Pac-Man Quarter Scale Arcade Cabinet review
An a-maze-ing mini arcade cab that’ll drive you dotty
If you’re going to twang your nostalgia glands, you may as well go for the most famous game character of all. This cab gives you an authentic take on a 1980s classic, but at 25% of the original’s size.
The iconic yellow cab’s design remains fully intact; and when you’re immersed in dot-munching, ghost-avoiding antics, your senses and fingers are catered for with a crisp 5in display, a surprisingly decent 3W speaker and a dinky, clicky, responsive four-way joystick.
There’s also a teeny take on a coin mechanism at the front, and a nod to more modern tech round the back with a microUSB port for charging – or running the cab using mains power if you’ve waka-waka-waka’d all day and drained the battery.
Is it any good?
From the opening jingle to the game itself – which somehow stands the test of time – this unit is a delight. It hits a sweet spot in terms of size and playability, with the joystick being big enough for solid gaming sessions.
Old hands will be delighted with the fine details such as the cabinet’s coin-slot door and the small but readable instructions surrounding the screen. That display nicely shows off all those retro visuals, but at a size that avoids the pixels feeling like daggers poking into your eyeballs.
One gripe: the top light bleeds through the speaker grilles and can reflect off the screen. Otherwise, this is retro-gaming perfection. It’s limited to 10,000 units, though, so don’t dawdle.
Random observations
Pac light: This desktop cab not only has the original Pac-Man artwork, but also the cab’s unique shape. It really is the original in miniature.
Pac to basics: As on the original, the joystick is locked to four compass directions, so you can’t speed around corners on diagonals.
Double Pac: If you prefer Pac-Man’s better half, the Ms. Pac-Man cab is equally fab. Fancy shooty larks instead? Try the Quarter Arcades Galaga.
Stuff Says…
An addictively tasty mix of superb authentic design and a timeless game
Good Stuff
Authentic cab shape
Big enough for comfortable play
Still a great game
Bad Stuff
No settings
Backlight sometimes reflects off screen
Craig Grannell
Contributor 
