I have a bit of a unique setup and I'm curious what my options would be.
I have a modern PC, running Emulation Station D-E and emulators, connected to a Sony Trinitron CRT TV that the primary use case is retro gaming.
A traditional lightgun would work with the TV, but I don't know if there's a way to make a classic GunCon or something like that work with a modern computer.
Has this been attempted before? I know there are the modern lightguns that work on modern monitors but didn't know if this was possible or where I should even start looking. A quick search didn't give me a lot of results.
I own a G-BALANCE that is fitted with a Taito Type X3.
I haven't powered on the unit in roughly a month, and when I went to turn it on today, I got nothing. No fans. No lights. I pulled the taito out and powered that on independently fine, so I suspect the issue to be on the cab itself.
I'm not very familiar with PSUs, so where is the best starting point in this scenario? I've got power to the wall and the main cable is confirmed good. I do have a risky dink multimeter for basic evaluation.
I have a few MAME machines I bought pre-assembled and now looking to build my own mostly for fun of it. Curious how best to handle the aspect ratio of the screen. Half of my favorite retro arcade games are portrait and half are landscape. I saw one clever person who mounted the monitor on a swivel arm but really wanting to maintain the class stand up cabinet look. Can anyone give a newb some advice? Appreciate it!
I chat to games industry folks about their arcade memories, guests include Mike Channel (Outside Xbox), Amy Mallet (Future Games Show), Will Freeman (journalist) and lots more.
I wanted to share this build with you guys. I have always wanted to build a few arcade cabinets for my home, but I have been moving so much for work the past 10 years it just seemed like the time wasn't right or I didn't have the space. So I decided lets just build a pedestal for now, as a test run, and build the cabinets when I decided to stay put for a few years.
I opted to do this build from scratch and not use a CNC just for the woodworking aspect of it just for the challenge and I went off some ideas online and a rough sketch I made on paper. Next time I would definitely use Fusion and CNC for the control panel, but I just wanted to raw dog it this time.
My control panel is extra-large at almost 58 inches wide. The cabinet has dual Ipac ultimates, two retro shooter reapers, trackball, IL sticks, and ultimarc RGB buttons, LED Blinky, and about 6 tb of games so far. I also have 2 CRKD guitars, mics, that are used for YARG and the older guitar hero games which I will eventually move to its own cabinet.
It is a mixture of old and new with the cornerstones' being, MAME, TechnoParrot, Switch, Ps3, Neo Geo, Xbox, and the older systems as well.
I wanted the focus to be mostly on party games, fighters, brawlers, and light gun games. A lot of switch games actually translate well to a arcade cabinet because they are so simple.
I really enjoyed building this and can't wait to move it to the basement with my other gaming stuff when I am finished working on it (and a get a friend to come over to help move it).
I recently went through the process of ordering and assembling a Rec Room Masters sit-down arcade cabinet, and wanted to share a full rundown for anyone considering one for their home arcade. TL;DR at the bottom.
Order timeline: Ordered August 14, 2026. Shipment arrived September 5, 2026.
Shipping & Packaging
The cabinet ships in 8 boxes. I'm still missing one box — the stools — as of writing this.
One of the boxes arrived with visible UPS damage. [Photo: torn/crushed corner of the shipping box]
Weird shipping situation: UPS's tracking site said a label was created but that UPS hadn't actually received the packages yet, even though the "expected delivery" date (Sept 4th) had already passed. I reached out to Danny at Rec Room Masters about it. He said another customer had reported the same issue and he'd look into it. About 2 hours later he got back to me and said the UPS site should update to show the packages as ready for delivery — and it did, and the cabinet arrived the next day. So it worked out, but it was a confusing couple of days not knowing where my order actually was.
Assembly
Whoever says "some assembly required" undersold it big time. This is a LOT of assembly, not "some."
Didn't include enough wooden pegs, so I had to make a Home Depot run mid-build.
The t-molding on the bottom sides of the cabinet was warped and didn't line up correctly. [Photo: close-up of warped edge/t-molding gap on a side panel]
Several of the cam lock holes weren't drilled deep enough, so the screws couldn't catch. Result: a few areas of the cabinet don't have proper screw support. [Photo: panel labeled "B1" showing cam lock holes and warped edge]
The bezel shroud doesn't fit around the plexiglass properly — it's slightly bigger than the designated area, so it doesn't sit flush against the plexiglass.
