SERVOSTIKS

    Certain arcade joysticks included a restrictor plate that limited the movement from 8 way (which includes diagonal operation) to 4 way (with no diagonal movement).  In other words playing 4 way games on original arcade machines didn’t allow diagonal input at all, which is a particular feeling all its own.

    To solve this just use the Servostik to switch between modes on the fly.  These are programmed automatically switch from 8 way operation to 4 way operation based on your game selection.  Play games with authentic-feeling, tight controls and the setup is automatic!  See a full list of 4 way joystick games.

BACKLIT CONTROL PANEL

Originally pioneered with our NASA design, we are proud to offer cutting edge backlit control panels in full color and high contrast designs. The high contrast version makes all dark colors totally opaque, with the backlight only shining through any light or white shades. This replicates a screen-printed or laser-etch effect as seen in fighter cockpit controls. Full color designs will see the entire control panel light up for neat effects. Backlight LED colors are controlled by RF remote. The strips are addressable and come with hundreds of colors and strobing effects.

This upgrade is available on all models except the ECO. Photos and videos below.

Gallery

Click to zoom

THE ALL PLYWOOD ADVANTAGE

Don't Settle for Particle Board

    We use 3/4" plywood for the ultimate in durability, beauty, and overall longevity.  Other builds use MDF (medium density fibreboard) which is twice the weight and half the strength as plywood. It’s also brittle and prone to water damage & swelling.  All our cabinets are CNC precision milled in-house. The entire cabinet is finished with a durable layer of black laminate.  

Ergonomics

    Using an LCD screen means our cabinets are slim and easy to move.  At about half the depth of a traditional arcade cabinet you'll save plenty of space in your gameroom and be able to fit the machine nearly anywhere.  For 4-player setups we use the "Battleship" control board that saves space and can comfortably accommodate 4 players of any size.

Custom vinyl graphics

The Arcade Artform

   Here at PDX we'll work with you to make a custom design that fits your gameroom and exhibits your tastes.  Showcase your favorite themes and capture the essence of your gaming experience with a custom marquee, control panel, and sideart graphic.   Our in-house design options are provided with our Systems at no additional charge.  Examples and material details below.

SIDE ART

Laminated vinyl

Sideart on our cabinets comes printed on thick vinyl and is laminated with a durable, gorgeous high gloss coating that protects the color and will last for years.

Marquee

Reverse-printed on plexiglass

We’re now UV printing in-house! We print directly on plexiglass to create a commercialized look that offers depth and authenticity.  Uses LED backlight for 10,000+ hour lifespan.

CONTROL PANEL

Polycarbonite laminted matte vinyl

The control panel receives a layer of polycarbonite - a strong laminated thermoplastic.  Polycarbonites are commonly used in bulletproof materials and in jet plane canopies.  As such they're terrifically strong and will protect your graphics from dirt, dust, grime and spills for a very long time.

BACKLIT

Original backlit controls

This is a PDX original as seen in the NASA and Ready Player One builds. These designs and many more are created with backlit effects in mind. Typically the darker the color the more opaque. Leveraging this we created the fighter cockpit look of the NASA control panel, with lit details on a pitch black background.

CUSTOM BALLTOPS

    Round 2? No 3D printed toys inside at this time, but we’re excited to bring back this feature. Stay tuned for more info!

For that authentic experience with classics like TRON, GORF, flight simulators, and space games just add a Flight Stick to your PDX system. This flight stick is included with all FALCON machines (unless otherwise specified) or you can add it to the other models as an add-on feature HERE.

Flight stick Games

After Burner
After Burner II
After Burner Climax
Blazing Angels
Buck Rogers - Planet Of Zoom
Bega's Battle
Future Spy
Gorf
Peter Pack Rat
Red Baron
Regulus
Satan's Hollow
Sky Smashers
Solar Fox
Space Harrier
Super Zaxxon
Xenophobe
Zaxxon

Flight stick + SPINNER games

Aztarac
Crater Raider
Discs Of Tron
Kozmik Krooz'r
Mad Planets
Tron
Zwackery

Flight stick + TRACKBALL games

The Grid (2001)
Wacko (1983)

Hardware Selection

Built to last and offering the best in competitive gaming.

Premium Sound

Powerful 2.1 stereo sound with subwoofer.  We use 80w systems that include a breakout module for independent bass control, headphone output and aux input.  These get LOUD!
 

USB PORTS

Included USB ports to connect your retro USB gamepads or lightguns

LIGHTGUNS WITH RECOIL

Fully calibrated lightguns with awesome recoil feel when you pull the trigger.  

IL/SEIMITSU/SANWA

Buttons supplied by the most trusted names in arcade gaming for the last 30 years.  All commercial grade and built to last. We also offer the "Servostik" for awesome, automatic 4 way/8way switching on the fly.

