Like other vendors, Konami used the pandemic shutdowns to beef up their D&D (design and development) efforts and work on several new products that are being previewed and/or released at G2E this week. The new Dimension series of slot cabinets highlights those efforts.
Two versions, the 49J and 27, actually hit floors months ago. Because tradeshows were postponed for most of 2020, Konami took the Dimension 49J cabinet on the road in a mobile 18-wheeler showroom. It proved to be a hit.
The Dimension 49J was the number-one cabinet in the important Eilers-Krejcik performance reports from May to August this year. Two new cabinets in Konami’s line were previewed at the show: a jumbo Dimension 75 and a Dimension Top Box.
In an incredible bit of imagination and wordsmithing, Konami named the “49J” based on the curved high-definition 49-inch monitor that is concave at the bottom, thus forming a “j” shape. The new Dimension 49 is the same 49-inch vertical monitor, but with no curve at the bottom. Not surprisingly, the version with three, 27-inch, horizontal monitors is called Dimension 27. And, a jumbo version with a vertical 75-inch screen is called Dimension 75.
Sometimes, consistency is a plus. Each of these cabinets is distinctive, but they all share an identical base design, placing all buttons, light features, ticket printers, and bill validators in familiar positions. Konami has also been a leader in innovative cabinet lighting (i.e., the triangle side lighting of their earlier Concerto series). These new Dimension cabinets extend the lighting effects on the base to the carpet. They’re hard to miss on any casino floor.
The Dimension 75 made a soft debut at the NIGA tradeshow in July, also held in Las Vegas. However, the machines weren’t on the vendor floor; rather, Konami hosted customers at the new Resorts World casino where the game was live and attracting a lot of attention. It provides Konami with multiple options in the Jumbo category, with their Opus cabinet still doing well on floors across the country.
The Dimension 75 at G2E
In addition to the 75 that will be officially released soon, Konami previewed one completely new offering (due out next fall), the Dimension Top Box. (Did they run out of numbers?). It features a horizontal lower screen with a large vertical monitor above. This design style has been a staple with several other vendors, and soon Konami will have a Dimension entry in the category.
With a strong game library, including many legacy titles from their popular K43 series, Dimension cabinets could keep Konami at the top of the performance lists for some time to come.
