Over the past decade, the home arcade gaming market has absolutely exploded with numerous devices capable of playing classic arcade games. Depending on what you are looking for, there is a wide range of options available to build your own home arcade, either as stand-up models (i.e. AtGames Legends Ultimate) or those that can easily connect to a television. One of the more popular options is the Pandora’s Box line of arcade gaming consoles. Pandora’s Box is a home arcade gaming machine pre-loaded with a large number of classic arcade games that you can quickly and easily connect to your home television or computer monitor to play to your heart’s content. Read below to find out more about the Pandora’s Box home arcade gaming machine.
What is the Pandora Gaming Console?
Pandora’s Box was started in 2012 by 3A Games as a way to bring arcade classics home to everyone at an affordable price. Many who are technically inclined were already able to emulate and play numerous arcade games. 3A Games sought to bring this technology to the masses, even if they didn’t have computer science degrees.
Over the years, Pandora’s Box has released numerous versions with different technology, game lists, and hardware components. Pandora’s box version 5 had a JAMMA 28-pin connection. Pandora’s box version 6 used a 48-pin black socket, while the PBX plus and PB9 use the A7 chipset. The PBX family has more advanced models, but they’re still the same console. There’s even a version for CRT screens called PBX+ that runs on a JAMMA chip.
Games are Plentiful
Depending on the version of Pandora’s Box you are looking to purchase, the game list can range from 99 games to over 10,000! These games could be well-known classics or, as is often the case, games you may never have heard of. There are games that require you to assemble pieces while others can be completed quickly and easily. You can also browse the most recently played games and hide those you are not playing.
There are multiple models of Pandora’s Box. One of the popular base models is the Pandora’s Box 11s plus, sometimes referred to as the key 7 treasure. The games are reminiscent of arcade machines, but they don’t save high scores or load game progress. The basic version has 399 games while later versions have more than six hundred. This version also has more features than its predecessor, and can even be used to build a custom arcade cabinet.
Ensure you look at the game list for your particular version as the list changes frequently depending on the model. Some games you can expect to see in a Pandora’s Box are listed below:
Airwolf
Aliens
Bad Dudes
Black Tiger
Burger Time
Cabal
Street Fighter
Commando
Mortal Kombat
and many many more…
What are Pandoras Box Clones?
Pandora’s Box clones began as subpar copies of the 3A original product, but they’ve gained popularity and quality in recent years. Despite the popularity of the clones, they sometimes struggle with replicating the performance of the original, and some of the games may not work as intended. Unlike the original Pandora’s Box, clones have solid buttons and are surprisingly affordable. However, the fight sticks can be expensive (up to $100!). If you want to play a more realistic game, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Pandora’s Box clones are a great way to play retro games, without breaking your bank.
The only genuine Pandora’s Boxes are the DX and 6 models. Other clones, such as the Pandoras Box 8, 9, and 9D, are copies. The difference is in the processors. The original Pandora’s Box is faster than its clones, and therefore better-performing. As a result, it’s best to buy an original product, even if it’s more expensive.
Hardware
In late 2017, 3A Game released one of their better models, the fifth version of Pandoras Box Hardware. It used a new arcade board that features an orange/blue case and a quad-core ARM CPU and 2GB of RAM. These improvements helped the system run faster and allow games to run on board without a forced reboot. This model also comes with a preinstalled arcade stick and an orange case.
In addition to the Quad Server PK4, the Pandoras Box PK4 comes with a 6TB hard drive and a quad-core Intel Xeon processor. These features enable the server to support real-time 3D compositing and multi-display applications. Additionally, it features workflow optimization, multi-user mode, show security, and time-saving features. It can even run multiple applications at the same time.
The Pandoras Box product family has versatile projection mapping capabilities. This is achieved by a rectangular block that acts as the projection surface. As the user moves around, the projection content follows. This ensures that the projection content follows the user’s movements in real-time. It is possible to create complex scenes by combining multiple projectors. The process of creating the visuals is easier with this hardware than ever before. It’s a breeze to set up, and the tutorials are easy to follow.
Buttons and Joystick
While most of the Pandoras Boxes ship with standard buttons, you can upgrade them with custom ones to improve the performance. You can get arcade-quality buttons by purchasing Sanwa copies, which are also made in Japan. They are a more affordable option, and the buttons and joysticks are low-profile, making them suitable for most cabinets. They also support custom buttons and image enhancement.
In addition, the control panel for Pandora’s box 5S is two-player compatible and features six buttons on each stick. The joysticks are also programmable. Some users might find it difficult to find the games they want, but there are shortcut keys that make the process easier. These shortcut keys let you go to the recent games list or the search menu, which allows you to find games by full-length names. You can also return to the home screen to save high scores and high scores.
Pandoras Box vs Capcom Home Arcade
If you’re a fan of retro video games and would like to play them in the comfort of your own home, the Pandoras Box and the Capcom Home Arcade are popular choices. Both are essentially arcade-style clones of classic games that can quickly and easily be set up to play almost anywhere. Both machines use an ARM-based System on a Chip (SoC), which emulates the original CPS hardware.
Although the two consoles are incredibly similar in size, they are very different. For one, Pandora’s Box is a bootleg JAMMA XXX-in-1 arcade board manufactured by 3A-Game Electronic Technology in Guangzhou, China. The platform runs the Final Burn Alpha emulator with some tweaks to keep it running at a normal speed, but this emulated console is not without problems. For example, the screen tearing issue is particularly annoying.
There are a couple of problems with the gamepad compatibility on the original Pandora. Despite having an HDMI output of 720p, it’s hit or miss when it comes to compatibility with gamepads. The A7 chip in the EX2 version of the gamepad should tie-up with the original’s operating system. Similarly, the A7 chip in the original Pandoras Box carries over to the new version.
Is a Pandoras Box Game System Worth Buying?
The Pandora Box Arcade console mostly works right out of the box. While there are similar devices online, not many offer such an easy setup to go with such a huge library of games. The console works with HDMI or VGA-compatible TVs. It is not compatible with older television models. If you are unsure of what type of TV to buy, you should research the compatibility requirements before you buy.
Pandoras Box clones are incredibly popular. Unlike the original, they are not manufactured by 3A. In fact, many consumers classify these clones as better than the original due to their affordable pricing and a vast array of games. While their performance doesn’t match up to the original models, they are good enough for many who just want to play some classic arcade games.
