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[HotHamBoy]

Big, chunky plastic molding and faded old CRTS, blazing logos and anchored controllers... i love them. I want them all. Unfortunately they go for thousands of bucks if you can even find one. So I gotta content myself with pics. Share some of the ones you think are cool, or of you are one of the privelaged few I'd love to see your own unit(s).

BONUS: Absurd vintage retail instructional videos for floor operations!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C990wzFsoho

Learn how to sell video games to clueless shoppers like it's 1991!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_PaMvtWWQ_8

It's 1993, time to learn how to sell the SNES and explain why there's no CD ROM drive! (ATTITUDE WARNING)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SZXaljfzHhA

*drools*

 

[nicanica]

That's a uniquely cool obsession to have.

Drool on my friend.

 

[GamerJM]

I think they're cool from a historical perspective, but as a modest collector I can't imagine having one. They'd look really garish, take up a lot of space, and fail to serve a utilitarian purpose other than just being a cool collection piece.

 

[Steve McQueen]

Looking good! If I only had the money...

 

[Martin5000]

I was scrolling and scrolling and thought: yes this person is really obsessed

But it is awesome! You also have the awesome Pokémon Snap printer! Is it still working?
I wish we had them here in Germany!

 

[Dog Problems]

Some of those images really bring back memories. Spent a lot of time playing them in Target and Sears.

 

[Plasmid]

That pokemon gameboy setup is dooooooope.

 

[HotHamBoy]

I was scrolling and scrolling and thought: yes this person is really obsessed

But it is awesome! You also have the awesome Pokémon Snap printer! Is it still working?
I wish we had them here in Germany!

Lol none of these are mine.

Stolen from google images...

That pokemon gameboy setup is dooooooope.

Haha that's a cheat I snuck in cuz it looks really nice. Pretty sure it's custom but it came up in my search and I couldn't say no.

 

[AgeEighty]

I remember a time maybe a decade ago before NES collecting blew up when you could find complete PlayChoice-10 kiosks on eBay for $500. Now you'll pay that just for the guts of a few of the carts from in one.

I bought a sealed NES Action Set on eBay back then for around $150, and now they go for ten times that.

 

[Martin5000]

Lol none of these are mine.

Stolen from google images...



Haha that's a cheat I snuck in cuz it looks really nice. Pretty sure it's custom but it came up in my search and I couldn't say no.

Oh shit now I feel stupid ...

 

[HotHamBoy]

I remember a time maybe a decade ago before NES collecting blew up when you could find complete PlayChoice-10 kiosks on eBay for $500. Now you'll pay that just for the guts of a few of the carts from in one.

I bought a sealed NES Action Set on eBay back then for around $150, and now they go for ten times that.

So those little Game Boy kiosks with the little TV-out displays? I got curious about buying one a few months ago and someone was selling one on eBay for $2,000.

Sigh.

Oh shit now I feel stupid ...

Don't fee stupid, haha. But I would be an insane person if all that shit was mine.

 

[DAREALGUMMY]

Takes me back to Software Etc, Sears and Toys R Us. Camped out all day playing those back in the day.

 

[AgeEighty]

So those little Game Boy kiosks with the little TV-out displays? I got curious about buying one a few months ago and someone was selling one on eBay for $2,000.

Sigh.

Yep. Sadly, there was a time not so long ago when you probably could have picked up a few for short money, but that time is past. It's insane how much the collectors' market has blown these things up in value in just the last few years.

Who knows: Maybe the demand will die back down in a few years and you'll have another crack at one.

 

[AzureSkies]

subbed to this thread

 

[poodaddy]

Those Dreamcasts would be the perfect replacement for a legit Arcade set up. I wonder if it'd be a huge pain to just make my Own?

 

[Fat4all]

My local mom & pop has a SNES demo station like that first one.

They've got Super Mario World in it, and I always play a few levels when I go there.

 

[Firebrand]

So much time spent in front of these... Dreaded the time limit before reset, lol.

I've never seen a Game Boy one with TV-out though, if that's what's on the display.

 

[HotHamBoy]

I've never seen a Game Boy one with TV-out though, if that's what's on the display.

Yeah, check out this video review. This guy has an Everdrive cart in it!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl0GGF-kMjk

 

[OricWindstar]

That pokemon gameboy setup is dooooooope.

Yeah, I like that one a lot as well. If it didn't have the Pikachus on the Gold and Silver ones, it would be perfect.

 

[R0nn]

If I remember correctly (it's been awhile) we had different looking kiosks in Europe. It's still very cool and nostalgic though.

Oh and those videos you shared are crazy cool.

