2024 Pac-Man Joystick Player Review | NEW from My Arcade

[@kenwheeler3637]

What would have been perfect for that Galaga release with the flight stick would have been Gorf instead. Definite good idea to make these with a standard size controller though. Utilizing those tiny ones just isn't that much fun, especially for us older gamers.

[@MattKlein-j9w]

Nice unit! The design really captures the fun spirit of Pac Man and seems to do well on aspects I care about (joystick and sound mostly) while deviating from arcade on things I'm less worried about. This might be my first small arcade unit.. Thank you for the review!

[@DES-95]

Jon, you create some of the best content on KZbin. I very much like it! Long time viewer (as a guest) and just subscribed after creating an account on KZbin. Greetings from Toronto! Game on!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Hiya, DES. Thanks for the kind words, and I'm happy to have earned you as a viewer and (now) subscriber! 😁

[@dosadi512]

I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time: when I see you open old games from decades ago, you seem to cherish seeing the catalog and instructions that come with it to get a glimpse of history (definitely correct me if I'm wrong on that!). Every time you call current catalogs and instructions 'garbage' on new devices I always want to know -- don't you imagine someone 20-30-40 years from now might want to see those? Great episode - thank you!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Don't tell anyone, but it's all theatre. I do toss "garbage" manuals, but the pick them up and save them with the device for posterity. 😜

[@JC-vd6yi]

@@GenXGrownUp This is hysterical because i flinch every time you throw the manual given the white glove treatment of the box. Oh the relief!!! They're saved! Even though these things really arent manuals anymore rather technical and troubleshooting stuff they put in for legal matters.

[@GenXGrownUp]

@@JC-vd6yi Someone asks me this every now and again. In one of my very first videos (on bluetooth sunglasses), I tossed the manual because I tend not to read them. Someone mentioned it and ever since it's become sort of a running gag in new product reviews that regular viewers get and appreciate.

[@dosadi512]

@@GenXGrownUp beautiful!

[@cre8iveone699]

Are there any hidden games that can be un locked by modding the mother board?

[@tedadamgreen]

I know a lot of people may want “more” but as a guy who still loves the old Coleco Table Tops from back in the day, I think this is PHENOMENAL! And I think the price point is great too. Not bothered it’s not the Arcade Rom at all as I’m sure that would have added to the price and maybe put it in a whole different tier of competition. This is perfect for what it is. Looking forward to Ms PacMan they previewed and hope these Joystick editions sell well enough for them to keep on with more offerings in the future. I hope this is a big sellers at Christmas time for them. Thanks Jon 👊🏻🕹️😎

[@bland9876]

I love the option on the Genesis Ms Pac-Man where you have a button to speed up and not pressing it makes you go normal speed.

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

13:31 I bought that original MyArcade Pac-Man with the NES rom from years back when it first came out. In case people are not aware, in 1985, Namco created a division within the company called NAMCOT (note the t) to specifically port their arcade properties to home consoles - primarily the Nintendo Famicom. This is why the Famicom version of Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga Mappy and so on are unusually good; they were made by Namco, not a third party. Of course the Famicom used a standard 4:3 display so state games like Pac-Man had to be adjusted, but even still those versions stand the test of time. I'm sure MyArcade used NOAC versions because they were ultra cheap and quality wasn't the goal, but hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[@operationshutdown155]

Thanks for this detailed review… I thought this looked weird but after seeing your video I think I want this! 😊

[@TorontoJon]

Coooooooooool. Great review as usual, Jon, from one Jon to another. Haha! That new Pac-Man from My Arcade with that improved arcade-style joystick is definitely on my radar for a future purchase. :)

[@Danyplaysboblox]

Hey Jon, Dan here, and I wanna say that keep up with this good videos! Will you make more vid about Joystick Players? Also I realized that while it’s the same ROM (the genesis version) the izikes (or blue ghosts) movesets has finally been modified to be like the arcade

[@Markimark151]

This looks better than the previous My Arcade Pac Man micro player, I remember seeing them at Kohls during Christmas, in their seasonal toy department. Hopefully Kohls sells this joystick version of Pac Man My Arcade in their stores!

