Once both the coin acceptor and the relay are configured to send out a long, slow signal burst when a coin is read, the signal can be picked up as a power-on/off switch by a standard PC motherboard header, and you're off to the races: you have a gaming PC ready to cost its users money for operation.
Mr. Yeester's Amazon shopping list, containing all the necessary components and tools for assembling the project, totals around $135 before tax and shipping . Yeester also quickly put the coin acceptor in a carved-out cardboard box for his final deployment, a quaint solution that a more aesthetics-oriented maker might improve on for a bit more coin.
While this DIY project itself is simple and fun, what it indicates about the state of video gaming and computing is anything but. As nearly every YouTube comment indicates, users and enthusiasts are increasingly frustrated with the record-high prices of RAM. These record-high prices, almost 200% more than they were mere months ago , are entirely thanks to the data center market, which is already buying up 70% of 2026's entire worldwide memory chip production . And of course, the games played on the expensive hardware aren't getting any cheaper either, as gamers are forced to battle even more ads for the privilege of playing, while the games industry at large continues to stumble .
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Sunny Grimm is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has been building and breaking computers since 2017, serving as the resident youngster at Tom's. From APUs to RGB, Sunny has a handle on all the latest tech news. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-11/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Sunny Grimm Contributing Writer Sunny Grimm is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has been building and breaking computers since 2017, serving as the resident youngster at Tom's. From APUs to RGB, Sunny has a handle on all the latest tech news.
TerryLaze Those weren't micro transactions. Feeding coins into an coinop was the main, and only, transaction. Reply
Math Geek the quarter was the rental fee for the time i spent using someone else's hardware. a fee i gladly payed over and over and over and over….. wasn't an issue until the few "adult" arcades out there decided a single game was going to be $1 or more. this is a fun little addition for an old school feel on a modern machine. i give it a thumbs up 🙂 Reply
LordVile Math Geek said: the quarter was the rental fee for the time i spent using someone else's hardware. a fee i gladly payed over and over and over and over….. wasn't an issue until the few "adult" arcades out there decided a single game was going to be $1 or more. this is a fun little addition for an old school feel on a modern machine. i give it a thumbs up 🙂 Inflation is a thing Reply
Notton $0.25 in 1978 is worth $1.24 in 2026 But an arcade cabinet cost around $2000~3000, which is over $9000 in todays money Reply
Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/case-mods/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/case-mods/gaming-pc-charges-you-quarters-every-time-you-want-to-power-it-on-usd135-in-tools-and-supplies-plus-a-lifetime-supply-of-quarters-to-kick-it-old-school#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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