In January, consumers purchased $445.4 million in video game hardware, a 17 percent year -over-year increase, proof that the video game industry is doing well despite the recession.

“Even in these tough economic times, the fact that total sales were able to realize a 13 percent increase in revenue (compared to Jan’07) speaks to the continued strength of video games as one of the leading entertainment industries in the U.S.,” said Anita Frazier, analyst NPD.

Anita Frazier

The Wii was the top selling console with 679,000 units, followed by DS with 510,000 units. The Xbox 360 sold 309,000 units and the PlayStation 3 sold 203,000 units.

Nintendo landed the top three video game spots for January, overtaking the Xbox 360, which is usually at the top.

Top Ten Video Games for January 2009 (ranked by total U.S. units sold)
1. Wii Fit w/Balance Board - Wii- Nintendo of America - 777,000
2. Play w/ Wii Remote - Wii - Nintendo of America - 415,000
3. Mario Kart - Wii - Nintendo of America - 292,000
4. Left 4 Dead- Xbox 360 - EA - 243,000
5. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 - Activision - 235,000
6. Skate 2 - Xbox 360 - EA - 199,000
7. Guitar Hero World Tour - Wii - Activision - 155,000
8. New Super Mario Bros - DS - Nintendo of America - 135,000
9. Mario Kart - DS- Nintendo of America - 132,000
10. Lord of the Rings: Conquest - PS3- EA - 113,000

“Only two of the top 10 games this month were new releases. The continued strength of games that have been in the market for some time clues us into just how many new consumers are coming into the industry,” said Frazier.

“This broadening of the audience for gaming will help buoy the industry through these tough economic times, provided they have enough compelling content to keep them interested.”

MAME cabinets are used to provide the arcade experience. A MAME cabinet is basically a box that houses an entire video arcade game into one console unit. It is called a MAME cabinet because the software that most of these games use is called MAME which stands for Multi Arcade Machine Emulator. There are two major styles of cabinets used; the upright machine and the cocktail machine.
You can obtain a cabinet from one of three ways;

Build one from scratch
Get a donor cabinet
Buy a kit and build one yourself

The easiest option, would be to purchase a cabinet, preferably with the hardware, and the software already fitted and pre-installed. Building a cabinet yourself is a very time consuming job, and could cost as much as purchasing a made up unit.

Finding a donor cabinet could proove a great buy, but beware as good units are hard to find, you never get anything for free. You may find an ex-arcade machine, but the more in demand it is, the more you may have to pay for it. You may find someone who will give you an honest price which may be a lot cheaper than buying a kit, or building one but the condition of the cabinet may not be great, and you may spend more money renovating it.

Building, buying or donor cabinets, no matter which way you acquire one, you will find it a pleasure playing the games. Most people who embark on these projects, do it for the love rather than worrying about the time involved or the money spent, and it will no doubt bring back memories from going to the arcades, and playing for hours standing in front of one of those cabinets.