I turned my defunct arcade cabinet into a world-class emulator

Back in 2021, a childhood dream came true for me. After wishing I could have my very own arcade cabinet as a kid, I finally turned that into a reality when I reviewed a cabinet by a new company, iiRcade. The machine had a unique premise: It was connected to a digital storefront where players could buy and install games à la carte. On top of that, iiRcade was nabbing some modern games in addition to retro ones, including the excellent Dead Cells.

It felt too good to be true. And it was.

Three years and one startup bankruptcy later, my dream had become a nightmare. I was now the proud owner of an enormous brick due to iiRcade shuttering its services. I was faced with an annoying problem that I never considered when I dreamed of owning an arcade cabinet: What the hell do you do with it when you don’t want it anymore? I was determined not to let an expensive machine with so much potential wind up in a trash heap. I’d just need to figure out how to bring it back to life like a phoenix from the ashes. To pull that off, I’d have to immerse myself in arcade culture and discover one of the craftiest fandoms in all of gaming.

Innovation turns to failure

Though iiRcade may be remembered as a pricey disaster now, it was a revelation when the ambitious project was first revealed. Most arcade cabinets come loaded with a static set of games. If you want to play NBA Jam, you’d have to drop money on an Arcade1Up cabinet that only had that installed on it. But iiRcade sought to change that model with a more modern approach. The machine would feature a storefront that would add games over time. That would theoretically make it the only arcade cabinet anyone would need to own.

It was a strong enough elevator pitch to convince arcade enthusiasts to invest. The company launched a Kickstarter to fund the project with a $50,000 goal. It raised over $660,000. And iiRcade soon got to work on creating its cabinet, as well as landing big partnerships that would bring arcade classics like Drago