Behold, My Mini Arcade Machine Collection And Obsession

I first discovered New Wave Toys and this entire collecting industry in October 2020, which is when I bought my first cabinet: “Street Fighter II: Champion Edition.” The company began with “Centipede” in 2018, which was followed by “Tempest,” “Street Fighter II,” “Dragon’s Lair,” “Asteroids,” “1942 & 1943,” “Q-Bert,” “Missile Command,” “Food Fight,” “Space Ace,” “Ghosts ‘n Goblins & Ghouls ‘n Ghosts,” “Berserk & Frenzy,” “Golden Tee,” and a working “Zoltar” machine that spits out actual fortune tickets.

New Wave Toys also makes USB hubs in the form of cigarette machines, (which also come in the form of an Art-o-Matic if you’re averse to the former.) There’s also a Coke machine, which can keep a tiny can cool, two versions of coin machines, small boom boxes, and more. It also has a ton of products in development, including “Crystal Castles,” a “Skee-Ball” machine, and a “Black Hole” pinball machine, which isn’t playable, but features an “attract mode” that simulates gameplay.

Jonathan H. Kantor

One of the things I like best about New Wave Toys’ products is the attention to detail put into everything they make. You can often buy different versions of the same cabinet, including one with cigarette burns, gum stickers, and stains from use, adding a bit of authenticity to your home mini arcade. 

The most recent release, as of writing, is “Golden Tee,” (pictured above, center) which comes with an optional mini DMD (dot matrix display) topper, just like it’d have in an real arcade setting. There are additional arcade sticks and controllers you can buy if you want to play your games on a TV, so there are tons of great options.