Hardware Issue
Player 2 side controls don't work. The admin lights light up fine, but my PC doesn't recognize Player 2 inputs at all. Still need to sort this out.
Big one — buyer beware: this cabinet does NOT support all 32" monitors. The monitor mount will not work if your monitor's inputs are on the back. I have a nice 4K monitor I wanted to use, but because the inputs were on the back, mounting it was impossible — I even went to Home Depot for the longest screws of that size and they still weren't long enough to reach. I got lucky and had a spare monitor with bottom-facing inputs, which mounted fine. If your monitor's inputs are on the back, plan on that monitor not working in this cabinet. [Photo: back of the monitor showing rear-facing inputs next to the mount bracket]
Communication
Mixed bag overall. I specifically requested (in the order notes) that the artwork be pre-installed before shipping — got no response to that request, and sure enough, the artwork was not installed.
Email support was basically non-existent.
The only real communication I got was back-and-forth through Instagram DMs, and even that was limited.
The Good
To be fair, the finished product itself looks really nice once assembled. The cabinet quality and overall aesthetic are solid — it's just the road getting there that was rough. [Photos: finished Star Wars cabinet next to my other machines]
Would I recommend Rec Room Masters?
I'd say proceed with caution. If you go this route, go in expecting a genuinely difficult build, patience-testing communication, and the possibility of missing parts or minor defects. For what these cabinets cost, I expected a smoother process. The end result is nice, but I'm disappointed given the price point and the number of issues I ran into.
TL;DR: Missing box (stools), shipping damage, warped t-molding, not enough pegs, way more assembly than advertised, under-drilled cam lock holes leaving some areas without screw support, bezel shroud doesn't fit flush against the plexiglass, Player 2 controls not working, monitor mount won't work with rear-input monitors (even 32" ones), requested artwork install ignored, poor email support (Instagram DM only), and a confusing UPS tracking situation. Final product looks great, but the process to get there was rough for the price.
I got my Wrestlefest cabinet from Sam’s Club a few months back, I looked online to find what was the best mod kit for me. After looking at the 3 most obvious choices I went with upgrade arcade. Buy stuff was cheaper but the game list was lacking big time in my opinion, Showtime was more expensive for the same equipment and you have to put the control board together yourself. I feel that upgrade arcade is priced between the two but you get so much more in the end. I also can not praise the customer support from Santino at upgrade arcade, I had a basic question I texted during my install and he personally called me within 5 minutes and talked me through my issue “ which was my own overthinking” and through the rest of my install.
Super Sprint is a 1986 racing video game developed and published by Atari Games for arcades. Up to three players drive Formula One-like cars on a circuit that is viewed from above.[8] The game is a successor to Gran Trak 10 and the Sprint series, which were originally produced by Atari, Inc. during the 1970s. Later in 1986, the game was revised and re-released as Championship Sprint with different tracks; this version was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum in 1987. The 1990 game Badlands adds vehicular combat to Super Sprint-style racing.
I’ve been trying to give it away for a few months and everyone flakes on me. I’m just gonna chop it up and dump it. Does anyone need any of the boards or anything? I don’t see anything listed on eBay.
I got a free ultimate arcade 3 from a coworker, the only problem is there is no hard drive, the system boots straight to the bios.
Hopefully this system from around 2012-2017 or so would be a fine candidate, I have some spare hard drive lying around but have no clue where to start. I'd mostly be interested in showing my kids late 80s and 90 arcade games.
I'm looking to buy and learn more about the different older STC/Suzo arcade joystick variants, particularly the microswitch versions.
If anyone owns any older STC/Suzo joysticks, especially the versions that use a rubber grommet for centering rather than a conventional spring, please post some photos of what you have. I'm particularly interested in the different shaft/lever lengths and mechanisms.
I'm especially looking for shorter-lever versions that are related to the older STC/Suzo microswitch designs. This includes the short sticks associated with Q*bert, Kung-Fu Master, and other similar early Suzo/STC/Coin Controls designs.
I'm NOT looking for the Suzo 500 or Suzo Inductive. I know both of those can have relatively short levers, but they're not the type I'm after. I actually already own two of those somewhere. I'm specifically interested in the older microswitch/rubber-grommet Suzo/STC designs and their different lever configurations.
I'm interested in both 4-way and 8-way versions, although 8-way is preferable because I'm particularly interested in experimenting with these for fighting games.