[@ThomasFinnerup]

I absolutely hate d-pads. Digital joysticks all the way! Very tempted to get this. (Who am I kidding? Of course I'm getting it.)

[@michaeljordan6008]

D Pads are the worst - didn’t like in ‘85 when the NES had them.

[@bland9876]

Your trolling him lol.​@@michaeljordan6008

[@SilverBluesRetrocade]

I just *knew* you needed the latest Pac-Man. Actually, after watching this, I think *I* might need it as well, and I'm not (yet) collecting the handhelds. Great info, and I like that you gave us some of the backstories behind the previous releases. Looking forward to more debuts!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Thanks for watching!

[@JohnVideo1969]

Great honest review!

[@ctbinary42]

The ghosts are very close to the arcade but just a bit off. Still, the joystick makes it a definite buy for me. The Mrs and I can challenge each other for the high score! She isn't a fan of the smaller joysticks but this will give her the nostalgia

[@AD.ArcadeGaming]

Great review! I will definitely be picking one up at some point.

[@Androsynth75]

I kind of gave up on the smaller sized units. These are definitely nicer than the ones with the pencil eraser size joystick ones, but still too small. Personally I find the bar top style Arcade 1up ones the best compromise that’s still feels like a real arcade. Plus you can add quality arcade sticks to those. You can often get them for $100 or so on sale, and they actually feel like an arcade machine without taking up a huge amount of space. Everyone plays them when we have company over too, unlike these. Good review, thanks for posting it.

[@glenjust630]

Thanks for the coverage Jon! Awesome! (Did you edit it to speed up your voice when you said “I didn’t see” the speed up version coming”.). Trickster! LOL!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Shhhhh. 😉

[@fco64]

Ok i know its still not the arcade rom but: high scores get saved, the music is very very close to the original, a good looking mini arcade cabinet and a nice joystick and a extra mode well looks like a good Christmas gift to me

[@briansellers7673]

This looks like a really good product for someone wanting the arcade Pac-Man experience in a small form factor. I just wish it had the original rom. It is cool that it has two modes though and the price point seems about right for what it is. It's great that it saves your high score. I just don't understand what took them so long to incorporate that feature.

[@MariaHopkins-k8c]

I Remembered Pac-Man Video Arcade Game, Back in 1980!"

[@MyArcaderetro]

Hey, that's us! 🕹💛

[@GenXGrownUp]

It certainly is! 😉

[@only257]

@@GenXGrownUpcoolest 😊

[@Bob_Beaky]

FINALLY! I'm so glad that there's finally high score saving. The stick looks pretty good, too. :)

[@KristianWontroba]

It’s what I always hoped the Coleco tabletop games were like back in the 80s. Great review!

[@GenXGrownUp]

This would've made our 80s heads explode!

[@cowboydiecastracing]

Wow Jon! I really like that version! I agree that the top part of the pac man console should have been back light! Hey maybe that will be the next improvement!

[@drno-xc1yt]

The addition of the speedup mode makes this a "definite maybe" pickup, although I'd like to see if Arcade 1Up will do any new Pac-Man countercades - with Black Friday discounts, the arcade-faithful ROM and multiple additonal games, I see the countercades as better values.

[@shireoryx6153]

Good review. Amazing what can be made these days

[@Bikeguychicago1]

How responsive is the joystick at hitting the turns, especially in speed-up mode? Also, does the ROM respond to moving the stick in a direction before hitting a dead end? For instance, hitting up on the joystick before one hits a dead-end. Does Paccy move up once the dead-end is reached?

[@GenXGrownUp]

Yes and yes. I fell right into those arcade behaviors and the joystick responded as expected.

[@jayme69]

Looks great but I still want that Gorf Micro Player with a full size flight stick ;-) Keep up the awesome work!

