Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade Cabinets Consoles

Even more arcade fun on page 2!
Even though they weren't ever that common, there were plenty of arcade machines for Sonic. Both pages are a mix of new and old. However, if there's something about these consoles, they seem rather hardy. Don't always rule out the older ones as being 'long gone'. For some reason, arcades/gaming areas can keep them around for quite some time. The area or country where each item is found is listed in it's description.

Sonic Arcade Page 1 * Sonic Gear Main

This is a Sonic Spinner Arcade Game.
It's Sonic Adventure 1 themed, and features all SA1 type art, including images of Sonic and Eggman on the console surface, and other characters on the sides of the primarily checkered machine. The objective is to stop the spinner on numbers to win points (and likely tickets) The big button in the center of the console triggers the machine, and the display will tell you your points. It makes Sonic sound effects as you play.

These machines are NOT exclusive to Australia. There is another one in an arcade at the Disney Contemporary Hotel (access via monorail thru bldg) in the USA on the grounds of that theme park. All the machines should be identical, and play in the same manner. This particular one is in Glenelg, an area in South Australia. Photo by: Skippy

The first spinner was apparently so successful they gave it a sequel! This is the "Sonic & Tails Spinner", and naturally it is more elaborate than the first. However, it works exactly the same as the Sonic Spinner, only there is a second "Tails wheel" to stop.
You put a coin in (most machines only need 1 quarter to run) and both Sonic and Tails start spinning, in opposite directions. You press the Sonic button first to make him stop spinning, and the number on the outside ring that he is pointing to is the first multiplier. Then, the Tails button activates. Tails points to the numbers on the inside ring. Your ticket amount is Sonics' number multiplied by Tails' number. This game is usually a very easy way to win a lot of tickets fast.

"Attract Mode"- when nobody is playing. Plays "Twinkle Park" music. Some machines may not do this, depending on how the owner programmed it.
Insert coin- "checkpoint" sound from Sonic Adventure.

While wheels are spinning- loops part of "Twinkle Circuit" from Sonic Adventure.
Win more than 10 tickets, and one of these character voice clips plays.
Tails- "Yeah!" OR "You did it!"
Sonic- "Cool!" OR "You got it!"
Knuckles- "Yeah!"
Win less than 10 tickets- No voice, and a "gloomy" music clip plays. Probably from Sonic Adventure, but unconfirmed.
Win more than 100 tickets- Sonic Adventure "Level complete" music, and a character voice clip.
These machines are harder to find than the Sonic Spinner because Sega stopped making them in 2003. One of them is located at Playland Arcade on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Disneyworlds' Contemperary Resort has been reported to have one as well., but it IS confirmed to have a Sonic Spinner.

In the photos above, you could tell there was art on the cabinet. Here's a photo to show you exactly what's on it. The whole flat 'counter' part of the machines have the traditional Sonic Adventure 1 art on them, of each of the characters. Big, Eggman, Knuckles, E-102 Gamma, Amy Rose and even a Neutral Chao appear. Sonic and Tails are near the front, and also on the spinner buttons. On the buttons, the same graphic is used as is on the ReSaurus "stickers" that came with their action figures. Between the speakers is your score readout, and the little line under each button is the instructions. (Basically push Sonic first, push Tails second)

Think this is the same Sonic spinner as seen above?
Time to take a closer look. The difference is actually right on the top. While the first spinner top is small and cut-out, this one is thick and rather square. It looks sturdier than the other version, and is likely to light up. It is common for the top of either machine to break off. It's also missing the arrow on the side, and may be a bit darker in color on the exterior of the 'wheel' part.
Chuck E Cheese Version Left *** International Version Right
With these two photos you can comapre the spinners. They should behave the same way and do identical effects. But what is a Chuck E. Cheese? It's an indoor arcade for little kids with classic (Like whack-a-mole etc) and new games as well as play slides and a pizza restauraunt. Chuck himself is a large mascot suit gray rat. In his pizza entertainment places there used to be animatronic animal bands who would put on a musical show, but now it is mostly games.

UFO catchers are super popular in Japan. After all, a whole lot of those plushes over on the Japan Plush pages have to have a way for people to win them! Sega makes UFO catchers for both the USA and Japan. They don't always dispense Sonic things, but these sure do!

Eah of these UFO catchers is surprisingly pink! (but why) These are early-years machines, and as you can see they're full of little classic dolls. You can easily spot Eggman in the first and last machine. The middle seems to be double sided, with many small Sonic trinkets in the left side. You can see Sonic on every grab-door! With the speaker in the front, it looks like these are also likely musical or sound-related in some way.
On the white machine, the side posts are decorated with Sonic stock-arts and also the little animals that you free from inside Eggman's robots.

Here is "Sonic Super Rings"
It's likely something like Sonic CanBall on the first page. A classic carnival game but with a Sonic theme. This could be at Joypolis. This is actually a scene from a show "Kekkon Dekinai Otoko" (The Man Who Can't Get Married / He Who Can't Marry) in episode 9, "So what if I have a girlfriend?!" You obviously throw rings (or something) to play it, as this girl is doing in the photo. A game with rings makes sense for Sonic themes! Screenshot & info obtained by: Juuni.

This is a Sonic Pachinko machine.
Pachinko machines originated in Japan as a form of semi-gambling. It's more like an arcade type or carnival type though instead of tickets you get little steel balls. You buy balls, load them into the machine, and then use a lever or button to fire the balls into the top part. Depending how it lands, you can win more balls which can then be exchanged for prizes.
The upper part of a pachinko is much like a pinball table. It's loaded with lights, sounds, animated things and bumpers for your little ball. You lose all control of the ball once you fire it (usually in an arc from the edge of the circle, where it then falls in a creative way) This machine is complex, with chaos emeralds to light up on your way to prizes. The 'push' button is probably what launches

(that or the silver widget on the side) and the green bin should be where the balls go. There are little ring graphics and a Sonic head on the play surface, but in the center is a video screen. This screen shows video-game-like animations and numbers depending on how you're doing. The machine even has a little plot, just like a mini-game! The case itself is surprisingly orange, but over-all is rather slick looking, a bit like a 'flame' theme.
You can see an animated opener, attempt to read a story (its in Japanese) and not translate the manufacturer's site (the words are nearly all pictures, defying online translation) if you click this link: http://www.sammy.co.jp/product/pachinko/sonic/index.html