This New Arcade Basketball Game Will Cost You $50K, Does It Look Worth It?

Any lover of old-school arcade games who's pumped countless coins or credits into electronic basketball showdowns over the years might be keen to replicate such a retro arcade experience in the comfort of their recreation room. If you count yourself among them, there are several options available for purchase that can help you bring an authentic arcade basketball game into your home without breaking the bank. 

But if you're looking for an arcade basketball game capable of bringing a little more "wow" factor to game night, Reigning Champ's Home Court Arcade Basketball setup might fit the bill. Yes, the pale beast of an arcade game actually comes with a whopping $50,000 price tag attached. And while the game's cost alone may prove prohibitive for even diehard lovers of arcade basketball, some might be even more wary of dropping that sort of coin on what looks like a pretty basic setup from a surface-level view.

While it's easy to understand that point of view given the game's simplistic looks, looks can be, and often are, deceiving. Those who take a closer look at the vital stats of Reigning Champ's Home Court Arcade Basketball may find there's more to its minimalist appearance than meets the eye. Indeed, the game's design elements could be enough to make the seemingly exorbitant cost a little more palatable for the right buyer.

Reigning Champ's $50,000 Home Court Arcade Basketball Game packs some exceptional features into its minimalist design, and Canadian industrial designer Calen Knauf personally selected every element that goes into its making. The designer began collaborating with Reigning Champs to create a modern arcade game that replicates the sound of hooping it up on a real hardwood court.

Knauf achieves that effect by hand-building each Home Court Basketball Arcade using responsibly sourced raw materials, with specifically engineered Douglas fir composite wood panels serving as the game's backboard, "hardwood " ball-return surface, and frame. As for the game's deceptively simple look, Knauf designed Home Court with "floating" elements to keep its design minimalist. The frame is thus held together by half-inch tempered glass bolted into the composite wood, and the dual, powder-coated steel rims come fit with hand-knotted nets.

The game also includes 10 miniature composite leather basketballs, with the power cords to the electronic scoring system left purposely exposed in a nostalgic nod to classic arcade basketball games. You might be happy to know that a white-glove setup is included in shipping, so you won't have to put this intricate game together yourself. Do those lavish design features support the game's $50,000 price tag? That's still a tough call, as $50,000 is a lot of money. But if you're a design freak and a hoops fan, the Home Court Arcade Basketball Game may prove an irresistible mix of form and function. It's currently available for pre-order.