Why Isn't Your Coffee Table a Covert Video Game Console?

The upside of an arcade cabinet is, of course, access to all the retro video games.

The downside? You’ve got a jumbo-sized gaming machine taking space where it probably shouldn’t. Which is why the UK-based gang at Surface Tension have created a nifty little coffee table that discreetly houses a 32-inch LCD screen in its timber frame.

Featuring a pull-out drawer that allows two gamers to face off using the classic joystick and button control setup, the Nucleus is able to offer up to 100 games thanks to an integrated Shuttle PC that also gives the table Wifi connectivity and the functionality of a music and video player.

Nucleus Table (3 images)

Preloaded with titles like Bubble Bobble, Mortal Kombat, Pit Fighter, Primal Rage, Arch Rivals, Rampage World Tour, Asteroids and Pong, the glass-topped console — which has a full 60-watt sound system and includes a wireless keyboard for web browsing — can be finished in either American black walnut or European oak or birch ply.

Game on.

Meet your guide

Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”