 

[i-Jest]

These are rare and expensive pieces of gaming history. I have nothing but respect for the people that collect them and keep them alive.

 

[loudbill]

All the pics in the OP are awesome. Literally all those kiosks look dope. They each have their own style

 

[CalamityPixel]

I left this thread with a new obsession, thanks OP. It's been years since I've seen a kiosk.

 

[lazygecko]

I remember reading stories from a guy who used to work in retail, and how Sony in particular would send representatives to dictate which games to show off in their kiosks and they would consistently make the most terrible choices.

 

[dracula_x]

 

[ScientificPizza]

All of the gameboy ones are incredible. The gamecube one as well. I miss these

 

[Izuna]

Damnit OP, you didn't put them in order ;(

nice pics, but like, that really frustrated me

 

[Spiral Insanity]

Nostalgia hitting me hard.

 

[itschris]

Ah, yes, the Pokemon Snap kiosk. I remember my local Blockbuster had one of those back in the day. Too bad I never actually printed any stickers, even though I rented the game there.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

This is so incredibly cool.

OP, I wanna be your friend lol

 

[Spades]

I have very fond memories as a 15-year-old and spending hours playing the Sonic Adventure and Ready 2 Rumble demos on these pods; which were scattered around my local city.

 

[Tambini]

I used to have an Xbox one but had to get rid of it cause it was massive

 

[Dranakin]

Since my family couldn't afford any consoles growing up, I remember spending hours at these displays in Sears every time I was at the mall.

 

[derder]

I share your obsession. Some of these are so novel - virtual boy?

 

[LeleSocho]

European Dreamcast so good...

 

[vetrox]

I have one of those DS-16 cart switchers. Cool hardware, but you still have to get up and press the button to switch games, and it doesn't fit japanese cartridges.

 

[JordanN]

Anyone remember the Gamecube kiosks at McDonalds? I got my first exposure to Wind Waker there.

 

[clem84]

The Gamecube one... <3 !

 

[Jal]

The virtual boys are made by a youtuber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDHtZ-zBEDk

 

[Ardenyal]

At my local store they had an 8 (?) game switcher for megadrive that would let you play for a while and then reset the console and switch to another game. We found the switch at the back that let you bypass the time constraint to keep playing for hours :S

 

[petran79]

Computer shops did not have kiosks. They had riled up computer monitors showcasing game demos.

Eg a Commodore Amiga monitor showed International Karate Tournament demo.

I remember playing few games like Gauntlet and a shmup similar to R-Type. As well as another game on AtariST where you were talking with a guy resembling Mr Wilson, typing commands.

There was also a Phillips CDI kiosk and it had an FMV game where you scored against a pro soccer goalkeeper. You just chose a part of the goalpost with the pointer.

No FIFA could match that kind of fun. You felt you scored a real goal against a real person

 

[CambriaRising]

Anyone remember the Gamecube kiosks at McDonalds? I got my first exposure to Wind Waker there.

I remember these fitted with Playstations

 

[Spiral Insanity]

The virtual boys are made by a youtuber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDHtZ-zBEDk

Beautiful job.

 

[gdt]

This looks like garbo.

Why anyone would want to have all this shit laying around is beyond me.

 

[Sakujou]

hi, iam not obsessed, but i love them too.

i think the companies stopped doing them after the ps3.
i havent seen any displays in the old fashioned way.
these days a system is hooked up next to a gigantic 100inch projection space with a beamer in the games shops....

the only piece of collectible i could snatch in the last 20 years was this here:

 

[andymcc]

I own the dreamcast one. It's pretty cool.

 

[PumpkinPie]

I remember when I went to the first ever UK Pokemon tour, they had huge kiosks for downloading Mew to Pokemon Red and Blue. It was amazing. I always thought they were using Super Gameboys.

 

[Stallion Dan]

I remember Sega tried putting the Dreamcast ones in nightclubs and pubs/bars, it sort of made sense except instead of putting in quick pick up and play arcade games which they had billions of on the system they instead opted to put in Resident Evil Code Veronica.

Nobody gonna stand in a pub/club/bar playing a Resident Evil game.


Also fuck those PS1 booths that took 2-3 minutes to boot and get past all the logos and copyright shit, but reset every 5 minutes.

 

[Tarin02543]

the megadrive and super Nintendo pal kiosks give me deep and profound visions of my childhood.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Anyone remember the Gamecube kiosks at McDonalds? I got my first exposure to Wind Waker there.

Cool! I don't know that I remember those...

While we are on the subject of kiosks for businesses and facilities, check out these units for children's hospitals:

N64

GameCube

Wii

Wii U

I never knew about this but I guess they've been making these official console TV stations for multiple generations!