Arcade1up Capcom Legacy - Shinku Hadoken Review!

RetroRalph·video·11m 46s·analyzed·Aug 12, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.021

TL;DR

Arcade1Up's Shinku Hadouken cabinet impresses with design refinements, good monitor, and online play despite stock controls needing upgrades.

Summary

RetroRalph reviews the Arcade1Up Capcom Legacy Shinku Hadouken cabinet, praising its improved design, vibrant artwork, better marquee and monitor quality (BOE brand), and robust 14-game Capcom library with online cross-play functionality. He notes the cabinet uses a Sanwa clone joystick with improved tension and a BOE monitor, but recommends replacement sticks and buttons for serious fighting game players. Overall, he considers it one of the best Arcade1Up products he's reviewed since 2018.

Key Claims

Arcade1Up is using BOE monitors on this model, which is the best quality monitor they have ever sourced
high confidence · Reviewer explicitly states 'rest assured that this model has the best monitor they have ever sourced, and that brand name is BOE'
The joystick tension is improved over prior generations, likely due to a higher tension spring of about two pounds
medium confidence · Reviewer states 'I was surprised that it felt a bit more firm than prior generations. They must have added a higher tension spring, maybe two pounds'
The cabinet includes 14 games with Wi-Fi-enabled online play and cross-play against other Arcade1Up cabinets
high confidence · Reviewer confirms 'The cabinet's got 14 games' and 'This is a Wi-Fi-enabled cabinet, so it contains online play and leaderboards. The best part is the online functionality is set up for cross-play against other Arcade1Up cabinets'
The side art flows properly into the riser artwork, showing improved design continuity
high confidence · Reviewer notes 'If you pay close attention, the sides of the riser art actually flow into the side panels. This is something in the past they would almost always mess up'
The cabinet speakers reach 99-100 decibels at volume level 12 without distortion
high confidence · Reviewer uses decibel meter and states 'At 12, it hits about 99 to 100 decibels, and it still sounds good. Anything over 12 starts to distort'

Notable Quotes

“They really own this home arcade space when it comes to three-quarter scale cabinets, and while I'm no longer the customer for this product, I think this is probably one of the best ones that I've ever actually played with.”
RetroRalph (Jon)@ 10:10 — High praise for Arcade1Up's market positioning despite reviewer's shifted demographic focus
“The side art is not original or true to any arcade release but as a Street Fighter fan it something I can really appreciate It beautiful artwork really The colors are vibrant and it very detailed”
RetroRalph (Jon)@ 2:49 — Establishes tension between authenticity and aesthetic appeal in cabinet design philosophy
“I almost wish they'd offer a PCB with a JAMMA connector and 15 kilohertz display capabilities so I could potentially put one of these in my Street Fighter and I could play online so we could cross-pollinate between a real arcade cabinet and the three-quarter scale community.”
RetroRalph (Jon)@ 10:29 — Reveals desire for hardware-software integration between authentic arcade and modern home cabinet ecosystems
“The buttons are 100% the same buttons we've seen across generations. They're not great, but they work. If you're a hardcore player, you'll want to replace them right away.”
RetroRalph (Jon)@ 5:37 — Establishes baseline control quality expectations and upgrade requirements
“Octagonal gates are not going to magically make you a better player. It's just all preference and how you like to play.”
RetroRalph (Jon)@ 6:21 — Reframes peripheral customization as preference rather than performance determinant

Entities

Arcade1UpcompanyRetroRalph (Jon)personStreet FightergameCapcomcompanyBOEcompanyShinku Hadouken Legacy CabinetproductBig BlueproductYoga FlameproductThe Laundromat WarseventSanwacompany

Signals

?
design_philosophy: Arcade1Up is improving continuity between cabinet and riser artwork, treating side panels as continuation rather than separate components
high · 'This is something in the past they would almost always mess up, so it's cool to see them thinking of the sides as a continuation of the art versus just doing whatever they want and ruining the overall flow'
?
technology_signal: Joystick components show incremental improvement with firmer tension (estimated 2 lb spring increase) over prior Arcade1Up generations
medium · 'I was surprised that it felt a bit more firm than prior generations. They must have added a higher tension spring, maybe two pounds, because it feels more stable'
?
product_strategy: Arcade1Up has improved monitor sourcing to BOE brand, addressing historical fan complaints about display quality on recent releases
high · Reviewer explicitly notes 'apparently 1UP was using a lesser quality monitor on some of their more recent releases' and confirms this model 'has the best monitor they have ever sourced, and that brand name is BOE'
?
technology_signal: Arcade1Up prioritizing online functionality and cross-platform play between home cabinet variants (Big Blue, Yoga Flame, Shinku Hadouken)
high · 'The best part is the online functionality is set up for cross-play against other Arcade1Up cabinets such as Big Blue and Yoga Flame. I think this is done in an effort to boost participation as it can be difficult at times to find online games'

