Playing arcade games on original hardware is the ultimate way to enjoy the arcade experience at home. But the cost – and size – of an arcade cabinet can be prohibitive. Yet there is a relatively unknown console that lets you play arcade hardware on a TV: the supergun.
Inside the arcade cabinet
Where games consoles have individual formats, such as PS4, SNES or Dreamcast, so do arcade cabinets. JAMMA is the most prolific. A JAMMA game comes on an arcade PCB: a slab of circuit board typically containing a single game that is “plugged in” inside a cabinet.
The supergun alternative
Imagine an arcade cabinet. Remove the screen, controls and the game from that vision. You’re left with a tangle of wires and circuit boards that is the cabinet’s heart. A supergun effectively squeezes that heart into a console-sized box, and provides a slot to plug in a JAMMA game, and a means to connect a TV and controller.
Where to find one
Superguns are largely made by sole arcade devotees. Jasen’s Customs builds and sells the MK30 ADCAP, a high-end supergun. Elsewhere, ArcadeForge’s MAK Strike is a popular option, or the brave can buy a kit and build their own. As for the JAMMA games, eBay is expensive, but UK trading forums such as Arcade Otaku and JAMMA+ provide a marketplace and advice.
What about arcade ports?
Many classic arcade games have been released for console, but these ports often change the game and run at different speeds. And a wealth of superb arcade games have never seen a console version. Simply put, original hardware is the only authentic way to play true arcade games.
