Buttons seem like the simplest part of an arcade cabinet, but the differences between sizes, brands, and switch types genuinely change how a game feels to play — and knowing them will save you from ordering the wrong parts twice.
Standard Sizes
Arcade buttons come in a handful of standardized diameters, and getting this wrong means a button that either falls through the panel hole or won’t seat at all:
- 24mm — the most common size across both American and Japanese-style layouts, used for the vast majority of action buttons.
- 30mm — frequently used for player start buttons, and standard across the SNK Neo Geo control layout.
- 33mm — less common, occasionally used for large single-action buttons like a “bomb” or “smart bomb” trigger.
Convex vs. Concave
American-style buttons (Happ/Suzo Happ) traditionally use a slightly convex, rounded top, while Japanese-style buttons (Sanwa, Seimitsu) are typically concave, curving inward to match the natural resting shape of a fingertip. Neither is objectively better — it’s largely what you’re used to — but mixing the two styles on one panel is an easy way to make a build feel inconsistent under the hand.
The Big Brands
Sanwa’s OBSF-30 (and the 24mm OBSF-24) are the de facto standard in fighting-game and Japanese-style builds — smooth, quiet, and long-lasting. Seimitsu’s PS-14-G is the other major Japanese option, with a slightly heavier actuation feel that some players prefer. On the American side, Happ’s Competition and Ultimate lines are the classic choice found in most original golden-age cabinets, larger and with a more pronounced click.
The Street Fighter II Layout
When Capcom’s Street Fighter II exploded in popularity in 1991, its six-button control scheme — three punch buttons across the top row increasing in strength left to right, three kick buttons across the bottom row doing the same — became the de facto standard for fighting game cabinets industry-wide. If you’re wiring a panel for anything in the fighting genre, matching that layout isn’t just tradition, it’s what every player’s muscle memory already expects.
Illuminated Buttons
LED-illuminated buttons have become popular for home MAME and bartop builds, adding both visual flair and a functional cue for player-start or special-action buttons. They require a bit more wiring knowledge than a standard button — typically 5V or 12V depending on the model, sometimes needing an inline resistor — so check the manufacturer spec before wiring a whole panel’s worth in parallel off a single supply rail.
Diagnosing and Replacing
A “sticky” or unresponsive button is almost always either a worn microswitch or a buildup of grime and spilled drinks inside the housing — decades of bar and arcade use adds up. Most buttons are held to the panel with a simple twist-lock or spring-clip mechanism from underneath, meaning a full swap takes minutes once you’re under the panel, and replacement microswitches or entire buttons are cheap enough that there’s rarely a reason to nurse along a genuinely worn-out original on a machine that’s meant to be played rather than just displayed.
Small as they are, buttons are one of the highest-value upgrades you can make to any cabinet — the difference between a mushy, inconsistent panel and one that feels tournament-ready is often nothing more than a $30 set of replacement switches.