Topics

Cabinet Design and AestheticsprimaryHardware Quality (Monitor, Speakers, Controls)primaryOnline Functionality and Cross-PlayprimaryGame Curation and LibrarysecondaryArcade Authenticity vs. Home Cabinet PracticalitysecondaryAftermarket Customization Expectationssecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Reviewer is impressed with design improvements and hardware quality, particularly monitor and joystick tension. Recommendations for stock control upgrades temper enthusiasm but are framed as standard practice. Playful nostalgia montage and genuine enjoyment evident throughout. Positive closing statement and recommendation.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.035

Hey guys, welcome back! It's been a while since I looked at an Arcade1Up product, but they reached out to me and said, are you interested in looking at the Shinku Hadouken Legacy Cabinet? And being a huge Street Fighter fan, I figured, why not? So thank you Arcade1Up for providing this cabinet for purposes of review. Before we get started, I gotta say, I spent way too much time with these products between 2018 and 2020. So here's a little montage in case you missed it. You like my polo shirt? Who wants an Arcade1Up without a lit marquee? Not this guy. This episode, we're bringing Raph back. Hold on, hold on. And it's not like I have an issue or something. So anyways, I'm gonna take a shower and I'll see you guys in a little bit. Son of a bitch. Arcade1Up can't give it to you. But Retro Ralph can. Let's do this. Is that okay? No. Really? No. What? Oh my God. Thanks. What? What? Shut up why because i think what you think you look like is not what you look like i can't get any higher than that i know okay try again i couldn't do any better i'm just saying Alright, that was fun but enough reminiscing, let's get started with artwork and overall cabinet design. The side art is not original or true to any arcade release but as a Street Fighter fan it's something I can really appreciate. It's beautiful artwork really. The colors are vibrant and it's very detailed. It's something Arcade1Up has always been good at but it's not original. I can overlook that, though, because it's a really cool reimagined piece of artwork, and it looks pretty awesome on this cabinet. Arcade1Up is still using a riser to raise the cabinet up to standing height for a grown adult, although they seem to be playing with this idea of having options without risers. We will see where that goes in the future, but on this cabinet, the riser still exists, and they did a decent job on the riser artwork. If you pay close attention, the sides of the riser art actually flow into the side panel. This is something in the past they would almost always mess up, so it's cool to see them thinking of the sides as a continuation of the art versus just doing whatever they want and ruining the overall flow of the artwork. The front of the riser is mostly black to match the front of the cabinet. I always used to say less is more, and it seems like they're finally listening. There is a 35th anniversary logo, and I think that's pretty cool, but personally, I'd be okay with the whole front being black like a traditional arcade, but that's just my preference. The non-functional coin door is pretty cool and essentially the same size as a standard coin door found on an original arcade machine. It's about 8 inches wide by 10 inches tall. My only suggestion would be they put LEDs behind the coin slots. That would look really cool in my opinion and just add to the overall effect. The control panel is a similar shape to Midway cabinets used in the 90s in games like MK2, 3, and 4, as well as many others. However, it's kind of uncommon to see Street Fighter games in Midway cabinets. They would typically be in a Dynamo HS5 or an HS1, a Z-Back, or a Big Blue. While the design is not true to the original, I'm not sure it needs to be. When the company was founded, they set out to make an at-home arcade cabinet inspired by real arcade machines, but never claimed they were replica units. So they're kind of their own thing. But as a real arcade collector, I'm glad they ditched the original cabinet design for something more recognizable. The artwork on the control panel is the Street Fighter 2 New Challengers artwork. It flows well into the marquee, so overall it feels right for the cabinet. The Yoga Flame variant of this cabinet, however, feels a bit disjointed. So this would be my favorite of the two. Only thing I would have eliminated is the redundant Arcade1Up branding on the front of the control panel. I was kind of surprised by the marquee because it looks pretty good, and they actually added a proper diffuser to the LED strip, so the light distribution seems a lot better than past 1-ups I've reviewed. The art print on the plexiglass also seems better than I remember, so maybe they're paying more attention to this, since historically, fans would always look to third-party vendors for higher quality marquee artwork. The buttons are 100% the same buttons we've seen across