Nintendo Playchoice 10 Restoration with The 8-Bit Guy

David The 8-Bit Guy restores a Nintendo PlayChoice-10 arcade cabinet for the Time Rift Arcade in Bedford, TX.
The Nintendo PlayChoice-10 arcade was a unique blend of console and arcade gaming, released in 1986. It features a selection of 10 different NES games that players can choose from, each playable for a limited time with coins (or unlimited in free play mode). This setup allows players to experience a variety of popular NES titles in an arcade setting, making it a hit among gaming enthusiasts. With its distinctive dual-screen design and innovative gameplay concept, the PlayChoice-10 remains a nostalgic favorite for many arcade goers.
MORE TIME RIFT ARCADE CONTENT
Time Rift Arcade: timeriftarcade...
Facebook: / timeriftarcade
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KZbin: @TimeRiftArcade
MUSIC CREDITS
Smooth Bed 1
Analog Love
Mika's Run
By Anders Enger Jensen / EOX Studios / www.eox.no

[@shankthebat8654]

You should really advertise this channel more on your main channel. This is great and I think too many people are missing it.

[@killerhertzmercedes]

I agree, only found this by accident 😊

[@zedudli]

True!!

[@fattiger6957]

He mentioned it in only one video and that's the only way I knew about it.

[@Joshimuz]

Funny, I have no idea what "the main channel" even is ahahha

[@GackFinder]

@@Joshimuz The 8-bit Guy

[@Markimark151]

I used to play several games on the Play Choice 10 at the Tilt arcade in a mall as a kid! I remember it had Super Mario, Gradius, Duck Hunt, Double Dragon, Hogan’s Alley!

[@Bro3256]

2:23 "Wild Gunman, never heard of it" "Duck Hunt, okay everyone knows this one" Funny you say that because it's actually the complete opposite in Japan! Wild Gunman was the pack-in for the Kousenjuu Light Ray Gun for the Famicom. Meanwhile Duck Hunt along with Hogan's Alley is considered to be obscure in the country as the Light Gun didn't do so well in Japan compared to North America and the pack-in is more remembered as a result although Duck Hunt is more recognized now thanks to the dog characters inclusion in the Super Smash Bros series. Also should mention that The Goonies never saw an NES release and only released in North America as a PlayChoice-10 game. The console version stayed in Japan on the Famicom.

[@gmcnewlook]

“You have to use your hands! That’s a baby’s toy!”

[@ginaboos9563]

Lol Mcfly

[@tonybardalen]

I know!!! ❤

[@Recordology]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@gravdigr27]

Yes, I was going to post that he loses any retro anything card he carried by not recognizing wild gunman....or even Hogans alley. 😮

[@jrsc01.]

yes you do, Frodo...

[@LotoTheHero]

2:25 If you've watched Back to the Future II, you've heard of Wild Gunman. That's the arcade game that was set up in the cafe 80's.

[@duncangarnett1976]

“You mean you have to use your hands?” “That’s like a baby’s toy!”

[@skystreak1983]

Yep. Marty even says the name of the game.

[@andiback]

2:23 David please show us some expression of Wild Gunman, since Back to the Future II I have never realized the game exists in reality!

[@POBTECH]

Glad someone posted before me haha

[@ElectroDFW]

​@@andiback it's worth noting that it never came as its own cabinet. It was only available in the arcades in the PlayChoice Machines. The studio asked Nintendo to make them one specifically for the movie.

[@eroc1024]

No matter how hard you try, people love seeing you restore stuff. The numbers don't lie man.

[@nyccollin]

I can understand not knowing of Wild Gunman since it was a brief scene from a movie, but not knowing of Hogan’s Alley is shocking.

[@DijitalBlissRecords]

Nerds live a sheltered life..

[@DijitalBlissRecords]

@@enorma29 I have a feeling he was playing crappy games on a vic 20 when hogans alley came out.

[@cmdraftbrn]

never played them but i know they're light gun games

[@nyccollin]

@@DijitalBlissRecords Haha right?!

