Xbox 360 gets Home-like arcade room for a price
The highly rumored arcade game room for the Xbox 360 has been confirmed recently at CES. Surprisingly Microsoft has revealed just about everything there is to know about this spiffy little feature.
It never ceases to amaze me how rumors started by surveys actually turn out to be true. Microsoft is indeed releasing a feature called the “Game Room†for the PC and Xbox 360. The Xbox Game Room can be downloaded for free, but there is a price to play games.
Eerily similar to the PS3 Home’s arcade rooms, the Xbox 360 version of this concept will also allow you to roam around the Game Room controlling your funky avatar. However, unlike the PS3’s Home arcades, the games must be purchased à la carte.
According to a leaked Microsoft price list from CES, gamers can pay $5 to buy a single retro arcade game to play on both the Xbox 360 and PC; $3 will get you the game for a single platform or gamers can pay 50 cents (two quarters) per game play session. Yes, Microsoft wants you to actually pay each and every time you play one of these arcade games to relive the nostalgic feeling of being in the arcades popping in quarters.
I can’t say I am all that excited to pay $5 or $3 to play an almost 30 year old game like Pac-Man or Galaga. However, for the die hard retro geek gamers who only own an Xbox 360, this may be nirvana. Expect at least 30 retro arcade games available this spring on XBL.
Check out the comparison pics/video of the Xbox Game Room and the PS3 arcade rooms below.
Xbox Game Room:
PS3 Home Arcade and Namco game space:
Related Posts:
80 Responses to “Xbox 360 gets Home-like arcade room for a price”
Leave a Reply:
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!
January 8th, 2010
Guys, I will post some HD pictures of the Xbox Game Room once Microsoft drops the assets onto their Press FTP. Pictures should give you some idea how it will look like.
January 8th, 2010
I don’t know if this is only with the Australian version of Home, but I went to the bowling alley and there were only 2 arcade games there. A ‘Blockout’ clone, and some silly one with people falling through holes and stuff.
Where are the others located?
January 8th, 2010
Howdy Harry,
Sounds like an Aussie discrepancy. The US home has about 5 to 10 arcade cabinets in the bowling ally. I think there are around 10+ cabinets in Namco game space and there are some cabinets spread out in different 20 some game spaces.
Can’t remember them all. in Uncharted space there is an 8-bit side scroller arcade cabinet of Uncharted and there are some interactive games in the EA complex. I’m probably missing them all. The new Sodium space has a cool vehicle game as well.
January 8th, 2010
Hi Mike,
Sweet, thanks. I’ll download the Namco space next time I am in there.
January 8th, 2010
I went to the EA space last night and played that racing game. heh
January 8th, 2010
Harry check out this link – Playstation Forum Home
I believe it lists out all the prizes/achievements that can be unlocked via the games within Home.It may give you some idea where these games are.
That racing game in EA sports complex is a bit meh.. love the Texas Hold’em with the fake money.
January 8th, 2010
Cool! I noticed I had a few extra things to wear when I visited the EA space.
January 8th, 2010
Can’t wait to see CAD’s response to this and how this is a blatant ripoff of something Sony did that is a rip off of something Microsoft did.
Having got that off my chest ain’t no way I’m paying for it.
January 8th, 2010
What a shock …. money hungry MS getting people to pay through the nose for features that are free elsewhere. I certainly won’t be paying for it.
The sad thing is, people out there will …lol
January 8th, 2010
Hmm… I’m sure I remember the Xbots ranting on about the shitness and pointlessness of Playstation Home and now Microsoft have it now lol.
I know some of the Botters will say ‘It’s not Home, it’s Game Room, totally different!’ But it’s Home… only dearer, by alot! lol.
January 8th, 2010
Rhino
With all the ripping off Sony has done so far it’s only fair. Frankly it’s about time as every update on a PS3 brings it closer to being a 360. It’s a shame that there are not many things to rip back from Sony as they have pretty much copied about everything the 360 does.
January 8th, 2010
“What a shock …. money hungry MS getting people to pay through the nose for features that are free elsewhere. I certainly won’t be paying for it.
