Transforming a Show Rack into an Arcade Fan’s Dream

Taking inspiration from YouTube, a modder was able to convert a simple shoe rack and non-functional laptop into a functioning arcade cabinet.

People who enjoy vintage technology will surely understand the struggles of finding space for their gadgets. Companies such as Arcade1Up and Evercade have emerged, producing smaller and tabletop versions of cabinets. Nevertheless, not everyone has the available space or desire to transform their home into a contemporary arcade.

User dragonborn000 posted an impressive project on r/PCMasterRace, showcasing their retro-inspired creation. From the outside, it may appear to be a regular shoe rack, but upon opening it up, one is greeted with a stunning display and a full set of illuminated custom arcade buttons.

I turned the shoe rack into an arcade cabinet byu/dragonborn000 inpcmasterrace

In a blog post, Furkan, the modder, extensively explains the process of creating the hidden arcade cabinet. After being inspired by YouTuber Daniele Tartaglia’s previous projects, Furkan purchased a shoe rack online to use as the base.

Having some prior experience with running RetroPie on a Raspberry Pi, Furkan proceeded with the construction by purchasing arcade buttons from Aliexpress. The modder also repurposed an old damaged laptop’s display, hard drive, motherboard, and WiFi module for the cabinet.

From that point onwards, the modder meticulously assembled all components of the project. They crafted a wooden case from scratch to house the arcade buttons and conceal their cables and wiring. In addition, each hole for the buttons was manually drilled, following a pre-made layout sourced from the internet.

The final product is a dream come true for retro gaming enthusiasts. The completed arcade cabinet shoe rack is equipped with its own speaker system, which Furkan programmed to play “keygen music”in the background, adding an extra touch of nostalgia.

Despite the impressive design of the cabinet, Furkan still has plans to enhance it. Currently, the GPU and CPU of the old laptop are not strong enough to support Dreamcast or PS2-era games, so the modder intends to install handles for portability. We are eagerly anticipating the modder’s improvements to the already amazing shoe rack cabinet.