[@davidv2002]

he probably didn’t play light gun games much

[@cromagnatron7155]

That finished product is a thing of beauty.

[@SonicFanChris4]

As someone with aspirations of starting my own arcade, these videos are immensely helpful

[@CDP-1802]

Pro Wresting is one of the greatest NES games ever! A Winner is You!

[@ryanyoder7573]

Loved that stupid game. I used to use the green monster and bite my brothers head. He hated that.

[@Gappasaurus]

Looooool, i forgot that quote came from there! 🤣

[@ONLYinANTARCTICA]

Pro Wrestling was on my top 10 NES games that I played. My friends and I loved it. Played it so much. We all got excited when we finally beat the boss wrestler, The Great Puma. Great game 😊

[@IAmBlux]

Regarding the monitor recharging at 11:00 if you have fluorescent lights in that room, they will impart enough energy to recharge a CRT enough to give you a good zap.

[@seanlavoie2]

It’s a good thing he mentioned at least a little about it then.

[@myheart4apen]

Play Choice 10 in a 7-11 in ‘86 was where I first saw and played Super Mario Bros. Nice restoration!

[@baardbi]

This is cool. I really like the classic 8-Bit Guy format this video has.

[@stphinkle]

Playchoice-10 systems basically have two processors, the Z80 (Menu Processor), and N2A03 (Game Processor). They are basically a modified NES internally on a circuit board with some additional hardware. The additional hardware allows the menu processor to bankswitch the ten games, control an additional enable on the N2A03 control inputs, reset the game, pause the game, process coins, and run the external timer. When a coin is inserted, you buy a certain amount of time. When the time is not zero and a game is selected, the Menu processor will enable the N2A03 input buttons, allowing the game to be played. When time runs out, it pauses the game, displays a continue message (if enabled), disables the N2A03 game inputs, and asks for another coin. If no coin is inserted, the menu processor resets the game keeping the N2A03 game processor inputs disabled. If a coin is inserted to continue, the Z80 menu processor puts additional time on the timer, unpauses the game. and re-enables the N2A03 inputs.

[@mcrae9999]

Very interesting, I appreciate the time you took to post this.

[@reverend_sasquatch583]

The whole "I never heard of 'Wild Gunman' and 'Hogan's Alley'" was a joke, right? Super dry humor? Dude-those games were/are AWESOME, especially w/ the light gun! I loved them as a kid, and if I saw them in a Player's Choice, I woulda spent a quarter on both.

[@TalynWuff]

Rather surprised by that statement myself.

[@braschlosan]

Well those are baby toys afterall

[@MarkLada]

It's because he's a nerd.. Nerds are nerds because they lack the ability to make the distinction between most excellent and bogus.. When amongst us normies.. The nerds will often brag about accomplishments or possessions they assume are most excellent.. When in reality, they are actually bogus and extremely unradical..

[@turbinegraphics16]

Probably just hates guns

[@DeltaStormYT]

*I pLaYed tHeM aNd itS tHe bEsT tHiNG hOw DaRe YoU nOt hAvE ExPoSuRe tO a GaMe yOu WeRe nOT exPoSeD tO AnD not EveN iN tHe tOP 100 GaMes (per the population) BuT iTs My FavOrItE so Fuck You

[@grafxgear]

Hogan's Alley or Wild Gunman may not crack the top 50, but they are easily in the top 10 of NES light gun based games. I would consider keeping them along with Duck Hunt unless you have something markably better. Just so there's some variety to make use of the cabinets light gun.

[@robbeaton]

Agreed - Hogan’s Alley is a classic and a nice alternative for when the novelty of Duck Hunt wears out (which doesn’t take long at all).

[@thetruth-hl7ct]

Did they even make more than 10 light gun games for the NES?

[@grafxgear]

@@thetruth-hl7ct 17 official and another 10 unlicensed.

[@Fxltl]

@@grafxgearhuh. The only ones I knew of were duck hunt and hogans alley

[@philkelly631]

Wasn't Wild Gunman the game Michael J Fox played in BTTF II in the Cafe 80s?

