How to Set Up a Retro Gaming Corner with My Arcade Products

Quick answer

Set up a retro gaming corner by choosing a surface at seated elbow height, running one power strip with cable clips, placing a display tray to hold your handhelds upright, and staging two or three Micro Players you actually play. Keep the rest in a drawer and rotate them monthly so the corner stays a play space, not a shelf.

A retro gaming corner works when it is small, powered, and reachable from a chair. The mistake most people make is treating it as a display case first: they buy shelving, arrange 20 handhelds, then never play because nothing is plugged in or within arm's reach.

This guide walks through the setup in order, from picking the surface to rotating what sits out. It uses My Arcade products as concrete examples because the Micro Player and Pocket Player lines are small enough to fit a corner without dominating a room.

Pick the surface before you buy anything else

Measure the wall or corner you have in mind and write down two numbers: available width and the height where your elbows rest when seated. A retro gaming room corner works best at roughly elbow height, because you can grab a handheld, play a round, and put it back without standing up. A low coffee table forces you to lean forward; a high shelf turns play into a reach.

If the corner doubles as a desk, reserve one end for gaming and keep the rest for work. A 60 to 90 cm wide surface is enough for a display tray plus one or two handhelds in active rotation.

• Checkpoint: sit in the chair you will actually use and confirm you can reach the far edge of the surface without standing.

Run power and tame the cables first

Do the boring part before the fun part. Mount or place a single power strip at the back edge of the surface, then route one cable to the wall outlet. Add adhesive cable clips along the back so charging cables stay put when you unplug a handheld. If you skip this, you will end up with a tangle that makes you avoid the corner.

Keep charging cables for two devices out and coil the rest. A short USB cable is easier to manage at a corner station than a long one, because excess length is what creates the mess.

• Common mistake: daisy-chaining multiple power strips. Use one strip with enough outlets and keep it off the floor.

Set up a display tray as the anchor

A display tray setup gives the corner a fixed footprint and keeps handhelds upright instead of sliding around. Place the tray at the back of the surface, angled slightly toward your chair, so the screens read as a row rather than a pile. Leave the front third of the surface empty for the device you are currently playing.

Fill the tray by size and color, not by release order. Grouping similar shapes together makes the corner look intentional, and it makes it obvious which slots are empty when a handheld is out for play.

• Checkpoint: if the tray slides when you bump the surface, add small rubber feet or a non-slip mat underneath.

Choose two or three Micro Players for active duty

The best micro player display is a small one. Pick two or three titles you genuinely return to and keep them in front, charged and ready. Everything else goes in the tray or a drawer. A corner with five playable devices gets more use than one with twenty decorative ones.

Match the titles to how you actually play. Short-session arcade games suit a corner station because you can finish a run in a few minutes and walk away.

• Rotate monthly: swap one active handheld for one from storage so the corner stays interesting without growing.

Add light and a place to sit, then stop

One small lamp aimed at the surface, not at your eyes, is enough. Avoid colored LED strips directly behind the screens, because glare on a small display is worse than no accent lighting. If the corner is in a bright room, check screen visibility at midday before you commit to the position.

The final step is knowing when to stop adding. A retro gaming corner is finished when you can sit down, pick up a device, and play within ten seconds.

• Common mistake: buying more storage before testing whether the corner actually gets used for a month.

Setup steps at a glance

1. Measure the corner and seat height: Write down available width and the height where your elbows rest when seated. Aim for a surface at roughly elbow height so devices are reachable without standing. Checkpoint: if you cannot reach the back edge while seated, lower the surface or move the tray forward.
2. Install one power strip and clip the cables: Place a single strip at the back edge, route one cable to the outlet, and clip charging cables in place. Keep two cables out and coil the rest. Common mistake: running multiple power strips to avoid moving furniture.
3. Place the display tray at the back: Angle the tray slightly toward your chair, fill it by size and color, and leave the front third of the surface clear for the device in play. Checkpoint: bump the surface lightly. If the tray shifts, add non-slip feet.
4. Stage two or three handhelds for active play: Choose titles you return to often, keep them charged and in front, and store the rest. Rotate one device in and one out each month. A small active rotation gets played more than a full shelf.
5. Add one lamp and stop adding: Light the surface, not the screens. Check screen visibility in daylight before finalizing the position. The setup is done when you can sit down and start playing within ten seconds.

Products that fit this setup

• SPACE INVADERS Micro Player Pro: A handheld version of the classic alien-defense arcade game, built for short pick-up-and-play sessions. Its short session length suits a corner station where you play for a few minutes between other tasks.
• All-Star Stadium Micro Player: Includes fully playable versions of BASES LOADED 1, 2, 3 and 4, GOAL!, RACKET ATTACK and HOOPS, with a full color 2.75-inch screen. One device covers seven sports titles, so it earns a front-row slot instead of taking up tray space with multiple handhelds.
• Ms.PAC-MAN Micro Player Pro: The 1982 arcade maze game with simple, addictive gameplay that works for a wide range of players. Easy to hand to a guest, which makes it a good default device to leave out on the surface.
• GAMER V CLASSIC Gray/Purple: Loaded with 220 games and sized to fit in a pocket, purse, bag or backpack. Better as a travel device than a corner fixture; keep it in a drawer and pull it out when you leave the house.

Start with the surface and the power strip, add a display tray, and keep only the handhelds you actually play within reach. That order keeps a retro gaming corner usable instead of turning it into another shelf you walk past.