's and should get a special mention, good luck with the new venture Dave :D
definitely
I was kind of astonished when we first moved to AZ that most every home had a solid slab foundation. They are quasi-illegal (not really, but you have to add a bunch more reinforcement which makes them less economically viable than pier/boundary types more common) in California where we were from, mostly for earthquake code reasons. But when we decided to remodel our master bath, the contractor had no problem jack-hammering up the concrete and shifting sewage lines around - it was completely normal to him; routine even.
@@MrJest2 friend of mine got bilked into buying a house up in rural canada that turned out to have a solid slab foundation. not only was it shifting in the mud, but there was mold due to the.. something.. something. but she's doin fine now.
I do hope this arcade is a big hit in DFW. Places like this need to exist.
Seriously, I’ve always been astounded at how much good tradesmen/contractors can get done in a short time span. You blink and everything is patched up again. One of the backbones (to stretch the metaphor) of society that deserve more respect (and pay.)
Damn.
Ive been watching 8BitGuy for many years now and seeing him open an arcade warms my heart. Cant wait to see what else is in store! 🎉
I can't wait for the regret seeping in episode.
@@2def2nv wtf are you talking about??
If it's anything like the arcades in my day, the dealers added to the inventory quite a bit. Perhaps 2³ Guy could take a cut? ;)
@@tartgreenappleI can’t wait for more videos about how happy he is about this venture.
It's kind of like an obvious next step...
I loved the Arcade! Was able to drop in last weekend while out visiting a friend in Dallas. We had a great time! Highly recommend.
@@bluewizardnet I love it when people talk about how they enjoyed the Arcade! Nothing like it! Great memories and connections from going to the arcade!
Restrooms are so much work. Taking out concrete to move plumbing, installing fixtures, it is crazy. Then when they are all done.... It is just a restroom.
yea but you need them. First because they serve food and second to keep people from leaving. Growing up Super Markets and stores like Kmart didn't have them.
@@chartle1 That's why people would partake in the old tradition of taking a dump in a corner. Or was it only in Florida?
Agreed we should go back to latrines. The constant threat from Cholera would do us all some good thinning the herd.
@@faenethlorhalien In San Fransisco you just use the sidewalk.
It's the most backend-heavy but frontend-bare room ever. The kitchen is frontend-heavy too.
Fun Fact: Most Arcades in Time Rift Arcade are in Freeplay mode. At least, for some who don’t have Freeplay mode it was modded with a button of a Coin Insert. Cheers to the team of Time Rift Arcade who done it possible! 🎉
Considering something like that. Partially because it is the easiest way to get around regulatory bodies with their minds in the 1950s.
Really curious how they are going to argue gambling if it isn't even pay to play but instead an entry fee.
I got news for you, I used to run arcades. Free play buttons are stupid easy. Even easier are replacing circuit boards with modern equivalents that add free play options. That's the only way anyone should run an old game in a location.
Otherwise, drill a hole, run wires. I used to do this in people homes on arcade games. Best part is with the right switches it's a no solder job
@@fgregerfeaxcwfeffeceit was a common belief that pinball required no skill. You hit the ball, it was all chance. It didn't help they and bingo machines were operated like gambling machines by bar owners. But they solved that in court; they put a player in a court room and after he announced every shot he was making....that was enough to change their status.
Also, not requiring payment would have eliminated any of those concerns. If you don't put money in it, it's not gambling.
Here's your next secret, the single ticket payout. Ever lose a redemption game and get a consolation ticket? That's the CYA ticket. You can't claim it's gambling if you give them something. Old slot machines dispensed gum for a nickel....or a $2 jackpot with gum. The gum...made it legally a vending machine with a potential bonus giveaway.
They did the same thing at the Retrodome in UK
That every arcade now. You pay at the door.
You are amazing! To face all of those obstacles and persist to the goal. Most people would've quit when facing the bureacracy. But the physical challenges you faced -- all the way to that glue on the floor -- show how tenacious you are. Absolutely amazing to see all the work that went into the arcade. Thanks for sharing. It's truly amazing to see someone take on a task and do it with full integrity ( you pulled all that wire out of the ceiling when everyone else left it). Great story.
the billy mitchell Kong cabinet is a true collectors item lol
They should wire in a button that let's you switch to a raspberry pi running a MAME emulated DK
The videos on that debacle are legendary!
Fascinating story too. Anyone interested should watch the movie: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007).
I didn't notice if it had the correct joystick or not.
@@smilaise Joystick was black, rather than red. Oh, my!
ruclips.net/video/9umbsmrFk08/видео.html
I was cleaning windows in Arlington, TX and saw you walking by and said hi and you said hi back!
cat3 OMG!!!!
run for your life!!!!
