IMP Gaming’s Mini Arcade Pro turned my Switch 2 into a tabletop arcade machine

Introduction

Gamers of a certain vintage will have fond memories of arcades. If you wanted unique, cutting edge gaming experiences, you had to leave the house to find these hallowed spaces, losing an untold numbers of coins to cynically designed machines or the player standing right next to you. Recently, tabletop cabinets have catered to that kind of nostalgia in the same way as mini consoles – but they can be pricey. What if you already own arcade-perfect games and just want the means to unlock that arcade-like experience?

IMP Gaming’s Mini Arcade Pro is a budget solution designed specifically for Nintendo Switch owners, whether you own the latest Switch 2 model, the OG, or its OLED iteration. The low $90/£45 price is down to this being an arcade controller and stand for your console, rather than standalone hardware; slide in your Switch and it transforms into a mini bartop cabinet with a joystick, buttons, and no slot for devouring your spare change. But budget doesn’t mean it feels cheap. This sturdy piece of kit feels good playing classic fighting games or any other retro titles you own.

Is it a gimmick if you just prefer playing on the big screen rather than in tabletop mode, or something genuinely worth adding to a Switch owner’s Christmas stocking?

Design and features: arcade thrills

Although the Mini Arcade Pro isn’t a controller that just works immediately out of the box, assembling its parts is easy enough, with no need for any additional tools. The panels clip securely into the base, with a mechanism to release them if you need to disassemble. You then just insert your Switch console.

Two adapters come in the box: one for the Switch 2 and another that fits the Switch 1 or Switch OLED models. Both slot home around the USB-C connector on the base, at which point the Mini Arcade Pro functions just like a wired controller. It has the modern fight stick layout, with a joystick and eight buttons front-and-centre but also additional buttons at the top. Here that includes a C button and home button, with the latter actually powering on your Switch 2 – something other third-party controllers don’t always manage.

Quite why IMP left out something so obvious – the capture button – perplexes me, though. I doubt many Switch 2 owners would use GameChat while playing on the Mini Arcade Pro, but am pretty sure they’d still want access to what’s the fastest screenshot capture function of all current consoles. Its omission feels like a huge oversight.

This isn’t just a controller, either. The back has space up to twelve Switch game cards or microSD cards. I wasn’t convinced the shallow grooves would be secure enough, but after slotting in a few of my game cards and giving the unit a good shake, none fell out.

There’s also a USB-C slot at the bottom for connecting your Switch’s power adapter, making the Mini Arcade Pro an alternative to the Switch’s stock dock – though this one won’t also output to a TV. The bright, presentable aesthetic helps, with art that doesn’t feel brash or scream big gamer energy.

Performance: Switching gears

As the name suggests, the Mini Arcade Pro’s joystick and buttons are smaller than a standard fight stick. They’re identical to a mini cabinet like Sega’s Astro City Mini – and still larger than the buttons that come on a Joy-Con.

The width of the cabinet makes it more comfortable to use than the Astro City, which forces you to keep your hands cramped around the controls. More importantly, they all have the satisfying tactile clicks you’d expect from arcade hardware. Hopping on fighting game legend Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike via the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, I was confidently performing charging attacks and quarter circle specials and supers right away. Another nice addition is a turbo button that lets you perform inputs like Chun-LI’s lightning legs by just holding a button instead of mashing it.

Arcade classics from other genres, like shoot ’em up Radiant Silvergun and competitive puzzler Puyo Puyo 2, were equally at home here, but you can of course play any other game from your Switch library. Roguelite beat-em-up Absolum, and of course Street Fighter 6 (which runs superbly on Switch 2) are equally comfortable.

Given the competitive spirit of arcades, it’s perhaps a shame this is only a one-player controller – though I bet squeezing in another set of buttons wouldn’t have been comfortable for either player. You can of course have a second player join with a wireless controller, though having to lean from the side to get a look of the screen does put them at a small disadvantage.

This is a weighty thing, at just under a kilo before adding your Switch, but a non-slip base ensures it stays locked to whatever surface you place it on. There’s no ability to adjust the console’s viewing angle, so you might need to raise it up a bit for the best visibility; found it better placed on top of a cushion while gaming on my lap, as an alternative to knackering out my arms holding the Switch 2 in handheld mode, just to get some extra height.

Compatibility: Short-changed

Kudos to IMP for ensuring the Mini Arcade Pro is compatible with older Switch consoles, despite the new one selling like hot cakes. The concession is that the Switch 1 and OLED’s smaller display size leaves a considerable amount of unused space around the bezel. I’d have preferred two separate versions that don’t involve the faff of inserting the console into a separate, flimsy-feeling plastic caddy.

During my testing, a Switch 2 firmware update also broke the Mini Arcade Pro’s C button and the home button power-on function. Only a small batch were affected, and IMP has since issued its own firmware update (which requires plugging the unit into a PC with a USB-C female cable, that the company will also provide for free if required) to fix it.

You can at least still reach the console’s power button – the caddy has been designed to keep the volume buttons, 3.5mm port, game card slot and cooling vents clear. There’s no extra USB-C port, though, making it a little ironic that IMP includes a C button only for you to not be able to connect a USB-C camera and make full use of GameChat’s features.

While the joystick can be toggled to act as either the D-pad or the left or right analogue sticks of a standard controller, it won’t let you move and aim at the same time in modern 3D games that assign a second stick to the camera. You’re also stuffed with any game that requires clicking the sticks in.

Using the cabinet as a stand while you play with the Joy-Cons or other wireless controller is an option, but one that’s nowhere near as flexible as the Switch 2’s built-in kickstand.

IMP Mini Arcade Pro verdict

If you’re a Switch owner (of either generation) looking for an arcade experience in your home that’s a bit more tactile than running MAME on your laptop, the Mini Arcade Pro is mostly a winner.

There’s still room for improvement should a successor ever arrive, like adding a capture button and ditching the console caddy by going all in on the Switch 2. It’ll also be largely wasted on anyone without a decent library of games that suit the arcade controller layout.

But if you fit that niche, then the Mini Arcade Pro is an inexpensive and stylish way to transport yourself back to arcade’s heyday.

IMP Mini Arcade Pro technical specifications

Compatibility	Nintendo Switch / Switch OLED / Switch 2
Connectivity	USB-C
Dimensions	220x188x173mm, 990g