Consider other designs. Cabinets are the most expensive from what I have seen. Look into a pedestal design or a bartop.
If you go diy and are very creative, you can make it happen for a few hundred bucks.
Ex. Found a 2player arcade x joystick for 50$ on marketplace, free computer they threw out at the office, free flat screen tv they threw away at hotel, and free speaker stand (to use as stand for arcade sticks) and boom, have a quick and easy setup for the low low.
Next is to build a true pedestal for the sticks with some free scraps of wood I found...
You can get cheaper, but you're going to need to do more of the work yourself. RRM's cabs come fully assembled, if I recall correctly. Cheaper options will be shipped to you flatpack and you'll need to put them together.
If I was looking to build a first arcade machine on a budget, I'd probably go with the 27" "pandora supported" [cabinet from GRS](https://gameroomsolutions.com/shop/mid-size-27-pandoras-box-arcade-cabinet-with-riser/) with standard panel cuts. It's a little under $400 *shipped* with a marquee. If you want the full thing skinned, it's an extra $125 over just the marquee, which is very reasonable and comes pre-installed. *For the love of god, do not buy any of their add-on electronics*. Think of the worst quality electronics you've ever seen, and understand that they are somehow even worse than that.
I put together their 4-player 27" cab together for a friend's kids for christmas a couple years ago. Looks like the same basic cab design with a different panel. It's decent enough construction and has held up well with kids banging on it regularly. I used [this monitor](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078HSKBG3/?th=1) and wired up a [button/encoder kit from EG Starts](https://www.amazon.com/EG-STARTS-Ellipse-Joystick-Handles/dp/B07QRRLCKD/) on Amazon, along with some [IL Eurosticks](https://paradisearcadeshop.com/collections/il-industrias-lorenzo-1) and [extra wires](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RQLH9T1/) because I dislike Sanwa style sticks, but you do you. Wiring up controls looks really complicated if you've never done it, but it's really just screwing the parts to the panel and plugging in some jst connectors.
The linked encoder boards are pretty clearly labeled with what button each connector is. I suspect GRS uses the same kits, so it might be worth it to you to spend the extra $15 to buy the kit from them already installed, but I can't tell you for sure what they use.
It doesn't have a keyboard drawer. Most cabs don't. Get one of these slim [logitech keyboard/trackpad combos](https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Touchpad-PC-connected/dp/B014EUQOGK/) and just set it on top.
For speakers, I used [this cheap 2.1 speaker setup](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006B9W1/) which sounds damn good for the price, especially for an arcade cab, and I'd buy it again. I chose it because it has a wired power/volume dial with a headphone jack that was easy to mount to the control panel. I did the same thing with [this power button](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09N3HTLWD/) on the other side of the panel, wired to the motherboard of the computer I put into it.
That's as cheap as $620ish for the cab with monitor, controls, keyboard and sound, and then you just need something to power it. A raspberry pi 4 can be had for around $100 with power adapter and SD card if you just want to go retro, or you can put together [a cheap gaming PC](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ftyTDZ) that can handle newer stuff (this'll do MK1/SF6 at a locked 60fps @ 1080p on medium settings) for a little over $400.
Caveat: I've heard nightmare stories here about GRS' "after" customer service, but I've never had to deal with them on that. The cabs I've ordered from them have been shipped out promptly and arrived quickly, and have been a little more difficult to put together than your average piece of Ikea furniture.
I bought from GRS and never would do that again. Take a look at the reviews on Reddit and Google and the better business bureau and really consider if saving a little bit of money is worth the aggravation.
I've purchased from them several times, and would do it again, as long as I'm just buying the cabinet shell. They've been prompt in responses and shipping.
I can confirm that you should only get the shell from them. Even then, you need to be patient though... I bought a 4 player pedestal from GRS in December, and it took them 3 shipments to finally get me all the panels with the correct cutouts and no damages. Don't get me wrong, I was really frustrated that the item came with chips on the black panels and a control panel with extra mouse cuts I did not ask for. The good news is they let me keep all the mdf that was damaged and the control panel. I now have an extra control panel top, and 3/8 of the panel box. I also have an extra front pedestal panel with artwork because they forgot to cut the coin door. Truthfully, I left the new parts in the box. I will likely buy some mdf from home Depot and build the missing parts as my next project!