PC - SSD AND NVIDIA

Solid state drive included with every build for the ultimate in speed and stability.  You also get a powerful NVIDIA graphics card with every build for enhanced performance.  View full PC Specs.

Pro Series Monitors

Gsync, high contrast, low latency and factory calibrated.  

LCD MARQUEE

Dynamic marquee for original art

    The LCD Marquee changes to match your game selection!  The LCD Marquee is included with all FALCON arcades and available as an upgrade on the PRO machines. The 2 Player cabinets use a 28” LCD and the 4 player and FALCON arcades feature a massive 43” screen. Your arcade will include a custom “default” marquee graphic, switching to game-specific graphics when a game is chosen. We’ll animate your name or logo matched to your art package or you can choose one of the distinct animation styles below.

With the LCD Marquee you’ll showcase thousands of high resolution marquee art seen in original arcade cabinets. The LCD panel itself is unique in its size and aspect ratio, integrated seamlessly into the PDX cabinet design for a beautiful look.  This high definition display shows very fine detail - check out the pics below to see how crisp even small text is on this screen. Add this active marquee to your project today!

LCD Marquee Gallery

LCD MARQUEE - Video Demo 1 of 3

ORIGINAL SCANS AND CUSTOM MARQUEES INCLUDED

Over 6,000 home game marquees and nearly 5,000 amazing arcade marquees included. New restorations added all the time - check it out!

LCD Marquee - Video Demo 2 of 3

Animated GIFs - graphic change SHOWCASE

LCD Marquee - Video Demo 3 of 3

LIGHTGUNS

    We’re now shipping ONLY Advanced Light Guns, the Retroshooter REAPER. This was previously an optional upgrade over the standard AIMTRAK guns. These Advanced guns have sliding recoil, superior tracking, and react dynamically with nearly 70 titles. These guns are capable of receiving recoil timing data directly from the game, so the recoil speed and power will match what you see on screen. For example, when you run out of ammo the recoil slows down or stops, and when you take damage the buttons light up. See the list of supported titles HERE and a video demo below.

Room setup

    The guns work best when your cabinet is against a wall with your room lights dimmed.  Avoid placing your cabinet in front of a window, sunlight will interfere with tracking.  

Main MONITORS

STOCK: 1080p resolution, 60hz refresh rate
G-SYNC Upgrade: 4k resolution, 144hz refresh rate

43” Main Monitor: Colossus Cabinet

32 Main Monitor: Non-Colossus, Vector Racing, Guitar Hero, and Light Gun cabinets

Why a G-SYNC / Variable-Refresh LCD Matters for Authentic Arcade Gameplay

Many classic arcade games were never designed to run at a standard 60 Hz. Unique refresh rates such as 54.7 Hz, 57 Hz, 58.5 Hz, 61.5 Hz, and even 50 Hz were used. The G-sync upgrade can tap into these modes! These “odd” timings are part of the original hardware design, and they directly affect game speed, input feel, and visuals. CLICK HERE for a list of popular non-60hz games.

The “stock” LCD cannot reproduce those frequencies accurately because it forces everything into 60 Hz. That means certain games run slightly too fast or too slow, animations can look uneven, and scrolling can stutter because the display and the game aren’t in sync.

A G-SYNC (or FreeSync/VRR) monitor solves this problem. Instead of forcing a fixed refresh rate, it matches the screen’s refresh to the game’s exact timing in real-time, whether it’s 54.706 Hz or 61.523 Hz. The benefits are huge:

• Perfect motion smoothness: no stutter, hitching, or frame pacing issues.

• Accurate game speed: the game runs at the precise pace the original hardware.

• Lower latency and better input feel: the display responds immediately to the game’s actual frame output.

From a setup standpoint it’s not just a matter of connecting a g-sync monitor and running the game. Each platform must be set in the backend to take advantage of this feature. We take care of this for you!

WHAT ABOUT WIDESCREEN?

Older games are cropped to their native 4:3 resolution with custom BEZELS filling the space around the gameplay. If you don’t mind stretching the image and filling the entire 16:9 widescreen monitor with the gameplay you can turn off the bezel.

Bezel Examples

INSTRUCTION CARDS

Instruction Cards are images containing gameplay info, player moves, curiosity, hints, controller buttons, or anything else that you want to be displayed while you are playing the game, without the need to pause or stop your gameplay.

