Sega Amusements has introduced a new theatre-style cabinet for House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn, giving operators an alternative to the large super deluxe environmental machine released with the game in 2018.
How the new cabinet was discovered
The revised cabinet was first noticed in the background of this new FEC opening for Paris, France. The sighting showed a Scarlet Dawn machine with a noticeably different exterior from the original model.
Further confirmation came when Sega Amusements added a product page for the new theatre version. The page briefly returned an error while its address was being corrected from the American spelling “theater” to the British and Australian spelling “theatre”.
The original release was a super deluxe, or SDLX, environmental cabinet. For comparison, its familiar enclosed sit-down format is shown below.
What changes on the House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn theatre model?
Sega’s theatre cabinet listing confirms that the new machine remains an enclosed sit-down game. It is therefore closer to the original SDLX experience than to the uncommon upright versions.
Those upright versions appeared in two forms: one was released exclusively by Andamiro in South Korea, while another was seen at a small number of UK venues connected with Sega Amusements.
The most visible revision is the front lighting and sculpted exterior. The new design keeps the visual suggestion of zombies breaking through the cabinet, but removes or reduces several of the SDLX model’s larger features. These include the plastic backlit shell, the three-dimensional zombie head and the motion sensor.
The interior air blowers and overhead lighting have also been removed. However, 5.1-channel surround sound and seat vibration remain part of the theatre model, as confirmed by Sega and the product information and flyer.
A more accessible option for operators
The revised cabinet is intended to deliver a similar light-gun horror experience at a lower cost than the highly immersive SDLX machine. The original format included extensive environmental effects, but those additions also placed it beyond the budget of some operators.
For venues planning a new game room, the wider arcade machine buying guide offers useful context on cabinet formats and practical considerations. Operators can also browse arcade machines and arcade repair and maintenance services when assessing location requirements.
European rollout and North American production
The new model had already appeared at the French venue when the announcement was reported, with orders open and cabinets shipping to interested European buyers. Sega was also building the machines in Chicago, with North American location appearances expected to follow.
At the time, it had not been confirmed whether the cabinet would appear at Amusement Expo in Las Vegas the following month. It was considered likely to be shown there alongside Maimai DX, although that remained unconfirmed.
For Australian arcade fans, the key development is that Scarlet Dawn is receiving another commercial cabinet format several years after its original release. The reduced environmental package could make the game a more practical proposition for venues that want its enclosed sit-down presentation without the full SDLX specification.
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