I still remember my first arcade control panel build. I was 23, drilling holes into a sheet of MDF in my garage, wondering if the Sanwa joystick I had ordered was actually worth the extra $20 over the cheap knockoff. Two years and three cabinets later, I have built, broken, and rebuilt enough arcade control … Read more
I bought my first Arcade1Up cabinet two years ago, and within a week I knew I needed an arcade riser kit. The cabinet sat at coffee-table height, and my back screamed every time I stood up to play Galaga for more than ten minutes. That experience pushed me into deep research mode. I tested eight … Read more
I spent the last three months testing arcade stools in my own game room, and I have to admit: the right seat transforms long sessions of Galaga or Street Fighter into something far more comfortable than leaning against a cabinet at 2 AM. Whether you just unboxed an Arcade1Up machine or you’re finishing a full … Read more
I have spent the last three months talking to arcade owners, laundromat operators, and car wash managers about their biggest headache: keeping customers supplied with coins. The answer is almost always the same – they need a reliable coin-op change machine that does not jam, does not eat bills, and does not require a service … Read more
Building or restoring an arcade cabinet means picking the right arcade monitor, and that single choice decides whether your games look authentic or feel awkward. After our team spent six weeks testing 15 different displays across CRT replacements, multisync LCDs, and budget consumer panels, we narrowed the list down to the ten best arcade monitors … Read more
Looking for the best arcade LED marquees to crown your home cabinet or game room? After 60 days of hands-on testing, our team narrowed down three standout options that we think every retro gaming fan should know about. An arcade marquee is the illuminated sign at the top of an arcade cabinet that displays the … Read more
When I first got into arcade restoration, I quickly learned that the power supply is the unsung hero of any cabinet. A reliable arcade power supply keeps your games running smoothly, prevents random resets during intense gameplay sessions, and protects expensive PCBs from voltage spikes. After seeing countless forum posts about Chinese clones failing catastrophically, … Read more
I’ll never forget the first time I plugged real Sanwa joysticks into a Raspberry Pi running MAME. Suddenly the arcade games I’d been playing on a keyboard for years felt completely different. That moment is exactly what drives most people to search for the best MAME arcade kits. If you want that same authentic feel … Read more
Looking for the best Raspberry Pi arcade kits to bring home that authentic retro gaming feeling? I’ve spent the last three months assembling, testing, and playing through eight different Raspberry Pi arcade kits to help you skip the guesswork. Whether you want a bartop cabinet with Sanwa joysticks, a portable handheld console, or a complete … Read more
I have spent the last two years testing arcade machine light kits in our workshop, and the difference between a bare cabinet and a properly lit one is night and day. After installing 30+ kits across Arcade1Up machines, full-size cabinets, and DIY builds, our team has narrowed down the eight best arcade machine light kits … Read more