I DMed you. I have a few "project cabinets" I want to get rid of, which could meet or exceed your needs. Depending on where you are located determines feasibility.
It’s tough to build an arcade cabinet for under $1000 if you do it yourself so you can double or triple that easy if you want someone else to do the work for you. This is a (somewhat) expensive hobby.
If you want bare MDF it can be cheaper - Etsy has a lot of sellers but I have no idea how good they are - but good controls cost money. If you want to play 4-way games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong you need to be able to switch from 4 to 8 way so you need something like a ServoStik, which are like $75 each. Buttons are $2.00+ each plus you need an encoder or two, wires, etc. You can go cheap on all this stuff with Chinese parts on Amazon but you get what you pay for and for me personally, I wouldn’t bother with junk controls.
I assume you don’t want an ugly bare cabinet - artwork is super expensive. Side art, marquee and control panel overlays cost quite a bit. It all depends on what your goals are.
Stop perpetuating the truth? You are compromising on playability when you use an 8-way joystick to play a 4-way game. You basically acknowledge this by saying you need to have some sort of technique to change directions while playing.
Generally speaking, 4-way games are not programmed to handle getting two inputs at once. Each game reacts differently to unexpected inputs - some may change directions early (as soon as the second switch is pressed in the diagonal) and others will change late (not until the first switch is released in the diagonal). In some games like Pac-Man, the character will stop moving entirely if you are in a diagonal - the software does not know what to do. If you’ve ever really played it, you have to “corner” to move a few frames faster as the game speed increases (this is done by rolling the joystick right before you reach the corner where you want to turn) and without a 4-way it won’t respond as expected. Sure, a game may “work” but that is a lot different from it working properly.
You could make the shell for cheap but remember there’s still a long way to go. ( paint,artwork,t-molding,marquee ) I wouldn’t say the price ramps up as much as it’ll test your diy skills and how much free time you have.
I made a cabaret style cab with crt, custom stencil art, coin door ,pc , and good buttons and servo stick. It came in all told I guess less than €600 but it took over my life for quite a while.
As recommended earlier buy an old 2 player jamma cab. And save yourself a lot of pain, and maybe even falling out of love with the thing half way thru. I’d take a look in the project announcements section at BYOAC.com. Some cabs in there are still unfinished after years of work.
Rec room masters has a good design. If you don't want to spend hours buying particle board, cutting patters, painting, ordering side art, ordering controllers, cables, etc etc then get one. All you need after that is a monitor and PC and they have suggestions on which ones to get. They also sell premade PCs loaded with games.
When you say “all sorts of games” I would be careful.
If your goal is to emulate all coin op games, it’s great. If you start adding controllers it gets weird and out of hand quickly for little return imo.
If you limit to coin op, you still get a ton of great games that can run off several dell refurb computers very easily. They are also dirt cheap.
If you want to go cheap, I would suggest you buy a kit/premade, and buy a pedestal cabinet.
You mount a tv on the wall, hide the cables, and you are golden. TVs are cheap and any Walmart Roku will double as another tv on game day if you need.
Get the cabinet kit with no electronics, buy those separate. The wiring is very easy after a single YouTube vid.
If you are brand new to it, I suggest not going nuts and getting a trackball and a spinner etc. unless you want to play 10 yr old golden tee.
I have one of these RecRoomMasters on order (emulation edition plus) and am 4 weeks into a 4-5 week estimate, so should ship soon. I did a lot of research and despite the cost, they seem worth it. I can update when I get and assemble.
One positive so far, they've been very responsive on questions I've asked about digital marquee support, and a few other odds and ends.
Buy an old cabinet from the 80s. See them all the time for the shell only around $100.00
This is the idea you need to listen to.
