Arcade Parts & Accessories

Controls

Having tested the complete range of arcade joysticks, we decided upon the world-renowned Happ Controls Competition joystick for our standard set-up. This feels by far and away the most authentic – even better than you remember! We can also supply and install a range of other Happ Joysticks in a variety of colours, including those with 360° rotation.

For those that prefer a ball-top, Japanese-style arcade joystick, we can modify any of our control panels to accommodate both Sanwa and Seimitsu joysticks. The most renowned is the classic Sanwa joystick, featured in a variety of fighting machines, which comes with a wide choice of ball-top colours. We also stock a range of special edition joysticks that add something really unique to your arcade cabinet.

Our current range includes our specialist aluminium chrome joysticks in black or chrome that are a must for all true gamers out there.

arcade Joysticks

Suzo-Happ Competition

Perhaps the most familiar joystick from our youth, this versatile joystick was used in most of the UK’s arcade machines and is a very trusty all-rounder, able to cope well with most genres of game. If you’re looking for a joystick solution which plays great for 80’s and 90’s classics, copes well with fighting games, and is good on four-way classic games, this is the go-to.

Upgrades

As an existing Bespoke Arcades owner you can be safe in the knowledge that we offer an upgrade service ensuring any machine can be upgraded to the latest hardware. As time moves on, technology advances and so does the multimedia and game playing abilities of our arcade machines.

We can install the latest joysticks, install rgb arcade buttons with more lighting capabilities than your average disco. We can even purchase the latest games or gamepacks to make sure you receive your refurbished machine and start playing the latest games available.

We can also service your arcade machine, give it a thorough clean inside and out and and ensure all is well with your beloved gaming companion.

To make your upgrade even more effortless, we can arrange to have your cabinet collected and safely delivered to our london workshop via our white-glove service.

Custom

As an exclusive company offering bespoke services to our clients, we often produce one-off or even a range of special editions arcade machines for particular clients. We love to assist with all custom projects and are only too happy to look at any special requirements that you may have in terms of redesign of any of the existing arcade cabinets.

sanwa button by Bespoke Arcades

Special Editions

As an exclusive company offering bespoke services to our clients, we often produce one-off or even a range of special editions arcade machines for particular clients. We love to assist with all custom projects and are only too happy to look at any special requirements that you may have in terms of redesign of any of the arcade cabinets.

Multimedia

Play Back Anything

Of course the aim of a Bespoke Arcades machine is primarily to play games, however, by utilising the power of Windows architecture and a modern-spec PC, the multimedia possibilities are endless.

Build

In terms of the build of your new arcade cabinet, we can offer a great variety of options for the finish, edging and glass, as well as the option to add additional features such as castors. For a full list of arcade cabinet build upgrades, options, and prices, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

NEW homepage slider 1 by Bespoke Arcades

Cabinet Finish

All of our arcade cabinets can be finished in a range of different colours, materials and finishes, including wood veneering, graffiti, and even gold/silver metallic finish. We also have a range of specialist metallic finishes that look truly amazing. In terms of colour, all you need to do is provide us with the desired colour code and we can have the arcade machine exactly matched to that, in any finish that you want.

Artwork

When it comes to adding artwork to your arcade machine, we can usually accommodate without a problem. Whether you are after company branding, a unique personal touch, or a graphic from a favourite game, it’s no problem. We offer a full personalisation service for all aspects of arcade graphics, as well as access to an extensive library of old arcade cabinet artwork. For a full list of artwork upgrades and prices, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

Jaguar skills arcade

Marquees & Side Art

For both the Apex and the Evo arcade machines, the marquee graphics and side art can be completely personalised to your exact specifications. You can choose to have a specific design or old arcade cabinet artwork applied to the top and sides of your arcade machine. Should you have a particular game or design in mind, just let us know and we’ll make it happen.

Retro Ports

To further enhance your retro gaming experience, we also offer the ability to utilise your favourite controller of yesteryear. Run up into the attic and dig out your old controllers or let us know and we’ll source you a fully serviced selection of pads.

ferrari evo by Bespoke Arcades

NES

Almost where it all began, the patented cross shaped pad offered a new universal way to play games. Feel free to plug in this familiar four buttoned brick and experience gaming how it used to be.