Ghost town encounters
You guys are AWESOME. More than possible that many movies scenes (involving the 1980's) will be filmed at your video game place.
I wish there was more arcades still functioning that are not just mobile phone ticket games, Congrats on this awesome place!
I’m so glad on the Twin Cities we have Can-Can Wonderland!
One thing you can do is for the website is make sure that you add a list of games that are currently in stock and available to play and possibly a request list for ones that you have but don't currently have out on display for playing because you're not sure if people will want that one or not. That would save a lot of time
In addition to that, maybe even rotating some machines every once in a while (if they don't already plan on doing that)
@@the_washingmachine1295 most places do that because if you have 50 games and a few goes down
zenius-i-vanisher would be a great place to do that since they have a list of nearly every arcade in the world along with what games they have
Yep, especially if they were to rotate games in and out of storage on a monthly or seasonal/quarterly basis, and/or borrow certain games for certain amounts of time (e.g. for location tests)!
@@kbhasi would also give another reason to come repeatedly to try all the different games
That bar top is AMAZING!!! Seeing the plumber dig under the slab 30ft like that AND were able to repair the pipe is amazing. I hope you tipped them really well lol.
I loved this entire video. I'm 47 years old. I grew up in Reno, NV and i miss traditional arcades. Anything labeled an "Arcade" now, is filled with midway games for tickets and several large sit down racing games. That's it. Maybe a few stand-up arcade games here and there. These place are now insanely expensive and i can't see why people even go to them. $2.25 is the MINIMUM amount of "credit" worth to play one of these midway games. We went from $.25-$.50 to $2.25minimum!!
16 years ago, i built two arcade cabinets. The first, i used an old empty cabinet and put a PC running M.A.M.E and some odd front end software. It worked and it was cool, but i decided to build one from scratch. I use an updated PC to handle Killer Instinct 2 (among the other 90 games i loaded it with), a 32" CRT tv, full sound and subwoofer, 2 player 6-button, Trackball for Golden Tee, and a 8-button panel for M.A.M.E settings, a pull out drawer with keyboard and mouse to access windows if anything didn't boot. Full top Marque graphics and lighting, but no side cabinet graphics. I loaded it with every arcade rom i could find. Went through and setup each one and then deleted many that were just not very fun.
I kept it for 2 years and played it so much. Especially the old Track and Field game. My brother (8year older then me) and i played this for 6 hours on the first day i had it up and running, not even completely put together lol.
I do miss it, but have no space for something that big, so i've been looking at building a desktop version that would have all the same controls and house all the pc hardware in it and only need to be connected to a tv. Someday i'll get started on it.
If i didn't live in california, i would totally come and patron your arcade sir! Great job at bringing back something many of us miss and something kids these days NEVER got to experience.
17:50 You should put a plaque or something on the pole beside the Donkey Kong machine talking about its history, haha.
Someone call Karl Jobst to come out and visit.
Nah man, Silly Bitchell will sue them
If they filled in those gaps the restroom door company CEO wouldn't be able to afford his second yacht!
@@bobafettjr85 Ack! You beat me to it!
@@MegaDeox
If you lie in print, it's libel.
If you lie out loud, its slander.
Both are examples of Defamation, which is the argument that whatever content was spoken/written was so bad that it literally "costs" you something. It could be losing a job to a rumor, it could be emotional turmoil from dealing with the defamation.
However, you should know that ALL defamation cases, written or spoken, are defensible if the content in question is TRUE.
Hence, Billy Mitchell has no lawsuit. He was found to be a cheater in a court of law. That is now fact. He can go kick rocks - that is, if he doesn't just doctor a picture of a rock and say he kicked it ;)
You need to check the roof where that tarp were. Look like makeshift protection from minor leaks
I think they fixed all those leaks though. He mentioned the landlords had to repair water damage before they could start construction.
yeah i was thinking the same thing, figured if they hadn't fixed the roof they would have noticed by now.
@@Zenkai76 The landlord fixed the roof before we took posession.
@@TimeRiftArcade figured as much, plenty of time to notice that big leak lol
Yeah, was gonna say that's not a promising sign.
Now that's a top-shelf arcade !! wow! In-house repair and restoration is the crown jewel. Very cool.
I freaking love these construction videos. Just taking an old rundown building, breaking it down, and building it back up is so cool!!!
He can retrobright a building too
I was losing my mind seeing all those old cables in the ceiling, so glad he ripped all that out lol
I'm not even familiar with the 8 bit guy, but I've been watching a lot of arcade videos lately, and this came up. I was hoping he'd give a ballpark of the cost, but nevertheless, I hope things go well for all invested there. Looks like they really did it right!