The sad thing is, people out there will …lol”
Right Spidy
As if Sony does not charge for items in Home. Micro-transactions ring a bell. Come on Spidy you know you bought a couch to put in your PS3 Home or some cross dressing wears to tease the boys in Home. LOL
January 8th, 2010
“I know some of the Botters will say ‘It’s not Home, it’s Game Room, totally different!’ But it’s Home… only dearer, by alot! lol.“
Well your absolutely right it`s a game room and it is not Home. This is not a place to go dance with your Boyfriend. Thank you Microsoft for keeping it real and staying focused on GAMES!!!
January 8th, 2010
And I bet it will be a seamless as all the applications on the 360. Very easy to get into to no loading and downloading. I can`t believe Harry has to download a Namco space. Why is it just not there. Harry did you have to download the EA space too. There is no doubt that Microsoft will do it better and do it right.
January 8th, 2010
This looks about as worthless as Home, the difference is they will charge for it… pfft.
January 8th, 2010
@CAD : “As if Sony does not charge for items in Home. Micro-transactions ring a bell. Come on Spidy you know you bought a couch to put in your PS3 Home or some cross dressing wears to tease the boys in Home. LOL”
Have I not said the same thing for Sony and the ridiculous pricing in home ….. Yes, I have.
But you have your usual xbot blindfold on and failed to read that my beef was that they are charging for what is free on other platforms. So your whole post was a total waste of time
@CarlB : “This looks about as worthless as Home, the difference is they will charge for it… pfft.” Exactly the point I was trying to make.
January 8th, 2010
it was actually looking good until I read this:
“However, unlike the PS3’s Home arcades, the games must be purchased à la carte”
January 8th, 2010
This should be free to gold members and purchased for silver.
January 8th, 2010
I think Spidey is rferring to Mame, which is a bunch of old classics on PC.
But they are hardly comparable, they have no updating and are as basic and crude as they were back in the day.
As I understand it each of these games on XBL will be updated to an HD res at the very least.
They will also be a mix of prices, I’ve seen nothing to suggest the free demos on XBL are ending (for Gold & Silver members) and what I’ve seen talked about in terms of prices for these games is a couple of hundred XBL points.
The horror!
1000 new games and lots of them not previously available; some people seem to think that’s a bad thing.
Wonder why?
January 8th, 2010
“I can`t believe Harry has to download a Namco space. Why is it just not there. Harry did you have to download the EA space too. There is no doubt that Microsoft will do it better and do it right.”
You have to download home also. Do you think this game room will be on your 360 when you wake up in the morning without you downloading it? Home expands with many places and you have the option of which ones you want, I call that doing it right. Even if it sucks in there.
I haven’t been there in a long time but there was only two or three games for Canada also.
January 8th, 2010
“I haven’t been there in a long time but there was only two or three games for Canada also”
lmaoo Canada always gets jacked
January 8th, 2010
cad
how is the ps3 becoming more and more like the 360? there nothing alike, you dont even own one so there is another bullshit statement coming from your mouth. . .
January 8th, 2010
“lmaoo Canada always gets jacked”
LOL your right. Bunch of bleeding heart lefty ass holes running this dam country. I don’t blame the US one bit for tightening the boarders.
January 8th, 2010
“another bullshit statement coming from your mouth. . .” Get use to it.
January 8th, 2010
M$ really are a bunch of greedy bastards.
January 8th, 2010
“Yes, Microsoft wants you to actually pay each and every time you play one of these arcade games to relive the nostalgic feeling of being in the arcades popping in quarters.”
that’s stupid, I wonder who will actually going to be doing just that.
January 8th, 2010
“Have I not said the same thing for Sony and the ridiculous pricing in home ….. Yes, I have.”
Spidy well you didn’t say it this time did you. Do you think I have time to waste remembering things that People say.
January 8th, 2010
Do you think this game room will be on your 360 when you wake up in the morning without you downloading it?
ncaissie
Actually yes I do expect that to happen. It happened that way with Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.FM or whatever service that is introduce to the service.
January 8th, 2010
I see CAD will actually drop some quarters to relive the nostalgic feeling of being in the arcades
January 8th, 2010
Hahaha, we have had the most conservative government since the 80s in Canada, yet we are still a bunch of lefties to the right wing. Oh well, I’ll keep my socialized medicine, the USA can keep their government run by Insurance and Pharmaceutical corporations. being a lefty just doesn’t have the self-described martyrdom that the right does, sorry if I can’t be all emo about it. Glen Beck is emo enough for the entire spectrum.
