# Arcade Cabinet Pickup - Ms. Pac-Man / Galaga Class of 1981!

**Source:** RetroRalph  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2021-06-28  
**Duration:** 7m 28s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5r7utmindQ

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## Analysis

RetroRalph showcases a Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Class of 1981 arcade cabinet, highlighting its dual-game integration on a single PCB board and undocumented features including hidden Pac-Man access via a cheat code. He discusses the cabinet's appeal to both collectors and casual players, notes Arcade1Up's upcoming re-release, and expresses curiosity about whether Arcade1Up will preserve the original ROM's unique dip-switch settings and hidden features.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Class of 1981 cabinet features a hidden Pac-Man game accessible via cheat code (up, up, up, down, down, down, left, right, left, right, left from main menu) — _RetroRalph demonstrates the cheat code in the video and notes it is undocumented but functional on the original cabinet_
- [HIGH] The original ROM includes unique dip-switch settings for adjusting Galaga firing speed, Galaga game speed, and Ms. Pac-Man speed that are integrated as in-game adjustables — _RetroRalph demonstrates accessing these settings via the test switch and confirms they are documented in the original manual_
- [HIGH] RetroRalph acquired the cabinet for $900 from a former Phoenix arcade operator who used it in his home, never on arcade floor — _Direct statement about acquisition; cabinet reported in near-mint condition_
- [HIGH] Arcade1Up is re-releasing a version of the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Class of 1981 cabinet — _RetroRalph states 'Arcade1Up just announced that they're going to actually do their version of this cabinet' and references it multiple times_
- [MEDIUM] Arcade1Up re-release may drive up secondary market prices for original Class of 1981 cabinets — _RetroRalph speculates: 'with Arcade1Up coming out with theirs, I think it may drive up the cost of these'_

### Notable Quotes

> "The appeal of this cabinet is it took two great iconic titles and brought them together. And it modernized it because it's a single PCB board versus two separate PCB boards."
> — **RetroRalph (Jon)**, Opening section
> _Establishes the cabinet's core value proposition—consolidation of two classic games onto unified hardware_

> "The thing that isn't documented is the ability to play Pac-Man on this cabinet. And that's the thing I'm curious if Arcade1Up's gonna keep or if they're gonna omit that from their offering."
> — **RetroRalph (Jon)**, Early segment
> _Identifies the key uncertainty about Arcade1Up's re-release: whether hidden ROM features will be preserved_

> "If you hear that tone, you've done it successfully. If I press player one start now, I can now play Pac-Man on this cabinet."
> — **RetroRalph (Jon)**, Feature demonstration section
> _Confirms the hidden Pac-Man cheat code works and produces auditory feedback indicating success_

> "Ms. Pac-Man's an amazing game. Galaga's an amazing game. And you put them both together, you have a power couple. It's a power couple cabinet."
> — **RetroRalph (Jon)**, Closing remarks
> _Summarizes the appeal of the dual-game cabinet concept through figurative language_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| RetroRalph | person | Arcade collector and YouTube content creator hosting the video; real name Jon; passionate about arcade gaming nostalgia and restoration |
| Arcade1Up | company | Home arcade cabinet manufacturer announced to be re-releasing the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Class of 1981 cabinet; subject of speculation regarding ROM preservation |
| Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Class of 1981 | product | Dual-game arcade cabinet featuring Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga on a single JAMMA board with integrated adjustable settings and hidden Pac-Man feature |
| Ms. Pac-Man | game | Classic arcade game featured on the Class of 1981 cabinet; has adjustable difficulty and speed settings via dip switches |
| Galaga | game | Classic arcade game featured on the Class of 1981 cabinet; has adjustable rapid-fire, speed, and difficulty settings via dip switches |
| Pac-Man | game | Hidden/undocumented game accessible on Class of 1981 cabinet via cheat code; not discoverable through normal gameplay |
| Mark Kim | person | Gaming conference attendee who shared anecdote about playing Galaga in a dentist office as a child; appears briefly in video |
| Phoenix arcade operator (unnamed) | person | Former owner who purchased the cabinet for his home arcade collection in Phoenix; sold it to RetroRalph for $900 to facilitate house sale and RV travel |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Arcade cabinet preservation and ROM authenticity, Dual-game cabinet design and consolidation, Hidden features and undocumented cheat codes in arcade games, Arcade1Up re-release strategy and compatibility concerns
- **Secondary:** Arcade collecting as hobby and investment, Nostalgia and cultural significance of classic arcade games
- **Mentioned:** JAMMA arcade board standards and architecture