I LOVE how you decided to take out all the old network cabling and junk. Not many people do that. Great Job!
I really wish more people would do that. The ones that don't will end up on Reddit in the Tech Support Gore pages!
What an amazing project. I love the Tetris blocks. Little touches like that are very nice. Now I have a reason to visit Bedford. You and the crew have done an amazing job. Best of luck in your venture.
you gotta get those thin plastic keyboard covers for the vintage pc keyboards. Youre one coke spill from disaster
The things you don't think about until the coke has hit the fan.
I had a similar thought. I was thinking of just all the greasy and grimy fingers after eating rubbing all over everything and it being a harder surface to just wipe down like with a smooth finished arcade top. Also people whose natural oils tend to tarnish old/beige plastics.
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 @@bcj842
@@JadoShiRS Yep, I would have disinfectant wipe dispensers, so people can keep their hands clean (thereby keeping the machines clean). Older crowd will no doubt be much more respectful.
This is one the most wonderful thing I've seen in my live. I hope to visit Time Rift Arcade all the way from Brazil someday. Congratulations ❤❤❤❤
omg it's eddie from aperta start
It is amazing seeing you here, Ed.
@@Bafo117 ❤
@@marcsm2008 This channel is amazing.
You brought back memories from the 80s. Wish you all the best in your business. Saying hello from Jamaica 🇯🇲 🇺🇸
👍🏴
Awesome. There's nothing like sharing your passion with the public at large. Huge respect to those plumbers, and everyone else who worked on the place.
Been watching you for years! This arcade is literally just down the road from me. I'll definitely stop by. That donut shop by you is one of the best in the area.
Major props for keeping the games mostly original! Those CRT monitors and true controls make all the difference.
I was pulling CAT3 in 1996/97. Why? Telephone line in a call center. And they were WAY cheaper than the plenum coated CAT5 cables we were pulling at the same time for the computers. So while CAT3 wasn't used for _computer_data_, it was used for voice until the late 90s.
I worked on a couple projects in about 2009 and 2010 where we pulled cat 3 for voice (and cat 5e for data) throughout a few offices.
@@kbhasi The PBX we were setting up was analog with very low data throughput requirements. At the time we were doing those jobs, the cost of the cat 3 wire was *much* cheaper than the cat 5e wire that we were using for data, and the company I was working for (relatively small engineering firm) had no plans to ditch the analog PBX for an IP based system in the foreseeable future.
@@kbhasi Nope, it was bought new. I was a contractor 9n a new construction.
Ive never seen blue cat3 before
This is awesome! If I wasn't 1000+ miles away I'd come visit the arcade in a heartbeat!
I really appreciate sharing the successes and the hardships the arcade had in opening. Setting up a business for success isn't as easy as just opening up one day and expecting the money to flow in. There is an incredible amount of work that needs to be done before opening day to get things off on the right foot!
I wish I was closer too, living in Maine everything else is just so far away lol
@@smiththers2 You are possibly not too far from "Funspot" in Laconia New Hampshire, which is a pretty big arcade. Decent selection of games too, though from the one time I was there a disappointing number of them were in some disrepair.
Me too from Spain !
Sounds like you and your brother and Mike knocked it out of the ballpark with the opening. Arcades are an excellent place to introduce the younger generation to the classics of gaming that we grew up with; I have fond memories of the old Neo-Geo 6-slot in the coin laundry that I’d go to growing up, and the idea of some lucky kid with a few quarters walking up and learning to play some Metal Slug 2 & 3 in the Time Rift makes me smile. Good luck with any future cabinet restorations as well as your other endeavors!
YES!! Been looking forward to this for a while. DFW area is about 3 hours from where I am, so my next trip to the NVGM will include a visit to Time Rift Arcade. Best of luck to you guys on this, the place looks great and I hope it continues to be successful =)
Wow!!! I wish we had something like this in my area. Nostalgia is really kicking in. Congratulations!!
The strobe light and the horn was probably an old "Zunk Alarm" from the fitness center. They set those off when people drop weights or do other things that break policy.
"Oh! Don't breath that in..." [Proceeds to pour corrosive materials into hand.]
@@brune02 I might never get dust everywhere!
Also pulling out all that insulation without a mask...
@@MrTBoneSF And his brother sanding the bar top without a mask
@@justinjacobson7495 Stop being such a wuss. Need a diaper to work more than 1 hour straight?
