Walmart has just dropped the price of the Tempest / Asteroids machine to $200. After Ray’s review last week, I pretty much gave up all hope on those machines…but at $200, maybe it’s worth revisiting. Will the spinner controls, arcade-style cabinet and LCD screen be cheaper than a DIY option? Honestly, I think it comes close. In my opinion, if you already planned on using an LCD screen and a spinner / rotary controller, you might consider using this and a Raspberry Pi.
Of course, anyone who planned on using a CRT should definitely stay away and build a more serious piece of equipment. Also…I wonder how cheap these are to make if Walmart can afford to dump them off at $200?:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Arcade1Up-Asteroids-Machine-4ft/828150107
CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 B+ (B Plus) with Premium Clear Case and 2.5A Power Supply
CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 B+ (B Plus) Starter Kit (32 GB EVO+ Edition, Premium Black Case)
UPDATE: Now that a jailbreak has been discovered, this might be even more worthy of a second look!: http://retrorgb.com/arcade1up-jailbroken.html