This is the Polycade Sente, it’s a wall-mounted retro arcade system created by Tyler Bushnell – the son of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell.
The Polycade allows you to play the great games of the 1970s and 1980s – all in a single unit that doesn’t require any quarters. There are all mounted and cabinet mounted versions, and it has swappable arcade controllers to suit different games.
This is the Polycade Sente, it’s a wall-mounted retro arcade system created by Tyler Bushnell – the son of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell.
History Speedrun: The Polycade Sente
The Polycade Sente is a modern modular arcade system designed to bridge the gap between retro gaming and more modern PC gaming-levels of performance. Created by Tyler Bushnell – the son of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell – the Polycade continues a family tradition that began with Nolan’s 1980s company Sente Technologies, known for its swappable arcade hardware.
In 2023, Polycade launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1.6 million USD, funding the production of this new modular cabinet built for both home and for commercial use.
The Sente’s design was based on its need for both multi-game flexibility and the toughness it needs for its potential use in commercial environments. The cabinet is built from welded powdercoated steel and can be either wall-mounted or placed on a freestanding base.
Its greatest selling point is its modularity – users can replace the control panels to suit different genres of games – from joy stick and button based fighting and shooting games, to trackball-based classics. The system also has Sanwa joysticks and buttons, a 24 inch 1080p display, stereo audio, a hidden drawer for a keyboard, mouse, and other accessories, and programmable LED lighting.
Buyers can order it with a pre-configured mini-PC or install their own computer, console, or emulation setup through a removable bay underneath.
The Polycade Sente’s greatest selling point is its modularity – users can replace the control panels to suit different genres of games – from joy stick and button based fighting and shooting games, to trackball-based classics.
The software side is handled by Polycade AGS (Arcade Gaming Software), a front-end platform that unites retro and modern titles under one simple to navigate interface. It supports the Polycade game store, as well as Steam, GOG, and itch.io libraries, and can emulate classic systems through pre-loaded cores for MAME, NES, SNES, Genesis, and Atari titles.
The Polycade Sente is now available to order online directly from the official Polycade store here, it comes in a wide array of color and livery options, and there are a huge variety of additional accessories available.
Images courtesy of Polycade
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