Arcade machines are awesome, but it's not really feasible for most of us to keep one in our house. If you're looking for something a little smaller, Instructables user Rolfebox shows off how to build a small tabletop machine built for two people.
Arcade Punks is a website devoted to home build arcade modders, builders, restorers and those that love the retro gaming scene, we try and interact by supplying links and information of some use - we rely on submitted links from a great team of readers and project owners. The 'Galactic Starcade' is a DIY retro bartop arcade cabinet for two players. It is powered by the Raspberry Pi micro-computer and plays multiple types of retro games - primarily NES, SNES, Megadrive and arcade (MAME) games. I've always wanted an arcade machine for authentic retro.
The process here is pretty intense and will require some basic woodworking and electronics skills. You'll be building this sucker entirely from scratch, including the buttons and casing for the machine, so prepare yourself for a bit of work. The machine itself is powered by a Raspberry Pi, so at least that part is pretty easy. Head over to Instructables for the full guide.
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Read more Read2-Player Bartop Arcade Machine | Instructables via Rolfebox
The 'Galactic Starcade' is a DIY retro bartop arcade cabinet for two players. It is powered by the Raspberry Pi micro-computer and plays multiple types of retro games - primarily NES, SNES, Megadrive and arcade (MAME) games. Using a Pi keeps the cost, weight and complexity to a minimum but the cabinet could also house a more powerful PC-based system to play more modern games.
I've always wanted an arcade machine for authentic retro gaming but they take up a lot of space and cost a lot of money. Making a custom bartop cabinet like this one solves both of those problems. It also lets you play potentially thousands of games on a single machine. This project costs under £200 (approx. $320) to make, whereas a prebuilt custom cabinet can set you back four or five times that amount!
This is my first big DIY project and my first Instructable - be nice! Any questions or feedback are more than welcome in the comments.
UPDATE #1: Thanks for the great reception to the Starcade everyone! Very pleased to have placed in two competitions and won some top loot from Instructables. I'm loving the photos in the comments, keep 'em coming please!
UPDATE #2: After a ton of requests I have finally got round to making some handy PDF guides which show all the necessary dimensions to make this arcade machine even easier to build yourself! I've knocked up full 1:1 scale printable guides for the side panels and the control deck, plus a reference sheet with dimensions and angles for the rest of the panels. You can download the PDFs below. Enjoy!