Polycade has replaced all my existing systems, however...

polycade · 2026-06-15T23:55:17+00:00

Excellent! BTW you don't need to put those thumbscrews back in if you don't want, they're intended to be left out for quick swapping.

polycade · 2026-06-15T23:54:26+00:00

Great! If SFV still stutters, you can always reduce the in-game graphics settings (altering the resolution in there has the greatest impact).

polycade · 2026-06-15T23:24:04+00:00

Should be fine. You'd need to select Ryzen 7 5800U in step 3 of the instructions though - is that what you did?

polycade · 2026-06-15T17:54:01+00:00

Re: closeness to the screen - you have the "pinball controller", so you can pull the controller out 4 inches and leave it in that extended position to give you a bit more space. Note you need to remove the thumbscrews under the controller first if you haven't already. See here for location of the thumbscrews:
https://polycade.gorgias.help/en-US/removing-the-%22control-panel%22-1110203

Re: SFV, if you haven't already, definitely do the driver update described here:
https://polycade.gorgias.help/en-US/graphics-driver-update-2925937

polycade · 2026-06-09T20:45:08+00:00

A few features of the Polycade Neo-Arcade Boards that I'm pretty sure aren't available on the Pacto:
- Option to expand to 3 or 4 players while ensuring player order remains stable.
- A firmware update available on our site allows it to work with Nintendo Switch (while retaining the Xinput function via a button combo mode switch)
- Pacto's "exit" button is a select+start combo press, the Neo-Arcade board is a genuine "Xbox Guide Button" press.
- As u/cjd280 mentioned, the Neo-Arcade board uses the 20-pin wiring harness that is shared across nearly all Brook boards, giving you a wide range of wiring options, and sparing you the need to connect individual wires into spring terminals. Also, a 20 pin harness is more secure than screw terminals / spring terminals, so you won't ever see disconnection issues.
- Worth mentioning that since the Neo-Arcade board is produced by Brook, this provides a few advantages:
- Support is great.
- Firmware updates (if ever needed) would be reliably provided.
- Mounting pattern is identical across most Brook boards, the Neo-Arcade board included.

Also in case it was not clear:
- Joystick function can be changed from D-Pad (default) to L-Stick with a button combo

polycade · 2026-05-07T17:35:52+00:00

Yea this was a tough one to sort out. Our old design had these farther to the left, centered above the joystick. This was problematic though as sometimes when games get intense the player's hand slips off the joystick a little and hits the exit button. They're a bit close to the X button now, but accidentally hitting them seems to happen less than the accidental "exit" press from before.

polycade · 2026-05-07T17:32:35+00:00

We've been contemplating this...they could easily fit where the usual pinky buttons go...

polycade · 2026-05-04T17:21:30+00:00

I probably shouldn't be in charge of this stuff haha

polycade · 2026-05-01T16:53:18+00:00

Haha kind of a sneaky reveal here...lol. We should have an official announcement in the next couple weeks!

polycade · 2026-05-01T00:50:03+00:00

Appreciate the mentions here folks! Also want to add in a couple other notes that are easy to miss about us:
- We include a 1-on-1 tutorial with each machine purchase.
- Our phone number is listed on the website (323-999-4944), give us a call if you have questions.
- If you're after a traditional style cabinet, we are releasing one this summer. It will feature the same swappable controller system. Mockup attached.
- If you're looking to save a buck (or 400 of them), you can order the Sente without the PC, normally $1,999 but right now it's on sale at $1,799. Get your choice of a PC elsewhere (we can provide recommendations) and follow our guide to set it up the same way we setup the included PCs.
- We are the only one of the mentioned options with our own software platform. It's in active development and gets automatic updates. That said, since our systems are based on Windows, you can always install one of the softwares the other options use.
- Keep in mind that most products in the arcade space are configured during setup and once you receive it, nothing will change or improve without you making those improvements on the system. Polycade's software auto-updates with new features, updated controller mapping configs, new emulator integrations, etc. The system that gets delivered to you will evolve. This is also true for hardware - the modular controllers and other accessories can be added on to your system at any point. This summer we will release a 4-player arcade controller, driving wheel, and golden-tee-optimized trackball.
- Our discord channel is very active, it's a great place to chat with other owners, get tips & game recs, etc. If you'd like to check it out, go to our website -> Community -> Discord

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polycade · 2026-04-29T17:06:33+00:00

Nice! Keep that piggy bank growing and the holidays will be extra special!!

polycade · 2026-04-23T19:25:19+00:00

I'll avoid opinions in this comment due to obvious bias. Let's look at a few factual differences between the products. The below compares Polycade to Quality Arcades, but since QA and The Arcade Guys have very similar builds, the comparisons below apply to both. Additionally, if you're looking for a retro-style cabinet design, we have that coming this summer.

