iiRcade.

[Chako]

I have always wanted an arcade cabinet in my home. My interest went up when Arcade1UP started coming out with cabinets. I did not like the limited game selection, or the ugly pedestal type riser that they use. I have also read that they use wooden pegs and the quality of the cabinets are not that great. Why I went the route of a Pandoras Box stand alone. Lots of included games, but the screen is the wrong dimension. I was thinking of building a cabinet around the unit, but time never seemed to be on my side.

I must be living under a rock. Yesterday I was at a local furniture store called The Brick for a bed and box spring set for my partner when I spied that they sold these units, or at least a poster stated the fact. I asked to see any displays and they told me the store owner does not stock them...but I can buy one online. Ok...it might just be time for an arcade1Up system. I go home and look up their website and find the usual 1Up fare, but there are a few iiRcade items. I have never heard of iiRcade. I did some research and am glad I didn't buy one of those 1Up cabinets after all. iiRcade offers 12 built in titles, and then you can purchase any extra games you want off their Android website. There are over 200 titles now with more added all the time. The prices are not that bad, and it is all licenced. Something that always bothered me with the RetroPie setups.

I just pulled the trigger on the iiRcade RetroMania Wrestling cabinet. I am told it should come in either late Thursday or Friday. I cannot wait.

Here is their website.

https://www.iircade.com/

[pfrsantos]

[Chako]

I think I just found a place for the cabinet. I was thinking maybe someplace downstairs but I believe I may not have any room for it, and if I did, I would probably not see the cabinet artwork as well as I think I would like to. Best place that I can think of so far is upstairs in the game room. I will need to clean the spot up first, but I think because of my house being a story and a half, the middle of the room might be the best spot for it. Those slanting roofline ceilings limits what I can put on two walls of the room.

Years ago I bought a Pandora's Key 7 3D arcade machine.  I do not have any regrets, but there are a few things I do not like about it.

Here is the unit hooked up to an LCD TV. The keys are not bad, but definitely not the better ones.
20211229_070936A by Chako, on Flickr

10 3D games and 2167 2D games. This sound great, but there is probably a good 100+ are duplicate games but listed as 2 player, 4 player, ect...
20211229_071011A by Chako, on Flickr

That is a lot of games that come with this stand alone unit. My biggest issue with this system is one of user interface. There is no search function. You are forced to move the joystick side to side to go through page search, or up and down one game at a time. Furthermore, to make things even less convenient, the games are mostly sorted alphabetically. Mostly in that there are several alphabetical lists. On top of that, some games are not sorted in the right location. All of this makes finding a game a chore. There is a memory mode which thankfully means you can find the last few games you played, but I have found this feature spotty at best. Sometimes it works, and other times, the list clears itself. So although I found this to be a great little machine, finding games on it is a major pain in the posterior region.
20211229_071101A by Chako, on Flickr

20211229_071127A by Chako, on Flickr

The game list is a very mixed bag. There are a lot of Asian titled games I have never heard of. This is a cool thing as it has opened my eyes to a lot of arcade games I would have never known existed. There are quite a few big titles in here as well.
20211229_071338A by Chako, on Flickr

I think once I clear this space up of stuff, it just might make the perfect spot for the cabinet. At least it will be located where there is maximum headroom height.
20211229_071906A by Chako, on Flickr

The waiting is the hard part right now...but that will give me time to clean and prep the area for it.

[Chako]

I called yesterday and was told to call today as they were too busy with deliveries to unpack the transport shipment. I hope my arcade cabinet is on it.

This just gives me more time to clean the room a little more and to do more research. I never knew there was such a fanboy war online in regards to the different arcade manufacturers like Arcade1UP, AtGames, and iiRcade. I now know to disregard a lot of online reviews because these guys must be getting paid by these companies to stand on their soap boxes. 

I still think I made the right decision as the iiRcade is more of a multicade rather than a cabinet that comes with a very limited number of games.