Next-Gen Consoles

All Bespoke Arcades personnel are avid gamers at heart and we strive to make all Bespoke Arcades machines as versatile as possible. We can make all our machines compatible with any console currently on the market, including the Playstation 5 and Xbox One X in all their glory. Trusty gaming classics are being reinvented on today’s technology, and your arcade machine doesn’t have to be left behind. Embrace the new tech as well as the old with Bespoke Arcades.

Pod Stool by Bespoke Arcades

PS5 & Xbox One X

One of our most popular upgrades for our Evo and Nu Gen units. The modern console fighting games play fantastically on our arcade machines via the 1080p displays. All the digital inputs work seamlessly via the control panel. This option opens new dimensions into your arcade machine and allows you to experience today’s modern arcade games how they’re meant to be played.

Accessories

White pinball ball by Bespoke Arcades

Trackball

Now you can choose to have a full trackball installed into your arcade machine control panel as on the higher-spec Evo series, or have a custom made USB trackball in your choice of finish that you can plug in via the USB ports on your Media series cabinet or above – please contact us for more details.

Dynamic Marquee

Custom Evo Cabinet Rampage 04 min 300x300 by Bespoke Arcades

An Interactive Title Screen

Available on all Bespoke Arcades Stand Up and sit down machines- this 21st century upgrade is the ultimate wow factor for your arcade machine. No matter what console or arcade game you're playing- the corresponding artwork will be displayed on this title screen. All Bespoke Arcade machines come preloaded with every title screen ready to go. This can also be retro fitted on existing clients' machines should they want this awesome update!

Customisations Explained

Unique options for your arcade

Simply click on a button below to see what awesome options we can install in your arcade machine. Everything will be set up and ready for you to enjoy .

Choosing Buttons For Your Arcade Cabinet

Button 101 – Which buttons are right for me?

A little while ago on our blog, we tackled the issue of choosing joysticks for your custom arcade cabinet. Just like choosing your joystick setup, choosing which buttons to use is one question which we can’t help you with until we find out your particular preferences. With this in mind, we thought we’d provide a simple guide to help you choose between the range of buttons which we offer for our arcade machines.

Happ / Suzo:

Using a microswitch, these buttons have a real authentic feel; making a familiar and reassuring click when pushed. Back in the day, all manufacturers of note used these butttons due to their solid feel and durability. Virtually every arcade machine released for the European market came with these as standard. Happ/Suzo arcade buttons have retained their popularity due to their quality and the memories of older gamers who yearn for that authentic feel. Coming in a wide range of colours, we use these as standard on all of our products. If you would prefer another type then please do not hesitate to ask and we’d be happy to accomodate you. We offer several alternatives, just keep reading to find out more.

Sanwa:

We offer Sanwa as an alternative to Happ/Suzo. Historically more popular in Japan, Sanwa buttons are preferred by some as they are more responsive; making them the button of choice for fighting game enthusiasts. Sanwa buttons are based on the microswitch format. They come in 2 different sizes and a plethora of colours. All new commercial arcade machines use these as standard and we are happy supply them, it just depends on you. Our MD Phil Patsias is a big fan “particularly when playing new games”.

Leaf Switches:

Leaf switches are an alternative to the microswitch options which we examined above. The main differences are the feel and the sound (leaf switches don’t make the click as microswitches do). Although the leaf design is widely perceived to be a better feeling button, popularity has decreased over recent years due to the fragile nature of the buttons which often caused dead button syndrome. Repetitive use over time causes the mechanism beneath the button to get out of alignment. This is notoriously difficult to fix and can often require a replacement. If you are an ardent fan of leaf switches, we can now use the modern-day equivalent which accurately replicates the feel and operation of these niche buttons. The only difference is that these new versions are 100% reliable and won’t degrade over time. We are happy to offer them to clients as an additional option should they be desired.

Other buttons:

Although the main types of buttons which we sell are listed above, if you have any specific requirement or would like to customise the layout and size of your buttons and controller (e.g left handed), please do not hesitate to ask – we can even source illuminated buttons! For this and numerous other options on how to fully customise every aspect of your arcade machine, why not check out our arcade machine options section?

We hope that you have found this article useful…. HAPPY GAMING

Our Favourite Arcade Machine Upgrades & Accessories

Like modern PCs, arcade cabinets are modular machines. You can revive old machines with new arcade machine parts, or kit yours out with an entirely new input controller. Your choice of arcade game accessories affects gameplay - the responsiveness of your joystick can spell the difference between victory or gory fatality; snappy pushbuttons are great for fast-paced fighting games, but can be too sensitive for navigating tricky platformers.