[@billcook4768]

And a Galaxians stage!

[@andymanaus1077]

Just two more improvements would be great: a lit marquee (seriously, how much extra would it cost them to put in a couple of LEDs?) and a video out (like the old JAXX games) so the game can be played on a TV screen. Unfortunately, with a lot of new TVs made without the old AV input jacks, they'd have to use HDMI and that could be expensive.

[@EnjoySynthSounds]

Recently been appreciating Pacman more than in the past. It was always a competent game. Maybe not as addictive as Galaga/ Galaxian but a classic pick up and play game nonetheless.

[@gregsnarke610]

That looks cool Jon Pac-Man joystick 🕹️ player yes 👍 I hope I get from Amazon I’ll looking 👀 forward for it.

[@chrissczuroski66]

So like is that pole position coming soon? That's what I'm most excited for ! I'm planning on reviewing it on my MiniCade channel when I get my hands on it

[@zyllofmitain]

10:05 right there that death should not have happened. The ghosts shouldn’t be able to go up those two paths above the ghost pen. That means none of my memorized patterns will work. That’s disappointing.

[@ronm6585]

Looks great, thanks.

[@JomasterTheSecond]

Finally, the Pac is back.

[@jessragan6714]

On a related note, I really wish there was something like this available for the Namco Museum cabinet they released a few years back. It's got a tate screen, there are plenty of Namco games, and you can hack it for even more games, but the joystick is just the pits, and attempts to improve it only go so far.

[@igknorramis4848]

I just checked this out on Amazon, and noticed that there is a Ms Pac-Man version as well. Both look great. Both are available for pre order now.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Yep! And links to both in the description. 😉

[@mikesilva3868]

​@@GenXGrownUpcool huge fan of the wizard saw it on vhs at a friends house in 1990😊

[@igknorramis4848]

@@GenXGrownUp 👍

[@Monitor1CC]

Great review! I still don’t own any of the various Pac Man units from My Arcade, this might be the first one I get due to the joystick and various improvements. Odd that the Galaga Pro and Galaga flight stick units use Arcade roms but not this, maybe the arcade rom for Pac Man commands a higher licensing fee from Namco? Only theory I have anyways.

[@igknorramis4848]

I like your detailed manual, and catalog review. "This is garbage". That cracks me up. Excellent review BTW.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Glad you liked it!

[@Mark-Wester]

I love this version of Pac Man from MyArcade. I want a version that makes it feel like a real arcade as possible.

[@pauleckert4321]

Maybe a future line can have a light up version and the actual arcade rom with a slightly bigger screen. I wouild be willing to pay a little more for that. I am sure others wouls as well. Good review man.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Those all the things that are missing. Here's hoping! 😁

[@spaztekwarrior]

NIce. Not the arcade ROM as we kind of figured but it sounds and looks great. I cant wait to get one and connect it to an external speaker like I did with Space Invaders. Wondering if it’s possible to upgrade with Sanwa parts. LOL. Looks great!

[@randysmith7094]

Ahhh, I literally shouted out loud when I seen Clyde go up that path above their home. Totally different gameplay.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Most definitely.

[@piratestation69]

The flight stick on galaga was stupid. Save it for zaxxon or something that used a stick. Now this does have potential... if they came out with tapper... i would buy that one. Very suprised fast pac man option. very cool. No dip switch access?

[@GenXGrownUp]

That's right, no menu. This isn't the arcade ROM, so those options don't exist.

[@john2001plus]

During the first intermission, I noticed some hesitancy in the animation. Maybe the processor is struggling to keep up with the music and the graphics? Or it could just be an artifact of the KZbin video. Or it could be a streaming issue.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I don't think it was any external influences. I did notice a few dropped frames now & again. I can only guess My Arcade builds these which such limited internals, leading to the very reason they continue to avoid just using the original article.

