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Jan

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2018

Slots Coming in 2018: Konami’s Beat Square

 Slots Coming in 2018: Konami’s Beat Square

Skill-based gaming is a niche slot machine manufacturers hope to grow, especially as young players who grew up on video games come of age. 

There are many approaches to attracting new gamblers, with one innovative new product being Konami Gaming’s Beat Square, expected to roll out early in 2018.

Instead of traditional slot reels, Beat Square has 16 buttons arranged in a 4-by-4 grid. Konami has a selection of modern, rhythmic music, and when you make your bet, buttons on the grid light up in time to the music.

Your task is to hit the buttons as they light up in rhythmic patterns. More than one can be lit at a time — you’ll want to use both hands as you get in the groove. The more correct beats you tap, the higher your score and the bigger your win at the end of the round.

While you’re focusing on the beats, friends and passers-by can check your progress on a tall overhead display that includes a video stream of your hands as they dance across the buttons.

Video gamers will recognize a kinship to the non-wagering game “Dance Dance Revolution.” That’s a Konami game that’s been a big hit on home gaming systems, and it points to a strength for Konami as it enters the skill-based gaming market. The company has a large library of hit home and arcade games with casino potential, such as the Frogger slots that were introduced in 2017.

Konami has also drawn on its non-wagering catalog with games such as Neo Contra. The Neo Contra slot of three years ago was not skill-based, but it had plenty of images and play elements to satisfy fans of the Contra video game.

Beat Square will be available both for single-player and tournament play. It’s a concept that figures to resonate most strongly with younger players, but older players up for a test of rhythm and reflexes can have a good time, too.



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