# Console Themed Arcade Cabinets!?

**Source:** RetroRalph  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2021-11-02  
**Duration:** 8m 7s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUmbKxFKhQo

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## Analysis

RetroRalph visits Pinball Expo 2021 and features Arcade816, a company creating arcade cabinets that house classic game consoles (Genesis, NES, SNES, Neo Geo AES, TurboGrafx-16). The cabinets feature authentic controller designs, translucent backglass artwork matching each console's aesthetic, external reset buttons with modular wiring, and detachable display panels for portability. Oscar H. Ray explains the design philosophy and production approach for hand-built prototypes with plans for future mass production.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Arcade816 is the first company to create arcade cabinets housing legacy game consoles — _Oscar states 'I'd never seen anything like this. And I went online, nobody had ever done it.' Though this is founder claim, not independently verified._
- [MEDIUM] Sega Genesis translite works particularly well in arcade cabinet format — _Both Jon and Oscar independently agree Genesis 'translite really well in an arcade,' suggesting design choice based on console aesthetics._
- [HIGH] Cabinets include arcade-quality components and are approximately the height of traditional arcade machines — _Jon states 'they're definitely arcade quality cabinets with arcade quality components. They're pretty much the height of a traditional arcade.'_
- [HIGH] Neo Geo AES cabinet version costs more than other console variants — _Oscar confirms 'The AES. Just a little' in response to Jon noting 'That one's going to be a little bit more expensive, right?'_
- [HIGH] Currently selling hand-built prototypes fully assembled with systems included; future mass production may offer modular pricing options — _Oscar: 'the ones that we have here are hand-built prototypes...Later on down the road, once we get into actually mass producing, it might be different...we'll have different packages and things like that.'_

### Notable Quotes

> "George Lucas made Star Wars because he had never seen a movie like that. I'd never seen anything like this. And I went online, nobody had ever done it. So I'm like, I want to see that happen, so I made it happen."
> — **Oscar H. Ray**, ~2:40
> _Explains the foundational creative inspiration for Arcade816's product line—filling a gap he perceived in the market._

> "If Sega came out with an arcade cabinet, what would that really look like? And I think this is it."
> — **Oscar H. Ray**, ~5:00
> _Core design philosophy: authentically reimagining how a console manufacturer might have designed an arcade cabinet in their era._

> "I think the translite really well in an arcade...We're like, I think the translite really well in an arcade. Yeah, let's take a look at the Genesis one really quick."
> — **Jon and Oscar H. Ray**, ~2:10
> _Identifies Genesis as ideal first console due to visual design compatibility with arcade cabinet backglass artwork conventions._

> "You can take the top off and just have that. The great thing about it is you can pick it up, usually one guy can pick it up, and you can fit it in your car, take it to your friend's house, that kind of thing."
> — **Oscar H. Ray**, ~8:30
> _Highlights portability advantage over traditional arcade cabinets—modular design enables casual transportation without requiring multiple people or a truck._

> "They're not the real controllers though. But I'm like, but we've evoked the mood and the feel of the original controller."
> — **Oscar H. Ray**, ~5:30
> _Design decision rationale: prioritizing aesthetic authenticity and nostalgia over exact controller replication, balancing arcade usability with console authenticity._

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Arcade816 | company | Boutique arcade cabinet manufacturer specializing in console-themed arcade cabinets featuring classic game systems (Genesis, NES, SNES, Neo Geo AES, TurboGrafx-16) |
| Oscar H. Ray | person | Founder/owner of Arcade816, designer and builder of console-themed arcade cabinets, attends trade shows to market products |
| Jon (RetroRalph) | person | YouTube content creator (RetroRalph channel) covering arcade and gaming topics, interviewed Oscar at Pinball Expo 2021 |
| Pinball Expo 2021 | event | Trade show where Arcade816 exhibited their console-themed arcade cabinet prototypes |
| Sega Genesis | product | First console-themed arcade cabinet built by Arcade816, chosen for strong visual compatibility with arcade cabinet translite artwork |
| Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) | product | Console-themed arcade cabinet variant produced by Arcade816, designed to evoke original Nintendo arcade cabinet aesthetic |
| Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) | product | Console-themed arcade cabinet variant produced by Arcade816 |
| Neo Geo AES | product | Premium console-themed arcade cabinet variant by Arcade816 with higher pricing than other console versions |
| TurboGrafx-16 | product | Console-themed arcade cabinet variant produced by Arcade816; prototype was sold at Pinball Expo 2021 |
| Megatech | product | Historical Sega arcade cabinet; referenced by Oscar as less aesthetically appealing and less viable than Arcade816's Genesis cabinet concept |
| PlayChoice-10 | product | Nintendo arcade cabinet product referenced as comparison/predecessor to Arcade816's multi-game console cabinet concept |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Console-to-arcade cabinet conversion design, Arcade cabinet engineering and portability, Retro gaming aesthetics and authenticity
- **Secondary:** Product launch and community feedback, Hand-crafted prototypes vs. mass production transition
- **Mentioned:** Arcade cabinet history and design evolution