[@Shundi12]

Nice video. FYI, the original joystick on a Pac-Man was a Wico stick with leaf switches that are silent and not a clicky microswitch stick like this one.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Right you are. This one still feels good. 😁

[@aromad5557]

Will that packaging form factor hold up. Looks like these may get crushed in shipping. Collectors can be picky about the package condition if you want to display it unopened.

[@GenXGrownUp]

That's a valid question. It'll depend on the retailer. I can tell you the ones I received from My Arcade were well protected in a sturdy external box, but there's no guarantee of how the next shipper will handle that.

[@ButterSpider3]

It looks like they finally listened and got it right. I hope they take this mindset and apply it to other titles.

[@JackHammer77]

I'd been curious about this one; particularly if they'd fixed the fruit order from last year's Pro versions.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Yep. That fruit order was corrected in a mid-year refresh, I believe.

[@JackHammer77]

@@GenXGrownUp Cool, thanks for confirming. I hadn't heard about the mid-year correction.

[@roberthazelby4424]

Pac-Man looks pretty accurate. Do we know if it is / isn’t using the arcade ROM?

[@djdef5521]

Wish it would have a leaf switch joystick as the original arcade did & not the clicky micro switch in it. Also wish the marquee graphics were bigger & agree it should light up. Still not a hundred percent, but it’s getting better.

[@Seventizz]

That joystick looks to be a huge improvement for PacMan which always suffered from poor controls. I may check this out. Shame about the OG rom though. I wonder why they omitted that for this when it looks to be geared for the enthusiast?

[@sabertoothretro]

Nice looking product! I may have to get it for my office. Question: Who owns Jr. Pac-Man, and why hasn't it been licensed for a product like this?

[@Boswd]

That looks great IMHO. They got Galaga and Galaxion. Hopefully other namco titles like dig dug and pole position....

[@fionagibson3314]

Love these mini arcade games just can't justify the price for just two games, I liked the 100 Atari system which is the same price and I did buy that.

[@NotMuchHere]

yep, that looks a lot better .. when you reviewed older models i was thinking ... boy that stick is so small who would want it ? (thats what she said?) Glad to see you feel its good with your hand to the side, as a tall stick might interfere with the view port ...

[@GenXGrownUp]

Good point.

[@prefeitobear9209]

i will get one! LOOKING FORWARD TO KARATE CHAMPS WITH DUAL STICK!!!

[@marccaselle8108]

I would get it if it was VS Karate Champ with the Arcade ROM and dual joysticks

[@02DooD]

These are neat, but I wish they would just have the actual ROM in there. It doesnt have to be like one of those premium shrunk to scale machines, but man these would be cooler if they were like Pac-Man Collection on GBA or at least have 2 games like the Gameboy ports

[@clumaster]

Scores still there if you take the batteries out?.. would like to see Gorf or Tron versions with the flight stick.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I test that very question in my Ms. Pac-Man review. Go check it out!

[@clumaster]

@@GenXGrownUp yes i did see that when you released it. i saw that you only unplugged for a short period it would be interesting to see if your scores are still there afters several months without power,, i will try this when i pick up the Ms Pac Man unit for myself.. Hope to see the Space Invaders soon, Thanks.

[@GenXGrownUp]

@@clumaster I pinned to a comment that I've verified the score is still present after 12+ hours. We'll have to wait to get the months-long test result. 😉

[@ZuranimatedMedia179]

I'm a pro at speedy Pac-Man, so this will be the perfect Mini Arcade for me!

[@JeffWaldronArcade]

One thing that is different than the arcade game. The ghosts do NOT move up the maze directly above the box they spawn from. They will never move that way unless they are blue from a power pellet. Key Pac-Man strategy that they need to fix!

[@DigitallezSTG]

That makes me don't wanna buy it. It's just a key mechanic, and I want the same experience as the arcade

[@GenXGrownUp]

Let's not fix that and go straight to the original ROM, eh?

[@DarkPitTheFallenAngel]

​@@GenXGrownUp what about the asteroids one?