January 8th, 2010
Christ on a bike, Glen Beck, Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, Rush ‘pills’ Limbaugh and the rest.
God they’re such a bunch of hateful ideology-driven hypocritical sh!tes.
January 8th, 2010
I like to believe that they don’t actually buy into their preaching, and are there purely for providing what they consider to be a sort of super-powered reality-fueled entertainment. I take Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert a lot more seriously than any of the windbags on Fox or MSNBC.
I think the freedom of the press should be augmented with a responsibility towards truth and the effects of their presentation/distortion of reality. Had to quantify, but the principle is sound!
January 8th, 2010
sounds like ms was wrong about home and that they r a lil bit vulnerable but hey, ps3 was like that ounce……it’s a copycat league ppl so quit u bitching but its really sad they would charge….holy shit ms the new meaning of nazi lol
January 8th, 2010
“Actually yes I do expect that to happen. It happened that way with Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.FM or whatever service that is introduce to the service.”
I like to choose my updates thanks. If you put your 360 and PC on auto update then that’s your choice. Auto updates are for newbs that can’t take care of their PC(360). ok Newb?
January 8th, 2010
Ncaissie
Why hate? Sorry no automatic updates on the 360 it just happens deal with it. At least I know I’m not missing something. Before you call someone Newb at least know what you are taling about.
January 8th, 2010
Yeah It seems like the PS3 in Canada is missing a bunch of features that exsist in the USA. Thankfully that is not the case with the 360 to a greater extent. The only thing were missing is Netflix and Last.FM. With Zune Video/Music Markert Place it not such a big deal. I did download Hangover last night and I’ll watch it tonight to get some laughs.
January 8th, 2010
Given that one of the biggest problems in the PC world are machines which owners do not regularly update & which then makes them vulnerable to being used by bot-nets spewing out spam and various other dodgy softwares then I’d say that whilst the automatic updating isn’t effective enough it’s at least stopping a bad situation getting worse.
Sneering self-appointed experts really don’t help the situation at all.
January 8th, 2010
“Sorry no automatic updates on the 360 it just happens deal with it.”
it just happens? Automatically or how does it just happen? LOL
January 8th, 2010
I’m sorry you must have a fairy god mother that does it for you.
January 8th, 2010
I guess another way of looking at this is that they will just be adding a room (social space) and some standards such as PC/360 cross play for what already exists and is charged for XBLA/PSN arcade games, and adding the ability to rent games (first instance of renting games on consoles?). I would prefer the timed rental (say 24 hours or so) instead of pay per play, but for games like these, they usually don’t take that long. The pricing is as ridiculous as movie/music video pricing is now on both consoles, but as long as free demos continue to be released standard for every XBLA game it’s actually just adding capability.
January 8th, 2010
“Game Room” Specifications
* One or two players
* HDTV 1080p
* In-game Dolby Digital
* Voice chat
* Avatar support
* Online multiplayer (one or two players)*
* Cross-platform leader boards
* Cross-platform Achievements”
Again, I think the biggest thing on here is cross-platform capabilities being added. It’s the first time I can think of that this has been done, and I think it makes sense. I hope the capability moves on to high end retail games, but at no extra charge (queue Sony?).
January 8th, 2010
LMFAO I bet now all Xbox 360 owner are gonna say the HOME rip off they got is the best. Now they won’t be saying HOME sucks because they have a bit something like it but pay to play.
PlayStation Home has basically everything free when you buy it.
PLAYSTATION Home still king of spaces the best. Microsoft is trying so hard LoL.
January 8th, 2010
HOME is %100 free what i meant was that the PS3 is free the content almost everything when you buy it LoL.
Xbox 360 never has exclusive shit because PC that sucks.
Pay to Play crappy mini games epic failure.
Voice chat is everywhere in HOME. HOME is becoming a huge addiction.
Sony has innovation.
January 8th, 2010
I see CAD’s caught up on the trolling lol and seems to already have all the information on Game Room already when most people don’t. How dies he do it?
January 8th, 2010
does*
January 8th, 2010
Ivan sorry to break this to you as you seem to imagine I could give a flying one about ‘Home’ and what it is or is not and what it does or does not.
I have no interest in ‘Home’.
I just don’t care.
Sorry but there you are, as honest as I can make this for you.