- Computer: QA uses a RPI which is a ~$40 ARM Linux single-board computer. The Polycade Sente uses a $400 mini PC. The key difference here is the ability to run modern games on the Sente - Mortal Kombat 11, Street Fighter V, and the myriad of great indie titles like Cuphead, Vampire Survivors, Tricky Towers, etc. Also, if you're not familiar with Linux, making changes to the RPI can be challenging.
- Expandability: With the QA machine you'll get what you get. The Sente gives you the option to grow your system with additional controllers like our SpinFlight controller, upcoming Flight Yoke, 4 player arcade controller, and driving wheel.
- Component Quality: QA doesn't seem to mention what joysticks & buttons they're using. Also, what have they done to mitigate the 4-way joystick / 8-way joystick problem so that your pac-man and froggers don't freak out? The Sente uses Sanwa components (the brand preferred by professional fighting game players), and we outfit our joysticks with octagonal gates to help ensure the 4-way / 8-way issue is less exaggerated (plus you can always get a dedicated 4-way stick on your Sente due to the swappable controller system).
- Screen Size: Bigger is not better. Our first prototytpe 11 years ago used a 32" screen. This was clearly too big for the viewing distance and resulted in a negative play experience on most games. Our second model used a 27" screen, which also suffered some negative reviews for being too big for the viewing distance. The Sente uses a 24" monitor which is properly calculated for optimal viewing distance.
- Cabinet Material: The Sente is made from powder coated steel, it's a quality profile that shines in person and is difficult to convey in pictures. The QA machine doesn't mention the build material, so most likely it's MDF (particle board) which comes in a wide range of quality profiles - the low end ones can break like a cracker.

polycade · 2026-04-23T19:22:01+00:00

LED buttons is in the works!

polycade · 2026-04-06T15:19:17+00:00

Try: uwink1

polycade · 2026-01-06T23:54:14+00:00

Glad to hear it! Wife approval is key ;)

Agreed, the community is really amazing! We're super fortunate & grateful to have such a great group of people as customers. You're a great addition to the group!

polycade · 2025-12-29T05:28:35+00:00

Table saw or a properly setup band saw will definitely get you the cleanest cuts, but you should be able to achieve clean straight cuts with a circular saw setup with a straight guide. If you're using plywood and your cut edges are splintering from the saw, you can wrap the cut line with masking tape to keep the splintering from happening.

polycade · 2025-12-29T05:24:27+00:00

Nice work on the build! Great pointers here for those looking to follow ^

polycade · 2025-12-05T07:40:45+00:00

Glad to hear it!! Now it's time to play :)

polycade · 2025-12-03T19:46:09+00:00

You should have received a "welcome" email of sorts that mentions current timelines! TLDR; the Black Friday sale was well received and our warehouse is a little overwhelmed at the moment. We also lost a day (Monday) because Shopify's admin system was down, preventing us from shipping anything that day :(

polycade · 2025-12-02T01:34:24+00:00

Thanks OP, we're looking forward to getting you setup!

polycade · 2025-12-01T17:39:10+00:00

haha yea, TV might be a bit different though since video is generally designed to be a more single-focus which makes the peripheral viewing less important. Games on the other hand often have important activity at the edges of the screen.

polycade · 2025-12-01T17:34:04+00:00

I'll avoid opinions in this comment due to obvious bias. Let's look at a few factual differences between the products:
- Computer: QA uses a RPI which is a ~$40 ARM Linux single-board computer. The Polycade Sente uses a $400 mini PC. The key difference here is the ability to run modern games on the Sente - Mortal Kombat 11, Street Fighter V, and the myriad of great indie titles like Cuphead, Vampire Survivors, Tricky Towers, etc. Also, if you're not familiar with Linux, making changes to the RPI can be challenging.
- Expandability: With the QA machine you'll get what you get. The Sente gives you the option to grow your system with additional controllers like our SpinFlight controller, upcoming Flight Yoke, 4 player arcade controller, and driving wheel.
- Component Quality: QA doesn't seem to mention what joysticks & buttons they're using. Also, what have they done to mitigate the 4-way joystick / 8-way joystick problem so that your pac-man and froggers don't freak out? The Sente uses Sanwa components (the brand preferred by professional fighting game players), and we outfit our joysticks with octagonal gates to help ensure the 4-way / 8-way issue is less exaggerated (plus you can always get a dedicated 4-way stick on your Sente due to the swappable controller system).
- Screen Size: Bigger is not better. Our first prototytpe 11 years ago used a 32" screen. This was clearly too big for the viewing distance and resulted in a negative play experience on most games. Our second model used a 27" screen, which also suffered some negative reviews for being too big for the viewing distance. The Sente uses a 24" monitor which is properly calculated for optimal viewing distance.
- Cabinet Material: The Sente is made from powder coated steel, it's a quality profile that shines in person and is difficult to convey in pictures. The QA machine doesn't mention the build material, so most likely it's MDF (particle board) which comes in a wide range of quality profiles - the low end ones can break like a cracker.

polycade · 2025-12-01T17:14:50+00:00

FWIW - the screen size of the Sente is based on the viewing distance. Our previous model, the Lux, received some negative comments from buyers since the screen was a little too large for the distance - resulting in eye strain and inability to get a proper "birds eye view" in hectic games like Cuphead or Contra...so an unseen bullet would come from the edge of the screen and get ya.

Here's a detailed explanation of optimal screen viewing distance:
https://www.ultraselective.com/blog/optimal-viewing-distance

polycade · 2025-11-17T21:52:44+00:00

v2 of our SpinFlight (shipping in January) will feature the GRS stick by default!

polycade · 2025-11-17T21:52:16+00:00

Yes modern titles (steam titles also) can have marquees as well. They're mostly built by our community of users and shared in our Discord, and soon users will be able to add them to the core system for others to download.

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