Do you yearn for the simple gaming pleasures of yesteryear? Do you dream of the days when arcades were still jam-packed, and you quartered up to beat the local Pac-Man champion's high score? Well, arcades might not be making a comeback anytime soon, but we've got the next best thing: A detailed, comprehensive guide on how to build your very own custom -- and authentic -- MAME arcade cabinet!


The Perfect Arcade, Part 1: Walking the Retro Road
This first installment chronicles the genesis of the Perfect Arcade project, laying out the groundwork for building an arcade machine in one's basement -- and explaining why it's not as easy as a simple Google search.

The Perfect Arcade, Part 2: From Sawdust to Space Invaders
The second part presents a full start-to-finish build log (with photos), from measuring and cutting the wood to assembling the whole thing and adding all those decidedly retro touches.

The Perfect Arcade, Part 3: Seeking Professional Help
To wrap things up, we've assembled a comprehensive list of current resources for budding retro-gamers who want to follow in our footsteps. It's one of the most complete and up-to-date arcade-building resource guides on the Internet, and it should provide everything you need to get your own classic arcade cabinet up and running.