Fortunately, retro gamers are spoiled for choice. The resurgence of barcades and timeless appeal of owning your own arcade has meant that arcade joysticks and buttons are still readily available.

If you’re looking for the best arcade machine accessories to level up your arcade cabinet, we’ve listed a few of our favourite parts to tinker with down below.

Joysticks

Joysticks are generally divided into two categories: where they’re from and by type of restrictor gate. Japanese joysticks are what you’ll find on most machines, ending in the ball-top knob that everyone recognises. Korean joysticks have a tear-drop shaped handle that runs until the base of the stick.

Gates determine movement. Square gates let you move up, down, left, and right, while octagonal gates allow for diagonal movements.

When it comes to versatility, the BA Servo Joystick is one of our top picks. Engineered with an auto switching 4-way and 8-way servo motor, it’ll handle like a dream whether you’re playing simpler games like Pac-Man or tests of precision like Tekken. You’ll also want to check out our new 2-4-8 Way Switch, which lets you play with even tighter and cleaner movements, although this tech has.been surpassed by the sero sticks

Push Buttons

Push buttons come in different sizes, switch types, mounting methods, and cap shapes–that’s the shape of the surface of a button.

Cap shapes can either be concave, convex, or flat. Concave buttons jut out, while convex types curve inwards. Many gamers prefer convex buttons because it cradles fingers inside the dip, where they glance off the rim of concaves.

Buttons are more than their mechanical aspects, of course. Nothing says gaming den more than neon lighting, and now you can make your arcade cabinet look like it came straight from Tron with illuminated or RGB colour changing buttons.

Input Controllers

The golden era of arcades birthed all types of games. Developers used the hardware of the time to create things both familiar and strange. You could be dodging barrels thrown by a giant ape one night and gobbling fruit and chasing ghosts around a maze the next.

Players mostly used joysticks and buttons to navigate this brave, new, pixelated world. But it was far from the only set-up available. Controllers got as crazy as the games. Sega’s GetBass had players casting from a fishing rod controller.

If you want to play your games the way they were meant to be played, we have an assortment of controllers you can choose to ship out with your kit.

Load up with the BA Light Gun and go clip-to-clip against Wild Dog scum in Time Crisis. Dodge like a pro through waves of enemies in Centipede and Millipede with trackball controllers. Exercise granular control over your paddle in Arkanoid with a BA Spinner. If you’re more of a speed devil than a brick breaker, then we’ve got a wireless driving wheel that’ll let you take hairpin turns like a real rally racer.

Speakers

Music is a large part of the arcade experience. It’s near-impossible to listen to that distinctive electro-synth or chiptune without thinking of high scores and neon lights. Play the Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. and you’ll soon have a room full of people itching to press buttons.

Now you can experience the iconic sound of arcade gaming in high fidelity. Our Bose Speaker Upgrade makes the best of today’s audio hardware available for your retro arcade machines.

Our arcade cabinets can be configured to play any media, from your personal playlist to your favourite 8-bit classics. All Bespoke Arcades machines are compatible with karaoke software, so can turn any gaming night into a karaoke session if you feel like giving your fingers a break.

Seating

Most gamers will remember spending hours on their feet, either hopping from one arcade machine to the next or waiting for their turn. But having your own arcade machine means that’s one thing you can leave in the past.

We offer multiple seating options that’ll make every gaming session comfortable. The BA Pod Stools will give you the soft support you’ll need in your pursuit of that elusive high score. Our BA Hourglass Stools add a contemporary and sleek flair to gaming dens. We sell them in sets of two, so you’re always ready for co-op play.

Cabinet Finish

Arcade machines are characterised by explosive and vibrant marquee graphics and side art. And if you pick our Apex or Evo arcade machines, you can go as detailed as you want. But we know there are also gamers that would prefer a minimalist look.

We offer our cabinets in an array of finishes. Add a pop of colour to your cave while keeping things monochromatic by upgrading your black cabinet to a satin finish colour of your choice. Or you can commit to the 70s tavern theme with a wood veneer finish–much like the original Pong machine!

At Bespoke Arcades, our mission is to bring your dream arcade cabinet to life. Whether that’s creating custom artwork or making an all-in-one entertainment hub, our team stands ready to deliver. If you want arcade machine upgrades or have questions about retro arcade accessories in mind, just reach out to us by call or email.