INSTRUCTION CARDS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE FOLLOWING SELECT GAMES

Altered Beast - altbeast
Alien Vs Predator - avsp
Captain America and The Avengers - captaven
Carrier Air Wing - cawing
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs - dino
Final Fight -ffight
Ghouls'n Ghosts - ghouls
Golden Axe - goldnaxe
Hyper Street Fighter II - hsf2
Knights of the Round - knights
Mercs - mercs
Mortal Kombat - mk
Mortal Kombat II - mk2
Mortal Kombat III - mk3
Marvel Super Heroes - msh
Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter - mshvsf
Metal Slug - Super Vehicle-001 - mslug
Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes - mvsc
The Punisher - punisher
Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon - sailormn
Samurai Shodown / Samurai Spirits - samsho
Samurai Shodown III / Samurai Spirits - Zankurou Musouken - samsho3
Street Fighter - sf
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior - sf2
Street Fighter II': Champion Edition - sf2ce
Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting - sf2hf
Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams - sfa
Street Fighter Alpha 2 - sfa2
Street Fighter Alpha 3 - sfa3
Street Fighter III: New Generation - sfiii
Street Fighter III 2nd Impact: Giant Attack - sfiii2
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future - sfiii3
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers - ssf2
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - umk3
U.N. Squadron - unsquad
X-Men Vs. Street Fighter - xmvsf

EXTRA ARTWORK

CRT and SHADERS

Old arcade games used cathode ray tube technology or CRT.  Old games look great on them but CRTs are large, heavy, prone to burn-in, and require skilled maintenance. The tradeoff in weight savings means we want to use shaders to restore the original look of old games and mimic a CRT screen.  Restoring the softer look that was provided by the CRT technology, shaders offer things like scanlines, phosphor trails, shadowmask, and halation - all properties of CRTs that can be emulated using shaders.

Disable or modify shaders using THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

 START YOUR ENGINES…

When it comes to arcade gaming there are two main types of steering wheel hardware; 360° and Force Feedback (FFB). The FFB wheels are backwards compatible with 360, but the input style is fairly different (details on that below). The 360 wheels are fully forward compatible with FFB games but the lack of force feedback can be hard to acclimate to.

We’re working on an adapter to swap the same steering wheel between both types of hardware in the Falcon machines, that’s coming soon!

360° Wheels

(As seen on Super Sprint, Off Road, Pole Position, A.P.B.)

360° wheels came first in arcade gaming. They had a free-spinning mechanism, allowing for rapid turning without much resistance. Many 360 games are top-down or isometric view where a free-spinning wheel feels natural. While there is cross-compatibility with FFB wheels, since earlier arcade games used actual 360 hardware in their cabinets using a 360 wheel for emulation is a better fit.

FFB WHEEL

(As seen on Daytona, Outrun, Cruis’n and anything post 1990)

In contrast, a FFB steering wheel incorporates motors and sensors to provide realistic tactile feedback. This means it simulates the feel of driving, such as resistance during turns or vibrations when hitting obstacles, enhancing immersion in racing games. On our FALCON arcade cabinet you can also play a handful of split-screen FFB racers. FFB wheels have a limited rotation, thus cannot spin freely even if the force feedback motor is disabled.

New integration for FFB wheels in the FALCON 2.0 are seen below. The wheels and shifters detach and have dedicated storage inside a custom drawer.

Most players want to experience the newer games with force feedback, opting for the FFB setup instead of the 360 wheels. Our new VECTOR racing cabinet also utilizes this amazing direct drive FFB wheel setup.

(UPDATED) RGB LED T-Molding

Add this colorful accent to your new PDX arcade!

For reference, here’s the old “segmented'“ molding:

RGB LED Buttons

LED Control Integration for Easy Gameplay Reference

   The complex array of programs included are fully tested in each build to ensure optimal sound, driver, and resolution settings. Extras like RGB LED buttons and LCD Marquee software comes already programmed,  and we preconfigure your lightguns for compatibility across many programs.  

Manuals

After launching your selected game you can explore manual scans, game history documents, strategy guides, scoring guides, bezels and more - all by accessing the PAUSE MENU.

Thanks to the incredible efforts of the gaming preservation community you can deepen your experience and relive the wonder of exploring original art and backstories that are exclusive to home game and arcade cabinet manuals.  Here at PDX we're glad to include these assets to enrich your experience.  The database is extensive and most games in our frontend include this ephemera.

Custom bezels and Manuals database

Manual scans

 SMART STORAGE

We introduced a smart storage drawer for your accessories. This drawer is included on our PRO and FALCON cabinets and includes a milled Kaizen foam insert to keep things nice and tidy!

TRACKBALL AND SPINNER

Classic games often used trackballs or spinners for precise, tactile analog input. Spinners suit titles like Tempest, Breakout, and 720, and serve as steering wheels in MAME driving games. Trackballs excel in Marble Madness, Golden Tee, Centipede, and Missile Command. The frontend includes a category to easily find games using these controls.

Trackball and Spinner hardware is included on all FTL and Falcon Arcade Machines.

See the full list of compatible MAME games:
TRACKBALL
SPINNER

Check out DarthMarinos excellent series of video demos showing all compatible trackball and spinner games:

VIDEO KICKPLATE

A fully integrated experience

 Force Feedback Racing Games