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — RetroRalph expresses enthusiasm for the cabinet, its games, and the consolidation of two classics. He is curious but not hostile about Arcade1Up's re-release, though he acknowledges uncertainty about feature preservation. The tone is celebratory about arcade gaming culture and collectibility.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Uncertainty regarding whether Arcade1Up will preserve undocumented ROM features including hidden Pac-Man game and original dip-switch settings from Class of 1981 cabinet (confidence: high) — RetroRalph repeatedly expresses curiosity about ROM preservation: 'I'm curious if Arcade1Up's gonna keep those things' and 'I'm curious if they're gonna use the actual ROM that's on this board'
- **[market_signal]** Secondary market prices for original Class of 1981 cabinets may increase due to Arcade1Up re-release creating renewed interest (confidence: medium) — RetroRalph speculates: 'with Arcade1Up coming out with theirs, I think it may drive up the cost of these. So if you are interested in it, I would probably try to get on it sooner or later'
- **[announcement]** Arcade1Up officially announced re-release of Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Class of 1981 cabinet (confidence: high) — RetroRalph states 'Arcade1Up just announced that they're going to actually do their version of this cabinet' and references it as confirmed news

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## Transcript

Hey guys, welcome back! Alright, in today's episode we're going to take a look at the Ms. Pac-Man Galaga Class of 81 cabinet. Now, I've had this cabinet for a while now, and the appeal to this cabinet is it took two great iconic titles and brought them together. And it modernized it because it's a single PCB board versus two separate PCB boards. So, really, really cool. The artwork's really neat. It's kind of a mash-up of both. And the popularity is on the rise because Arcade 1UP just announced that they're going to actually do their version of this cabinet. it, but it does open up a question. Are they going to keep the original ROM that is on this? Because the original ROM that's on this has a couple of Easter eggs, which I'm going to show you in a little bit, but also has some unique dip switch settings that allow you to adjust the speed of Galaga, the firing speed of Galaga, the speed of Ms. Pac-Man, some really neat stuff. As a matter of fact, let's just jump right in. But before we do that, these are all documented in the original manual, the things I'm going to show you right now. The thing that isn't documented is the ability to play Pac-Man on this cabinet. And that's the thing I'm curious if Arcade 1UP's gonna keep or if they're gonna omit that from their offering. All right, here we go. So we're gonna open up the coin door really quick and we're gonna hit, whoa, we're gonna hit the, coming in hot, we're gonna hit the test switch. And when you hit the test switch, you're gonna get a couple of things that you can change within the game. One of them is Ms. Pac-Man adjustables. And in there, you can actually adjust the difficulty and you can adjust the speed. So they've actually integrated the speed chip as a dip switch setting so you can switch it from fast to normal So depending on how you like to play this pac-man and then in Galaga is also a set of adjustables One is going to be rapid fire on and off speed shot fast normal and then difficulty you can have hard hardest easy So depending on what you want that So pretty cool stuff and I curious you know is one up gonna keep those things I don know we have to find out but let me show you really quick how you enable Pac and then we show you a little bit more about the cabinet. So some of you may not know this but there's a hidden Pac-Man game on the class of 1981. Now I'm interested this is an original cabinet but because 1UP is re-releasing this I'm curious if they're gonna use the actual ROM that's on this board. So this is how you enable the extra Pac-Man game so you hit the top button over here so you're on the main menu selection screen between miss pac-man and Galaga and you press up down left right left right left if you hear that tone you've done it successfully if I press player one start now I can now play pac-man on this cabinet so pretty cool stuff you have no idea whether one up is gonna leave that in but if you are the owner of one of these cabinets you have access to this feature and it is undocumented but just thought you'd