Going to London! Looking for arcade related stuff.

[madrandomize]

I am planning a trip to London as marriage vacation.
Does a place for buying arcade boards exist?
And if so, is it affordable compared to eBay?

I know that this is an American forum but someone may have some information.
Thanks in advance.

[Dr Docking]

I was planning a trip to London too but it'd be late November before I go. Seeing as you're in Greece it pleases me to advise you that I will be docking in Athens late September for a Rearward Infiltration convention. Will you be there then? I can make myself available and we can have some fun!

PM me and we can really make it happen.

[moonwhistle]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I don't think there are many good retro games shops left in London. The few that are remaining will have very high prices due to the ridiculous overheads for having a shop in London. I doubt any sell arcade boards but I could be wrong. You might have to spend some time with the wife instead.

[oliverclaude]

You might have to spend some time with the wife instead.

+1 he,he... maybe you can take a trip to Manchester to visit the Arcade Club.

[Raiden328i]

https://www.londongamingmarket.com/

Might see something here if your about when its on. Other than that there is nothing

[Evil Wasabi]

I am planning a trip to London as marriage vacation.
Does a place for buying arcade boards exist?
And if so, is it affordable compared to eBay?

I know that this is an American forum but someone may have some information.
Thanks in advance.

For a marriage vacation

and want to buy arcade stuff...

definitely mad.

[Burgers5750]

There's nothing in London save the odd retro game market as other have mentioned above.

There are the odd high street stores which you can seek out but you won't find anything Neo Geo or arcade related in the wild. The high street stores of which I speak will generally be outside London, unlikely destinations for a honeymoon. Maybe try Camden and see what's up there nowadays?

There is a store in the UK called CEX who carry the odd bit off retro stuff but the general consensus here is that they're not well run. Most of their stuff is more modern consoles and games mixed in with DVD's and other technology.

We have recently seen more retro-style arcades opening up across the country. The one in Bury near Manchester has received very good reviews. Again, if you're taking the missus to Bury for your honeymoon don't expect your marriage to last long.

You'd be better served taking her to Japan.

[Pinball]

There are of course many such shops in London and environs such as Raven Games in Beckenham.

https://uknesboy.wordpress.com/uk-retro-game-shops/

However, I'd suggest this type of niche shopping is best achieved online nowadays, and if with your new wife please don't take her to these places. Go to Harrods instead and spoil her rotten with shops, musicals, galleries, the theatre, museums etc :-)

There is a place for gaming and I might venture that a honeymoon isn't it ;-) UNLESS your wife is a gamer of course, but even then I'd de-emphasize gaming on this occasion...

[massimiliano]

For a marriage vacation

and want to buy arcade stuff...

definitely mad.

the way I read it was "a vacation from marriage"... is that right?

[JockMan]

Make a trip to Doncaster: https://www.thevideogamemarket.co.uk/

[willbot2000]

In terms of buying hardware, as others have said there's nothing. In terms of arcades there's Namco Station on the South Bank (right near the London Eye) and Las Vegas in Soho, but don't expect much (anything) as old as Neo Geo. However there are a few barcades: I rented a room at The Four Quarters Peckham for my birthday this year and they have a rotating list of cabs and pinball http://geocities.fourquartersbar.co.uk/

The Retro Gaming Market is okay. eBay prices + admission. And I've not seen any arcade hardware there.

CEX I really like but they only stock PS2 and newer. Prices can be good. As others have said these are normally in poorer neighbourhoods that you might not want to visit as a honeymoon destination.

You should've picked Tokyo...

[titchgamer]

In terms of playing Arcades you are better off going to somewhere like Blackpool that still has arcades.

[blotter12]

Check out if there are any REZTron events that will overlap with your stay: https://reztron.co.uk/retrotainment-tickets.html I think they tend to be Sega console focused, but I don't know for sure.

[MtothaJ]

Went to London for a few days about a month ago and was focused on pretty much the same - finding some retro video game related bargains.

As was already mentioned the CEX places are worth a visit - there is pretty much one on every high street.

I also by chance stumbled upon this place in Hammersmith: http://www.xelectrical.com/
It looks like a music / hifi shop but there is a back room with good stuff in it:

2019-05-03 12.41.29.jpg

2019-05-03 12.45.04.jpg

Got the MD Arcade Power Stick from that shop.

As for other places: i) gumtree / craiglist and arrange a hand to hand and ii) local car boot sales

As for car boot sales you will just have to do some research on what is going on in you area around the time of your visit. I went to a pretty large one on Staines Road in Hounslow - pick up a Wii with 2 controllers + extended motion sensors and 10 games (admittedly crappy ones but whatever) after some haggling for 10 pounds (initial asking price 15 pounds).

But yeah - its seems that most retro gaming stuff in now online and with that it is hard to find a real bargain since its easy for the seller to check the market price of whatever they are selling.

[Missile]

Arcade bars in London:

https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/attractions/londons-best-arcade-bars-10377458.html

I doubt you'll ever see a place selling arcade pcbs in London. Rent is too high. demand too low.

[theMot]

There is that massive arcade pcb shop in Piccadilly Square. Can’t remember the name of it but they have everything from the 80s to early 2000s. Really good prices too. I picked up Espgaluda and Golden Axe II for a sweet bundle deal price.