iiRcade (Hardware) Review

A Unique Arcade-Style Gaming Platform

Arcade culture is fascinating to me. I remember playing an old Pac-Man machine as an incredibly young child. I still remember how the controls felt so different from my NES. Throughout the 90s, arcades were an important touchstone for me even though they were thought to be a dying type of gaming; I played Rampage at a skating rink, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom at a bowling alley, Mortal Kombat II at a Pizza Hut, and every single game felt special on those cabinets. I’ve always wanted to bring that experience home, leading me to pick up an arcade stick for my PlayStation 4 for fighting games and classics. I still wanted a cabinet but it’s always been hard to justify the purchase of a unit with only a couple of games and hoping to find a cheap unit to restore is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Sure a MAME cabinet would be cool but I haven’t really had the time to build something. This is where the iiRcade platform perfectly fits into my gaming life; it’s an arcade unit where users can download more games with a growing library of classics and some of my favorite indie titles. 

The iiRcade experience starts with the build process as the system comes flat-packed. Most furniture construction results in me scratching my head and cursing more than usual but this particular build, thanks in part to Joe who helped put it together on our Twitch stream, was straightforward and didn’t take much time at all. In less than two hours, we had a fully constructed bartop unit and an optional riser that fastens with four easy-to-access knobs. Not long after that, we had an account, an instant library of pre-installed games, and a few downloadable titles from the market. 

It’s important to note that I was sent the base unit for review. Premium units feature more storage, Sanwa parts, and other general improvements. iiRcade also offers game-specific versions, featuring custom artwork on the cabinet but functionally playing off of the same software with access to the games marketplace. At CES 2022, it was announced that there will be an upcoming Dead Cells Edition cabinet which will feature new improvements to the overall cabinet design and better specs. 

The iiRcade is the most striking thing in the office.

Looking at the base physical unit, the arcade-style controls feature a standard layout that allows for two-player games comfortably. Some games even use both sticks or will use buttons on the player 2 side for more functions, such as switching items or opening a menu. The buttons feel pretty comparable to the base level sticks I’ve had such as the 8bitdo Arcade Stick or the Quanba Drone. I’d honestly love to replace them with more responsive, clicky buttons but these work fine for a starter unit. Both sticks on the iiRcade feel really snappy, easily locking into various directions. Some games do seem to struggle with the more definitive 8-way control such as Dandara which requires just a touch more precision in some spots; that game takes some getting used to and I’m not sure how that compares to other versions. 

Visually, the design of the unit is stunning. The orange and blue play off of the black extremely well and it is the first thing noticed when entering that room. It’s a sturdy feeling unit and I feel like modders will especially enjoy customizing their buttons or adding LEDs. Really my only gripe with the physical design of the unit is that I expected T-Molding for the system’s trim. Aside from that, this feels like a premium product with a well-considered design. 

Where the unit shines is of course arcade-style genres such as shmups, beat-em-ups, and fighting games. Sticking with the unit and hardware, the screen looks crisp and the speakers can get insanely loud. Nothing incredible but they get the job done. iiRcade did reveal improvements to the sound system for future units, partnering with Sound by JBL. Additionally, the HDMI out port behind the back panel of the unit is handy for those that enjoy streaming or recording footage. One can also quickly capture a screenshot that’s emailed to one’s iiRcade account by hitting both Player start buttons. The functionality one would expect is all there, but the unit is a little lacking in presentation on the software side. Luckily, the iiRcade connects online for downloading or updating games and there have already been firmware updates. 

Gunbird, no matter the platform is a good time.

The iiRcade’s ability to improve over time makes it an interesting investment compared to its competition. This is more of a gaming platform, rather than a specialized collectible. Games are frequently added. A new Jukebox feature has entered beta. Online play is planned as a future update. Firmware updates improve performance. It’s cool to see the system evolve month to month and iiRcade has shown excellent communication with players so far. I look forward to seeing what games end up on the service and a timed exclusive or two would be nice to see. There have been partnerships already with SEGA, Colecovision, and Taito, for instance, showing another positive in the platform’s favor. This is a fully legal way to play classic titles while supporting publishers and developers, especially indies. 

Overall, my experience with the base iiRcade machine has been awesome. It’s great to have an arcade at home and I find myself frequenting the game store for new releases or hidden gems. I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk working so it makes for the perfect way to take a break, stand up for a stretch, and maybe try to improve my shmup skills before getting back to the grind. These units would be absolutely adored at creative offices.  