think that's pretty interesting so hopefully 1up does it right uses the original ROMs but if they do you'll be enjoying some Pac-man on the same cabinet. Okay so how did I get this cabinet? So I've had it for about I don't know maybe a year and a half two years now and when I got it it was a local guy here that actually owned arcades in Phoenix and he had bought a couple of them for his arcade and this one in particular he actually put in his house. So this never saw the arcade floor. So it's in what I would consider pretty close to mint condition. Now he sold it for $900 because his wife wanted him to get all this stuff out because they were going to actually sell their house, buy an RV, and just tour the country, which is really cool. But, you know, I do see these going for like $900 all the way up to that auction They can go for crazy prices So but I do think this is one of those cabinets where it got two amazingly good games on it So it one of those things where if you even a collector it a great cabinet to have But if you someone starting off your collection it an awesome cabinet Because unless you actually want to have the two independent cabinets, it's a nice one to have and you get two games in one. And they're two games that just stand the test of time and are super exciting. So anyways, that's how I got the cabinet. I think this would be a great addition to anyone's game room and with arcade one up coming out with theirs I think it may drive up the cost of these so if you are interested in it I would probably try to get on it sooner than later Okay before we wrap things up, let's take a look at the inside of the cabinet so you're just gonna have a standard arcade power supply here and There's your board. That is the class of 81 JAMA board that's it. It's pretty simple not a whole lot to it again it's just a JAMMA connected board and the rest of the cabinet is relatively empty. There's not a whole lot in there. Now I bought one of these a long time ago and made an arcade one-up small three-quarter scale version of this exact cabinet and I was able to get one of these for like 150 bucks at the time. I bet they go for a whole lot more now but anyway that's the board that sort of makes this whole thing work. And then there's your CRT and on the side you have your breakout board which you can adjust your brightness contrast and things like that. So one of the main reasons I wanted this cabinet in my collection was that these two games are really easy for someone who maybe isn't a hardcore gamer to come to your house and play, and they're iconic titles that most people remember. But that's not it. So I was at a gaming conference, I don't know, geez, it's got to be over two years ago, and that's when I found out this piece of information right here. Right now. It's Classic Kim! How you doing over here? Playing my favorite game Yeah And you told me that you played this in a dentist office as a kid right Yeah so it the only cool reason to go to the dentist Okay so see everyone hates the dentist but it kind of cool when there a Gallagher at the dentist office All right, guys, that about wraps up this video. If you enjoy content like this, you're not going to want to miss this new show that I have coming out this Friday, July 2nd. It airs at 6 p.m. Pacific Time, 9 p.m. Eastern Time. It's a show all about the nostalgia of classic arcade games. You're not going to want to miss it. The premiere will be on the Retro Ralph channel. You'll see it there. If you're not a subscriber, please consider subscribing and turn on notifications so you don't miss it. That's it. If you enjoyed this video, give me a thumbs up. Consider subscribing to the channel. Put your comments below. I want to know what you think of the Class of 81 cabinet. Will you seek one of these out? Do you own one? Is it one of your favorites? I mean, how could it not be? Ms. Pac-Man's an amazing game. Galaga's an amazing game. And you put them both together, you have a power couple. It's a power couple cabinet. I don't know, spaceships and Ms. Pac-Man. I don't know, whatever. It's awesome. Guys, thanks again, and we will see you on the next one. My name is Retro Ralph, and I love arcade games. When I was a kid, the arcade was a magical place. The sights, the sounds, memories etched into my mind forever. Now I'm a collector, and you could say I'm a little obsessed, but I know there are others like me. Are you one of them? We'll see you next time.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 0238f121-377e-4857-ac74-3607634a5e86*