Where?! I only see machines go for over $1k in my area and they’re basically rotted out
Where are you looking? I haven't seen a cabinet for less than $800 in years, and those ones are generally wrecks
Consider other designs. Cabinets are the most expensive from what I have seen. Look into a pedestal design or a bartop. If you go diy and are very creative, you can make it happen for a few hundred bucks. Ex. Found a 2player arcade x joystick for 50$ on marketplace, free computer they threw out at the office, free flat screen tv they threw away at hotel, and free speaker stand (to use as stand for arcade sticks) and boom, have a quick and easy setup for the low low. Next is to build a true pedestal for the sticks with some free scraps of wood I found...
You can get cheaper, but you're going to need to do more of the work yourself. RRM's cabs come fully assembled, if I recall correctly. Cheaper options will be shipped to you flatpack and you'll need to put them together. If I was looking to build a first arcade machine on a budget, I'd probably go with the 27" "pandora supported" [cabinet from GRS](https://gameroomsolutions.com/shop/mid-size-27-pandoras-box-arcade-cabinet-with-riser/) with standard panel cuts. It's a little under $400 *shipped* with a marquee. If you want the full thing skinned, it's an extra $125 over just the marquee, which is very reasonable and comes pre-installed. *For the love of god, do not buy any of their add-on electronics*. Think of the worst quality electronics you've ever seen, and understand that they are somehow even worse than that. I put together their 4-player 27" cab together for a friend's kids for christmas a couple years ago. Looks like the same basic cab design with a different panel. It's decent enough construction and has held up well with kids banging on it regularly. I used [this monitor](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078HSKBG3/?th=1) and wired up a [button/encoder kit from EG Starts](https://www.amazon.com/EG-STARTS-Ellipse-Joystick-Handles/dp/B07QRRLCKD/) on Amazon, along with some [IL Eurosticks](https://paradisearcadeshop.com/collections/il-industrias-lorenzo-1) and [extra wires](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RQLH9T1/) because I dislike Sanwa style sticks, but you do you. Wiring up controls looks really complicated if you've never done it, but it's really just screwing the parts to the panel and plugging in some jst connectors. The linked encoder boards are pretty clearly labeled with what button each connector is. I suspect GRS uses the same kits, so it might be worth it to you to spend the extra $15 to buy the kit from them already installed, but I can't tell you for sure what they use. It doesn't have a keyboard drawer. Most cabs don't. Get one of these slim [logitech keyboard/trackpad combos](https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Touchpad-PC-connected/dp/B014EUQOGK/) and just set it on top. For speakers, I used [this cheap 2.1 speaker setup](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006B9W1/) which sounds damn good for the price, especially for an arcade cab, and I'd buy it again. I chose it because it has a wired power/volume dial with a headphone jack that was easy to mount to the control panel. I did the same thing with [this power button](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09N3HTLWD/) on the other side of the panel, wired to the motherboard of the computer I put into it. That's as cheap as $620ish for the cab with monitor, controls, keyboard and sound, and then you just need something to power it. A raspberry pi 4 can be had for around $100 with power adapter and SD card if you just want to go retro, or you can put together [a cheap gaming PC](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ftyTDZ) that can handle newer stuff (this'll do MK1/SF6 at a locked 60fps @ 1080p on medium settings) for a little over $400. Caveat: I've heard nightmare stories here about GRS' "after" customer service, but I've never had to deal with them on that. The cabs I've ordered from them have been shipped out promptly and arrived quickly, and have been a little more difficult to put together than your average piece of Ikea furniture.
RRM are also flat packed. I have a 4 player and I love it.
I bought from GRS and never would do that again. Take a look at the reviews on Reddit and Google and the better business bureau and really consider if saving a little bit of money is worth the aggravation.
I've purchased from them several times, and would do it again, as long as I'm just buying the cabinet shell. They've been prompt in responses and shipping.
I can confirm that you should only get the shell from them. Even then, you need to be patient though... I bought a 4 player pedestal from GRS in December, and it took them 3 shipments to finally get me all the panels with the correct cutouts and no damages. Don't get me wrong, I was really frustrated that the item came with chips on the black panels and a control panel with extra mouse cuts I did not ask for. The good news is they let me keep all the mdf that was damaged and the control panel. I now have an extra control panel top, and 3/8 of the panel box. I also have an extra front pedestal panel with artwork because they forgot to cut the coin door. Truthfully, I left the new parts in the box. I will likely buy some mdf from home Depot and build the missing parts as my next project!