You see I don’t have a PS3 so whether this copies a single thing about Home that is utterly irrelevant to me
(along with, I imagine, just about all the other Xbox only owners).
January 8th, 2010
oldschool1987:
LoL This Xbot are getting tired of getting raped LoL we basically own them. Now they Microsoft the COPYCAT has about %1 of HOME a pay to play Game Room LoL HOME is still the best.
January 8th, 2010
Nah Home is shit but I just find it funny that Xbots said it’s shit and Microsoft would never waste money doing it… but there it is lol.
January 8th, 2010
HOME is awesome if you know how to enjoy it also you need buddies for it.
January 8th, 2010
I have real buddies though mate, I’d rather go to a real place with em than fake bowling
January 8th, 2010
LoL everyone does
January 8th, 2010
“Home is shit”… too true… cross-platform capability, multiplayer, achievements, leaderboards, voice chat, 1080p, and arcade compatibility in GameRoom could make it marginally less so though.
January 9th, 2010
@CAD: “Have I not said the same thing for Sony and the ridiculous pricing in home ….. Yes, I have.â€
Spidy well you didn’t say it this time did you. Do you think I have time to waste remembering things that People say.”
M8, why should I have to repeat everything I say in every thread reply, just because you may have forgot the few dozen time I had a go at Sony !!!
I think the problem is that you don’t ACTUALLY read what you are replying too and that is why you forget.
I will have a go at both sides of the fence, but will not put a disclaimer on each, just in case someone has forgotten what I have said previously about the “other” platform.
In saying this, I think the arcade games announced for 360 may be of a much higher standard than those in Home, but we will see.
January 9th, 2010
But more expensive and even more limited. One room? A game room that costs a fiver per game maybe more lol. At least Home expands with new spaces and last time I was there it had voice chat. What do you mean by multiplayer, Pac-Man multiplayer? lmao. Doubt Pac-Man will have achievements anyway.
The main reason I’m into the PS3 that Xbox is the Trophies, there much more rewarding I think.
January 9th, 2010
I guess this is what competition does. Sony has Home and now Xbox360 has something similar. Apparently, it seems that Xbox users now want this so called useless Sony feature as well. Lol.
January 9th, 2010
lol @ Twilight :p They’ll just say it’s totally different to Home and don’t copy it… Like CAD did, unsurprisingly.
January 9th, 2010
@CAD ” as they have pretty much copied about everything the 360 does” LOL LOL LOL here we fucking go again.
All consoles have copied from each other so fucking deal with it.
January 9th, 2010
Microsoft is just trying to copy the profit Sony’s making from PlayStation Home. Why you think Microsoft created Bing to copy Google massive success but they fail.
Xbox Live Game Room vs PlayStation Home – Microsoft losses big time.
Bing vs Google – Microsoft losses big time.
Windows Live Messenger vs AOL AIM – Microsoft losses big time.
COPYCATS AKA Microsoft.
January 9th, 2010
xbox avatars are so gay
January 9th, 2010
I like the Xbox Avatars! They’re pretty cool
PS3 Avatars (not home) are boring and limited, it’s been Sackboy for weeks now and he don’t even move! lol
January 9th, 2010
@twilight
Apparently, it seems that Xbox users now want this so called useless Sony feature as well. Lol.
I don’t want it… but I guess now it’s on there.
January 9th, 2010
Fanbots bring the joy. Hal eh lou yah.
January 9th, 2010
Xbox avatars are useless gay ugly as shit copy from Wii and now this from Sony. Microsoft is the biggest COPYCAT company in the world working as a monopoly.
January 10th, 2010
“However, unlike the PS3’s Home arcades, the games must be purchased à la carte.”
Actually, if you want to play the full game in Home’s arcades, you also have to pay $9.99 for Namco Museum Essentials or other similar games.
January 10th, 2010
“Actually, if you want to play the full game in Home’s arcades, you also have to pay $9.99 for Namco Museum Essentials or other similar games.”
you definitely know bout it….since you spend at least a hour on Home and downloading the r Namco Museum Essentials demo on the PSN…..
but you forgot to mention thats is the ONLY game you need to purchase to be able to play on Home. as usual, anoother attempt to praise MS copy of Sony’s home..MS will always look better in your eyes so why bother
January 10th, 2010
I know, it took four times to just download the update and the demo, and it was still crap. But you forgot to mention, there are no “arcade spaces” in Home that have full free games throughout. As usual, another attempt to praise Sony’s copy of Second Life (an online social world) as somehow preceding MS’s GameRoom (an online arcade space)… Sony will always look better in your eyes so why bother.
