A Two-Player Arcade Machine in a Briefcase

A lot of really great arcade games have been released over the last four to five decades, and most of the notable examples have been ported to modern video game consoles or can run on computers via emulation. But even if those run perfectly, the experience isn’t the same if you’re playing with a handheld gamepad or keyboard. Unfortunately, full-size arcade cabinets don’t fit into most apartments. That led Redditor No_Beautiful_8981 to a delightful solution: a two-player arcade machine built into a briefcase.

No_Beautiful_8981 has always wanted an arcade machine of their own to replay the classics, but lives in a small apartment that lacks the available floorspace for a standard arcade cabinet — or even a smaller alternative. While in lockdown during the pandemic, they thought of something better: a briefcase-style arcade cabinet that is small enough to store in a closet or under a bed when it isn’t in use. However, No_Beautiful_8981 didn’t feel confident in their woodworking skills that would be needed to construct such a thing. So, they pulled off this project almost entirely with off-the-shelf parts.

The most obvious of those parts is the briefcase itself, which No_Beautiful_8981 found on Etsy. It is large enough to qualify as a small suitcase and is made of MDF. That gives it an interesting aesthetic, but also the opportunity for No_Beautiful_8981 to easily attach other parts using wood screws.

No_Beautiful_8981 says they spent a lot of time experimenting with prototypes, but eventually they settled on running emulators on a Raspberry Pi 5 single-board computer. That receives input from two sets of arcade button/joystick kits. It outputs video to an LCD screen in the lid of the briefcase and audio through speakers mounted next to the arcade controls. No_Beautiful_8981 put their limited woodworking skills to use cutting custom panels for the LCD bezel and controls. They even covered the speaker panel in fabric to give it a sophisticated finish. This isn’t made for gaming on the go, so it doesn’t need a battery and No_Beautiful_8981 added a plug for a power cord on the back.

The result is a unique and very practical arcade “cabinet” perfect for an apartment dweller. But No_Beautiful_8981 isn’t completely satisfied and plans to switch out the Raspberry Pi for a Nintendo Switch.