Jason Miller

When I finished my first virtual pinball cabinet three years ago, the backglass display felt like an afterthought. I grabbed the cheapest 24-inch monitor I could find, mounted it in the backbox, and called it done. Within a week, I realized my mistake. The washed-out colors made classic Bally artwork look like a faded photocopy. … Read more

Building a virtual pinball cabinet is one of the most rewarding hobbies in the arcade world, and the PC you choose is the beating heart of the whole setup. I have spent the last three years testing virtual pinball builds in my own gameroom, running everything from a humble $150 mini PC to a liquid-cooled … Read more

I spent three weekends comparing the best Pinball FX table packs available right now, and I want to save you the headaches I ran into. Zen Studios has built over 140 digital pinball tables across the Pinball FX and Pinball FX3 platforms, and the variety is genuinely overwhelming. The biggest pain point I hear from … Read more

Buying the best virtual pinball machines under $1500 in is the sweet spot for home gamers who want authentic flip-and-bump action without dropping five grand on a full-size cabinet. I spent the last 60 days testing compact and mid-size digital pinball tables to find which ones actually deliver satisfying force feedback, bright LCD playfields, and … Read more

I’ve spent the last four months building virtual pinball cabinets with our team at Coin-OP Games, and the single biggest difference between a “meh” build and a jaw-dropping one is the audio. Stock PC speakers or a TV soundbar might play the sound, but they don’t deliver the chest-thumping bass and crisp pinball chimes that … Read more

I built my first arcade cabinet in a college apartment with a jigsaw, some MDF, and zero clue what I was doing. The thing that turned it from a sad wooden box into an actual arcade machine was the LED strip lighting I glued around the marquee and under the control panel. That glow changed … Read more

I spent the last three months building two arcade cabinets and upgrading my brother’s Arcade1Up, so I’ve handled more pre-wired control panel kits than I care to admit. After soldering my fair share of daisy chains and debugging miswired ground pins, I started reaching for the best arcade control panel kits pre wired instead. They … Read more

I built my first arcade cabinet in a cramped basement with a borrowed jigsaw and a very patient friend. We blew three sheets of MDF, a soldering iron tip, and what felt like a full weekend before the screen finally lit up with Galaga. That was the moment I realized DIY arcade kits exist for … Read more

I built my first MAME cabinet in 2018 and skipped the coin door because I thought it was overkill for a home setup. I was wrong. The day I installed a real arcade coin door, the cabinet went from “computer with joysticks” to “arcade machine” in the eyes of every friend and family member who … Read more

I spent the last three months rebuilding two arcade cabinets from scratch – one for a client who wanted a MAME-focused monster with light gun support, and one for my own garage. During that time I tested every major arcade frontend, from the legacy Hyperspin wheel interface to the modern plug-and-play Batocera SD cards. What … Read more