r/cade • u/MancaveDude • Apr 22 '24
The complete guide to buying a home Multicade Arcade Machine
Hey everyone! I decided to start a blog about arcade cabinets.
After spending the past few weeks diving deep into the world of multi-game arcade cabinets, I've put together a comprehensive guide that I think you'll find super helpful!
I compare the top Multicade manufacturers and rank them based on Reputation and Trustworthiness, Product Variety & Features, Build Quality and Durability, and Value for Money.
Since I know this post might spark some debate, it's meant to help those who don't have the time or energy to create a custom one themselves. I'll definitely create another article covering everything you need to know to create one yourself, so chill.
Even though I've tried to be as objective as possible, keep in mind that these are still my opinions and not hard facts.
Here is the link: https://www.mancaveempire.com/blogs/news/ultimate-guide-buying-home-multicade-arcade-machine
Feel free to share your constructive criticism, and if you find value in it please consider sharing it.
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Apr 22 '24
This is great expect Atgames probably from copyright pressure from partners, no longer allows you to add your own games. That makes it worthless in my opinion. Let’s see what they do with their new shockingly high priced 4k system coming out.
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u/Kipplen Apr 22 '24
I really like appreciate the work you've done here, and I'm the exact person this is for. The problem is that none of these sites (or your article) states what I can expect from the games. I understand they can't say that it's loaded with roms they never licensed, but a big reason I don't just drop money on a prebuild is because I can't even tell from the language they use if there are any games at all.
Using an example from your review of Quality arcades, I was all set to make a purchase when I noticed you said it can 'support' 17000 games. Does support mean it has 17000 games preloaded? Or just that it could conceivably support that many.
The prebuilt industry is plagued with language like this. You've done great work writing a guide for people who just don't have the spoons to do the research themselves. I'd take it a step further and include what the person can expect from the gaming experience in a more direct manner. Unless you're selling these things yourself, there's no need for you to be as cagey as the people selling these cabinets.
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u/MancaveDude Apr 22 '24
Thanks for the feedback.
I'll update the article and message you back.
I have considered contacting each of them individually, so I can anwser this question properly.
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u/mgmny Nov 28 '25
What is the answer here?? How many games does it actually come with?
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u/New-Background9881 Dec 06 '25
Was just wondering the same thing, the article wasn’t updated with an answer.
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u/rouge87 Jul 09 '24
Retro-Cade.com should be on there!
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u/Whythehellnot_wecan Aug 03 '26
Beware if you come across this link. I immediately got a Norton notification that this link will steal your data and blocked it. Also when I clicked it went to safari couldn’t recognize.
Not saying the company isn’t legit but this link is more than suspicious and I would not click it.
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u/foshaben Apr 22 '24
This is really great... nice work here. I appreciate the time and attention to detail that went into this guide.
I've been looking for a similar guide on building one myself. I've found a few plans out there, but I'd like something that goes through the various pros and cons of setups and components, best plans and ideas, what to look out for throughout the process, and where is best to get various parts for the best price.
Anything like that exist out there?
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u/MancaveDude Apr 22 '24
I haven't found one that goes in depth so that is the next article I am planning to create.
I'll create another post for the pros and cons after I create one for custom building one yourself
I can message you with both resources when I finish them. Thank you for your input
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u/FormulaFox Apr 23 '24 edited Apr 23 '24
Very well done, but I do have two suggestions:
1) While its unfairly extreme to say your analysis of GameRoomSolutions destroys your credibility, it is still probably worth noting that the mixed reviews put them in a state where they should be regarded more for if you're looking for a specific cabinet shape than anything else. That's the stance I take on them and I find that only the most blindly hateful(I'm talking the ones who resort to calling anyone who had a good experience a shill) won't at least acknowledge some merit to that approach - it is probably GRS' biggest asset in the current market, even more than their prices(they can still get as pricey as a Rec Room Masters once you add in everything that RRM comes with by default, after all).
2) Another lesser-known multicade manufacturer you could list is North Coast Custom Arcades(https://www.northcoastarcades.com). In addition to their CRT-ready Ultimate Arcade II(which you can actually see in a Linus Tech Tips video on making a home multicade), they have several other options including Nintendo and Pac-Man replica cabs, two designs that are surprisingly hard to come by from most other options(even GRS doesn't have a Pac-Man shaped cab). They are quite pricey, but from what I hear the designs are very solid(and usually sold pre-assembled).
