Tick tock, tick tock. The 10th AAMA/AMOA-sponsored Amusement Expo International is quickly coming up, kicking off March 26. Educational sessions begin that day at the Westgate Hotel, just up the road from the Las Vegas Convention Center, where the trade show will be held on Wednesday, March 27, and Thursday, March 28. Some of the Education Day topics – built for street and FEC operators – include eSports, cashless systems and ATM trends. A full slate of virtual reality sessions is also on tap this year. Everything under the sun will be at the Expo: redemption units, video games, pinball…
Author: Matt Harding
Due to popular demand, the Expo’s virtual reality track is back for a second year with some of the world’s foremost operators, developers and manufacturers sharing their experiences. Among the sessions, led by VR expert Bob Cooney: a keynote speech from Joanna Popper of HP; “How to Create and Grow Your Group Business” with Sheryl Bindelglass of SherylGolf; and “How to Launch, Market and Drive Traffic to Your VR Attraction with Andre Lawless of Lawless One Marketing, Dorothy Ferguson of Two Bit Circus, Jan Goetgeluk of Virtuix and Leila Amirsadeghi of One Dome. A full schedule for the March 26…
Betson is back with a double-sized booth (#323/332) at this year’s Expo, proudly featuring the newly-announced Nerf Arcade for the first time in show. The game, made by Raw Thrills, is a high-energy machine that morphs the famous Nerf brand (from Hasbro) into a skill-based video redemption game. With its two oversized Nerf blasters, players shoot as many targets as possible on the 65” LCD screen to win tickets and get the high score. The cabinet is expected to ship by June. To learn more, visit www.betson.com.
Ball Runner, Pixel Chase, Hot Racers, Sonic Kids Basketball, Key 2 Win and Prize Arrow make up the Sega games featured at this year’s Expo trade show, starting at 10 a.m. on March 27. The first two – Ball Runner and Pixel Chase – are both skill-based redemption games made for the whole family, while Hot Racers and Sonic Kids Basketball are designed for children. Key 2 Win and Prize Arrow are the company’s popular prize vending games. To experience the games, stop by Booth #201 or visit www.segaarcade.com ahead of the Expo.
With what they say is an exclusive music video option and increase in revenue of up to 42 percent, AMI is gearing up for a successful Amusement Expo, too. They’ll be showing off an all-new AMI Music app, which the company says is poised to grow the user base and make music selection faster – meaning greater revenue. AMI also has a co-pilot route management app that makes it easier to get stuff done on the go with fingertip access to jukes from anywhere. For more information, visit them at Booth #311 or online at www.amientertainment.com.
Riley Dinsmore, 13, who was diagnosed with a progressive form of cancer, had a wish to have his own arcade full of vintage video games. Make-A-Wish, Betson and other companies made it happen. Now, Riley’s basement in upstate New York has been transformed into a personal game room with three fully restored machines highlighting it: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989), The Simpsons (1991) and Mortal Kombat (1992). Plus, two 2010 games that look and feel retro but play new – Pac-Man’s Pixel Bashand Arcade Legends 3. “To be able to help this young man’s wish become reality is something we’re…
For those following the growth of Topgolf, the out-of-home entertainment brand is seeking to broaden its portfolio by launching a new design it plans to use in small- and mid-sized cities across the U.S. According to Chain Store Age, the new design will fit markets with a population of 100,000 to 500,000. “With this new concept, we will leverage over 19 years of operating experience and industry-leading Toptracer technology, while creatively designing and programming the space to bring an unforgettable entertainment experience to many more communities, reaching millions more guests than we ever could previously,” said Topgolf COO Craig Kessler.…
Arcade Heroes reports seeing a modernized version of Centipede from Play Mechanix and ICE on location at a Dave and Buster’s in New York. The game, licensed from Atari SA, is inspired by the original 1981 hit, but resembles the movie Pixels, according to one fan, who said, “It plays with the same concept as the original game, but now there are power-ups, it supports three players at the same time and you use a joystick to move your character instead of the trackball.”
Ahead of the Amusement Expo, VR guru Bob Cooney will be hosting his latest VR “deep dive” webinar this Friday, March 15, at noon Pacific, where the spotlight will be on what to expect from this year’s second annual Virtual Reality Summit (held during Expo’s education day). Cooney said there will be some surprise guests during the webinar, too. While nearly 500 people have already registered, it’s not too late for you to join in on this session (or a future one). Just click this linkor visit www.bobcooney.com for more information.
With more than 1,100 retro and modern pinball machines and video games, the Museum of Pinball in Banning, Calif., will play host to the 5th annual Arcade Expo March 15-17. Expecting around 3,000 attendees through the three-day weekend, Arcade Expo 5.0 will feature free play on their machines, a “Starcade” (games out on the patio), a Donkey Kong “Kong Off” and around a dozen vendors, according to Johnathon Weeks, co-founder of the museum. A swap meet/flea market with all types of arcade machines and related game room items for sale will be held March 16 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (contact Pete…