I hope I will get it today and be able to build it today. If and when I do, I will be sure to post photos.

[Chako]

Well a bit of a rough start this morning. I went to The Brick at 9:15 am to see if I could pick up the arcade. There was 1 harried employee who couldn't find the two boxes and told me to try later.  They phoned me at 10:30 with the happy news that they found the boxes. Someone the night before stored them in an odd upper shelf that was completely overlooked by the employee. Got to give him credit, he was a busy guy.

The arcade comes in two boxes. One box contains the base, and the other, the bar top machine. The packaging is top quality. The cardboard used is very thick. Everything is well laid out. I can tell the company spent some money on the packaging. I am happy to say, nothing was damaged.

The box containing the arcade had an informative cardboard sleeve. I have noticed a bit of confusion with some of the statistics on their web site and on this cardboard sleeve. My unit comes with 128GB as opposed to the 64GB mentioned on the sleeve. Their website also showed some confusion with a page or two stating different statistics. The sticker on the box does show the proper information.
20211231_104709A by Chako, on Flickr

I got the more deluxe RetroMania cabinet. The graphics are beautiful. Here you can see the 2 side panels.
20211231_110946A by Chako, on Flickr

Here is the front panel.
20211231_111148A by Chako, on Flickr

I went slow and took my time. It took me a good hour to build the lower cabinet. Here is the top part of the lower cabinet. There are 4 holes that accept the bar top arcade unit's rubber feet. On top of that, there are a set of 4 screws you can use to attach both bottom and top together. Well thought out.
20211231_115950A by Chako, on Flickr

A few more shots of the graphics on the lower cabinet.
20211231_115958A by Chako, on Flickr

20211231_120049A by Chako, on Flickr

The back of the cabinet is done in tasteful black. There is an access panel if you want to store some stuff in the base.
20211231_120103A by Chako, on Flickr

Now that the base is finished, time to work on the top part. Here you can see the attention to detail in iiRcade's packaging.
20211231_124329A by Chako, on Flickr

The bottom cabinet was a pleasure to put together. The top part had a few surprises that caught me off guard. The one I was aware from my reading online of other's personal experiences. I knew about the issue but still fell into the trap...more on this later. Anyways, the speaker section has plastic wrap on the front section. I start to tear it off and notice that parts of it I cannot remove due to the speaker grills. This necessitated in my taking them off to get to the bits that were stuck there.
20211231_130518A by Chako, on Flickr

20211231_130521A by Chako, on Flickr

The whole thing is put together via these posts and rotating locking pieces. The cabinet is very well made. The posts aligned nicely in each hole. The rotating locking pieces have an arrow that you point towards the hole. Locking the boards together is very easy. Insert the post into the cam mechanism, and simply turn the locking cam until you can't turn it anymore. This pulls the pieces together. All in all, it was an easy enjoyable build.
20211231_132549A by Chako, on Flickr


The included speakers are very loud. I read somewhere that they are car speakers...and I believe it. The sound is very nice at that.
20211231_133644A by Chako, on Flickr

My only issue was the plastic protector film that was under the speaker front grills. The back of the speaker has a nice sized heatsink.
20211231_133658A by Chako, on Flickr

The top part is mostly built in this photograph.
20211231_140537A by Chako, on Flickr

Here is the cabinet tray ready for the insertion of the controls.
20211231_140542A by Chako, on Flickr

Controls now added. Interestingly enough, I read online that the included plexiglass monitor protector with included black border usually was scratched due to only one side having a protective film. Looks like that info is now out of date as mine came with both sides featuring a protective film. My plexiglass was not damaged...which makes me happy. I was expecting some imperfections here. I know they sell a glass cover for 50 dollars that is better than the easily scratched plexiglass cover. The weird thing is that the piece just fits over the screen once the controls are installed. I guess this makes it easy to remove for dusting and cleaning.
20211231_141405A by Chako, on Flickr

