Every now and then something lands in our inbox that makes us stop what we’re doing. This week, it’s the Alpha Galaxy from OneMore – a brand-new 681-in-1 vertical arcade board from the company behind the well-received Alpha Fight and Alpha 3D Max systems.
If you’ve been following OneMore’s recent releases, you’ll know they’ve built a solid reputation for feature-packed arcade boards aimed at both collectors and commercial operators. With the Alpha Galaxy, they’re taking a slightly different route by focusing entirely on vertical arcade games.
And honestly? We think that’s a smart move.
Built for vertical cabinets
Anyone who’s ever searched for a decent vertical multi-game board will know they’re surprisingly hard to find. There are loads of horizontal systems boasting thousands of games, but dedicated tate boards are still a bit of a rarity.
Designed specifically for vertical cabinets, the board runs on a Linux-based platform and offers HDMI and VGA output, customisable controls, trackball support and plenty of operator settings. Whether you’re breathing new life into an old cabinet or building one from scratch, it looks like OneMore has tried to make installation as painless as possible.
It’s All About the Games
Let’s be honest… the hardware is nice, but we’re all here for the games.
The Alpha Galaxy comes loaded with 681 classic vertical arcade titles, with the emphasis firmly on the golden age of the arcade rather than modern hardware.
Expect favourites including 1942, 1943, Raiden, Raiden II, Twin Cobra, Truxton, Tiger Heli, Aero Fighters, Gun.Smoke, Sky Shark, Terra Cresta, Strikers 1945 and Varth, alongside Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Galaxian, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Dig Dug, Frogger, BurgerTime, Bomb Jack, Mr. Do!, Mappy and Q*bert.
And yes… there are also plenty of those wonderfully obscure games you’ve never heard of. Don’t be surprised if you load one up out of curiosity and suddenly realise you’ve spent the last 45 minutes trying to beat a game you couldn’t even pronounce five minutes earlier.
Setting Expectations
Before anyone heads straight to the comments asking where the Naomi or Atomiswave games are, it’s worth remembering what the Alpha Galaxy is designed to be.
This isn’t a board that’s trying to emulate every arcade platform ever made. Instead, OneMore has concentrated on the era that made vertical cabinets so iconic. Think classic Toaplan shooters, Psikyo favourites, early Capcom, Irem, Jaleco and plenty of other arcade greats from the ’80s and ’90s.
If you’re looking for later hardware or more demanding arcade systems, this probably isn’t the board for you. But that’s not a criticism—it’s simply not what the Alpha Galaxy is trying to do.
More Than Just Another ROM Board
Search, favourites, recently played, custom button mapping, adjustable difficulty, editable game lists, free play or coin operation and timed play all help make this feel much more polished than simply dropping hundreds of ROMs into a menu.
First Impressions
On paper, the Alpha Galaxy is shaping up to be another interesting release from OneMore. Will it replace a dedicated PC setup running the latest emulators? No. Was it ever supposed to? Also no. What it does appear to offer is a carefully put together collection of classic vertical arcade games backed by a polished feature set. We’ll reserve final judgement until we’ve had hands-on time with one.
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Are you looking at giving the Alpha Galaxy a try?
Do you think OneMore has got the formula right with a dedicated vertical board, or were you hoping for something different? Let us know in the comments below—we’d love to hear your thoughts!
