X-Arcade vs Polycade

Empty crate vs open PC

The money looks like a $499 rounding error until you name what is in the box. X-Arcade Machine 32 is $2,000: 73 inches tall, 400 lb, American-made, 32-inch LED, ships assembled, games not included. You add the computer. You add the games. Polycade Sente is $2,499: 90 lb powder-coated steel, Sanwa JLF sticks, octagonal restrictors, eight buttons per player, 24-inch 1080p 75Hz panel, and an open PC already in the drawer (256GB SSD, 8GB DDR5, Ryzen 6850U). The Arcade Co sells both. We will not load ROMs onto an empty X-Arcade and then take a software return.

Xgaming (Pittsburgh) has sold this commercial-grade upright for years. Twenty-plus years in arcade hardware. No assembly. That honesty is why it is on this floor. If you want a turnkey licensed menu, that is Dreamcade Vision 32 $3,999 list, 300+ titles, cannot add Steam. If you want a real empty cabinet that will still be here in fifteen years, the X-Arcade is the cheap-for-what-it-is option. Cheap is 400 lb. Cheap is a liftgate. Cheap is two people on the receiving end.

What $2,000 vs $2,499 actually buys

X-Arcade money buys American iron and a 32-inch LED in a 73-inch cabinet. It does not buy a PC. It does not buy Steam. It does not buy a licensed menu. It does not buy Sanwa JLF with octagonal restrictors as a Polycade spec. You are buying a crate that will outlast a fashion cabinet if you know how to feed it. If you do not know how to feed it, $2,000 is an expensive empty room.

Sente money buys the control panel and the computer together. Sanwa deck. Open PC. 90 lb. Published freight $250 continental / $500 HI/AK on one machine, 1–4 days out, 3–7 in transit. You still bring the library (Polycade store, Steam, GOG, your own titles). You do not bring a second computer. You do not wait for a 400 lb freight appointment unless you buy the freestanding pedestal SKU as a separate decision. Standard Sente is 25.5 inches W × 42 inches H × 14.5 inches D. It hangs or stands. It is not a 73-inch operator silhouette, and we will not pretend it is.

The $499 gap closes the wrong direction

Buyers who “save” $499 on the X-Arcade then add a mini-PC, a harness, a front-end, and a weekend of software often spend past $2,499 and still do not have Sanwa in a 90 lb powder-coated body with a published $250 freight line. If your plan is a PC anyway, start at Sente. If your plan is original boards, a dedicated build, and a cabinet that weighs 400 lb on purpose, start at the X-Arcade. The Arcade Co will not assemble that plan for you on a returnable invoice.

400 lb vs 90 lb is the delivery

X-Arcade Machine 32: 400 lb, 73 inches tall, 32-inch LED, liftgate required, two people to receive. A Victorian stair loses. The Arcade Co will refuse a ticket that loses the stair. Inspect the crate on the truck. Photograph crushed corners, wet cardboard, and tilt indicators before you sign. This is the machine that destroys a month if you skip delivery photos. Concealed damage: 48 hours.

Sente: 90 lb, parcel-class crate, $250 continental published, $500 HI/AK. Confirm stairs. Confirm a stud if you wall-mount. Confirm the pedestal path if you buy freestanding Sente + marquee at $3,399 instead of the $2,499 wall cabinet. Still photograph the crate. Still 48 hours on concealed damage. Still not a 400 lb event. Path rules for both live in the buying guide: door width, stair turn, ceiling, crate class, liftgate.

Who should buy the empty $2,000 crate

You want American-made commercial-grade wood and metal at 73 inches. You have a board collection, a PC build, or a console plan. You have two people and a liftgate. You understand games are not in the crate. You will not email The Arcade Co for a ROM pack after delivery. You want a cabinet that still exists when a fashion multicade is landfill. That is the X-Arcade Machine 32 buyer. Product page: /product/xarcade-machine-32. The $199 Tankstick is the USB try-before-a-crate SKU if you are not sure you will play. It is not this comparison.

Who should buy Sente $2,499

You want Sanwa JLF, octagonal restrictors, eight buttons per player, and a 24-inch 1080p 75Hz panel in 90 lb of powder-coated steel. You own Steam or you will buy from the Polycade store. You want $250 published continental freight. You do not want to source a computer. You do not want a 400 lb liftgate Saturday. Start at /product/polycade-sente-white. If you actually wanted 300 licensed titles and no ROM conversation, that is Vision 32 $3,999 list: Polycade Sente vs Dreamcade Vision 32.

What The Arcade Co will not do

We will not load ROMs onto an empty X-Arcade and then take a software return. We will not call the $2,000 crate a $2,499 open PC. We will not call Sente a 32-inch 400 lb American upright. We will not combine two freight classes into one mystery pallet. We will not stock Arcade1Up so this pair looks cheaper in a screenshot. Mass-retail context: Compare. If you can only buy one rec-room cabinet and you want a control panel that lasts, the awards page is Best Home Arcade Machines 2026.

Power: Sente is 100–240V, 5A. X-Arcade is standard cabinet power, confirm at order, 110V class on this floor. Manufacturer warrants the serial. The Arcade Co is the dealer of record. Unused, original crate, authorized RMA. A 400 lb cabinet coming back is a freight event. An open PC with your Steam account on it is not a mood return.