Video games and beer – together at last! Actually, a visit to just about any college dorm or rec room will show you that video games and beer can regularly be found together, but now they’re available from the same machine. It’s called the Gamerator, and it combines a classic 80s-style video arcade machine with a mini fridge capable of holding a pony keg of beer and a five-pound aluminum CO2 tank. Bring on the blue ghosts!
Although the Gamerator may externally resemble a machine of days gone by, inside it’s more up to date. A refurbished desktop PC has over 85 licensed arcade games on its hard drive, which it outputs to a 26-inch flatscreen TV. It also comes with a free one-year subscription to GameTap, which gives users online access to over 1,000 more games. If a potential buyer would prefer a dedicated gaming platform instead of the PC, that can be arranged.
Like an arcade machine, games are controlled via dual joysticks, various buttons, and a trackball (not pictured). Its console also sports two cup holders, which quite frankly sounds like an expensive accident waiting to happen.
Gamerators are built to order, and cost US$3,499. Because they weigh 400 lbs. (181.4 kg.), shipping costs are high – approximately $500 within the continental U.S. Keep in mind, though, you could probably make some of that back if you install a coin slot in your machine. Does $1.25 a game sound about right?