After the RGB JAMMA 1 and the RGB JAMMA 2, now used in many arcade cabinets across France and around the world, Recalbox is taking the next step. Today, we are launching the Kickstarter for the Recalbox JVS — a Raspberry Pi 5 HAT, plug-and-play and designed for JVS arcade cabinets, representing the culmination of several years of work at the heart of the arcade scene.

JVS: the arcade standard of the last 25 years

Introduced in the late 1990s, JVS accompanied the transition toward a new generation of arcade cabinets. While JAMMA relied on a 56-pin analog connector, JVS modernized everything: inputs are managed by an IOBoard and transmitted digitally via RS-485, the system is expandable, and it natively supports steering wheels, light guns, and multiplayer configurations. Naomi Universal Cabinet, New Net City, Net City, Vewlix, NoirCab, Lindbergh, Windy 2 — the vast majority of “modern” arcade cabinets use this standard. Many of these machines are now left orphaned from their original hardware. That is precisely the problem the Recalbox JVS solves.

What the Recalbox JVS does

Connect the Recalbox JVS in place of your cabinet’s original system — five cables, just a few seconds — and enjoy the full Recalbox experience: 2D and 3D arcade games, Naomi, Atomiswave, Dreamcast, consoles, and microcomputers. The cabinet is automatically detected, setup is completed in just a few steps directly on the CRT screen, and that’s it. No additional configuration required.

Technically, the Recalbox JVS features a 24-bit RGB DAC with dedicated buffers, automatic 15/24/31 kHz video compatibility, HDMI output for LCD cabinets, an I²S audio DAC up to 384 kHz / 32-bit, and less than 1 ms of input lag. The standalone firmware, accessible directly from your cabinet’s screen, also allows you to monitor +5V and +12V voltages in real time, test controls, image and sound, and view the playtime counter.

240pGrid and Link Mode

Two features deserve special mention. 240pGrid is aimed at exclusively 31 kHz cabinets: it reproduces the look of a 15 kHz CRT on a 31 kHz display, including scanlines and authentic pixel geometry. For anyone with a Vewlix or Noir Cabinet wanting to play Metal Slug or Street Fighter II the way they deserve, this is a concrete solution to a very real problem.

The authentic rendering is far more convincing on CRTs

Link Mode, meanwhile, allows two JVS cabinets to be controlled with a single Recalbox JVS. Each cabinet keeps its own video output, audio output, and IOBoard. 1vs1 fighting games, 2vs2 multiplayer with up to four simultaneous players — those who have seen us, or will see us, at HFS Summer with the two cabinets linked together know exactly what we’re talking about.

The Kickstarter is live

Today is the big day. After months of development, testing, and a few sleepless nights, the Recalbox JVS Kickstarter is officially live. All the details, stretch goals, and options are available on the page — go check it out, and if the project speaks to you, if you want to give your JVS cabinet a second life, now is the time to join us.

👉 Support the Recalbox JVS on Kickstarter

Why support the project

Developing hardware requires investment — both in time and money. This Kickstarter allows us to fund research and development, production, and to do it together with you — just like we did for the RGB JAMMA. Every JVS cabinet brought back to life is another piece of arcade history preserved, and it’s your cabinets being reborn with all the simplicity and ecosystem that define Recalbox. That’s exactly what has driven us since day one.

In addition to the full presentation video available on the Kickstarter page, which goes into every detail of the project, we also produced during the R&D and prototyping phase a series of 5 videos reserved for our Patrons, diving behind the scenes of the Recalbox JVS development. To celebrate the launch of the Kickstarter campaign, we are opening them today to everyone — you’ll find them below:

Episode 1 / Episode 2 / Episode 3 / Episode 4 / Episode 5

👉 Support the Recalbox JVS on Kickstarter

Thank you to everyone who has supported us since the beginning of this adventure.

Enjoying the work of the Recalbox team? Support the project by becoming a Patron!