[@ASMRPeople]

I won't lie it's a bit heart warming seeing brothers working together. You could be 10 & 15 or 45 & 50, brothers are still brothers.

[@Toonrick12]

1:26 To add to this, Nintendo actually sold conversion kits that allowed Punch-Out machines to be refitted into Play-Choice 10 machines. 2:22 Have you not seen BTTF part 2?

[@lambrinos]

I'm really enjoying these arcade videos

[@justme002]

Pro Wrestling was an amazing game and would be perfect for a two player cabinet. One of my most played games on my NES with friends.

[@stefanmadsen5605]

that ‘boneyard’… drool- wouldnt mind buying a few for my own restoration and gameroom

[@hornetscales8274]

This makes me think that your channel is the modern equivalent of Motorweek": A channel of restoring classics as well as addressing the problems of "current" tech (which was based on "classic tech), only it's the vintage electronics we grew up with instead of the vintage automobiles our previous generation grew up with. Keep up the good work on your channel, because our parents (while tougher than us) didn't have such things on demand to remind them of their youth as we do.

[@compsup]

Really enjoying this format of 15...20min for one machine - the pacing and editing is great. More in-depth tech (or keys) in longer videos is the focus of your other channels (which are great as well btw), so having these episodes for the arcade is a good choice!

[@Typical.Anomaly]

I spent $20 on one of those the first time I played SMB3. I had rented "The Wizard" a while before. I ended up getting SMB3 for my 12th bday in Aug. 1990, but since my Dad and I had the same bday we all went out to eat before I could play it, so I let my friend across the street borrow it while we were gone. My Dad worked for Sears Repair Service back then, mostly fixing TVs and VCRs (when it was still worthwhile). He _ALMOST_ scored one of the NES store displays that played 10 or 12 games (the retail store was moving to the mall), but somebody else snagged it before he could.

[@projectJ30]

My friend called me the day he got SMB3 and played the music over the phone and said I'd never guess what it was. I guessed it immediately, and I still remember the disappointment in his voice. Two years earlier he told me I wasn't smart enough to play SMB2.

[@orkoto6057]

That store display is a Nintendo M82, quite the cool toy

[@josephkarl2061]

RMC has one of these as well, so it's great to see these being preserved in all parts of the world.

[@notlikewithernie]

I could watch David clean and reassemble things for unlimited hours.

[@toddschinell5198]

My favorite part of this video: The Duck Hunt “happy dog” noise when he pops his head up with the duck. Haven’t heard that sound in 30 years…

[@DerekWitt]

Or the dog’s giggling. I remember trying to shoot him with the light gun when I lost. lol

[@LotoTheHero]

The Playchoice-10 would be a really cool machine to own. Very nice that you have one (potentially 2?) for the arcade!

[@JeffsTagtripp]

Wild Gunman is in the film Back to the future 2! I think we need to se it running.

[@crasheffort]

The Goonies game is actually an interesting one to have since it was a Famicom game that was only released on the PlayChoice-10 in the United States. Oddly, we only got its sequel Goonies II on the NES, so most people here have not played it.

[@ChristianBehnke]

Wild Gunman and Hogan's Alley were light gun classics!!

[@brianjl7477]

Nice machine! I remember playing thes all the time - you actually payed for time and could switch games as much as you want. That might explain the coin count with that selection of games. Also, Hogan's Alley rules! I remember coming across a Play Choice 10 with Super Mario Bros. 3 in it, before it was even out (after the Wizard had come out). I wanted to play so bad, but the people playing it had pumped enough quarters in to have the timer at like 45 minutes. They weren't going anywhere!

[@_.OX._]

The scuff that you covered over with the sharpie can still be seen due to the ink not being a true black, I use a black pigmented ink pen and smudge it with my fingers or a sponge for applications like this and it covers a lot better.

[@drgroove101]

Oh boy! An 8-bit guy restoration video is always a joy to watch! Keep 'em coming!

[@TruckFan542]

Eyy, more Time Rift! Loving these restorations.

