From my own experience, I wouldn't build an authentic cabinet again. My cab was in my kitchen, and it was just mame. It got played some, but the novelty wore off a bit. When the original PC died, I modified the cabinet to have front-USB ports on the bezel. Then I used it for music, movies, internet, and old console games. I used my Xbox 360 PC controllers for most games, but NES games were fine with the arcade buttons and joystick. Much of the time, the keyboard just sat on top of my CP. It was hardly elegant, but it got used a whole lot more.
And after I switched PCs, the bottom half was empty. The cabinet was so bloody big, I used the bottom to store board games. But since I hadn't built the cabinet with storage in mind, it was a pain in the ass and never quite good. The only time it got used as an arcade cabinet was during parties, and we'd mostly stick to Joust.
Next time I'll either build a slimmer cabinet with built-in storage to minimize the impact in the room, or a more artistic piece, so it's a piece of respectable furniture in its own right.