From the blender guy. He used to say that.
this guy is a genius: first he built a fan community on youtube of millions of people, then he opened up an arcade a business that is literally dying but thanks to the community he built that store will see a lot of customers on a daily basis. very smart approach to a dying hobby .
He also made a few games of his own in between those things and people bought them.
this was a dumb move sorry lol. arcades are dead. you aint gonna make enough money quarters at a time. he may eek out a little bit of profit on nostalgia, youtube recognition, being the only one of it's kind, etc. but yeah. this is like retro game stores, it's just a bad business (but those actually work, because there are quite a few, but still a tough business)
look at his footage, hardly anybody was even at the opening. i wish him the best but, yeah. its just tough who wants to play these old games, when every game is on ps5, series x on 75" hdr tv at home. ipad. netflix, so many options. same reason movie theatres are dying. not too mention all the Chinese retro handhelds, i just got one on aliexpress for 40 bucks. heck you can even buy an arcade1up for home. speaking of, if i was him i'd try that, add some arcade 1up's it would be cheap.
@@cryengine_x "Quarters at a time" It's a flat fee for a pass, said right on the sign they showed.
@@CKSeams i wish him well, clearly he let his heart win over his pocketbook. but my guess is within a yr or two it closes.
@@cryengine_x I don’t think the allure of an arcade in the modern day is the availability of games but rather as a venue for social gatherings. Cidercade here in Houston would be an example of that model succeeding.
nice to see people still want to open arcades in 2024. needs a DDR or stepmaniaX/ITG2 cabinet though haha
My concern is the longevity of this kind of entertainment - I see these pop up and close down frequently, across the planet (Ones I've visited in the last decade in Russia, France, Poland, most are closed now)
@@joalex79 Now that they saw your comment, hopefully they'll add one DDR machine at least.
hell yeah maybe 1/2 beatmania/ SDVX/ Maimai/ Chunitm/ PumpItUp
@@PutlerHuyIo lmao
@@joalex79 Usually it's StepMania X or In The Groove these days since you can get them as modern systems.
DDR Machines require a lot of maintenance. You've got a controller designed to be jumped on by 200-300 pound people all day it's intense. I've got some metal home dance pads and it is nowhere near a set it and forget it machine.
I've noticed many places have just 1 of these machines, and there's more specialty rhythm dance machines these days.
Looks like a certain plumber made you seek out a 3rd party Dig-Dug right before opening...
Mario?
Love how you preserved all the renovation footage. Few suggestions that might be helpful going forward: For the Apple II/Oregon Trail disk swap issue, maybe look into something like a CFFA3000 card? Would solve the disk swap problem and let you keep that classic everyone wants to play. The multi-carts on the consoles are perfect too - gives people way more options without losing the original hardware feel.
Those vintage computers deserve some history placards too, people clearly love learning about them! On the maintenance side, might be worth setting up a preventive schedule to catch issues before they become problems (like that plumbing issue). The LED retrofit project seems really smart, that kind of documentation could help other arcade owners. Seeing how popular the vintage computer section is, you could probably do some amazing educational workshops or events around retro computing. The tech room looks perfect for repair workshops too. Speaking of repairs, filming some of that work would make fantastic content for both channels. Your rare machines like that Billy Mitchell Donkey Kong have such interesting histories, those stories would make great features. That multi-player Pac-Man looks awesome hope people are making good use of it! Really love seeing your attention to detail on all this stuff. Also love the idea of letting visitors suggest games they'd want to see added. A "Game of the Week" spotlight could be fun too.
You've got those ceiling power drops on special breakers which is great, but with 62 fixtures and constant machine cycling, might be worth setting up a power monitoring system with alerts. This is something that would help catch if any circuit's getting close to limit before it trips, especially during busy times. Could even help identify machines that are starting to draw more power than they should (often an early warning sign). Maybe worth building a dedicated degaussing station in the tech room? Since you mentioned having to degauss lots of machines after they sat in storage, would save having to move the degausser around. Could mount it on a movable arm for different sized cabinets. Some strategically placed air purifiers could really help keep dust off the machines, especially near the ventilation spots. Would reduce cleaning time and help protect the electronics. Also, you mentioned needing to cover all roles - might be worth creating detailed machine troubleshooting guides for other staff members. Basic stuff they could handle while you're not there, like simple resets. Could save you some trips for minor issues.
But man, you've built something really special here. It's obvious how much care and thought went into every detail, from the Tetris wall art to the custom menu systems. The way you're preserving gaming history while making it accessible to new generations is exactly what the arcade scene needs. Really excited to see how Time Rift evolves! Keep up the amazing work on both the arcade and RUclips fronts, they complement each other perfectly.