I DMed you. I have a few "project cabinets" I want to get rid of, which could meet or exceed your needs. Depending on where you are located determines feasibility.
It’s tough to build an arcade cabinet for under $1000 if you do it yourself so you can double or triple that easy if you want someone else to do the work for you. This is a (somewhat) expensive hobby.
even for just the enclosure? all I really need is the enclosure and controller
If you want bare MDF it can be cheaper - Etsy has a lot of sellers but I have no idea how good they are - but good controls cost money. If you want to play 4-way games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong you need to be able to switch from 4 to 8 way so you need something like a ServoStik, which are like $75 each. Buttons are $2.00+ each plus you need an encoder or two, wires, etc. You can go cheap on all this stuff with Chinese parts on Amazon but you get what you pay for and for me personally, I wouldn’t bother with junk controls. I assume you don’t want an ugly bare cabinet - artwork is super expensive. Side art, marquee and control panel overlays cost quite a bit. It all depends on what your goals are.
4 way games are fine on an 8 way unless you have poor technique and hit directions wrong. Stop perpetuating this
Stop perpetuating the truth? You are compromising on playability when you use an 8-way joystick to play a 4-way game. You basically acknowledge this by saying you need to have some sort of technique to change directions while playing. Generally speaking, 4-way games are not programmed to handle getting two inputs at once. Each game reacts differently to unexpected inputs - some may change directions early (as soon as the second switch is pressed in the diagonal) and others will change late (not until the first switch is released in the diagonal). In some games like Pac-Man, the character will stop moving entirely if you are in a diagonal - the software does not know what to do. If you’ve ever really played it, you have to “corner” to move a few frames faster as the game speed increases (this is done by rolling the joystick right before you reach the corner where you want to turn) and without a 4-way it won’t respond as expected. Sure, a game may “work” but that is a lot different from it working properly.
This is absolutely false.
Mag-stik plus $39
You could make the shell for cheap but remember there’s still a long way to go. ( paint,artwork,t-molding,marquee ) I wouldn’t say the price ramps up as much as it’ll test your diy skills and how much free time you have. I made a cabaret style cab with crt, custom stencil art, coin door ,pc , and good buttons and servo stick. It came in all told I guess less than €600 but it took over my life for quite a while. As recommended earlier buy an old 2 player jamma cab. And save yourself a lot of pain, and maybe even falling out of love with the thing half way thru. I’d take a look in the project announcements section at BYOAC.com. Some cabs in there are still unfinished after years of work.
Recroom hasn't brought back the sitdown models yet?
The link I put into the post shows the cabinet I want to get
Rec room masters has a good design. If you don't want to spend hours buying particle board, cutting patters, painting, ordering side art, ordering controllers, cables, etc etc then get one. All you need after that is a monitor and PC and they have suggestions on which ones to get. They also sell premade PCs loaded with games.
When you say “all sorts of games” I would be careful. If your goal is to emulate all coin op games, it’s great. If you start adding controllers it gets weird and out of hand quickly for little return imo. If you limit to coin op, you still get a ton of great games that can run off several dell refurb computers very easily. They are also dirt cheap. If you want to go cheap, I would suggest you buy a kit/premade, and buy a pedestal cabinet. You mount a tv on the wall, hide the cables, and you are golden. TVs are cheap and any Walmart Roku will double as another tv on game day if you need. Get the cabinet kit with no electronics, buy those separate. The wiring is very easy after a single YouTube vid. If you are brand new to it, I suggest not going nuts and getting a trackball and a spinner etc. unless you want to play 10 yr old golden tee.
Home Depot
I have one of these RecRoomMasters on order (emulation edition plus) and am 4 weeks into a 4-5 week estimate, so should ship soon. I did a lot of research and despite the cost, they seem worth it. I can update when I get and assemble. One positive so far, they've been very responsive on questions I've asked about digital marquee support, and a few other odds and ends.