That said, this system does feel like a work in progress. From the get go, the system’s startup logo is a low-resolution video of the logo. The UI overall feels snappy enough but the layout is unappealing to me. Like much of the iiRcade software, it works fine but it’s one of the first areas I would like to see addressed in the next major update. Accessing the game’s marketplace is currently done through a web browser. There’s no way to shop (as of this writing) on the unit itself. The marketplace is also lacking a few filter features and classic games are labeled with their iiRcade release date rather than their original release date, making it tough to differentiate between new and old games. 

Dandara has a striking art direction that is a joy to play on this system.

It feels silly to even suggest this but it would be cool if players could use their iiRcade library on PC, mobile, or consoles as an app or something. The whole appeal is bringing back the arcade feel but it’d be nice for players who don’t have the means to buy into the platform and have the option to be a part of this ecosystem. Sure, it defeats the point but it would immediately add more players and potentially fund more improvements. 

Another feature I’d love to see added is a system-wide turbo function. I’m not sure why some shmup games don’t include this in-game but it was noticeable on Gunbird, a system pack-in freebie, which has turbo functions in the Switch port. Speaking of freebies, most of the 11 pre-loaded games are not that interesting. It would’ve been awesome to have one killer app to make this a more memorable first-time experience. 

Out of those 11 games, Gunbird was the one I have spent the most time with. I definitely foresee getting more shoot-em-up titles. Beach Buggy Racing shows off that the system is capable of 3D games and it runs impressively well but its structure feels a little too much like a low-effort mobile game and it’s just so generic. Dragon’s Lair is what it’s always been, an amazing work of art that’s not that fun to actually play. Double Dragon is good and it’s fun to play with a friend; Double Dragon II and Double Dragon III are available to purchase. Dragon Master (the traditional Street Fighter II clone of the pack-ins) is dreadfully generic and really drives home how this system is sorely missing Capcom games. The rest of the 11 games really do nothing for me, feeling like simple homebrew concepts. 

Riptide GP Renegade is one of the most popular titles on the iiRcade, next to Burger Time and RetroMania Wrestling.

I did pick up Riptide GP Renegade, Dandara, Dragon Breed, and R-Type II to bolster my library a bit in preparation for this review. Each of these games is super fun to play in an arcade setting and I really just want to buy lots more. Once online play is added, I hope leaderboards and fighting games become more competitive. It already feels like there is an excited community, judging by the streams and social media action, building around this platform. With the recent news from CES and the constant stream of game releases, it doesn’t seem like iiRcade is going anywhere and it looks stronger than systems like the Atari VCS; the Atari VCS is on the market by the way and the initial reaction is not great. I would still like to pick up one for comparison.

Truth be told, despite my various criticisms of the current interface and pre-installed list of games, I absolutely adore the iiRcade platform. Having a unit where I can buy licensed classics and play indies in a new way is rewarding and most importantly fun. It’s also cheaper than most comparable arcade units with continuous support so by that logic this should be a system that gets better and better, much like my core console collection.

Dragon Breed is tough, but the themes are so cool that it remains fun.

I do want to see further care put into retro ports, adding new features and making sure that those are exceptionally accurate. Personally, I didn’t notice any substantial differences or performance dips but it’d be cool if score-chasers and speedrunners (who look for their games to be extra solid) could have full confidence in playing on an iiRcade. This is the type of platform that would also benefit from achievements, much like how I found fun in Retro Achievements’ approach to emulation. When online play is added, I would love to see fighting game classics like Street Fighter II or Soul Calibur II on offer. It’d be even better to see rollback netcode on this thing. 

The iiRcade platform is one of substantial possibilities. 

Of course, actions speak louder than words, so we’ll see how this evolves over time. Stay tuned to Forever Classic Games for continued coverage and news. We have also decided to add iiRcade games to our collection of systems that we regularly explore so expect to see game reviews soon. 

SCORES

VISUAL APPEAL - 9/10

BUILD QUALITY - 9/10

FEATURES - 6/10

USABILITY- 8/10

PRICING - 10/10

OVERALL - 8.4/10

More information can be found on the official iiRcade website. A base unit was provided for the purpose of review and content creation. Screenshots were captured using the native features of the arcade system. 

For more iiRcade coverage, check out our interview with CEO Jong Shin or our initial discovery of the platform.