That light and siren might have been the "Lunk Alarm" if it was a Planet Fitness before.
@@Tahngarthor haha immediately thought if it had been a Planet Fitness
LOL!!!!! Definitely a place to stay away from.
The arcade I used to go to as a kid, Starship Fantasy. Was set up much like the bridge of the USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701. You walked into the arcade via a long tunnel much like the Turbo Lift. The Center pit was filled with cocktail arcade games. around the perimeter of the pit before the upper ring rail Starship Fantasy had stand up arcade games. When you stepped up into the upper ring along the rail were placed more sit-down arcade games with people sitting back to back. Opposite the rail in the upper ring you found more stand up arcade games placed like the workstations on the ENERPRISE. The Bridge is round. So in the deeper odd corners of the room you would find the larger Sit inside type of games. This was a late 70's to early 80's arcade. So you would not have banks of those sit inside games, and you would not have pinball machines either. The place ran on tokens, you could find the token machine just past the inside of the entrance tunnels as well as in the odd corners of the room. The corners sections were accessed via a walkway between the machines into those corners. Two rooms were reserved for the crew/operator area for the employees. No mater where you stood it felt like you were inside a space ship. Ceiling was 12' plus and blacked out with large movie prop type space ships hanging from it, all the walls were black other than the rails. The place was dark and lit with black lights and other effect lighting. Just name off those early games between 1978 to around 1985, Playing 80s rock and pop mixed with the arcade sounds from those early games. The place was amazing. I thought all arcades were like this. Come to found out most other arcades if not all arcades were just games crammed into a box store in a strip mall. I had no idea growing up that all arcades were not themed. Starship Fantasy was so close, I could walk across the street from my house and see it. Starship Fantasy. was a 5 minute walk from my front door.
Whitehall Mall in Whitehall, PA had Space port arcade a generic space station themed arcade that was eventually taken over by Namco who closed it it's now a comic book shop.
Arcades were great in the 80's. Great Job and finished product!👍🏻🇺🇲
Re the strobe light and siren: Did that used to be a Planet Fitness? At one time they were famous for an alarm that would go off if people made too much noise. It was part of their effort to make beginners more comfortable by getting the "lunks" (advanced workout-ers) to stop grunting or yelling during their sets. I don't know if it's chain-wide, but at least a few of them seem to have gotten rid of theirs in recent years.
Come to think of it, that might be possible! I did a Google Maps Street View search and found that the lot was vacant as far back as 2007 (around the time Street View launched), so if there was a Planet Fitness location there, I'm imagining it probably closed in 2005 or thereabouts.
Edit: I think the gym would've closed some time between 2018 and 2020, as Street View images showed the space having a large room with a desk window thing prior to then, which may or may not have been part of the gym.
This is so.. wierd. You just ask people screaming their a**es out to stuff it.
If I was in one of those I'd do my best to set off the alarm every time :D
Reminds me of the one time the lunk alarm on a PF was set off by a literal pen dropping.
oh yeah nothing makes beginners more comfortable than a siren.
Congrats David, Mike and staff - Arcade looks awesome!
Hey, I'm so hyped and hope I can come to the arcade at some point! I used to watch your content with my dad all the time (He and I are big on retro PC history and games, and we found your content together). He sadly passed away beginning of last year but the video pop up on my feed was definitely a warm memory. Keep doing what you do!
This is absolutely incredible. I hope to be able to take my wife with me one day and either fly or drive to your arcade to check it out, play the old games and have the honour to meet you. Massive fan of your work. Congratulations for the opening.
Congratulations! Looks amazing - didn’t expect the vintage computer/console area, that really sets your arcade apart.
This is a brilliant channel we need more of these places in the UK what i wouldnt give to spend a few days in this brilliant retro arcade . Its a dream awesome love it . ❤
I love the collaboration between your brother and Mike. They make for some very entertaining videos. Been binging on Mike's videos for about 3 weeks now. I loved the Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet the 2 Mike's made from scratch. It was amazing. I really do hope that this arcade works out for you and everyone else who is involved. Thank you Dave. Amazing video as always.
I miss The Geek Pub videos. Mike has more of a "maker" bent than his brother, and builds tons of his own stuff from scratch.
I remember the old cocktail machines. They're perfect if you only had space for once machine. Saw one at the barbershop at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa in the 1980s as a kid. I often saw them in old Pizza Huts. They're great for the one space machine.
With the failure of so many food chains, even the food items being served could be designed specifically to be retro
Great looking arcade David. In 2017 I designed the infrastructure and built the computers for a Virtual Reality arcade. Five full motion chairs, four VR “rooms” and a multiplayer arena. Thirty TV’s, audio system and a video wall. I can appreciate all the hard work you and your crew had to do. Best of luck with your venture.
