Update August 2026: The spinner also works decently in RetroArch. MAME (current) works out of the box, while FBNeo is tricky to configure.
Briefly as regards FBNeo: You will need a Game Remap File, e.g. for Arkanoid, that assigns Port 1 controls to Mouse Full. Should the spinner buttons not work (this was in my case), it helped to switch the mouse index to #2 and back to #1, and from there on, it suddenly worked altogether.
I haven't yet looked into finetuning, such as mouse sensitivity, but very good to see that RetroArch works with the spinner - due to the superb graphics settings in RetroArch, that's a win.
Original post from 26. 4. 2020:
Arkanoid was very popular amongst us youngsters. I was one those that managed all 100 levels, but certainly not with just one coin. I also think that this was just manageable in the cocktail table version due to the stamina and focus required for this difficult game. We typically used to take the challenge by two, so that after dying, you could relax a bit while the other guy plays, and that worked out quite well.
A spinner for MAME has always been in my plans simply because of Arkanoid. But I always hesitated because I wanted a standalone spinner (for reasons stated below), while basically all online instructions relate to integrating a spinner into your overall arcade control panel.
Now, finally, it is there and works just perfectly.
 |
| My prototype with cardboard. As you can see, very decent styling. I might even stick with the cardboard version because it works so well. |
