Arcooda launches 21.3in 4:3 LCD with built in speakers for arcade restorers

Arcooda's new 1600x1200 4:3 monitor adds built-in speakers to its CRT-replacement LCD line, aimed at arcade and retro hardware owners.

AI-drafted from 1 source. This story was written with AI from the outside reporting listed under Sources, and checked by automated tools before it went up. The originals have the full detail.

Arcooda has started selling a new 21.3 inch LCD monitor built specifically for retro and arcade hardware, and for the first time in the company's line-up, it comes with built-in speakers. The panel runs at a native 1600x1200 (a resolution sometimes called UXGA) in a 4:3 aspect ratio, and according to the RetroRGB write-up it can accept video signals from as low as 240p right up to its native resolution across HDMI, VGA, DVI and DisplayPort inputs.

Arcooda's displays exist for a specific reason: replacing dying CRT monitors in arcade cabinets without gutting the rest of the machine. As the RetroRGB write-up explains, a $15 cable and the right mounting bracket let you wire one of these straight to an arcade chassis, whereas most other LCD conversions need custom JAMMA wiring adapters, controller adapters and separate scalers that can cost as much or more while looking worse. That positions Arcooda's boards less as gaming monitors and more as spare parts for machines that would otherwise become unplayable.

Why a 4:3 panel still matters

Old arcade boards, consoles and computers were designed around 4:3 CRTs, and stretching that image onto a widescreen panel or running it through a cheap scaler introduces distortion, input lag, or both. RetroRGB notes that Arcooda's displays are popular with a wider crowd than arcade repair alone, including people building MiSTer or OSSC-based retro setups (a MiSTer is an FPGA-based system for recreating classic hardware, and an OSSC is a line doubler used to feed old consoles into modern displays) who want a native 4:3 image with minimal added delay. Arcooda quotes roughly 1 millisecond of added lag before the image starts drawing, in line with its other models.

The panel is the expensive bit

RetroRGB points out that the panel itself is the same one used in a monitor that retails for over $1,000 on its own, with Arcooda swapping in its own retro-focused control board rather than a standard one. At around $800, the new 21.3 inch model sits in that context: buyers are paying for arcade-grade input flexibility and mounting options, not just a big screen. Arcooda's own product imagery lists support for 15kHz, 25kHz and 31kHz RGB signals, the different scan rates used by arcade boards and consoles of various eras, alongside the UXGA native resolution and 15W integrated speakers.

RetroRGB is upfront that it has not tested the unit itself, but expects it to behave like the firm's existing 1080p and 4K models, just at this panel size and resolution ceiling. The speakers are described as a convenience rather than a hi-fi upgrade, useful for people who don't want to wire in a separate amp and speakers for a cabinet build.

What's still unclear

There is no independent measurement yet of the claimed 1ms lag figure, and no word on how the built-in speakers perform against external audio, beyond RetroRGB's own caveat that a proper speaker set would sound better. The listing is described as in stock at the time of writing, but nothing in the source material says how many units Arcooda has made or how long that will last.

Sources

Image: RetroRGB -

More news from Gaming World