0:39 Love that the film you have playing in the background is Pixels.
Everything looks awesome! You should make some tokens for us old collectors! Even if the machines don't need them they are a rite of passage and would let us help support your business. Most of all keep making videos!
There may not me anyone making tokens anymore. All the arcades went away from tokens years ago. Most of the places retooled to making challenge coins.
Not to mention tokens weren't cheap. It was far cheaper for me to take real quarters....it cost me more than a quarter to physically get that token in to my location. It was why I hated people walking out with my tokens. You paid 25 cents for that token that cost me 30.
It's why we all went to cards to hold value.
I thought I heard him say that they thought about making a custom token for the Time Rift Arcade just for giggles. I could be wrong.
@@dewdude It's kind of interesting you say that because I hated it when an arcade took tokens rather than quarters. Sometimes I would choose not to spend all my allotted money in the arcade and with quarters you could walk away with some of it. With tokens though I felt obligated to use them all. Often I wouldn't get as many tokens so I may have spent a bit more when quarters were used.
Funspot in NH still has their own custom tokens minted, and all of the machines still accept them and not quarters :)
That's so cool! *Congratulations* (it's awesome that you're doing something you're so passionate about.).
Clearly an enormous amount of blood, sweat, and tears went into this arcade, congratulations on getting it done and opened!
If I ever get down to Dallas, this is at the top of my list to visit
- Jonathan
Amazing David. How you visualise a project and how it finishes is a joy to watch.
I saw another video where they put a QR code on each game so that if something is broken you can scan it on your phone and report it to their game techs. That seems like a GREAT idea to manage the games that are down. Otherwise, this is an amazing and well produced video and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. That 30' tunnel is crazy to fix the plumbing. I'm building my own "arcade" myself (12x24' shed) for my pinball and arcade machines for my Airbnb customers to enjoy during their stay. This vas very inspiring and great job!!!!
Ironic the place that burned down had tables with “TNT” on them.
Really great video very inspirational!
Also side note, a video game bar I love to visit in Las Vegas had locked their multi carts in their retro systems but somehow someone still stole the NES one. Which sucks because they didn’t replace it and now it just plays Mario Bros and Duck Hunt. Sucks you have to think about security for people that ruin it for everyone else.
We went there this past weekend. It was a lot of fun. My 10 year old now wants a Commodore 64. We got there right when it opened so no parking issues. I can see it being an issue later in the day especially since the restaurant a few doors down is popular. I plan on getting the monthly pass for November.
I have been watching your videos on and off for years. Great Job with opening an arcade! Preserving history and giving people a place to see each other in the real world. Love your work keep it up Mr. 8-Bit.
Same as the guy above...I've been watching your channel for years...seeing you start your own arcade business is literally the dream of many of us nerds... I hope to visit this place one day...the greatest thing of your concept is to be able to play with old computers or consoles...that sounds amazing!
I saw someone else do a video on this and I'm blown away. You told me about it when I visited you a couple of years ago but I had no idea how awesome this is. Next time I'm in the area, I'm 100% going! Congrats!
@@TravisMCP Travis good seeing you here! Used to watch you years ago. Take care.
@@Anoalekontrieger Hey! Thanks!
I’m rooting for you! I love the vibes of your arcade, and only wish I lived in the area.
God Bless, brother.
Checked the games list and you have Mortal Kombat II, which is required for any arcade to legally call itself and arcade, so good job!
I miss arcades, I grew up in the 70s and 80s. Looks great and good luck!
I had no idea this was going on, and i'm really happy you did this. I remember growing up, I had a small arcade near my home. I spent a lot of time there playing great games, making good friends, and most importantly memories. When the place finally closed down I was devastated. Seeing arcades now is a rarity here in California. There were a few attempts at arcade chains both big and small doing general admission models like you are, but after the pandemic they along with the few surviving mom and pop shops almost all vanished. So seeing you take all your knowledge and pouring it into (1/3rd of) an arcade of your own warms the heart.
$12 for unlimited play? Man, thank God you aren't here, I'd never leave
@@TheTrulyInsane Man you can’t go anywhere here in Jersey for an experience like that that’s amazing
@TheTrulyInsane yeah pretty respectable. The one near me is £10 all day play and the food and drink isn't too bad.
Your videos are becoming a rare treat, I hope you'll be movitated to do more consistantly.
BTW what was the reason to go with a bare concrete floor instead of an industrial carpet? I would think an arcade would produce a substantial amount of noise, so a carpet would help with that. Is it because you are serving food and anticipate spills? Was it a cost cutting measure?
