Keeping Arcade Cabinet History Alive on the Red Sea Coast
A small crew of collectors and archivists in Sharm El Sheikh documenting joystick lore, cabinet builds, and the machines that shaped arcade culture.
Learn the HistoryWhat Drives This Archive
Built by collectors, not curators chasing clicks
Every cabinet profile and joystick timeline is cross-checked against manufacturer manuals, service bulletins, and firsthand restoration notes before it gets published.
We don't just write about PCBs and control panels — we disassemble, photograph, and document real units pulled from our own restoration bay.
No affiliate clutter, no recycled press releases. Just the stories behind the cabinets, told by people who spend weekends soldering and sourcing rare parts.
Arcade history from the Middle East and Red Sea region gets little attention elsewhere, so we're building a record that would otherwise be lost.
From Readers of the Archive
Found their piece on the Egyptian arcade import scene from the late 80s and it completely changed how I thought about regional gaming history. Sourced with actual photos of cabinet serial plates, not just stock images.
I emailed them about a mystery joystick I bought at a swap meet and they actually replied with a breakdown of the microswitch layout and probable manufacturer. Took two days but the detail was worth the wait.
The write-up on control panel wiring diagrams from the early 90s saved me from frying a board during my own restoration. Clear diagrams, no vague guesses like some other sites give you.