[@ShanetheFreestyler]

I don't remember if I ever saw a PlayChoice-10 out in the wild, but I do recall seeing a VS. System during my childhood. Specifically, it was the VS version of Super Mario Bros, which was more difficult than the NES version with levels that were somewhere between the original and The Lost Levels. Kinda funny the fact Nintendo made TWO NES-based arcade boards, one that basically allowed to demo a game for a few minutes, and another that gave you alternative (and more difficult!), versions of the games you could have at home. And then there's my favorite trivia about both the VS. System and PC-10: It was the only platform you could play The Goonies here in the US. We may have gotten The Goonies II on NES, but unless you imported the Famicom version of the first game, you could only play it in arcades!

[@DaytonTurnerVoxter]

What!!! Baseball was awesome! Nothing says "elite hacker-cred" like realizing there's a secret way to clobber your opponent and if they dont know the proper techniques, they'll just think you're some sort of god at the game. Endless trolling potential with siblings and friends.

[@chrisowens2676]

Thanks for the video, David! I can't wait to see the arcade in person when you guys open it.

[@gavinburnett5641]

I see you have a gauntlet machine in storage. That was a personal favourite of mine and my friends when we were kids - 4 players at once. Great fun.

[@bland9876]

I saw an arcade that had 2 screens but they were back to back so you could see the eyes of the other players it had Dr. Mario on one side and Excite Bike on the other.

[@TimeRiftArcade]

We have one of those.

[@bland9876]

@@TimeRiftArcade they replaced the Dr Mario with Super Mario Bros (not regular Mario Bros but the side scrolling one where you collect Fire Flowers and invincibility stars)

[@themightyimp08]

Loads of respect for the 8-bit guy, his restoration skills, and his knowledge. Also, it's essential to keep these machines up and running. Personally I had no time for the play choice 10, they had one in my local swimming baths, in the cafe area. Once I realised that you only got a certain amount of time for one credit, I never played it again

[@absmustang]

Another great video! There’s something about repairing and restoring old machines. More rewarding than playing them.

[@gavinthomas214]

It's great to see these classic cabinets resurrected and restored.

[@Ndude215]

I absolutely love this collab with 8-Bit Guy. David really knows his stuff when it comes to restoring retro technology.

[@TFEnright5]

I’m really enjoying this channel, I think as much as your 8-bit guy channel. You put in a lot of care restoring this machines. I’m glad a new generation will get to experience them.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

I'm gonna offer up some advice. A good heat gun is you friend when dealing with vinyl graphics. It can soften adhesive for removal and make new ones fit into curves and corners better.

[@casperbuys]

Love these restoration videos!

[@Treeplanter73]

Didn't even know you had this channel?!. Loved the video, and your passion for arcade games, as am i.

[@Renville80]

Also, that “battery” is actually a supercapacitor, looks like it’s rated 1 farad (yes, farad) at 5 volts.

[@cdh76]

And if he puts a primary cell in there, he's probably going to have a bad time.

[@PCEngineGaijin]

I REALLY hope he reads this before killing two valuable boards.

[@ingmarm8858]

Lol doesn't matter since he butchered it and ripped the pads off the board in the process. The gift that keeps on giving.

[@ingmarm8858]

@@PCEngineGaijin lol zero chance.

[@common_c3nts]

That means he never googled anything before he removed anything. Weird

[@michaelwood9866]

i know of the 8 bit guy as he did a video on my friend's mac pro some years ago.......curt told me to check it out so i did. this channel i did not know about until an hour ago....good stuff!

[@guyguy467]

Beautiful. You guys are artists

[@Lovetron99]

It's a tough call, but I think I enjoy these arcade restoration videos even more than T8BG (which is my favorite channel)! Glad to see you still posting -- PLEASE keep these coming!

[@CoolSharpHarp]

You have a rad mobile in your bone yard! Loved that game

[@ClaudioBalbin]

I really enjoy seeing how resourceful you guys are with the restoration and eletronics repairs. I always finish the videos energized to restore some stuff myself.