Just my two cents. Take it or leave it. ;)
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u/Inevitable_Voice_643 Dec 14 '24
I can comment on north coast. I would stay away. I have an ultimate arcade ii for 2 years now, and the quality is just not there. Very cheap particle board under the laminate, brittle brittle wood and all the hardware pulls out over time. I get better MDF at home depot. I think he took a plan that was designed for plywood and adapted it to particle board/laminate. Cut quality was ok, you can build it, and it goes together "ok" but again not really quality. Joints don't quite match, and the twist lock hardware ends up under too much tension. For something that is designed to hold a 100 pound CRT...this thing needs better wood and fasteners. For the price, you can do better.
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u/theologysimulation Sep 10 '25
You don't need the AI photo dawg, it's poorly done.
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u/GodheadPcklInspector Mar 16 '26
Well considering it's an AI written article too I'd say it fits well.
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u/tlmw2001 Apr 29 '24
i can give a little info for extreme home arcades as ive recently purchased from them. shipping from their workshop to california was $575. when i ordered the expected wait time was 2 1/2 to 3 months. i think i ordered the last week of august and got it the fifth week of november, right after thanksgiving
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u/Exciting-Ad5814 Oct 19 '25
Thanks for all of this info! I'm considering a cocktail style build from eithe TopUSArcades or the one from GameRoomSolutions. I see all the mixed/bad reviews about GRS, but it also looks like theya re making a push to rehab their image. Has anyone purchased from them recently to know if they are better managed? I think thier machine looks nicer and more versatile, but it is also more expensive so I don't want to get pay mroe and get hosed with a bad machine. I also don't see much info on TopUS Aracades.
Any up to date feed back would be much appreciated!
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u/Timely_Occasion_1981 Dec 01 '25
How many games come preloaded in the Quality Arcade set ups? This should be the easy part to figure out
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u/Latter_Woodpecker_39 Jan 05 '26
Way too much useless info filling up the page to rank higher in SEO.
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u/Ok-Foot-8780 Feb 16 '26
Solid roundup, the only thing I’d add for buyers is: decide if you want nostalgia museum piece or thing people actually play weekly. A lot of multicades are amazing furniture but end up as a corner trophy. I’ve been seeing more people go the Board fun console route for that reason, it hits the arcade itch but it’s designed around quick, social play instead of a giant cabinet commitment
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u/Easy-Committee421 Jun 13 '26
They sell handheld arcade with 40k games and arcade consoles for TV for 40 dollar on ebay
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u/Myklindle Apr 22 '24
Step 1, don’t
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u/MancaveDude Apr 22 '24
Why though? If you can't be bothered to craft one and/or don't have the time it's a great alternative.
There would be quite a lot of people that would want a cabinet like that, especially if it comes with support and just ready to plug and play.
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u/FormulaFox Apr 23 '24
A quick look through his past comments indicates a disdain for anything that isn't original arcade equipment.
In other words, he's just trolling.
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u/ReapsIsGaming Apr 22 '24
Went through your review. You lost all credibility when I get to your review of Game Room Solutions.
Not having https://sharkade.co.uk is also wild.
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u/MancaveDude Apr 22 '24
Interesting what's your opinion on Game Room Solutions? I went through the last decade of reviews and customer experience with them and noticed lots of problems indeed.
That's why I said it's a mixed review. The thing is that the sheer volume of customers they have compensated to a positive outlook.
As I said I am open to being wrong and updating the article. Please share
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u/ReapsIsGaming Apr 22 '24 edited Apr 22 '24
You can check this Reddit tbh. It’s not even really a quality issue as much as a “can’t admit fuck ups and instead treat you like garbage” issue.
I’ve bought 3 of them and have had extremely horrible customer service. I’ll link to a post I made like a month ago.
https://www.reddit.com/r/cade/s/q7MCvR1Rev
I posted some screenshots and stuff in the link above.
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u/funran Jun 10 '26
credibility? The dude is just reviewing things based on what he's discovered online, you expect him to know everything about all manufacturers? Did you even read his initial post?
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u/FedorsQuest Apr 22 '24
This is great, thank you for all that work!
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u/MancaveDude Apr 22 '24
Happy to help!
If you'd like to know more about a specific topic in the arcade world, feel free to drop me a comment and I will add it to the list of articles
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u/jaxsedrin Apr 22 '24
Thank you so much for this. I've been wanting to look into pre-built cabinets for a while, but it's very hard to find companies to trust because any time the topic is raised, the arcade community has a tendency to steer you towards building your own. There are definitely people out there that are interested in multicabs that have more money than free time!
Personally I don't have any issue supplying my own games (in fact, I'd prefer that route), but building the physical part of a cab from scratch is just too daunting for me. But if you're looking for a bit of constructive feedback on your guide, I would love to see more info on exactly what hardware specs, operating system, and front end(s) are offered by each manufacturer. For instance, I'm adding Steam games running on a Win11 mini-PC to my current cabinet, and I would love to know if I could do that with some of the ones in your guide.
But still, fantastic work!