Neon — The OLED Showpiece

The definitive choice for a modern, high-end arcade cabinet with an OLED or 4K HDR display. Built on modern web technologies (Electron/React), Neon provides a clean, cinematic experience like Netflix or Apple TV for your ROM library. Best support for high-resolution displays and HDR. Smooth vector-based animations and high-quality typography that is never pixelated on 4K.

Trade-off: "Modern-Hardware Only." Requires a decent GPU for a 60FPS interface. Not recommended for budget builds or low-power SBCs.

The Visual Purity Philosophy

Neon is the "Visual Purity" choice for enthusiasts wanting a cabinet that looks like modern furniture. It is built on a "Modern-Web" architecture. Neon uses a simple JSON-based metadata format — adding games is as straightforward as editing a JSON file, making it accessible to anyone comfortable with modern web development concepts.

The ABC Setup Workflow

Phase A: Foundation

Download Neon from the official source. Install to a dedicated folder. Neon requires a modern GPU (GTX 1060 / RX 580 or better) for smooth 4K animations.

Phase B: Library Configuration

Configure your ROM paths in the Neon settings panel. Neon uses JSON metadata files to define your library. Point Neon to your emulator executables and ROM directories.

Phase C: Display Optimization

Enable HDR in Windows display settings before launching Neon for the best visual experience on OLED/HDR displays. Configure the display resolution in Neon settings to match your panel's native resolution.

Final Verdict

Neon is the "Visual Purity" choice. If you have invested in a high-end OLED or 4K HDR display for your arcade cabinet, Neon is the only frontend that truly does justice to that hardware. Its modern-web architecture means the UI is always crisp, smooth, and visually stunning — the kind of interface that makes people ask "what is that?" when they walk into your game room.