Prerelease:Beatmania (Arcade)
This page details prerelease information and/or media for Beatmania (Arcade).
Early Mockup Image
This mockup image can be found on the January 1998 issue of the MyCom BASIC Magazine, and resembles the game in an early state.
- At the top screen, next to the score counters, is a "DJ BEATS" text; such a name was one of the work-in-progress titles for the game.
- The layout below the BGA screen is nearly completely different from the retail release, in addition to there being only one groove gauge used for both players, and the presence of an audio visualizer to the side of the BPM counter.
- The notes are circular, compared to the final's rectangular design. The notes on the black keys are also colored gray.
- The turntable receptor is colored red instead of white.
- There are no labels below the note receptors.
- The judgement line is absent.
Early Cabinet Designs
The soundtrack booklet for beatmania 2ndMIX includes several sketches and renders of different cabinet designs from varying stages of development. Most of them have similar design like the neon lamps flanking the monitor, and the "four on top, two on bottom" speaker configuration. The design on the far right though looks completely different, with four larger buttons in the center rather than five keys for each player, as well as a foot pedal at the bottom (which would later be brought back for beatmania III a few years later).
One point of interest is the marquees, which indicate that the game was variously referred to as Groovy Beats, DJ Beats and Maverick during development. The first two are fairly similar to DJ Groove, another name that can be found in the final game's PRG ROMs. The renders of the final cabinet also show what appears to be a different marquee design that resembles the graffiti art on the sides of the cabinet; the final release uses a much plainer design with the series emblem on a black background. The renders also are shown in purple, black, blue and red, the final release only comes in blue.
