Retro Gaming

San Francisco, it may not have Disneyland, but what it does have is an arcade aficionado’s paradise – the Mechanical Museum, or ‘Musée Mécanique’.

Located at Pier 45 in Fisherman’s Wharf, this wonderland is Mecca for arcade nostalgia buffs. Once you enter the museum, you are greeted by familiar sounds of coins dropping into machines, pinball bumpers being hammered, plastic fire buttons being mashed, and good old Zoltar providing fortunes – music to the nostalgic ear. This Musée contains one of the world’s largest (over 200) privately owned collections of coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade machines in their original working condition. The best part is, you can play them all!

After admiring Laffing Sal, the very first game that took my fancy was the original Pong. I had never seen one in real life, so this was an experience to behold. The sharp and square cabinet is a testament to industrial design. The machine still works, even after all these years of punishment. The round dials were still responsive; and yes, after being down a few points, I did beat my less-experienced wife.

The most difficult decision in the Musée is where to go first, and what to see next. It is a huge place! It is akin to being a kid in a candy store. But after Pong, we proceeded to the ‘mechanical’ machines, built 80+ years ago. No photos can do these old machines justice. They have to be seen and touched in the flesh. Their build quality is second to none. Now I understand why people say “they don’t build them like they used to”. These things are built like tanks and are priceless relics.

Interspersed among the antique coin operated machines are pinball tables and arcade games from the Golden Era – Ms Pac-Man, Galaga, Pole Position, Moon Patrol, Sprint, Robotron 2084, and Dig Dug – to name a few. First I chose to play the 1962 electro-mechanical pinball table ‘Olympics’. I managed to draw some onlookers, fascinated by the bumper noises. I felt like a teenager, feeding off their attention. Once the table was tilted, it was game over and time for me to move onto the next machine.

At the rear of the Musée, you will find the largest concentration of golden era games (Centipede, Spy Hunter, Rally X, Battlezone and others) as well as more modern arcade machines, including SNK’s Neo Geo cabinets. Let’s just say, I spent a considerable amount of time (and money) in this area.

After prying myself (and my wife) away from these machines, we walked the floor of the Musée to (again) saviour the old and the not so old in coin operated machines. During this stroll one thing struck me, there were families containing multiple generations all enjoying every aspect of this place. There were parents showing their kids Pac-Man, grandmother’s having a go on Bally’s Sharpshooter, and kids generally wide-eyed at the wonderment that was within the walls of the Musée.

If you are an arcade video games player and you are in the vicinity of San Francisco, head to Pier 45 at Fisherman’s Wharf to soak up some nostalgia at Musée Mécanique.

To view all 111 photos from Musée Mécanique, hit the album on Facebook.

Place: Musée Mécanique
Where: Pier 45 (Shed A), Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, CA 94133
Tel: (415) 346-2000
Hours of operation:
Mon-Fri 10:00am-7:00pm;
Sat-Sun 10:00am-8:00pm;
Holidays 10:00am-8:00pm