You're sitting there with a cold drink, across from a friend, and the screen flips upside down perfectly every time someone loses a life. That’s the magic. Most people looking for a 60 in 1 arcade cocktail table think they're just buying a piece of furniture that happens to play Pac-Man, but honestly, it's more of a time machine. It’s that low-profile, glass-top beast that defined the pizza parlors of the 1980s.
Retro gaming isn't just about the pixels. It's about the physical ritual.
The "60-in-1" designation refers to the specific JAMMA (Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association) PCB—basically the brain of the machine—that comes pre-loaded with the greatest hits of the Golden Age. We’re talking Donkey Kong, Galaga, Dig Dug, and Ms. Pac-Man. These aren't ports or shitty emulations you find on a cheap plug-and-play stick from a pharmacy. They are the actual arcade ROMs running on hardware designed to mimic the original logic.
What actually makes the 60 in 1 arcade cocktail table work?
Under the hood, most of these units use the iCade 60-in-1 multigrade PCB. It’s a workhorse. It’s stable. It’s been the industry standard for home enthusiasts for over a decade because it just doesn't break. While modern PC-based emulators like MAME offer thousands of games, they're finicky. They require updates. They crash. The 60-in-1? You flip a switch, it boots in seconds, and you’re playing.
The screen orientation is the clever bit. In a cocktail cabinet, the monitor sits flat, facing the ceiling. When Player 1 finishes their turn in 1942, the software detects the end of the round and instantly flips the video output 180 degrees so Player 2 can see it from their side.
Don't buy one without checking the monitor type. A lot of modern "budget" builds use cheap LCD panels with terrible viewing angles. If you’re sitting at a cocktail table and the colors wash out because you’re looking at it from a 45-degree angle, you’ve wasted your money. You want an IPS display or, if you're a true purist, a refurbished CRT, though those are getting harder to find and heavier to move.
The controls are where the cheap units fail
Buttons matter. A lot.
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Most 60-in-1 systems ship with "happ style" buttons. They’re clicky and responsive. However, some manufacturers cut corners with generic Chinese knock-offs that feel like mush. If you’re playing Galaga, you need a joystick with a dedicated 4-way restrictor plate. If the joystick is set to 8-way (allowing diagonal movement), Pac-Man will feel "sticky." He'll get stuck on corners because the game logic doesn't know what to do with a diagonal input.
Pro tip: High-end builders like ArcadeClassics or Chicago Gaming Company usually get this right, but if you're DIYing a kit, spend the extra $20 on a genuine Sanwa or Industrias Lorenzo joystick. Your wrists will thank you.
Why this specific game list matters
The 60 games included aren't random. They are the vertical classics. Since cocktail tables use a vertical monitor layout, you won't find Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat here—those are horizontal games.
What you get is a curated list of high-score chasers.
- Frogger 2. Zaxxon 3. Burger Time 4. Centipede (requires a trackball, which is an essential upgrade)
- Galaxian
The beauty of the 60-in-1 list is that these games were designed for "three-minute loops." They were built to take your quarters quickly, which makes them perfect for modern life. You don't need to commit forty hours to an RPG. You just need five minutes to see if you can finally beat your brother's high score in Millipede.
Common misconceptions about "All-in-One" cabinets
A lot of people think "more is better." They see a cabinet with 3,000 games and think they’re getting a better deal. They aren't. Navigating a menu with 3,000 titles is a nightmare. Half of them won't work right, and 90% are games you’ve never heard of. The 60 in 1 arcade cocktail table stays popular because it’s "all killer, no filler." Every game on that board is a certified banger from the era when arcade design was at its peak.
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Also, let's talk about the glass.
Real arcade tables use tempered safety glass. It’s thick. You can set a beer on it. You can eat a pizza off it. If a manufacturer is using plexiglass or acrylic, run away. Acrylic scratches if you even look at it wrong. By month three, your screen will look like it was cleaned with steel wool. Always verify the top is 1/4 inch tempered glass.
Maintenance and the "Death of the Battery"
Here is something the sales brochures won't tell you. The original 60-in-1 boards are solid-state, but they can still fail. Most of the time, the "failure" is just a power supply issue. These machines run on a standard switching power supply that outputs +5V and +12V. If your machine starts resetting or the colors look funky, it’s usually the +5V line dropping too low. There’s a little yellow knob on the power supply; a quarter-turn to the right usually fixes it.
And the high scores? Some older boards used a small lithium battery to save scores. If that battery dies, you lose your bragging rights every time you power down. Newer "flash-based" boards don't have this problem, so ask your vendor if the board is "non-volatile."
Setting the Vibe: The Aesthetics of the Cocktail Cabinet
The cocktail format—officially known as a "tabletop" cabinet—was originally designed so arcade owners could put machines in bars and lounges where a full-sized upright would block the view. In a home setting, this is the only arcade machine that doesn't scream "I live in a basement."
It doubles as a side table.
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Wood grain is the classic look, but black laminate fits better in modern "man caves." The under-lighting is another popular mod. Adding a simple LED strip to the underside of the cabinet gives it a floating effect that looks incredible in a dim room.
Does it hold its value?
Unlike a PlayStation or Xbox that becomes obsolete in five years, a well-built 60 in 1 arcade cocktail table is surprisingly liquid. The market for these has stayed steady for two decades. If you buy a quality unit for $1,500 today, you can likely sell it for $1,000 five years from now. It’s "functional art."
Actionable steps for the first-time buyer
If you're ready to pull the trigger, don't just click the first sponsored ad on Google.
- Check the Joystick: Explicitly ask if the joystick has a 4-way restrictor for Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.
- Verify the Glass: Ensure it is tempered safety glass, not acrylic.
- Trackball Check: Ensure the unit has a 2-inch or 3-inch trackball if you want to play Centipede or Millipede properly. Using a joystick for those games is an exercise in frustration.
- Door Access: Make sure the cabinet has an easy-access door for the internals. You don't want to have to take the whole thing apart just to adjust the volume.
- The "Flip" Test: Confirm the software is configured for "Cocktail Mode" so the screen flips for Player 2. Some cheap "Pandora’s Box" versions don't do this natively.
Basically, look for a cabinet that weighs more than 100 pounds. Weight is a good proxy for build quality in the arcade world. Thin MDF (medium-density fibreboard) will wobble; thick plywood or heavy-duty MDF with T-molding will last long enough to pass down to your kids.
Buying one of these isn't just about the games. It's about owning a piece of social history that actually encourages you to sit across from someone and engage, rather than staring at a wall alone. That’s why the cocktail format survived the 80s, and it’s why it’s still the best way to play the classics today.