[@markwrightrf]

This cab was my first introduction to Super Mario Brothers at a motorway service station on a school trip way, way, way back. Never any coverage in magazines of the day as it wasn't a take-home product they could sell. Came as a huge surprise here in the UK to find it. So love these restoration videos.

[@cmdrfunk]

The game is virtually unplayable with a joystick

[@persian2uk]

Great channel, need more visibility on KZbin, enjoyable as always!

[@shanehebert396]

You guys are doing the Lord's Work.

[@ClifHaley]

I cannot wait to come check this place out.

[@AndersEngerJensen]

Never heard of Wild Gunman…? Surely you watched Back to the Future 2? 😄

[@TheGeekPub]

Yeah. I thought the same thing.

[@nyccollin]

I thought that was Hogan’s Alley? EDIT: Ok how in the hell has he never heard of Hogan’s Alley? That’s more concerning.

[@henner645]

he is actually not very knowledgeable or enthusiastic in Nintendo consoles. Otherwise I also can’t explain the black and white Attack of the petscii robots on NES 😂

[@MarcKloos]

When it's not a Commodore, then his enthusiasm fades

[@JosephDavies]

@@MarcKloosI think this is a strong candidate for the answer.

[@bluelouboyle6701]

These arcade restoration videos are super satisfying, thanks!

[@popculturedon]

You’ve never heard of Wild Gunman?!? It’s the game Marty plays in “Back to the Future 2” at the Cafe 80s! And “Hogan’s Alley” is a great shooting gallery game!

[@MrRay3801]

Love these restoration vids!!! Like old times

[@trevorunknown9228]

Sweet you have a Gauntlet machine!

[@CrewJackets]

Very nice work on this cabinet. Looks awesome!

[@maggs131]

Restoring arcade games and never heard of Hogans alley? 💀

[@KirbyVanPelt]

Chill out, Not everyone grew up playing with some of these, unless if they don't remember playing them at all, as they do actually remember Duck Hunt, Mario Bros., Zelda, etc., since these were the ones they generally grew up more with.

[@estuardoguatemala]

Wild gunman? Really? The one Marty McFly played back in the year 2015. You know, the one you have to use your hands… 🤣

[@nakfan]

Love these videos… and the music 😊

[@Bruwulf]

... "Wild Gunman, never heard of it" "Hogan's Alley, never heard of it" I think the problem is you, here, 8-Bit Guy. Sorry to say.

[@chrisb1236]

Incredible restoration, that looks great!

[@Heike--]

This was always the gayest arcade machine. Play the exact same Nintendo game you could at home, but for a couple of minutes. Have fun getting halfway through world 1-2 in Super Mario and then it's game over.

[@metaleggman18]

Not everyone had the money for a whole console, so they settled for playing the apparent "gay" option...

[@FirstTravelService]

This is channel is magnificent. Another super restoration!

[@sastarman]

I love these restorations. Amazing work preserving gaming history.

[@northeastcorals]

My new favourite arcade restoration channel 👌

[@AccountWasHacked]

2:31 How have you never heard of Hogan's Alley? That's the game Marty McFly plays at the 7-11 on Back to The Future.

[@GardettoJones]

These cabinet resto vids are highly enjoyable! Great work!

[@thephenomenal1720]

Love the Restoration Videos!

[@cedwardsmedia]

I vaguely remember seeing an arcade cab in my childhood years with Super Mario World as an option. I'm guessing it would've been one of these. This is one reason I love your channels and content in general, I'm always reconnecting with things I vaguely remember from my youth thanks to your retro work. Keep it up David!

[@BigelowInventions]

I can't believe how good that cabinet looks now! Well done!

[@NinF37]

Love these videos. Both informative and satisfying to watch restoration.

[@winstonslone2797]

I've been watching since 2016 and I've never heard of this channel. Just subscribed to it. Great work Brother

[@Daemonarch2k6]

Wonderful, that you give these old machines back their life. I'm watching this channel for years now, more the c64 stuff, and i had no idea that you got a basement full of arcade cabinets... Amazing

[@lostfan5054]

GREAT content, David!!! You should tell your 8Bit Guy viewers about this channel. We would LOVE these restoration vids

[@bvfgfvbgch4853]

I love these restoration videos. Both interesting and relaxing. Reminds of the 8 bit guy videos of old.