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — Both Jon and Oscar express genuine enthusiasm for the product. Jon repeatedly compliments the concept ('this concept is damn cool', 'I love this'), and Oscar demonstrates thoughtful design philosophy. The only mild caveat is Jon's note that projects like this need community support to succeed, which is pragmatic rather than negative.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Arcade816 transitioning from hand-built prototype phase to planned mass production with modular pricing structure (confidence: medium) — Oscar states 'once we get into actually mass producing, it might be different...we'll have different packages and things like that'
- **[market_signal]** TurboGrafx-16 variant sold immediately at show; strong early demand signals for niche console variants (confidence: medium) — Jon notes prototype 'sold at the show. Some crazy TurboGrafx-16 fan was like, I have to have everything, everything TurboGrafx-16, and he bought it'
- **[announcement]** Arcade816 formally introduced console-themed arcade cabinets at Pinball Expo 2021 with multiple variants (Genesis, NES, SNES, Neo Geo AES, TurboGrafx-16) (confidence: high) — Public exhibition at major trade show with hand-built prototypes available for purchase; clear product line with variant pricing
- **[technology_signal]** Console-housed arcade cabinets represent new product category blending retro console gaming with arcade cabinet form factor and components (confidence: high) — Oscar claims no prior market precedent; novel engineering approach (external reset buttons, modular wiring, detachable top sections)

