Guide

I learned this the hard way a few years ago when I tried to recap a Pac-Man board with a cheap bulb-style solder sucker. I lifted three pads on the first cap, and one of those pads took me four hours of trace repair work to bring back from the dead. That painful experience sent … Read more

I learned this the hard way after buying my first arcade cabinet. The joystick felt mushy, half the buttons stopped registering mid-game, and a coin mechanism refused to accept quarters. The boards looked fine. The wiring was intact. But the machine was barely playable. A quick forum dive led me to one piece of advice … Read more

I still remember feeding quarters into Pac-Man at our local pizza place in the late 80s, so when I started hunting for the best mini arcade machines under $50 to set on my desk, I bought way more than I needed to. After three months of testing, dropping them off shelves, and showing them off … Read more

I have spent the better part of two decades collecting arcade memorabilia, and I can tell you that mini arcade cabinets have completely changed how collectors like me showcase our hobby. Full-size upright cabinets are showstoppers, but they eat floor space and cost thousands to maintain. A well-chosen mini arcade cabinet gives you the same … Read more

Finding a gift that actually gets used is harder than it looks. Miniature claw machines solve that problem by bringing the excitement of an arcade right to a birthday party, office desk, or family game night. Our team tested eight of the most popular mini claw machines to see which ones deliver the best arcade … Read more

I remember walking into my first arcade at age eight, slamming quarters into a Pac-Man cabinet until my mom dragged me out by the collar. Decades later, I still get that same rush when I drop a coin into a tiny Super Mario Question Block sitting on my desk. That feeling is exactly why coin … Read more

When my son turned eight, he asked for a room that “looked like an arcade.” I spent three weekends tracking down retro arcade themed bedding, neon signs, and pixel art accents that could survive a kid who treats his bed like a trampoline. That project turned into this guide. Retro arcade themed bedding and decor … Read more

I have spent the last three months hunting for the best display cases for arcade memorabilia, and I want to save you the trial and error. My game room holds a Pac-Man cabinet, three control panels, a stack of marquees, and a drawer full of rare game cartridges, and every one of those pieces has … Read more

I learned the hard way that slapping a can of household paint on an arcade cabinet is asking for trouble. After watching my first attempt peel off a Donkey Kong control deck within a month, I went down the rabbit hole of arcade restoration forums and talked to actual shop owners about what they use. … Read more

I still remember the day I pulled a faded Donkey Kong side art panel off a cabinet I rescued from a barn sale. The artwork had cracked, peeled, and bleached into a sad ghost of its former self. That moment sent me down the rabbit hole of finding side art reproduction decals for classic cabinets. … Read more