Arcade News: Asteroids, Mr. Do, TRON and SFGE

This weekend’s arcade news includes Southern Fried Gaming Expo 2022, a mysterious new Asteroids test unit, a European Mr. Do redemption game, Japanese updates and 40 years of TRON.

Southern Fried Gaming Expo 2022

Southern Fried Gaming Expo 2022 was taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, with the event scheduled to finish the following day. Visitors in the area with an interest in arcade and pinball could still attend. The official SFGE 2022 site has further event information.

One of the featured interviews was with Midway’s Paul E. Niemeyer.

A New Atari Asteroids Arcade Game Appears On Test

A new Asteroids-branded arcade game has surfaced in blurry photographs from secret location testing. The available images are not clear enough to confirm the full design or feature set, but the original Atari logo is easy to recognise.

The manufacturer has not been identified. However, the test locations—Dave & Buster’s venues in Buffalo, New York, and Addison, Illinois—suggest a possible collaboration between Play Mechanix and ICE. ICE was already known to be working on a new project, making that combination plausible, although it remains unconfirmed.

Because this is a private test, the project could be cancelled before release or changed substantially during development. The poor image quality appears to be the result of the cabinet sitting in the background of a photograph or video rather than being the subject of the shot.

The machine appears to use a four-player cocktail layout and unusually large, analogue-style flight sticks. That control choice is surprising for Asteroids, particularly when compared with the trackball controls associated with the original game. Play Mechanix and ICE’s previous retro collaboration, Centipede Chaos, also used joysticks rather than trackballs, and remained playable despite that change.

Until clearer photographs or official details emerge, the controls and cabinet design are best treated as observations from an early test unit.

Mr. Do Returns In A European Redemption Game

Electrocoin’s new Mr. Do release is now available in Europe as a redemption game. The format is not a conventional video arcade revival: the cabinet uses the Mr. Do branding and themed balls, but does not appear to include the familiar clown character.

Instead of firing balls at target holes, the controls work as blowers that push the balls towards their targets. That gives the machine a different physical-play approach from the more typical ball-shooting redemption cabinet. Electrocoin’s product page has the details.

Transformers Arrives On Dave & Buster’s VR Platform

Dave & Buster’s motion-based VR platform has added Transformers Decepticon Invasion VR to its game selection. Public information was limited and no trailer was available at the time, but the experience places players alongside Optimus Prime in a superhero-style Transformers scenario.

Dave & Buster’s VR page lists the platform and its available experiences.

Japanese Arcade Updates

Two small updates from Japan concern Konami’s competitive title Bombergirl and the Hawt Pink platform.

Bombergirl has been updated to Bombergirl Rainbow. An official Western release remained unlikely, including through R1US, but Konami was continuing to support the game.
Rumble Storm X launched for Hawt Pink, the platform’s second game. At the time, it was reported as available through selected retailers in Japan and Europe. Owners of an exA-Arcadia system could disable the adult content and play the game in its standard form.

TRON Reaches 40 Years

The 40th anniversary of TRON had passed the previous week, but it still deserved a belated arcade-focused celebration. The anniversary was also marked with a video feature.

Although the film performed poorly at the cinema, TRON became a major arcade success. Released during the golden age of video games, its distinctive cabinet and digital-world presentation helped cement its place in arcade history.

The film also holds particular importance for arcade fans because it was an early major movie shaped by video games and directly concerned with arcade culture. Its influence helped inspire many people—including industry professionals—to pursue careers and interests in games.

More Arcade Industry Headlines

For more arcade news, browse the RETROCADE Arcade Blog, or explore the arcade machine buying guide before planning a home setup. Players comparing formats can also view upright arcades, bartop arcades and virtual pinball machines.