Hey all, and welcome to part 2 of me cataloging the evolution of my new video game room. Today's focus is on the custom cocktail arcade cabinet.
https://imgur.com/30fTSmJFirst off, I'd like to mention that I 100% could not have made this on my own. My partner and I ran into John of
https://www.heydorksfurniture.com/ at the Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo in 2024 and started talking with him about our need for a new coffee table. He mentioned that he had a prototype mocked up in his mind and to contact him when we were ready. I cannot stress how affordable this table was, as well as the clear and constant communication from John...A+, would highly recommend to anyone else looking to get custom gaming shelves done.
With our input, John did literally everything except programing the Raspberry Pi 3B+ that acts as the brains of the cabinet and did one heck of a job! The cabinet is covered in wood veneer and has T molding on all the corners/shelf sides, similar to a real arcade cabinet. The bottom section is basically an adjustable shelf, which is currently set to hold boxed games (i have a few more shelves and pins in storage).
Each player side is currently setup in a diamond style 4 button layout, with the 1 player side controlling the coins, Start for both players, and some additional function keys. I have spare control panels that I can drill to make a 6 button layout, but for now, we don't feel like we are missing out on anything.
https://imgur.com/4CTqXH5Under the hood is where the real magic happens - no literally, the top flips up like a car hood so you can work on the interior! A flat panel monitor (yeah, i know...no CRT here) is half onto the top with some brackets as the "lid" is flipped up to a vertical position. Inside, you'll find the Raspberry Pi i mentioned earlier, and IPAC controller interface, a stereo amplifier, a power strip, and a wireless USB keyboard (for troubleshooting).
https://imgur.com/ag6bBaXThere is also a secret inputs section on the bottom - 2x USB ports for additional controllers and an HDMI input for the monitor. Since the speakers are wired into the monitor, and not the Pi itself, it makes it really easy to plug a Switch in for some multiplayer when friends are over.
https://imgur.com/lafzAsCI rotated the screen in the software of the PI and added a theme that looked good vertical. Unlike most other RetroPie builds I've made, I'm painstakingly adding games on at a time to ensure compatibility and controller mapping, hence the arcade and NeoGeo only so far.
https://imgur.com/lJ4EZUnVertical games look amazing as you'd expect, but standard definition games have a pretty cool work around: dual monitor mode! Using a custom mapper, I can duplicate the screen so that each player has a properly arraigned screen. This part takes FOREVER and has to be applied game-by-game to work correctly, but the results are stunning, especially in person.
https://imgur.com/433kr7fOverall, REALLY happy with the way this one came out and wouldn't change a thing (except a more powerful Pi, but that is incoming). Tune in next month, when I figure out what else to talk about lol!