Originally he was releasing video every 2 week. What a treat 😔
I was curious about the floor too.
There are still suppliers who have the cool “movie theater carpet” available, with all kinds of cool shapes and fluorescent colors. I agree that it would look really good in there. That said, they probably opted out since they serve food/drinks and don’t want to deal with the associated messes (movie theater carpet can get nasty). So I don’t blame them there. Would have looked awesome, though.
Way to gooo, Congratulations! I'm also Glad that you got to put Your Own Game "Attack of the PETSCII Robots" into your arcade! That's pretty dang cool that you have an onsite repair room for your cabinets too.
I don't know if this helps, but there's a product called Stabilant 22 that helps to prevent corrosion and maintains electrical contact for power connectors and socketed chips. You know how you pull out a chip and it sounds and feels 'crunchy' while you extract it? This stuff completely does away with that, since it has a light oil in it to protect the tinned pins and parts from tarnish, and it also contains a conductive polymer to ensure a good electrical connection. It's good for Molex connectors and socketed chips, but Not good for foil flat ribbon cables since it will delaminate the contacts at the ends of the cable. A bottle seems very expensive, but a little goes a long way.
I remember repairing a PacMan cocktail cabinet for a friend of mine about three decades ago, it powered up to a white grid. I tested the power supply and it checked good, then cleaned and reseated all connections and socketed chips, and got it to boot to a very glitchy display. I did some research and tracked it back to possible bad memory chips, so I sourced and made my purchase, and then replaced those old chips. Sure as anything, that system went through POST and booted to PacMan without any issues. Success! The repair experience Totally satisfied my inner geek. So naturally I played with the dip switch settings to give myself as many lives as possible, then I played the heck out of PacMan until he came back to pick up his cabinet.
But to have your own arcade And an arcade game restoration and repair depot? You, my friend, are living the dream. Stay awesome!
Wow... What a place 👍 All the best to you and your team(s) Per, Denmark 🇩🇰
15:40 it would be a SICK reference if you added a stickman doing parkour on the tetris blocks because of a old but legendary animation: Tetris'd.
Congratulations to all involved, I loved watching the video of the arcade coming together, so much work goes into starting a business it's great to see it come to life. Wish you nothing but the best and will stop by if ever in Texas!!!
Sadly, it's 20 hrs from me. I watched all of your arcade restorations. Greetings from Europe.
13:29 That vinyl epoxy bar looks awesome!
Well, when time permits, we will drop in for some fun arcade time! Really happy for y’all!
" I know it sounds weird to show restrooms..." It's actually pretty common for just about any kind of facilities review
Yeah, but you always have to head of those weirdos who are gonna flame up the comments with "OMG why would you show us restrooms?"
@@kontrarien5721 Countered by the ones that would have clamored 'What about the restrooms?' if he *hadn't* shown them. Restrooms are mandatory in a place that serves food and drink, anyway.
LOL I can anticipate that your audience will be picky about the bathrooms. I'm glad you put close attention to that section.
This audience is picky about everything! When he built his studio building there were so many comments about the drywall texture of all things.
Congratulations! Looks like the place would be a blast to visit!! Best of luck!!
14:22 - degaussing with that PacMan sound effect is awfully fitting!
12:50 -- Epoxy resin fumes are toxic, gents. Just FYI. Can mess up your lungs real bad.
they are well ventilated enough to suffer through that but the construction guys @7:11 are insane.
Another safety nanny. Epoxy is safe to use in homes in ventilated areas, which this is clearly.
Well done guys, and really love the bar top that you made looks great. Really hope it take off well. i live in the uk by the East coast and the arcades bring back very happy holiday times and would love to have a retro acrade there to. Again well done to all involved and best of luck to you all. From me and my dog Max 🙂
Would you look at that... 1.44M subscribers!
Grats on the Arcade and I hope I can go one day with my son to enjoy the place. Wish it wasn't so far.
@@PhazerSC That number is a little floppy.
i swear, there's so much good stuff in texas, all it needs is to be A) closer together and B) in a significantly better climate. can't we just move stuff around? where the hell are the teleporters..
@@analogmoz You beat me to it! It's exactly as many bytes as subscribers :)
That's great. Please come and buy the famous Fun & Games arcade in Framingham, Massachusetts and restore it to its former glory!
I really enjoyed my recent visit. Didn’t spend as much time the first go around but will definitely be back to spend more time. Very clean facility and extremely well cared for machines! Nice job
If you need more games, my early 80s collection of 30 video arcade games are for sale.