A close look at the controls. The on/off button is a bit odd in that it is a regular button. Holding it in for a few seconds turns the unit on or off. A quick press puts the unit in sleep mode.
20211231_141422A by Chako, on Flickr

All was going very well until I got to the back of the unit. I realized that I misread the instructions at some point and installed one of the back support pieces upside down. Someone mentioned this issue online, and I would have to agree. I was careful and took my time, and I feel the instructions could use a bit more clarity. See that black arrow, that is the piece I installed upside down. This necessitated my having to take the whole unit mostly apart again. I can tell you aligning the last side piece with all the locking cam holes and post was a bit aggravating. Knowing I was going to have to do that again was a bit painful. I had a hard time unlocking all those cams to release the side panel so I could turn that piece around. I was most grateful that the side panel slipped back on with no issues. You can also see the simple wiring. That white connector goes to the speaker. The other 2 connectors attach to the control panel. Interestingly enough, the control panel also has an HDMI out if you ever wish to mirror the action on a big screen TV.
20211231_141444A by Chako, on Flickr

Now that everything is as it should be, time to start the arcade machine up. Right away, it asks you to create an account with iiRcade so that you can buy and add games to the cabinet. Likewise, there is a QR code that shows up on the screen so that you can install the app on your phone. A word of warning, the system only works with Android phones. Those who have iPhone cannot use the app on their phone. I do know you can still buy games using your computer.
20211231_150117A by Chako, on Flickr

20211231_150332A by Chako, on Flickr

So far, the build was enjoyable except for that one bit of confusion in the bar top unit. With that said, there is no instructions on what to do with the software stuff. This unit came with 11 games pre-installed...but the screen I got was this. It did not show any games. I was a bit confused. I went to the online store and started downloading a few of the free included games, and still they did not show up.
20211231_151114A by Chako, on Flickr

I did figure it out, and the games were indeed in the list, but a bit of instructional help here would have made the experience a little smoother. Because I bought the RetroMania cabinet, it comes with the game. However, it was not pre-installed. The back of the instruction booklet has a redeeming code that you need to plug in to download this wrestling game. Once I figured this stuff out, it was smoother sailing.
20211231_152955A by Chako, on Flickr

I was able to play a little of one game to make sure everything was working fine. Now that I figured my way around the iiRcade online store, it is super easy to purchase games. Once you buy them, they automatically download to your cabinet. Kind of cool if you ask me. I am overall very pleased with this arcade system. The packaging was top rate, as is the build quality of the cabinet. A bit more hand holding from the company on the software side would have been appreciated, and for gods sake, make that one section of the instructions a bit more clearer. Having to take apart the cabinet to flip that one section around was painful. Overall, it took me a good 4 hours of taking my time to build it, including errors in my judgement lol.

[zoidberg]

Nice build. Looks like a ton of fun there.   

[Chako]

Just noticed that the iiRcade game sale ended yesterday...bad timing for me. 

With that said, the only thing I want now to complete my little game room is a pinball machine. I see now that there are 3/4 sized LCD models out now. That will be a future purchase I think.

Right now I have a Pachinko machine, a Pachislo machine, a Pandora's Key 7 3D system, a multicade cabinet machine, and a few Retropie systems. I can see a pinball machine would complete this retro gaming room. 

[Chako]

Well, I should have seen this coming. I will be looking for one of those nice bar stools that are adjustable in height and have a back. I must be getting old. I don't seem to have the stamina of my younger 1980's self lol! A nice seat is just what I will be needing. With that said, I have been working from home last week and this week coming. Hopefully the school will be open by January 17. I am currently doing Teams meetings upstairs in my game room and must say that is working out nicely. This also means I have been spending more time with the iiRcade machine during breaks and after work.

What I like about this system, is the instruction screen that comes with every game. This is a big step above what comes with my Pandora's Key 7 3D system. It may have a ton of games, but you are always left wondering what the buttons do. The iiRcade fixes that issue.

