I'm going down the route of having a 2 player 8-way vertical cab, and a single player 4-way vertical cab. I like both types of games. I can't do without the 8-way shooters like Flying Shark, Raiden, Commando, etc, but I definitely want to play the classics with a proper 4 way. Luckily I have the space (just)! If I didn't have the space I think it would be a CP with both 8-way and 4-way joysticks on, or separate panels.
I have the room but I am getting down to not having the room for everything I want. I have a converted Galaga/Ms Pac reunion cab that I have as a dedicated 4 way vert, a converted Arcade Legends for horizontal, Stargate/Defender cabaret, Buck Hunter Safari/World, and a Golden Tee stadium with a flat panel that I have GT 2020, Silver Strike, Putt Putt, and Target Toss that uses a multiboot I/O board I scored years ago with a hard drive selector to select which game to boot. With the dart board and pool table I have room for one maybe two more units. I will probably end up doing the 8-way vert simply because there are some of the games that I have very fond memories of and well at 50 nostalgia is ---smurfette--- to overcome. I really want to build a sim/arcade rig with one of those new uber fancy Fanatec gear drive units. I also really want an Asteroids machine. If only we had unlimited space, time, and money in this hobby
I am planning to build an arcade cabinet with a rotatable screen and an interchangeable control panel using hand knobs in the corners. One machine, any purpose.
We entertain a lot with our older kids and their friends in college, grandkids, friends, etc. During parties, people are on all of the games, shooting pool, or throwing darts. A single multi-game unit wouldn't work well. Even swapping control panels would be too much especially after the beer starts flowing