[@jeopardy60611]

I find it fascinating that you have the skill to refurb and repair these machines. I'm just a software guy, so I could never do what you do. I have fond memories of playing Play Choice 10's back in 1990. There was one in the arcade in the Student Center at DePaul University in Chicago as well as at a toy store called Child World.

[@chadmiller4814]

Great video! I inherited my papaw's Playchoice-10 after he passed away (he built and serviced arcade machines for a living). I'm in the middle of restoring it, myself!

[@anypuppet]

Fantastic. So entertaining to watch. Thank you.😊

[@DeviousMalcontent2]

No room in the bone yard, using sharpie to fix paint, broken locks are all par for the course at an arcade, it so weird watching a video like this, and being like, ah yes, I remember doing this! You seem to be having a lot more positive experience compared to what I had, the bone yard triggered me, because of cost cutting, the bone yard became our workshop, and it was almost impossible to move around and get stuff done, a very stressful time for me. But this video very much encapsulates the experience of an arcade technician and I love it for that!

[@Dallen9]

That's cool. I've heard they make NES to Play 10 Adapters so if you can get any NES Games you should be able to play any game released on the NES on it.

[@EvilMyers]

I just subscribe to your channel, I first saw your restoration on the Spy Hunter Cabinet, and now this one. Seeing you restore these Cabinets are very satisfying, I'm 53 year's old, and before getting my fist 2 consoles in the same year, the Sears Brand Atari 2600, and Mattels Intellivision, this is where I got my video game start, is playing arcade game's. Like I said it's very satisfying watching your restore these great relics from my past,I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos

[@BlackHoleForge]

Thanks for telling us about this channel on your 8-bit guy. Sometimes I like to see the resto work.

[@airbornesnail]

I find these videos so relaxing. You always finish with a great result. 🙂

[@eelliott74]

My local 7-11 had one. We played the heck out of it that summer, dreaming of Nintendos for Christmas. Pro Wrestling was one of the best titles that first year and still holds up remarkably well!

[@Jdvc-yd5tx]

I'm not surprised the wire in the gun failed - trigger vibration would do that. But I AM surprised the CRT required a second discharge! Presumably not a life-threatening amount!!! Great work 8 bit guy as usual! 😊

[@zedudli]

This channel is fantastic. Good job guys 👍🏻

[@josephkartychak6789]

Holy cow this is a blast from the past. In 1990 my local grocery store had a Playchoice 10 with pretty much the same games you originally had on this one. I started working there 7 years later while in HS and that arcade cabinet was still there chugging along.

[@rickhalverson2252]

I've watched the 8-Bit guy for years..... I had no idea how about this channel. Glad KZbin recommended this video.

[@JARVIS1187]

I am so jealous seeing all those great arcade cabinets. Some day..... on some day I'll get my own!

[@Bob3519]

An option is to build your own. The Geek Pub YT channel is hosted by Dave’s brother and arcade co-conspirator Mike. He has had a few arcade builds. He also has plans and parts available for sale on his website.

[@destinationcancunmx8680]

I wanted to tell you that I enjoy watching your shows. You make the same mistakes I would make when you repair things and thanks for showing them. I probably don’t have the ambition to take on the more difficult repairs and diagnostic so hats off to you. I watch Mr Carlsons Lab and you may want to consider watching a few of his videos as he is pretty good with board repairs and he may give you some great ideas for the more difficult repairs. Keep up the good work. If I’m in Texas I will try to visit your arcade.

[@Arkanius1984]

Awesome as always, i really enjoy this type of videos. For my taste it could be 10 minutes longer as I was sad when it´s ended. Great result, keep up the good work!

[@nakfan]

Totally agree 👍 BR, Per (Denmark)

[@GYTCommnts]

I LOVE this Arcade restoration episodes! ❤