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## Transcript

Hey guys, welcome back to the channel. I just got back from Pinball Expo 2021 and I had an absolute blast. There were so many awesome things to see. And there was this one company on the show floor that really just sort of caught my eye. It's a new arcade product by a company called Arcade 816. It's this idea of bringing arcade cabinets, arcade quality hardware, and marrying that with legacy consoles, like classic retro consoles that we remember, like the Sega Genesis or the Nintendo Entertainment System. I thought the concept was really neat. The owner was super cool. And I just figured I would do this video to help him drive awareness to the product, but also get your feedback. What do you think about this concept and idea? Is this cool? Is it something you'd be interested in? And I'm sure he'd love to know that as well. So I'm going to roll the clip, and then I'll give you some final thoughts towards the end. I'm here with Ray from Arcade816, and this concept is pretty damn cool. Thanks, dude. I had to stop because it's putting legacy consoles into arcade cabinets, but to be able to play them in a different way. And the one that caught my eye was the Sega Genesis because it does translate really well to arcade games. So what's your inspiration for creating this product? Because I never saw it before. George Lucas made Star Wars because he had never seen a movie like that. I'd never seen anything like this. And I went online, nobody had ever done it. So I'm like, I want to see that happen, so I made it happen. It's funny you mention that the Genesis is the first one that we actually put together because we felt the same way We're like I think you translate really well to an arcade Yeah, let's take a look at the Genesis one really quick because I think it maybe just explained because there's a couple unique features Like I noticed the reset button and stuff like that So what if someone is interested in this what are they getting as part of this? So, you know if you're gonna put it a game console in an arcade cabinet I got to thinking, you know One of the first things that you're gonna need to do is you're gonna need to reset the game So we've got the reset button situated externally and then that requires a mod of the system. It real simple two wire mod We just run a wire outside up to the reset button And then it got a breakaway dongle so if you need to take the system out you can break that wire off You know put a different system in there for brakes what have you At the bottom, there's all this extra space. So I'm like, you know, why don't we put something down there? Why don't we showcase something like that? So this was the prototype. This was the very first one we made. After we built this one, we got the idea, you know, that's cool, but what if we kick this space out? and made it so you could put a whole bunch of stuff in there instead of just game cartridges. So that's when every other one we've built after that we've done, where we've opened up the space little swag or whatever you want to put down there. And so this is the first one was Genesis, but you've done Nintendo, Game Boy, Super Nintendo. There's a Neo Geo one with an AES in it. That one's got to be a little bit more expensive, right? Yeah, yeah. The AES. Just a little. Are you guys providing, so you can see this cool window right here to sort of highlight your console. When you buy it, are you providing the console and everything else I see? Yeah, the ones that we have here, hand-built prototypes. So when we sell them, we just sell them with everything because it's already all pre-wired. So it's like, yeah, you can put your own system in there, but you'd have to mod it and wire it to everything. So it's like we just provide it in this case. Later on down the road, once we get into actually mass producing, it might be different. We might say, you know, you want the system in it, you don't want it, different prices, you know, we'll have different packages and things like that. All right. And what do you, I love, by the way, I love this because you kind of stayed true to the coloring on a Genesis controller. I think that's pretty neat. So, you know, I'm like, when you're playing in an arcade environment, I got to thinking, you know, people will be like, they're not the real controllers though. But I'm like, but we've evoked the mood and the feel of the original controller. So you're playing it on an arcade machine, but dang it, it looks just like the regular controller. So, and I've tried to do that with every single one of them. We create either the original gamepad or maybe a joystick variant that they came out with or something like that Something that actually existed in the world I love even like these little details like the you know sort like what the Genesis would have looked like on it Well you know I look at the box that the system came in I look at the system itself, I look at the game controllers, and I just try to get in the mind of the person who was in marketing back in the 90s. What were they going for here to get the American audience to jump in on this and be like, oh, this is cool. Try to get in that mindset. If Sega came out with an arcade cabinet, what would that really look like? And I think this is it. Yeah. I mean, there is the Megatech, but that cabinet, it doesn't really look that cool. But it's out of touch. I don't know how many of those are left. I've searched far and wide for one. And that's kind of why, when I saw this, I go, oh my gosh, there's so many people I know that would love to have a Sega Genesis cabinet. And then you've got all these other ones, which are awesome, too. You know, like I said, we did this one first because, you know what, Genesis just really lends itself to arcade. Let's do that. But then as we went down the line and made the others, we realized that they all do. They all translate just fine. You know, I get to play a game on one of these where it's like, nah, I kind of like the game head better. Or, you know, just like, they all seem to work really well. Yeah, I mean, people love the, you know, they love the PlayChoice 10. Yeah. But this is kind of like a different spin on a PlayChoice 10 where you can put your own cartridges or put a multi-card in it. And, you know, Nintendo, when they came out with arcade games, they had sort of an iconic cabinet that their games were in. They all kind of have that same look to them. So that's what we've sort of tried to recreate here. The Nintendo cabinet. I love that. It looks very similar to a Nintendo cabinet. And there's one other thing I wanted to mention before we go is that these are also you don't have to buy the bottom part, right? It's kind of like a bar top or it can be detached. You can be on the top. If I can grab hold of this and it'll lift right off of there. So if someone wanted to have it function that way, they could. Oh, absolutely. You can take the top off and just have that. The great thing about it is you can pick it up, usually one guy can pick it up, and you can fit it in your car, take it to your friend's house, that kind of thing. Ray, thanks for taking the time. How would someone find out a little bit more information about this that they interested in I on Facebook Facebook forward slash Arcade816 Arcade816 is the website Oh there he got the There you go. Yep, that's all you need. Yeah, Facebook, Twitter, website. Awesome. Well, thanks, man. Appreciate the time. Thank you, man. I don't know how I'm not going to leave with this. We might have to talk after this. Good deal. This Genesis one's awesome. That's great, dude. Thanks, man. I appreciate it. It's really cool. Good work, too. Thank you so much. Alright, so I hope you enjoyed that quick look at what the guys over at Arcade 816 are doing. I really like this project, but these projects are hard to get off the ground without community support, so I hope a lot of people see this video and put your comments below what you think about this, because Ray is going to be looking for feedback. So I think that's really important. Now, all the systems you saw in this video are still for sale. I think he sold the TurboGrafx-16 at the show. Some crazy TurboGrafx-16 fan was like, I have to have everything, everything TurboGrafx-16, and he bought it. So that one's not available, but I know the rest of the ones in the video should be. So I'll have all the links in the description to get a hold of Ray if you want to buy or purchase one of the prototypes that are available. But definitely put your comments. I know he wants to hear from you. The one thing I love is they're definitely arcade quality cabinets with arcade quality components. They're pretty much the height of a traditional arcade. Not quite as heavy because they don't have to be as deep. There's no CRT in them. so that is you know to an advantage where you can move them around more easily but you still kind of have that feel of a traditional arcade cabinet all right guys that's it if you enjoyed this video give me a thumbs up consider subscribing to the channel and remember to put your comments below i really want ray to hear from you guys directly that's it for now and we will see you on the next one Thank you.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f88373ab-146f-4a08-b794-c0a808353fb5*