Retro, Space-Efficient Wall Arcade Can Play Any Game, Even Future Titles

Image via Polycade

Your childhood fantasy of owning an arcade machine may have been dashed by limitations like budget and space constraints. Perhaps the idea sounds good on paper, but the thought of only being able to play vintage titles is putting you off.

All this means you haven’t met the Polycade Sente yet. This striking, modular unit is not just a gateway to classic games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, but also a versatile gaming hub that claims to fit into any space while being able to fire up modern gaming titles—even ones that haven’t been designed yet.

Image via Polycade

Central to its eternality is its ability to download and install games from various sources, including its fully-licensed Polycade Game Store, as well as popular platforms like Steam, GOG, and Itch.io. It even supports ROM files, making it an open platform that caters to all your gaming preferences. Pre-installed emulators for systems such as Arcade, Nintendo’s NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, and more, add to its extensive gaming repertoire.

Light guns, sold separately, with magnetic holsters, turn gameplay into a banger of an experience.

Image via Polycade

For tinier homes, the cabinet can be installed onto walls thanks to its mountable flat back design, leaving a chic “floating effect” with a 1.5-inch gap between the machine and its surface. The customizable arcade can also stand on the floor.

The Sente has a “modular brain,” enabling gamers to fit it with a pre-configured mini PC, install their own PC using the included ATX chassis, or even integrate a console. The option to add light guns, available separately with magnetic holsters, elevates the gaming experience to new heights.

Image via Polycade

To accommodate long-term play, quality is at the core of the Sente, evident in its powder-coated steel enclosure and top-notch components like durable Sanwa joysticks and buttons, 100W stereo audio, and a gaming-grade PC that can handle even the latest game releases. Unlike other arcades in the same price bracket, which often rely on low-powered computers or less satisfactory—sometimes pirated—boards, the Sente stands out for its premium build and performance, its creators proclaim.

Image via Polycade

Aesthetically, the arcade system is available in both black and white, featuring a neon LED backlight with acrylic diffusion strips and a remote for color and pattern customization. Options for retro vinyl stripe decals and magnetic full-body decals add a personal touch to this already stunning console.

While Sente’s makers only expected to raise US$15,000 for the project on Kickstarter, they ended up amassing nearly US$1.5 million. Their promise that backers will never be able to buy the console at the current price again may have bolstered this interest. Currently, the Sente is available for pre-order for as low as US$1,475, a significant discount from the anticipated retail tag of US$2,499.

[via Polycade]