Arcade1Up’s Infinity Game Table, initially revealed through a Kickstarter campaign last year, is essentially a large tablet/table that can store and play a number of board games and other applications with a strong focus on classic Hasbro titles like Monopoly, Battleship, Scrabble, and more. It is by no means infinite at the time being, but the company’s intention to launch with over 40 games available right out of the packaging is admirable regardless, given that pre-orders are set to begin at Best Buy on July 17th. Other games like Pandemic and Ticket to Ride will be purchasable via the device, but it’s unclear for exactly how much.
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The Infinity Game Table comes in two flavors, the 24″ touchscreen and the 32″ touchscreen. The major difference between the two is obviously the amount of functional screen, but after a couple of weeks with the 24″ device, it seems to be the same form factor with the difference largely being the amount of bezel around the screen. All of the same games should be available for both, and while the larger screen real estate might be nice, I never had any trouble figuring out what was going on despite the lack of an extra eight inches of screen.
In general, the device does exactly what it’s supposed to in that it brings tabletop games to a digital space. The UI could probably use some work as it is not always immediately clear what various icons mean and there’s apparently no way to reorient the board — the initial controls are always seemingly first and foremost determined by the person that the power button is facing — but it’s a solid piece of kit. It helps that it can connect to the internet wirelessly to then play with up to five more players that also have an Infinity Game Table.
My experience so far with the online version of the games included on the pre-launch version of the Infinity Game Table I’ve been fiddling with is relatively limited, however, so it’s hard to say what sort of problems a full table might encounter. I played a game of Battleship with an Arcade1Up designer with little difficulty, however, and managed to squeak out a win because he didn’t realize I’d sneakily placed a boat directly next to one he’d already destroyed. He also swore that he didn’t just let me win, but I still have my doubts.
The Infinity Game Table can sometimes seem a little slow to react. This varies by game, but it never quite kept up the pace while I and my partner were, for example, quickly moving through a round of in-person Yahtzee. Scrabble and Battleship seemed to function better overall, but that could simply be due to the fact that there was plenty of thinking going on between plays.
Compared to other Arcade1Up devices I’ve put together in the past, the Infinity Game Table has an incredibly easy setup process. This is in large part due to the fact that it’s basically one giant screen with legs, and you can even ditch the legs entirely should you desire to simply play on a flat surface. The actual height of the device with legs attached is roughly comparable to a small coffee table, and in all honestly, would likely make for a great table to rotate in and out of an area in front of a couch, for example, but isn’t really suited to playing with something like computer chairs.
It’s unclear exactly what price the pre-orders launching in July will land at. Neither the 24″ nor 32″ tables have definitive prices attached to them by Arcade1Up quite yet, but it is worth noting that the Kickstarter campaign had MSRPs of $599 and $799, respectively. If you play a ton of classic games regularly or want to start and don’t want to lug boxes and pieces around over and over, Arcade1Up’s Infinity Game Table is worth a look.
Arcade1Up provided the 24″ version of the Infinity Game Table for the purpose of this review.