4:15 8 bit muscles
😂😂😂
Be honest, every nerd felt seen after watching that.
looooool
That is awesome! Congratulations!
The bar came out great. The Tetris idea was excellent. Great job!
Seriously, this content brightened my mood!
I/WE wish them ALL the Success.
Anxiously awaiting the YTP video. There's some gold in here.
Aggressive Degaussing
I recently went to the Free Play in Denton with my 9 year old. It was so cool watching her run around and enjoy all the games, just like I did when I was her age. I'm so appreciative of you and people like you who work to restore and maintain that piece of our childhood.
If I'm ever down in Bedford I'll make sure to stop by.
Damn, I wish there was a place like this in my city...
Unfortunately Arcades are pretty much dead in Europe.
Pretty much, these things weren't so popular in my country (Hungary) and if there was few these was available around the late 80's early 90' and the last ones in 2000's. I never visited any of these arcades because when I was youngster we had no money or interest for this and my parents had sinclair, atari and early pc. When I grow up these already were dead in most places and replaced by casinos and other kind of entertainment.
Still nice to see there are will to start arcades.
I have one in a neighboring city, but it’s really expensive to play. It’s pretty much maxxed out for cash making :/
I'm in Kansas and the closest ones are corporatized ones in the mall and a Dave & Busters xD Both of which are at least 3 hours away.
Arcades are pretty much dead in America too. The home consoles killed them in the 1990s.
@@TonyPombo Traditional arcades running coin-op arcade cabinets have largely died out in America with prize game arcades like Dave and Busters taking their place. But there is a small but growing interest in "Retro Arcades" where you restore old coin=op arcade cabinets and then allow people to play all the arcade games on "free-to-play" mode, for a flat all-day admission fee per person, just as David and partners are doing with the Time Rift Arcade. Could this concept take off in the Europe too? I don't know about mainland Europe but I do at least two instances of retro arcade opening up in the UK (or about to open shortly). What's dead when it comes to arcades is the old put in a quarter (or two or three or four or whatever) and play a single game arcades. Much like how amusement/theme parks with a pay-per-ride policies died off largely in favor a "pay one admission, ride all you want that day" policies.
Maybe some real-time, worldwide Webcam with ppl from inside the arcade would be fun! Greetings from Brazil!
Brazilians assemble! Happy to see I'm not alone here :D
I wouldn't be to keen about that😅
Yup.. maybe some recorded livestreams from within would be cool for the time rift arcade channel from events and stuff
Glad to see some fellow brazilians here! Just like @ceejayszee, I`m glad to see we are not alone!
fala rapaziadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
This is really impressive, I love how David (and co) just get stuff done with a minimum of fuss, showing that any daunting task is achievable. Inspirational.
Well, that seemed like a huge effort. Let's hope the place is economically sustainable.
It's not. It's obviously a hobby project. In a couple of years when it gets old pouring money into a bunch of constantly broken arcade machines it will close and the machines sold off or sent to landfill. The 8 bit games generation is aging out and in5-10 years nobody will care any more.
@@Heike-- Well, arcades have been gone a long time already. Clearly, there's a bit of resurgence going on, but the "retro" trend is likely going to pass fairy soon. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean arcades can't thrive, it's just that no big money is spent on making arcade games/machines. New hardware would be more reliable, I reckon, but you can't run an arcade without fun, new games. There seems to be something of a stagnation going on in game development in general. It's not easy to predict what the new trends will be like. Despite missing fun places like arcades, I too am doubtful it's going to come back and be a lasting thing.
As for Oregon Trail, you might want to look into one of two options
1. Like Multi-disk games for Playstation, there's people who just make a disc that has all the data in one giant file. So you might be able to make a super flip-free disc you just can hit enter for
2. They sell little electronic handheld ones at Target for $25 or so. I know Ben Heck did a really great teardown of modifying the rom on that. You might consider if you can modify that or pull the rom file from that, or even build a cabinet out of the guts of one of those.
They might be able to program a Pi Pico or another microcontroller to emulate a floppy drive and have a button to change the disk image for the game. If lots of people are keen on playing the Oregon Trail they could set up a smaller rev, like the Apple IIC, in its own area to stop the computer section from getting swamped.
some of the old dos game programs require the hardware bit to flip indicating the disk change, so it doesnt matter if you merge all the files together.
This is amazing. I remember arcades fondly and ones around me don't really hit the mark for what I'm looking for. Hopefully someday I can visit your arcade!
Every kids dream is to open their own arcade. You sir are living that dream!
Being denied to a mall because it would bring too many people in is atrocious
He actually said it would hold up parking spots