[@GenXGrownUp]

@@DarkPitTheFallenAngel What about it? 😉

[@DarkPitTheFallenAngel]

@@GenXGrownUp and the pole position one? Will it be available?

[@TheAtariCreep]

I'm still of the mind that I am sick of seeing the same stuff just repackaged, but this one goes a little extra. $50, no brainer. This looks like fun. 🤘 I know they did Galaga, hope they do a Galaxian.

[@Michael-yp9ip]

The Galaga version includes Galaxian!

[@Michael-yp9ip]

@VEGANVANIA Probably licensing difficulties

[@miked4377]

i thought the marquee should light up as well! not huge but i would rig a light up in there...other wise ..yeah there are decent improvmemts..

[@curiousottman]

Jon never disappoints!

[@VSHO-pn3ns]

Nice! Now let's see a Tempest version at the same price point with a weighted spinner controller!

[@GenXGrownUp]

That'll be a challenge.

[@lorensims4846]

The screen sure looks like I remember it. What's the 'tell' that it's not the original ROM? It's close enough for me.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Some subtle sound variations and illegal ghost behavior give it away. I think it's close enough for 90% of consumers. 😁

[@only257]

@@GenXGrownUp😊😊

[@travis303]

I don't remember you saying in this video but do you prefer the joystick as opposed to the flight control with Galaga? Two different games, Pac-Man isn't a flight game like Galaga is but I generally associate flight controls with flight sims. Would you rather have this joystick with Galaga?

[@xscarecrowxx]

Yes!

[@jdf701]

It's just too bad they didn't include a video out connector so you could connect it to your TV/monitor instead of having to use the tiny screen it comes with ( though I guess with pacman the little screen would probably work ok )

[@mrjames589]

It makes me think, if this was an actual Arcade Machine size, that joy stick would be MASSIVE.

[@theretronerd6746]

Me and my dad went to an arcade to play pac-man a a crest cruisers (it had the 59th anniversary edition and we inputted tue speed up hack) then the place got robbed… As me and my dad completely demolished the high score on that arcade machine. 700,000 points on pac-man.

[@GamerHobo]

Pretty nifty toy. Nice review, Jon.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Thanks 👍

[@only257]

Nice😊

[@willaimkazer9754]

I'd buy that. That looks awsome. Sounds like arcade ROM. Wonder if they got smart and ported from MAME.

[@GenXGrownUp]

It's super close. With all the little variations (like ghost logic), it seems unlikely they built from the arcade ROM. I mean, if you were, why throw that stuff away? 🤣

[@ZMAN_420]

I like the upgrade!👍🏻🇺🇲

[@sky0kast0]

I wouldn't wonder if the backlight on the top is only activate when it's charges the USBC because I think that would sound more correct for actually anything I mean it'd be pretty simple to make sure the if it's got battery quality power that it will disable the backlight on the top

[@GenXGrownUp]

Nope. Not even on USB. 🥲

[@ConsoleCombat]

I’d consider this if it also had some sort of hdmi or rgb output.

[@potatopakku]

Pac-Man sounds ALOT more arcade accurate, that could just be me all the sounds are BETTER!

[@jnbloss]

Besides Gorf I'd really like to see a Moon Patrol, but I'll probably have till Doomsday for that... :(

[@GenXGrownUp]

Me too!

[@ecwnikos]

i like it but 4 aa question is can you plug it in and play it and keep the high scroes ?

[@GenXGrownUp]

I'll be testing that very thing in my next review. That should be out tomorrow.

[@lilithcal]

Will the high score be saved if you remove power from the unit?

[@GenXGrownUp]

I'll be testing that on my next review releasing today.

[@Bikeguychicago1]

Give me a Ms. Pac or Jr Pac (never going to happen) like this with the speed hack and it's mine!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Stay tuned!

[@gregsnarke610]

I play the speed up mode on Ms.Pac-Man Jon for me it’s easier that’s my opinion.

[@GenXGrownUp]

It's definitely easier.

