(Tip via The Stinger Report)
We don’t normally post about sales of equipment although in the past we have done “eBay Pick of the Week.” I will consider this along those lines, even though its not on eBay.We also have mentioned in the past the Tesla II Pods, which were predecessors to the more famous Gundam pods that Namco makes in Japan and everybody wants.
There is an arcade in Minneapolis, MN called the Fallout Shelter Arcade where they have used these Tesla II mech pods as a primary attraction to draw players in. Up until now they have had “12 Tesla II cockpits running BattleTech:Firestorm and Red Planet” but they are working on refurbishing 8 more pods and where they apparently do not need 20 of them, they are selling 4 of the cabinets and for only $25,000. Of course that’s nothing to sneeze at but just consider that a single Gundam Pod costs about $20,000 so this is a good deal for four of them. I have lamented about this before but it would be great if one of these many companies with the funds to develop a new simulator like we saw at IAAPA 2012, would focus on creating something more unique than yet another F1 simulator. A mech battle simulator would be much more exciting to me, but I think it wouldn’t be bad for the market as well as there is no way it will support every single one of racing simulators I saw.
If you are interested in these pods, assuming they haven’t been sold by the time you read this, info on buying them can be found here.
Here’s the training video to teach you how to pilot one of these. Seems to me like the software itself could use an update or I imagine a mod using the new Hawken video game (which comes out for PC a week from today actually) would be a great way to enhance these simulators. Then again, old school isn’t always bad, if a simulator like this could work with Iron Soldier 2 or Iron Solider 3, which is arcade-like in nature I would not hesitate to play that, but I already enjoyed those games anyways.
It would take some real balls to buy just one of these over a civic, but I could see someone with money going nuts to have four for this deal.
If I had the money and the space…and a U-Haul truck, I’d do it! Now if only they had some Tesla 4.11 (or whatever the last Tesla 4 update was) boxes to go with it, that would be the deal of the century!
Those look great! 4 would be good for a private collector. For making money in an arcade, it really takes 8 or more.
Will wait until 8 come out for sale.
8 of these in a busy shopping center or downtown area can make $10,000 or more a month. We did a Team Building event with 40 people once, it was the best teambuilding event we ever had.
In my opinion, there are some unanswered questions. On their site they claimed: “am unable to distribute any of the copyrighted materials to anyone who doesn’t hold a licence.” ` WHAT?
After personally looking into USPTO, and several other State Corporation business sites, this raises a red flag for me.
The advertisement mentions a license agreement. If that could possibly include restrictions, what guarantees does anyone really have after a purchase?
Before buying anything, a full disclosure of the license with any possible restrictions or terms would be first on my personal radar.
Just because Wiki and some off-road quotes make claims, doesn’t make it so. USPTO is considered to be an authority in my books.
This could be the last set of 12 to ever be offered?
Decision: 4 for $25,000 or 12 for $29,955 ?
Granted, those 4 look like they were re-furbished. but, it really takes 8 to play.
Played in a set of 10 before, the extra 2 really change the dynamics.
Played with 2 and with 4 before. Its just not the same.
As a member of this site, saw this posted. Then this site came up.
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/49537
Saw those in the previous email.
If our boat sales, we will use part of the sales to get these.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-set-Arcade-Tesla-II-Cockpit-Simulators-Collimator-Mirror-Beam-Splitter-C20-/282529151787
Read an article on the web, this person claims to be the only place to maintain these. He quotes how very rare they are. They are not that far away. I played them at a convention out here. Spent a lot of money.
http://www.journalmpls.com/focus/2017/05/step-into-the-cockpit-at-fallout-shelter-arcade/
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-set-Arcade-Tesla-II-Cockpit-Simulators-Collimator-Mirror-Beam-Splitter-C20-/282529151787
Friend forwarded the Battletech Firestorm Pods post. Now priced same as the first 4 posted here. He forwarded site showing they were playing one of these listed on eBay. There are so few places left to play and they are too far away.
Based on how long it took to sell the $25K offer above for much less,
Based on the eBay price of the 12 Pods, it would appear that other postings and stories of how rare and valuable these are by a few owners might be exaggerated.
eBay has a way of determining the real price.
Still, if they were available in my neighborhood, I would drive to play.
The 25K set were turn-key and working. The Ebay set is not.
Nickolas Smith,- if its not his group of tight knit boys, he has to spoil he sale. He is the reason for the demise of the Battletech centers.
Look at the junk he post on wiki taking fake credit for his place. He is a troll with no credibility.
That set never sold. If he was the promoter of the pods, he would have been supporting it. But, instead he just trashed this and other attempts to preserve the pods. The group in Houston and Minn are good people. This guy nic is all about and full of himself. B.T.W. we heard first those e-bay were working. Two people went to play in them later.
I just brought six pods to Denver to my undisclosed location. Didn’t pay $25,000.
Checking the sites, there are fewer and fewer public locations now that
Hinkle Family Fun Center in Albuquerque are gone.. Even Michigan seems to have an undisclosed site.
It is an expensive hobby with fewer public possibilities to cover cost.
What an expensive mistake purchasing these. They take up my garage, There is no way they can ever become a arcade attraction again. There is no way this old tech can compete or be upgraded with the new versions of MW. Other than Houston, no sites have survived. I don’t dare publish my own location outside of Denver. Too many old ghost haunting me. Even Nick, posted above, doesn’t have his site running in a public setting. With COVID, these things have more responsibilities when it comes to an enclosed pod. Its a game of past tense with old graphics.