I am sorry to say I missed out on the awesome software sale that ended on January 1 2022. I have added a few titles though...but man did I miss out on some great savings. The way to get around is a lot better than my Pandora's Key machine. You can break down each title by type, or you can list them all alphabetically. The game will also keep your most recent games in a separate list. The user interface is great with the iiRcade system.

20220109_203838A by Chako, on Flickr

Here is the official web site and game list from iiRcade.

https://www.iircade.com/pages/all-games

Here are the instruction pages and a game intro screen for each title I currently have.

Riptide GP Renegade.
A fun water jet ski racing game.
20220109_204901A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_204921A by Chako, on Flickr

Gunbird.
An interesting top scroller shooter.
20220109_204935A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205019A by Chako, on Flickr

RetroMania Wresting.
A good wrestling game. My cabinet features this game's artwork.
20220109_205034A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205052A by Chako, on Flickr

Beach Buggy Racing.
A Mario Kart clone.
20220109_205107A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205123A by Chako, on Flickr

BombSquad.
A Bomberman clone, but so much more.
20220109_205135A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205151A by Chako, on Flickr

Diver Boy.
An underwater platformer where you have to collect things and avoid the bad guys.
20220109_205201A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205226A by Chako, on Flickr

Double Dragon.
A fighting game.
20220109_205239A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205254A by Chako, on Flickr

Dragon Master.
Another fighting game.
20220109_205305A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205329A by Chako, on Flickr

Dragon's Lair.
A story that in order to progress, you have to press buttons at the right time. Very annoying I may add.
20220109_205343A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205402A by Chako, on Flickr

Fancy World.
A 2D side scrolling platformer.
20220109_205411A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205437A by Chako, on Flickr

iiRcade Jukebox.
Bluetooth streaming music software that turns your cabinet into a jukebox.
20220109_205454A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205508A by Chako, on Flickr

Looping.
Looping airplane that must destroy things to land eventually. I guess this can be called an action game.
20220109_205532A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205550A by Chako, on Flickr

Maniac Squares.
A Tetris type puzzle game.
20220109_205601A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205616A by Chako, on Flickr

Skellboy Refractured.
A neat Android based adventure game.
20220109_205633A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205800A by Chako, on Flickr

Snowboard Championship.
A sport title.
20220109_205812A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205907A by Chako, on Flickr

The Game Paradise.
Top down scrolling shooter.
20220109_205919A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_205937A by Chako, on Flickr

Thibalryn.
A Metroid type game.
20220109_205950A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_210002A by Chako, on Flickr

Twin Brats.
Pac Man type game.
20220109_210012A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_210024A by Chako, on Flickr

20220109_210029A by Chako, on Flickr

[Chako]

Just bought myself one of those height adjustable rotating bar chairs with a back. That should arrive on the 20th of this month if all goes well.

[pfrsantos]

Well, I should have seen this coming. I will be looking for one of those nice bar stools that are adjustable in height and have a back. I must be getting old. I don't seem to have the stamina of my younger 1980's self lol! A nice seat is just what I will be needing. With that said, I have been working from home last week and this week coming. Hopefully the school will be open by January 17. I am currently doing Teams meetings upstairs in my game room and must say that is working out nicely. This also means I have been spending more time with the iiRcade machine during breaks and after work.

What I like about this system, is the instruction screen that comes with every game. This is a big step above what comes with my Pandora's Key 7 3D system. It may have a ton of games, but you are always left wondering what the buttons do. The iiRcade fixes that issue.

I am sorry to say I missed out on the awesome software sale that ended on January 1 2022. I have added a few titles though...but man did I miss out on some great savings. The way to get around is a lot better than my Pandora's Key machine. You can break down each title by type, or you can list them all alphabetically. The game will also keep your most recent games in a separate list. The user interface is great with the iiRcade system.

(...)

20220109_210002A by Chako, on Flickr

(...)

Portuguôs?!

Show content

Should be Português...

 

[Chako]