I remember the first time I fed a quarter into a coin pusher at a local arcade. The clatter of metal cascading forward, the hope that just one more coin would tumble off the edge. That childhood thrill is exactly why I’ve spent the last three months testing coin pusher machines for home use. The … Read more
If you have ever watched a kid’s face light up while a stream of tickets pours out of a redemption game, you already understand why a good ticket dispenser matters. I have spent the last three months testing arcade ticket dispensers in both home and commercial setups, and I can tell you this: the cheapest … Read more
Running a birthday party venue means competing for attention against bounce houses, laser tag arenas, and weekend backyard parties. The games you stock make or break whether a parent books you again or leaves a one-star review. After spending 90 days reviewing the most popular kids redemption games on the market in , I pulled … Read more
When I first set up a game room in my basement, I wanted that classic skee ball arcade feel without dropping five grand on a Skee-Ball Home Arcade Prestige. After spending weeks rolling balls down every ramp I could find, I can tell you this: the best home skee ball alternatives under $1500 in are … Read more
I spent the last two months rebuilding a 1980s arcade cabinet from the ground up, which meant I had to choose arcade cabinet hinges for nearly every panel: backbox, control deck, side access doors, and coin door. That hands-on project is what pushed me to track down the best arcade cabinet hinges and hardware sets … Read more
Nothing kills the arcade vibe faster than a missing coin box. I learned this the hard way when I bought a 1980s Pac-Man cabinet and discovered the previous owner had hauled away the original cash box years ago. An arcade cabinet coin box replacement does more than catch quarters. It authenticates your restoration, protects coins … Read more
If you’ve ever rebuilt an arcade cabinet from scratch, you already know the truth: a great game with no timer is just a curiosity. The brains behind every coin-operated machine are the arcade machine timers and play counters that track credits, count down play time, and keep revenue honest. After restoring three cabinets in our … Read more
I have been building arcade cabinets since 2014, and the past two years have brought more flat pack arcade cabinet kits to market than ever before. After testing and documenting eight different self-assembly kits over the past six months, our team put together this head-to-head comparison to help you pick the right flat pack arcade … Read more
I built my first arcade cabinet six years ago using whatever wood glue sat on the hardware store shelf and a box of drywall screws from the garage. That cabinet still lives in my basement, and the seams along the side panels have crept apart twice because I cheaped out on the adhesive. After restoring … Read more
I built my first MAME cabinet eight years ago in my garage, and I’ll be honest – the speakers were an afterthought. I threw in a pair of cheap 4-inch car drivers, wired them to a flea-market amp, and called it done. Then I fired up Street Fighter II and realized the punchy “Hadouken” and … Read more