Sidekick companion displays mount wherever fits your build — next to the main marquee, flush into
a control panel, or anywhere else that makes sense — and you can plug in as many as you like. Each
one shows box art, game descriptions, logos, controller legends, RetroAchievements status, and live
score/stat HUDs for select MAME and FBNeo games, plus Pixelcade widgets like sports scores, stocks,
weather, What to Watch, Retro Trivia, an earthquake monitor, planes overhead, and more. Touch-enabled
models let you swipe through box art, descriptions, and other display modes on demand. They run on
off-the-shelf ESP32 display boards and connect with a single USB cable — power comes over that
same cable, so no separate power supply is needed. (Running several displays at once? A powered USB hub
keeps them all fed.) Here’s what’s supported today, and the two ways to get one running.
Two Ways to Get a Sidekick Running
Buy From Pixelcade
A pre-flashed, ready-to-plug-in unit with arcade mount. Connect it over USB, pick the model in
Companion, and it’s licensed and working immediately — no purchase step needed afterward.
DIY — Bring Your Own Board
Buy any of the supported displays below yourself from your usual retailer, then:
- Plug it in over USB — Companion detects it automatically.
- Activate it with a one-time Sidekick purchase — $49 if you already own a
Pixelcade LED or LCD marquee, $99 if you don’t. Unlocks unlimited Sidekick devices on this
machine, DIY or bought direct, all the same.
- Flash Pixelcade’s firmware from Sidekick settings in the Pixelcade Companion mobile app
(one tap). If you run into any issues flashing from the app, you can flash instead from a desktop
computer using the web-based flasher
— a backup method that only works in a Chrome or Edge desktop browser (it requires Web
Serial, which isn’t available on mobile browsers or Safari/Firefox).
Supported Displays
Resistive vs. capacitive touch: the touch-capable boards use one of two different touch
technologies — the 2.8″/3.5″ boards are resistive (pressure-sensing, needs a
one-time calibration in Sidekick settings), while the 5″/7″/Tab5 boards are
capacitive (finger-sensing, same technology as a phone screen, no calibration needed). If a size
is available in both a resistive and capacitive version, prefer the capacitive one — it’s
more accurate and more responsive. Resistive touch still works fine, it’s just less precise and needs
a firmer, more deliberate tap.
Where to Buy links: these point to specific listings we’ve verified work well, but retailers
change listings, go out of stock, or get replaced by newer revisions over time. If a link is dead or
looks wrong, use the Search For term in that row to find a current equivalent — any board
matching that search should work the same way.
Note on 5″ boards: several different vendors sell electrically-identical RGB-parallel
panels under different model numbers/brand names for this resolution — any 800×480
ESP32-S3 board matching the search term above should work, but the exact printed model number on
the board itself can vary by supplier batch.
Note on 7″ boards: unlike the 5″ size, the two 7″ listings above are genuinely
different hardware, not just different branding of the same board — different pixel-clock pin,
timing, and touch controller wiring. Picking the wrong one in Companion during setup (or flashing the
wrong firmware) will show a white or blank screen. Check your board’s silkscreen: the Elecrow board is
marked ESP32-8048S070C (with a trailing “C”); the Sunton board is marked ESP32-8048S070
(no trailing “C”).
M5Stack Tab5 extras: the Tab5 has a few capabilities the other displays don’t. It
auto-rotates between portrait and landscape as you physically turn it, with no setting to
change. It has a built-in speaker that plays short chimes for certain events, like unlocking a
RetroAchievement. And its faster processor makes touch gestures — swiping between box art,
descriptions, and other display modes — noticeably smoother than on the other boards.
Not sure which size fits your cabinet? Larger panels (5″/7″/Tab5) are easier to read at a
glance and show more detail per card; smaller panels (2.8″/3.5″/AMOLED) fit tighter spaces.
All models render every Sidekick card type identically — the choice is purely about screen size
and mounting room.
