The kit to build (or assemble) a full-size arcade cabinet. A 3/4-inch MDF cabinet kit, a Raspberry Pi or PC with a front-end and the full arcade ROM library, arcade-grade joysticks and buttons (Sanwa), an IPS monitor, and a marquee. The cabinet is the centerpiece; the control panel is the soul.
Plans
Choose a plan that fits your needs and budget
Item List
4Cabinet
2 items
Electronics
2 itemsPlan Totals$950
FAQ
Common questions about this kit
Raspberry Pi or PC?
Pi for ease and cost (runs everything up to PS1); a PC for heavier emulation ( Naomi, Atomiswave, 3D arcade). For a 2-player cabinet with golden-age through 90s arcade, the Pi is the standard; add a PC for 3D-era.
Sanwa joysticks and buttons?
Yes — arcade-grade parts (Sanwa or Seimitsu) are the feel of the arcade; cheap knockoffs ruin the experience. The control panel is the thing you touch; do not skimp on the sticks and buttons.
Cabinet kit vs scratch build?
A flat-pack CNC-cut kit (1up, or a custom CNC) gives you the precise cuts without a router; scratch-building from plans is cheaper but slower. Either way, the cabinet is a weekend-and-a-month project, not an afternoon.
Front-end / ROM library?
A front-end (Attract-Mode, EmulationStation) with a curated, tagged library is the user interface; a pile of untagged ROMs is a mess. Spend the time organizing the library; the cabinet lives or dies on finding and launching games easily.
User Reviews
5.0 / 5.0
Arcade cabinet and my battlestation share the Sanwa-sticks-and-a-front-end gospel — the control panel is the soul; do not skimp on the sticks. A curated, tagged library is the UI, agreed.