[@theretronerd6746]

Wait. Jon this actually may be the arcade rom. As while the sounds are off. It has the proper fruit pattern and the ghost go into the right spot.

[@GenXGrownUp]

It's much closer. They fixed the fruit order in a mid-cycle refresh last year. I agree the ghosts behave better, but you can see in a couple places in the video that they go up through the passage above the ghost pen where they are not allowed based on arcade ROM logic.

[@glenjust630]

Packaging on the Ms PAC-Man version doesn’t show either “2 playable versions” or “save high scores”. Can’t imagine they wouldn’t be able to do the same with Ms Pac-Man then they did with Pac-Man. We’ll have to eagerly wait for Jon’s coming review!

[@DigitallezSTG]

It says it has them too in the description of the product on Amazon, so don't worry about it

[@glenjust630]

Okay, in the description on Amazon, it says high-speed mode and high scores saves, so even though it’s not on the packaging similar to PAC-Man’s packaging, it’s still included with the Ms Pac-Man offering. Whew!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Ms. Pac review is up now. 😉

[@scottblackadder2910]

does it loose score when batteries removed and does it have a reset for score

[@GenXGrownUp]

I checked this in my Ms. Pac-Man review. Go have a look! (Still checking on the reset mechanism.)

[@D51_YT]

I own that Pac-Man hat!

[@tigerclaw4537]

This looks pretty nice, but weird looking. Probably something younglings would gravitate towards more so then the pervious models.

[@jimmybrazell2645]

It mentions high score saving. If you remove the batteries, does it still save the high score?

[@GenXGrownUp]

I'm testing that in my next review dropping tomorrow. Stick around! 😉

[@nrnoble]

Does the high score remain when the batteries are removed? Can the high score be reset?

[@GenXGrownUp]

I'll be testing score persitence in my next review coming tomorrow. Not sure about resetting, but I'll check.

[@jeffny9]

maybe the marquee light is controlled by that light button on the back of the cabinet?

[@GenXGrownUp]

Good thought, but sadly, no.

[@jeffny9]

@@GenXGrownUp haha, thanks for responding, I was expecting you to play with that button since you spend so much time on every detail! No more disappointment now. Now I need to get over that 60 dollar pre order of my Atari Pac man cartridge that I left a deposit on and I was forced to pay at video vault on march 16,, 1982!

[@discostu9654]

Cool...any info you can share on My Arcade's Atari Gamestation Go?

[@GenXGrownUp]

I am dying to share more with you - just waiting for the go-ahead! 😀

[@discostu9654]

@@GenXGrownUp Nice! Really looking forward to your take on that one.

[@gregsnarke610]

The right sounds

[@andromedaone3640]

This one i believe will sell the most because it looks more for adults.

[@Graytail]

Hmm, how visible are those vertical lines in person?

[@Michael-yp9ip]

Which vertical lines?

[@GenXGrownUp]

That's almost entirely an artifact in my camera. You can see them in person, but nowhere nearly as pronounced.

[@Graytail]

@@GenXGrownUp Good to know, thanks ^_^

[@andreasnagel9377]

i would like to see a Tempest with a spinner

[@GenXGrownUp]

Yeah! I mocked one up for a video last year: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKmliZiBbq6msMk

[@Incense3]

High score saving should have never been a selling point. This should have always been there. Glad to see it though.

[@GenXGrownUp]

👌

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

I hate to be negative but I don't see who would really want this, especially at the premium price MyArcade is asking. With the addition of the joystick module the micro-arcade cabinet goes from cute desk accessory to a major space hog and also wouldn't fit any but the deepest display shelf. A small, home Pac-Man is still best from one of the many Arcade 1up offerings in the three quarter scale. There is a concept of a good idea here, but this seems half baked. I won't buy this.

[@mikes.7900]

seems emulated with the bootup. how can u tell right off that it isn't?

[@GenXGrownUp]

Behavior of the ghosts, variation in the sounds, and history with previous versions from My Arcade. 😀