Can We make games in unity for Arcade machines

Hi,
I have a game idea in mind for an arcade machine. I want to develop the game in unity. I want to know if is it possible to develop the game in unity (Any platform, please mention suitable) for the arcade machine (Anyone can mention the most suitable Arcade machine model and manufacturer)?

 

If the arcade machine is running an operating system Unity can deploy to, sure. It's not like you're going to be able to target the CPS-2 or whatever though.

 

Are there still classic arcade systems being produced? I don‘t think so.
I believe the only ones you get these days are selfmade or at best premanufactured wood boxes with a regular flatscreen and regular PC hardware capable of running regular Windows on it so you can connect more or less common input knobs and controls and what not with most likely the intention of installing and running classic game ROMs via MAME.

 

Modern arcade machine highly likely is going to be a PC in a fancy box. As long as it is true, you shouldn't have a problem.

Having said t hat, is arcade cabinet market even alive outside of japan?

 

From my limited knowledge of these matters... there are enthusiast cabinets that let you simply swap in and out the original or recreation PCBs. Otherwise folks find old cabinets, and then restore/upgrade them to be able to swap PCBs in and out (many were modular anyway).

Or people simply play with the PCBs loose hooked up to a modern monitor.

And I believe some just use a raspberry pi or whatnot, considering the hardware requirements for many of them are so low.

Here's some videos on the matter:

Spoiler

I haven't seen one that's simply a modern computer, but I'm sure it exists. It's a super niche market needless to say.

 

There are various places, where arcade games are still a thing.
http://krakowarcademuseum.com/en/



I know at least one place, where there is classic arcade games avenue in my city.

 

I read in to this one time many years ago. There was a DIY community that shared instructions on how to make some kind of Arduino thingy where you wire up all of your arcade buttons and joysticks on to a board and plug it in to a Windows box. Then the board translates the input in to key-presses. The actual hardware costs less than I would have expected too.

I imagine they are still around.

 

If you build your own get good buttons/joystick, I got the cheapest ones for prototyping and they're loud and clunky.

 

Just to add you might want to double check Unity licensing agreement as from what I remember, embedded systems require a different licensing agreement. While it’s unclear if a modern arcade machine would be considered embedded especially if it’s basically just a PC, it would still be worth double checking the license agreement to ensure you are in compliance.

 

Do you mean old games when you say "classic"? Or do you just mean stand up video games you stick money in to play? Because there certainly are new arcade games being made. Most are bit fancier than the old days, and it seems like most are branded. Most are very custom in terms of controls and presentation. One I noticed in Vegas showed the Unreal logo on the splash screen(s). Presumably, most modern arcade games are just PCs with a fancy box and peripherals.

 

A university I used to work at had a couple of arcade machines built from kits that had a PC inside and were used to show Unity games made by students, so it can be done.

There are many options from finding a set of plans that you build from scratch, through kits you build, to ready made cabinets. The more you do yourself, the cheaper it is. Or you could refit an original cabinet from back in the day (but people collect them, so would be expensive). I believe the Arcade1Up arcade machines (ready made machines with classic games on them that look like the originals (except many of the models are 3/4 scale)) can be modded to play other games, but check out more on that before buying one.

 

You can buy an empty cabinet and stick a pc in it with a monitor. Some cabinets come pre-configured with buttons and stick. Install your games on to an SSD or HD and just have a front end to deal with launching i.e. Hyperspin or Launchbox.

https://hyperspin-fe.com/

https://www.launchbox-app.com/

So yes, this is very much doable.