generations. They're not great, but they work. If you're a hardcore player, you'll want to replace them right away. Nothing more to say there. The joystick bar is a Sanwa clone and I was surprised that it felt a bit more firm than prior generations. They must have added a higher tension spring, maybe two pounds, because it feels more stable. However, the bat top doesn't screw on well and it's fallen off during several intense gaming sessions. You might want to put some Loctite Blue 242 on to keep it in place if you plan on keeping the stock sticks. The last thing I'll say about the sticks, if you're a hardcore player, go straight to IL sticks and don't even mess with these. The kit comes with octagonal gates if you prefer to ride the gate more closely, but for me, the square gates are just fine. I made a video poking fun at this a while back. Octagonal gates are not going to magically make you a better player. It's just all preference and how you like to play. You know there's some of you guys out there that are like, Uh, if I could just install some octagonal gates, I'd pull out Hadoukens like no one's business. No. It's not about the octagonal gates. It's about hardcore brute force practice, and that's what we're gonna do. The display is bright, vibrant, and looks good from all angles. I am so sick and tired of this topic, but apparently 1UP was using a lesser quality monitor on some of their more recent releases. I have no idea why, but rest assured that this model has the best monitor they have ever sourced, and that brand name is BOE. So just be aware that this one ships with a decent monitor, so viewing angles, brightness, and contrast should look good and be unaffected by your playing position. The speakers on this cabinet are the same 3-inch speakers we've seen across multiple variants of the cabinet, but I got this decibel meter here so you can see how loud it really gets. All right. At 100 decibels, it's distorted. So let's put it to... At 12, it hits about 99 to 100 decibels, and it still sounds good. Anything over 12 starts to distort. So the speakers aren't anything to write home about, but they're not too bad. That leads us to the games list. The cabinet's got 14 games and a great variety of different games too, so lots of replay value here. This is a Wi-Fi-enabled cabinet, so it contains online play and leaderboards. The best part is the online functionality is set up for cross-play against other 1UP cabinets such as Big Blue and Yoga Flame. I think this is done in an effort to boost participation as it can be difficult at times to find online games. Other notable cabinet features is the ability to turn scan lines on for that old school CRT look, difficulty settings, and more. This is really cool because they've developed software options for dip switch settings on original PCB boards. For instance, to change the difficulty on Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition, you have to open the back of the arcade cabinet and physically adjust the dip switches. So having functionality like this at your fingertips is really useful. If you just picked up a 1UP cabinet and you're looking to join the online community, there's a show called The Laundromat Wars hosted by UAG and OTG. I put a link in the description so you can find it. Before we wrap things up, here's a small sample of all the games on the Shinku Hadouken Legacy Cabinet. Well guys, that about wraps up this video. Thank you so much again to Arcade1Up for providing me this product for evaluation. I really had a good time with it. The emulation was good, the artwork's really neat, the overall cabinet shape has changed a lot since I was introduced to the products in late 2018. They really own this home arcade space when it comes to three-quarter scale cabinets, and while I'm no longer the customer for this product, I think this is probably one of the best ones that I've ever actually played with. I really enjoyed the games list. They did a really good job curating awesome Capcom titles for it, and the fact that they're all online is really cool. I almost wish they'd offer a PCB with a JAMMA connector and 15 kilohertz display capabilities so I could potentially put one of these in my Street Fighter and I could play online so we could cross-pollinate between a real arcade cabinet and the three-quarter scale community. That'd be really cool, but that's probably a pipe dream that'll never happen. But anyways, I really enjoyed the product. I think this is one you definitely need to look at, especially if you're a Street Fighter fan. The thing that I gotta say you just have to do, if you're serious about fighting games, you probably need to replace the sticks and the buttons. But I always did that with my Arcade1Up so that was kind of one of those just you do it automatically and it's just part of the deal. But anyways thanks again to Arcade1Up if you enjoyed this video put a comment below give me a thumbs up consider subscribing if you enjoy content like this and that's it for now we will see you on the next one. Thank you.