Ultimate Arcade Build

The Problem

Remember arcades? The dim lights, the cacophony of bleeps and bloops, the thrill of dropping quarters into machines that promised endless entertainment? Those days are mostly gone. Arcades have closed down, classic consoles are collecting dust, and emulation on a laptop just doesn’t hit the same.

I wanted that arcade experience back. But I didn’t want just one game — I wanted all of them. Every console, every classic arcade cabinet, every childhood memory in one dedicated machine.

So I built one.

What We’re Building

An arcade cabinet that plays:

• Arcade games — MAME, FinalBurn, everything
• Classic consoles — NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, PlayStation, and more
• PC games — Steam, GOG, retro PC titles
• Fighting games — The real reason for this build

The best part? It looks like a legitimate arcade cabinet but plays everything.

The Hardware

Core Components

Component	Model	Price (Approx)
Arcade Cabinet	Arcade1Up Street Fighter II	$200 (used)
Emulation PC	Custom mini-ITX build	$400
LCD Controller Board	HDMI-to-LVDS controller	$40
Joysticks	Sanwa JLF	$25 each
Buttons	Sanwa OBSF-30	$3 each
USB Encoder	Zero Delay USB Encoder	$15
Speakers	Car speakers + amp	$30
Power Strip	Basic surge protector	$15

Total: ~$728

Why Arcade1Up?

The Arcade1Up cabinets are perfect starting points:

• 17” LCD screen (perfect for 4:3 games)
• Pre-cut cabinet shell
• Decent artwork (or replace it)
• Easy to find used

The downside? Stock hardware is garbage. Tiny sound, weak controls, limited game selection. But that’s why we’re gutting it.

The Emulation PC

This is where the magic happens. You don’t need a beast — retro emulation is surprisingly light. I went with:

• CPU: Intel i3-9100 (great for Dreamcast/PS2)
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 256GB SSD (system) + 2TB HDD (games)
• GPU: Integrated graphics (yes, really)

For most retro games, integrated graphics is fine. PS2 and GameCube are the ceiling, and even those run well on modern i3/i5 chips.

The Build Process

Step 1: Gut the Cabinet

Strip everything. The stock electronics go in the trash (or eBay, if you’re feeling generous). Keep:

• The LCD panel
• The cabinet shell
• The marquee (if you like the art)

Step 2: LCD Conversion

The Arcade1Up uses a cheap LCD panel. To drive it with HDMI, you need an LCD controller board. Find your panel’s model number and buy a matching controller.

Connect the controller to the panel’s LVDS connector, wire up power, and boom — you’ve got an HDMI display inside an arcade cabinet.

Step 3: Controls

The stock joysticks and buttons are… okay. If you’re serious about fighting games, upgrade to Sanwa or Seimitsu parts.

Wire the controls through a USB encoder. The “Zero Delay” encoders are cheap and work perfectly with emulators — they show up as generic gamepads.

Step 4: Audio

Car speakers wired to a cheap amp, fed from the PC’s headphone jack. It’s not audiophile, but arcade games aren’t meant to be.

Mount the speakers behind the marquee for that authentic top-firing sound.

Step 5: Software

I use Batocera — a Linux-based emulation OS that boots straight into a game selection menu. It supports:

• MAME
• RetroArch cores for every console imaginable
• Steam (with some tweaking)
• Custom controller mappings

Configure once, and it’s appliance-simple. Power on, pick a game, play.

Performance

System	Status	Notes
Arcade (MAME)	Perfect	60fps on everything
NES/SNES/Genesis	Perfect	Zero issues
N64	Great	Most games run well
PlayStation 1	Perfect	100% compatibility
PlayStation 2	Good	~90% playable
Dreamcast	Great	Most games hit 60fps
GameCube	Decent	Lighter games work

The 17” screen is 4:3, which means classic games fill the display without stretching. It’s chef’s kiss.

Games We Play

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is why I built this. The Dreamcast version through Flycast runs beautifully, and local multiplayer is where this machine shines.

Other favorites:

• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
• Tekken 3
• The Simpsons Arcade
• TMNT: Turtles in Time
• Marvel Super Heroes
• X-Men vs. Street Fighter

Lessons Learned

Future Upgrades

• Light gun support — AimTrak or Sinden for Time Crisis vibes
• Coin mech — Because nothing beats inserting a real token
• Bigger drive — My 2TB is filling up with PS2 games
• RGB lighting — It’s an arcade, it needs blinky lights

Conclusion

This build took a weekend and cost less than a modern console. But the fun I’ve had playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 with friends? Priceless.

There’s something magical about standing in front of an arcade cabinet, joystick in hand, about to throw down. You don’t get that from a laptop. This build brought the arcade home.

If you’re even slightly interested in retro gaming, build one. The arcade1Up cabinets are cheap starting points, and the satisfaction of playing your childhood favorites on real arcade controls is unmatched.

---

Questions? Hit me up on the contact page — I’m always happy to talk arcade builds.