Arcade machine gets built into portable “briefcase” in stunning mod

A modder wanted an arcade machine for their small apartment, so built their own into a small ‘briefcase’ form factor.

There is nothing quite like the experience of playing on an arcade cabinet. A lot of companies have popped up to cater to this very specific form of nostalgia, like Arcade1Up and Evercade. However, for those who don’t have big expanses of space to work with, the dream of owning an arcade cab can feel distant.

This was the dilemma facing modder and Redditor No_Beautiful_8981. They had always longed to own an arcade machine, but living in a small apartment made this impractical.

The best solution, No_Beautiful_8981 realized, would be an arcade cabinet that could be packed up and stored out of the way when not in use.

To begin this ambitious project, No_Beautiful_8981 found a suitable box that would work as a case. This particular box was bought from Etsy and was patterned after an old-fashioned suitcase or briefcase.

Since it was made of MDF, that would make it easy to attach parts using wood screws.

Several prototypes were constructed before No_Beautiful_8981 settled on using a Raspberry Pi 5 as the heart of the build. Two sets of off-the-shelf arcade kits were used to provide the controls. Video was outputted to an LCD screen that was mounted into the lid of the briefcase. Speakers were mounted on the controller panel.

Though No_Beautiful_8981 admits they have limited woodworking skills, they applied what they knew to cut custom panels to house the LCD bezel and slots for the joystick and buttons.

They even gave the speakers a mesh fabric covering for an extra bit of quality.

The result is a semi-portable – or perhaps ‘luggable’ – arcade cabinet that can be packed up safely when not in use. The size and shape make it easy to store safely in a cupboard or wardrobe until it’s time to engage in some Street Fighter II or perhaps some Ghouls n’ Ghosts.