January 10th, 2010
there are arcade all over Home…EA has the most right now and all of them are free. including bowling, pool, racing, MMO type of race shooter, etc
its just funny after all the shit you have been talking about Home that you actually went and spend some quality time on it (yesterday) just so you can come back to Blorge and start ranting about it and praising MS Games Room…nice try
January 10th, 2010
I thought it was worth it to check out Home again, considering everybody here was saying what Microsoft was trying to do with Game Room already existed in Home for free.
It’s funny, that “quality” time you speak of? Yeah… it consisted of updates, installing, getting kicked off of PSN and signing back in, getting into Home to see a bunch of avatars say “THIS IS BORING”… “YA.. I KNOW”, running across a desert for a short period before being transported back to the place I was trying to leave, figuring out what there actually is to do that is anything marginally fun, and basically failing to find anything that comes close to a fraction of what Game Room is said to be.
What I did find was a very few arcade cabinets that exist in isolated spaces (for instance, the Mercs game in UC2 space- talk about Atari level graphics). Namco’s space was the closest I could find, and it had a grand total of 4 cabinets you had to wait in line for, then you found out you had to leave home to install the demo. So leaving Home, finding the install on the PSN store, downloading the demo, getting kicked off PSN, signing back into PSN, downloading the rest of the demo, waiting for the demo to install, reentering Home, and reentering the space, I find that even the demo is extremely limited. I did not see one organized area of several arcade cabinets with full free games, let alone one complete with leaderboards, trophies, voice chat, etc. So yes, that took about an hour of “quality” time in Home.
If saying Game Room COULD be marginally less shit than Home is (though probably still shit), and thinking cross platform play could be a good thing is “praising MS Games Room”, then yes… guilty as charged… lol.
To be fair, I will go back in Home today to find out what EA has to offer (more downloads and installs I take it)… but Home in general so far for me has been more of a pain and waste of time than fun.
January 10th, 2010
So… I went to the EA space… a racing game that lasted about a minute… then the Bowling alley… IceBreaker and EchoChrome only… bleh… where is Evac and the other arcade cabinets in the last pic above?
January 10th, 2010
Ha ha ha ha
Oh dear.
Seems like Roca’s fanboy PR’ing is more than a tad different to the reality
(again).
January 10th, 2010
“I thought it was worth it to check out Home again, considering everybody here was saying what Microsoft was trying to do with Game Room already existed in Home for free.”
this is just proof of what you are willing to do to try to defend MS. lmaooo you are really passionate about making MS and the 360 look good! good job!
January 10th, 2010
“It’s funny, that “quality†time you speak of? Yeah… it consisted of updates, installing, getting kicked off of PSN and signing back in”
glad you admited you went through all this just to come back to a gaming blorge to bash on it and make try with all you heart make the MS’s version of it look like is a Home killer…lmaoo you kind of remind me of Kev in a way
January 10th, 2010
“make the MS’s version of it look like is a Home killer…” = “This looks about as worthless as Home, the difference is they will charge for it… pfft.”? Your perception of reality seems rather skewed roca… lol.
January 10th, 2010
hahaha….it looks just as worthless as home? then explain why you spent a good amount of time downloading/analyzing every bit of Home just to come here and bash it and then praise MS game room. you definitely reminding of kev
January 11th, 2010
“explain why you spent a good amount of time downloading/analyzing every bit of Home”
Because I have the console for it and it exists now. Because I wanted to form my own opinion of it instead of taking others for granted.
Makes sense… hmmm?
January 11th, 2010
CarlB
No.
In Roca’s world you’re not deeply in love with the PS3 and every one of its features, therefore you’re a M$ hater.
You also made him look a t*t by speaking from fct & experience.
Very amusing for the rest of us but he’ll have his Y’s in such a wad over you spoiling his PR pitching!
January 11th, 2010
its funny how HH keeps harassing me around….he most of have gotten his feeling hurt….Friday was a painful day for him.
January 11th, 2010
You wish, only too clearly, sad-sack.
January 11th, 2010
sad-sack? ok…
January 12th, 2010
lol @ oldschool