THE HEART OF THE MACHINE
So you’re looking at arcade cabinets and wondering “why are some of these custom cabs a couple hundred bucks and some are way more?” Well, apart from materials and build quality a large contributing factor is the processing power that runs it all. If you like speed and accuracy in your games avoid anything that use anything buy a PC. Lots of builders are using the Raspberri Pi, let's look into why PCs reign supreme:
Processing Power
This is a big one. If you’re on Pi most games newer than the mid-90s are going to struggle in one way or another. With powerful CPUs and GPUs, PCs can effortlessly handle the demands of emulating a wide range of gaming platforms, from the 8-bit era to the modern-day consoles. This raw horsepower translates into smoother emulation, higher frame rates, and better compatibility with a variety of games.
Flexibility
With a PC you can upgrade components in the future, adding more RAM, upgrading the graphics card.
Software
Emulators are often optimized for PC hardware, leveraging advanced features like DirectX and Vulkan to deliver exceptional performance. Additionally, PC users have access to a myriad of plugins, shaders, and customization options, allowing them to fine-tune their emulation experience to perfection. Pi falls way behind in terms of active marquee, led buttons, and force feedback racing support.
Support
We offer remote wifi support on most of our machines, an experience that’s optimized on PC.
While Raspberry Pi has its merits, particularly in terms of affordability, when it comes to game emulation, PCs are the champion. All of our PC specs are fully listed so you know exactly what you’re getting. Don’t skimp on the brain, it’s important!
