Here at Disposable Media we’re big fans of Capcom. Okay, they can milk their franchises and go nuts with cosmetic DLC and in-game currency, but they were responsible for some classic games in the 80s and 90s. They know this as well as anyone else, of course; we’ve seen Capcom Classics compilations for PS2 and PSP, they released the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1&2 and Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle in recent years, and some of their classics can be found on the App Store. They know that these retro cash-ins generate headlines, but as someone who values the preservation of the classics, I’m happy to see more of these compilations created in an era where websites hosting emulators and roms are always under pressure to cease their actions. Many fans of emulation often visit online download sites because there are few official channels that allow fans to play the games again, so the new wave of nostalgia cash-ins can only be A Good Thing if it helps to preserve the games. Which brings us to the Capcom Home Arcade.
Capcom Home Arcade – the details
The Capcom Home Arcade was announced this afternoon and I found out about it through Capcom’s social media channels (curiously, at the time of writing there’s been no announcement on Capcom-Unity but I imagine that will change soon enough.) Shaped like the company’s iconic logo, the Capcom Home Arcade boasts two Sanwa sticks and OBSF buttons, has sixteen games built in – CPS-1 and CPS-2 titles emulated with Final Burn Alpha – and onboard wifi that allows you to upload high-scores to online leaderboards. Elsewhere, power is provided via USB and there’s HDMI output offered. There’s no doubt that Capcom have gone to the right people for components, and Final Burn Alpha is a solid emulator… but it is kind of unusual that this lavish peripheral is running an application you can download for free online.
Capcom Home Arcade – the games
As for those sixteen games – the Capcom Home Arcade comes with 1944, Alien vs Predator, Armored Warriors, Capcom Sports Club, Captain Commando, Cyberbots, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Eco Fighters, Final Fight, Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts, Giga Wing, Mega Man: The Power Battle, Progear, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Strider, and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. There’s a little something for everyone then, and I’m personally kind of impressed that Progear and Giga Wing are getting a new lease of life. Plug and play emulation boxes have been around for a while but it’s only in recent years that we’ve seen a trend in official devices such as the SNES Classic Mini, NEOGEO Mini and the forthcoming Mega Drive Mini. Obviously, the Capcom Home Arcade is a little more than an “emulation box”, and those two sticks will make it highly desirable for the arcade enthusiast. All of this Capcom nostalgia comes at a price, naturally – at the time of writing it’s appeared on the Capcom Europe Store with a price of €229.99. This is probably a little more expensive than those Capcom Classics compilations from previous generations, and I imagine there are cheaper arcade sticks out there as well. So why would people take an interest in this?
A worthwhile investment?
There is, of course, the potential to open the Capcom Home Arcade up (not literally) – emulation enthusiasts will be more than familiar with Final Burn Alpha, and if power is provided by USB then those enthusiasts will be plugging it into their nearest desktop and attempting to see what can be done. In any case, it’s an interesting endeavour – let us know in the comments if you’re thinking of picking up the Capcom Home Arcade.
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