Arcade Combat Game
Description
The Arcade Combat Game is another item that might be puzzling to people outside of Japan. In the United States, most arcade cabinets were fairly uniform and didn’t change too much from Pac-Man in 1980 to Street Fighter CE in 1992. On the other hand, in Japan where most of the games were created, video game companies continued to innovate their designs with different kinds of controls and the ability to sit while playing. There’s a great thread on Reddit about the differences here.
This particular design was inspired by Sega’s iconic “Astro City” cabinet, introduced to Japanese arcades in 1993. It had a huge 29 inch screen, and weighed less while being more energy efficient than a traditional arcade cabinet. If you go to Japan arcades today you’ll still see the influence of these. Both American and Japanese arcades became known for being dark and dingy in the 1980s. While American arcades continued that trend (and are mostly gone today), Japanese arcades got a reputation of being bright, clean, and fun thanks in large part to design aesthetics like the ones introduced with this cabinet.
How to get it in ACNH
The Arcade Combat Game can be purchased from Nook's Cranny for 64,000 Bells or from Wardell's catalog for 57,600 Poki.
The "Space Blaster" Arcade Combat Game looks like it's an homage to space shooter games like Galaga.
Sadly, the game isn't playable (one of the nicest Easter Eggs in New Leaf was the ability to "play" your Wii U or Nintendo 3DS). But if you interact with it you hear the unforgettable and nostalgic sound of mashing arcade buttons.
How to get it IRL
There's actually a huge demand among collectors for a mint condition Astro City cabinet. From time to time you can see them on eBay or collector's sites selling for around $1,500-$3,000, depending on its condition. You see them on AliExpress as well, but those are almost certainly going to be knock-offs from China.
In 2021, in honor of its 60th Anniversary, Sega released the Astro City Mini, in honor of the Astro City cab. You can still get one from Limited Run Games at Amazon. It's a 1/6 scale reproduction of the arcade cabinet with 37 pre-installed SEGA games that are identical to the ones in the arcade, such as Virtua Fighter, Shinobi, Space Harrier, and Fantasy Zone. If you're interested at all in arcade history, grab it while you can! 