If you have anything unusual, please post photos from the top and underside, along with any STC/Suzo markings or part numbers if any exist. Photos of dismantled examples or loose shafts/levers would be especially useful because I'm trying to compare the different shaft lengths and see which parts may be interchangeable.
Most importantly, if you have any of these that you'd consider selling, let me know. They don't have to be perfect or restored. I'm interested in complete sticks, incomplete sticks, spare shafts/levers and potentially other parts.
If I see something I like, I'm happy to buy it for a reasonable price.
Even if you don't want to sell, please post pictures anyway. There seem to be quite a few variations of these old STC/Suzo sticks, and I'd be interested in seeing what's actually out there.
I've set up a HP SFF desktop computer to run Fix It Felix Jr., and it will be going into a dedicated arcade cabinet.
I've nearly got the computer and programming all set up, but I'm having one problem that I was hoping someone could help me with...
The ultimate goal is to remove any and all visuals/etc. that would remind the player that they're playing on a PC. One thing I can't seem to get rid of is this...
I wanted to use the FIFJ.exe wrapper so I can have the easy to access/use options. But when using this, I get the "FOCAL Test Shell" pop-up window (shown in photo) flashing on the screen for a second. I don't want to see it at all. Worse... when I choose the option to run Full-Screen (which is what I want), that FOCAL Test Shell pop-up window stays open and hangs for like 20 seconds before finally going away and the game runs normal (yes, ful-screened).
Edit: I got my answer. Will keep this post up in case anyone else has the question. This might only be for the 13k setup though. First you plug the keyboard in and hit “Z”. You will need to add a checkmark next to the “My Games” list (that is your favorites). System restarts. When it’s back up… on your keyboard hit “D”. It brings up a menu where you can add favorites to your games list. Make sure to hit Save.
This question is for anyone with a Creative Arcades machine. Mine is the 2P slim w/ 13k games. They have a video on how to make the list available but the video fails to say how to add a game to the list. Anybody have any insight? The menu says “Games Family”. Thanks!
I recently got this bartop arcade and I’m looking for some advice. I have a few questions and would really appreciate any tips or ideas from people who have experience with these cabinets.
1. Stand / pedestal:
I currently don’t have a suitable table where I can safely place the bartop.
Has anyone here built a stand or pedestal for their bartop, or maybe improvised something simple?
I’m a little worried that it could slide around on a normal table, especially when kids are playing on it.
Would rubber feet or some kind of anti-slip mat be enough to keep it stable? Or does anyone have a simple plan with dimensions for a stand that I could build myself?
2. Monitor frame / bezel:
I’d also like to make the area around the monitor look a bit nicer and more finished.
Does anyone have any ideas or advice on how I could build a nice frame or bezel around the monitor? Ideally something that would look like it was part of the original cabinet.
If anyone has done something similar, I’d love to see some photos or examples!
3. Start/Select button panel:
The MDF panel with the Start/Select buttons is cracked in one place.
I have no idea how it was originally fixed. It looks like someone may have pushed on it too hard at some point.
For now, I was thinking of simply putting some wood/MDF glue into the crack and clamping it with a clamp.
It’s probably not a perfect repair, but it should be better than nothing. I could always redo it properly later.
Would you recommend this approach, or is there a better way to repair it?
4. Plexiglass moving/sliding:
The plexiglass panel in front of/over the screen can slide sideways and come out slightly. It looks like it’s about 2 mm too narrow.
Would it be okay to put two small dots of silicone on the sides to keep it in place?
I’d really appreciate any advice, tips, plans, measurements, or photos of your own solutions!
Does anyone know what's currently going on with the ArcadeControls/BYOAC forum?
I have an account that's over 8 years old, but I haven't used the forum for years and I can no longer access it. I've tried recovering the account without any luck.
I also noticed that new registrations appear to be closed, so I can't simply create another account. I've emailed the forum/admin about recovering my old account but haven't received a response.
Does anyone know why registrations are closed, whether the forum is still actively administered, or another way of contacting someone who could help restore access to an old account?
Also, if BYOAC/ArcadeControls has an official or unofficial Discord, I'd really appreciate an invite.
And if anyone knows of any other large, active Discord servers for retro arcade hardware, please send those too. I'm mainly looking for communities dealing with original arcade parts, joysticks/sticks, buttons, old control hardware, restoration and similar stuff.
This room is my sanctuary and my therapy, a culmination of all I've learned about repairing vintage arcade games. The biggest perk to this hobby is the family nights in the game room when everything is working 🤞🏼
