Though I'm… not great at fighting games, I've always admired the aesthetic of a fighting game cabinet. Providing not only easy access to the most important buttons but a nice look in the process, one Redditor has found a tiny version you can snap a Lenovo Legion Go into, and it even has built-in speakers.
The Arcade Bartop is currently being made by SakuraRetroModding on Etsy and being sold for $350. For no other reason than them being my main, I hope the name comes from Sakura Kasugano in Street Fighter.
$350 is quite a lot of cash for an accessory, but it is a super neat device. It uses both a Sanwa joystick and buttons. Sanwa joysticks are popular because they're small and responsive, which is helpful for the quick joystick prompts required to really master Street Fighter.
The machine itself is 3D printed, but the PCB is custom-designed to accommodate seven buttons at the front and six buttons on the top. The redditor who bought one says, "It is not super cheap, but feels very professional and extremely high quality."
The cabinet also comes with a speaker, which the seller says outshines the standard ones in the Legion Go. You can hear them at work in the Reddit thread, where a buyer is bragging about bringing it on a cross-country flight with them. Though it may have larger speakers, I am hoping anyone who brings this bartop arcade with them to public spaces plugs a pair of headphones in.
I think I know what I will doing on my cross country flight tomorrow… from r/LegionGo
The aux jack on the Legion Go is on the top, so this miniature cabinet shouldn't get in the way there. It will, however, disrupt the mic at the bottom, though I suspect that's not a huge deal in a fighting game.
If you don't own a Legion Go, the Etsy seller also makes a $243 Switch 2 variant, complete with Sanwa buttons and joystick. Attached to this listing is a video of someone testing out the machine on their Nintendo Switch. They simply plug the USB-C from the bartop arcade into the bottom of the Switch, and it works intuitively.
It all looks rather smooth, and the device even comes with small bracers to stop the Switch from wobbling in the machine. It's a neat little device, and one that seems thoughtfully put together.
Like any search through Etsy, I've found myself in the 'I definitely don't need this, but boy do I want it' headspace, and I've been feeling an urge to get another win with Sakura. I don't think this would make me any better at the game, but it would make me feel a tad cooler.
1. Best overall:
Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS ed.
2. Best budget:
Steam Deck
3. Best Windows:
MSI Claw 8 AI+
4. Best big screen:
Lenovo Legion Go
5. Best compact:
Ayaneo Flip DS
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