Reddit reviews Arcade Buttons EG STARTS 1 Player DIY Kit Joystick 5V LED Arcade Button for Arcade Stick PC Games Mame Raspberry pi

I've actually done this, and my three year old loves it! Our favorite games at the moment are Bubble Bobble, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario 3, and anything with Kirby in it. More important than the games though, the magic that made this work for us was building a simple joystick. The ball joystick and the big buttons make it easier to play with the gross motor skills of a three year old. It looks really cool with big, bright, colorful, light-up buttons, it plays video games, and we made it together... so he LOVES that thing.

We used a kit from Amazon and a sturdy black cardboard box for our prototype. We chose four buttons of different colors (red, blue, yellow, green) to help him remember which button does what. We also added two smaller white buttons for start and select on the front. Most games we play together with him sitting on my lap and me helping with the controls, but lately he's been playing Bubble Bobble on his own when we play two player. It's been about six months now, and we're still using the "prototype" we built for his third birthday because it turned out so well.

I'm really happy we did it and I totally recommend it.

Here's a pic

I made one with this cabinet kit here and it turned out great!

https://gameroomsolutions.com/shop/mini-virtual-pinball-cabinet/

It was also very easy to put together.

I didn’t buy the buttons on that website. I used this set from amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M2X88QP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LhiaCb58GD9DY

And these extras

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N11BDX9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OiiaCb502ZZ0G

I chose to use those buttons because they were easier to hook up and didn’t require any real knowledge of electronics or wiring. They snap into a to a usb board and plug right into the computer. There is no delay that I can notice.

The play field is a 27 inch monitor and the back glass is an 18.5 inch monitor.

I also used some command strips to put an old pair of computer speakers inside of it.

As for the computer I used this one, but it was a bit over kill

https://www.microcenter.com/product/507837/pavilion-790-0031-gaming-desktop-computer

Edit: just saw that you were good on wood working so you probably don’t need the info about the cabinet kit, sorry about that

Arcade Buttons EG STARTS 1 Player DIY Kit Joystick 5V LED Arcade Button for Arcade Stick PC Games Mame Raspberry pi https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M2X88QP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.WPYDbH6Q07CP

I think I'm going to go with these and do a 1 player (2 player alternating) setup.

Thanks updated the post

(EG STARTS Zero Delay USB Encoder To PC Games Red Joystick + 10x LED Illuminated Push Buttons For Arcade Joystick DIY Kits Parts Mame Raspberry Pi 2 3 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01M2X88QP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_v2X3CbGVFB4P4)

Any questions let me know. There's also kits like this that you can buy to make an arcade-style joystick.

I bought this kit.
Arcade Buttons EG STARTS 1 Player... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M2X88QP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Joystick works great for classic games that don't requires complex moves like a fighting game. It is very clicky, but maybe that's normal. When I mod my MK cab I might buy a true Sanwa joystick.

Note: the buttons have a bit different feel. They are not clicky since the switch is built in. A bit like keys on a keyboard. They work fine.