ok guys, time for something completely different!!!
i've wanted something like that for a long time, but honestly never put any real effort into this. "what are you talking about?", you might ask? well, the title says it all, i'm talking about those kiosks which electronic stores use to display the latest consoles. those kiosks are also known as demopods, demostations, store displays, display stands, standees and and and - in germany we call them "kaufhausaufsteller". they are not an invention of the 21st millennium, they have been around so much longer - there are even kiosks for the atari 2600 and the magnavox odyssey. the only store display i've really been after is the one for the vectrex – but that one is almost impossible to find!
what i like about those store displays is the fact that they offer an arcade-like experience because you stand directly in front of the machine and the screen. while of course noone would play games like zelda or shenmue on one of those machines, they're extremely well-suited for a quick round of race driving, beat'em up or action-packed shooters. PLUS, they are so much nicer than just a console sitting on a shelf and all those cables hanging around. some of those kiosks are wonderfully designed and especially beautifully illuminated!
with that being said, a couple of weeks ago i stumbled upon one of those store displays by pure accident and when i saw the pictures of that thing glowing in the dark i knew i had to have it. fortunately, it was pretty close to my place, a ride of just one hour, so i went
all in and got it for pretty cheap. enough said, here are some pictures of my first (but definitely not last
) console gaming kiosk, the one for microsoft's xbox!!!
first some pics with the room lights on to give you an idea of the machines concept and design
the game controllers are attached to some kind of flexible arm which can be pulled out of the holders and slides back in automatically
xbox inside!
the kiosk also came with the original keys (along with a microsoft xbox keychain), so let's open it up and have a look inside
the remote for the television, nicely tucked away on the inside of the door
on an arcade machine we would call this
backdoor sheet - basically a "how to operate the kiosk and fix problems" instruction sheet
and in case there's something that can't be fixed, i can always call the hotline and ask for help
time to put in a game ...
... and turn off the lights!!! man, that xbox logo at the top of the machine really glows in the dark
as you can see, you can slide the box of the "loaded game" into the round display above the xbox and below the television. unfortunately, that round display is
not illuminated and while everything else glows on the machine, i wonder why they left out that piece. i might have to come up with a solution for that myself ...
some more shots in the dark!
opened up again to show you all the tubes they have used to light that baby up properly
never forget where you're coming from ...
i hope you guys like my first console kiosk as much as i do. imho, this thing is a piece of art and a great addition to any gameroom. it won't be the last, believe me ...
