What I liked about it
Full-size controls in a compact design
I own plenty of miniature arcade machines, but while they’re cute and fully functional, they often end up as desk toys I keep on display rather than something I actually play with often. As novel as it is to see a faithful version of “Pac-Man” or “Galaga” running on a tiny plastic box, trying to play these games with a tiny nub of a joystick gets old pretty fast.
The Joystick Player solves this problem by, well, just giving you a proper joystick. The “Pac-Man” version’s big red balltop stick looks a lot like the one you’d see on a legit arcade machine, and while it’s a little more stiff than the one on my Arcade1Up ‘Ms. Pac-Man’ countercade, it still allowed me to mostly play at my best (i.e., getting through the first few levels comfortably before dying often). It’s certainly more fun than playing on My Arcade’s more limited Micro and Nano Players, and at about 7.6 inches long, it takes up a heck of a lot less space than your typical countertop machine.
These arcade-accurate controls are complemented by some nice design touches that’ll make any nostalgic gamer smile, from the cabinet art inspired by the original machines to the light-up red LEDs at the bottom that mimic the coin doors where you’d drop your hard-earned quarters. The brightness and volume controls, 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C port are all located on the back, keeping the front of the mini-arcade looking nice and clean.
The Joystick Player series currently comes in five variations: “Pac-Man,” “Ms. Pac-Man,” “Space Invaders,” “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Galaga.” The “Galaga” player is a bit of an outlier, as it replaces the traditional joystick and fire button with a throttle-like stick that features a trigger for firing. I haven’t tried this model myself, but it seems like a neat alternate way to play this classic rather than something true to the original. Also, “Sonic the Hedgehog” is primarily a console game, so your mileage may vary on how much you want to play it on a joystick. But for the three other titles in question, the Joystick Player is a f
Authentic arcade software
If Dad is a stickler for authenticity, he’ll be pleased to know that these Joystick Players feature faithful reproductions of these games that are ripped straight out of the arcade. That’s a huge improvement over some of My Arcade’s older products, which sometimes featured horizontal displays and the console versions of games like “Ms. Pac-Man” and “Galaga” that never felt quite as good as the originals. But the Joystick Player versions of “Space Invaders,” “Galaga,” “Pac-Man” and “Ms. Pac-Man” are much more true to what Pops likely played back in the ’80s, with big, bright vertical screens and the same snappy versions of these titles that still fill arcades today.
Each mini arcade machine also offers some variety when it comes to software. The “Pac-Man” and “Ms. Pac-Man” models feature both standard and high-speed modes; I prefer the more challenging pace of the latter, but it’s nice to have the option. The “Galaga” machine packs both “Galaga” and “Galaxian”; “Space Invaders” gets you “Space Invaders,” “Space Invaders Part II” and “Lunar Rescue”; and the Sonic one packs the first and second games in the series. That’s not too bad for a bunch of arcade toys that cost $60 a pop.
What I didn’t like about it
The design is a mixed bag
While the Joystick Players design is pretty ingenious when it comes to actual playability, those seeking a true one-to-one replica of these iconic arcade machines might want to look elsewhere. The combination of a tiny arcade cabinet and huge joystick may put off purists who want to display these things as much as they want to play them, especially if we’re talking the “Galaga” model. My Arcade’s Nano Players are cheaper and look a little more authentic when it comes to sheer scale, though as I mentioned above, they’re not nearly as enjoyable to actually play. Numskull’s Quarter Arcade series offers highly detailed, one-to-one miniature recreations of iconic games like “Space Invaders” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but they also cost upwards of hundreds of dollars more. Just keep in mind that you get what you pay for.antastic way to enjoy these games in their original quarter-munching glory.
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