Beer arcade: Video games + beer = awesome
The custom-made arcade unit from Dream Arcades lets you game and guzzle at the same time.
As much as I'm reluctant to use the phrase "man cave," mostly because I don't have the space for one of my own, I have to say that I have found a pretty nifty man cave essential. Behold, the Octane 120 Pro Beer Arcade!
The Beer Arcade comes from Northern California-based Dream Arcades, which also offers premade arcade cabinets and DIY arcade kits. Take a high-end gaming PC with PlayStation 3 connectivity, a 5.1 audio system, add full driving controls with dual-motor force feedback and variable resistance on the pedals, and, as the name would suggest, a beer tap.
I know, right?
Those are the basics, but it goes further than that. The Beer Arcade also comes loaded with a dozen driving sims (including Hard Drivin' and S.T.U.N. Runner, a few faves of mine) and a fully adjustable steering wheel and seat, and variable-resistance clutch, brake, and gas petals. As Dream Arcades is quick to point out, "Of course we don't condone REAL drinking and driving, but kicking back a few Bud Lights while playing your favorite games is a different story!"
So what about that beer? Well, this baby holds either two 5-gallon kegs or a half barrel. The golden nectar runs to the in-dash beer tap that sits right above a cup holder. Yeah. You can pour while you play. Your pals can use the other tap on the back while they mock your driving skills.
Not everything is automated, though. You have to drink the beer yourself. Yeah, bummer; I know.
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According to the site, in addition to the driving games, the Beer Arcade also comes with a wireless two-player arcade control panel (with built-in trackball) with which to play the included arcade game packs: the Atari pack, which among others, includes Pong, Crystal Castles, and Tempest; the Namco Museum pack, which includes Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Galaxian, Dig Dug, and more; and, also really nifty, an Atari 2600 pack, featuring Asteroids, Circus Atari, and Centipede (and about 57 more titles). You can hit up the Dream Arcades site for the full list of games.
And yes, appropriately, Root Beer Tapper is among the available titles.
You can have this custom-made beauty for about $6,000; as such, you can get it personalized to match the decor of your respective hideaway. Now you're thinking, this is the awesome-sauce, but I don't have six G's just lying around collecting dust. Well, Dream Arcades also offers arcades as low as $589.
I don't want to hear any more "Man, Jeff, you're so hard to shop for" nonsense.