Dual-Screen RetroPie Arcade

Traditional arcade setups, and TVs for that matter, position you and your opponent and/or collaborator side by side, punching, kicking, and blasting away on the same screen. This has worked fine for decades, but might not actually be optimal. If you’re facing off with someone in the real world, nine times out of 10 you’re literally face-to-face.

As seen here, the dual-screen table top gaming rig by Andrew, AKA Block After Block, does things a bit differently. It instead positions two secondhand monitors back-to-back in a beautiful wooden frame.

The system is a fairly straightforward RetroPie installation, using a Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard as the brains (and keyboard), plus a pair of 8BitDo Bluetooth controllers for button mashing. While one might theoretically get RetroPie to play nicely with two monitors via programming, Andrew instead opted to forgo this operation (struggle) and used an HDMI splitter to show the same things on both screens.

Besides an innovative display arrangement, what really sets this build apart is the woodworking. As shown in the video below, instead of a standard plywood setup, Andrew created the whole enclosure using edge grain panels that he made with table saw, planer, and other implements. There was also a lot of glue involved; plus screws, painter’s tape, and “hand clamps” provided by his wife.

While there was some setup and ROM loading involved, the system largely just worked. He could then get on to playing Tony Hawk, and perhaps a bit of Street fighter, once the electronics were stuffed inside!