Arcade Classics
1970 VariousGeneration 1
Arcade games defined the early video game industry with coin-operated cabinets in arcades, restaurants, and entertainment centers. From Pong to Street Fighter, arcade games pushed technical boundaries and created gaming culture.
2000
Total Games
1970
Release Year
Want to play Arcade games on a handheld?
We compared Arcade emulation across 5 handhelds with published testing. 5 of them handle it, and the page lists them cheapest first with a source on every rating.
Which handheld runs Arcade?Technical Specifications
Processor
Various processors depending on era and manufacturer
Memory
Varied widely by system and era
Media
ROM chips, later CD-ROM and hard drives
Graphics
Custom hardware optimized for specific games
Audio
Ranged from simple beeps to advanced synthesizers
Arcade games
10 titles catalogued. Games with their own page are the ones published emulation testing names directly.
| Title | Year | Developer | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pac-Man | 1980 | Namco | Arcade, Maze |
| Street Fighter II | 1991 | Capcom | Fighting |
| Galaga | 1981 | Namco | Shoot 'em up |
| Donkey Kong | 1981 | Nintendo | Platformer, Arcade |
| Mortal Kombat | 1992 | Midway | Fighting |
| Centipede | 1980 | Atari | Shoot 'em up |
| Frogger | 1981 | Konami | Arcade, Action |
| Defender | 1981 | Williams Electronics | Shoot 'em up |
| Asteroids | 1979 | Atari | Shoot 'em up |
| Space Invaders | 1978 | Taito | Shoot 'em up |
Questions about the Arcade
- When was the Arcade Classics released?
- The Arcade Classics was released in 1970 by Various. It is a generation 1 console with a library of roughly 2000 titles.
- What are the Arcade specifications?
- Processor: Various processors depending on era and manufacturer. Memory: Varied widely by system and era. Graphics: Custom hardware optimized for specific games. Audio: Ranged from simple beeps to advanced synthesizers. Media: ROM chips, later CD-ROM and hard drives.
- Can you emulate Arcade games on a retro handheld?
- 5 of 5 handhelds with published testing run Arcade well enough to play. The cheapest is the TrimUI Brick at around $65. Every rating traces to testing by someone who had the hardware.
- Which Arcade games are covered here?
- 10 titles: Pac-Man, Street Fighter II, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Mortal Kombat, Centipede, Frogger, Defender, Asteroids, Space Invaders.
Fun Facts & Trivia
- • Pac-Man was originally called Puck-Man in Japan
- • Street Fighter II popularized the fighting game genre
- • Many arcade games were ported to home consoles
- • MAME preserves thousands of classic arcade games