1988 · Capcom · US · arcade
Capcom CPS-1/2/3
Three arcade boards, and a decade of Capcom's defining games — Street Fighter II included.
Mixed Trivial to run ▶ Watch on YouTube ↗
Capcom's arcade boards across three generations, 1988 to 1999 — the silicon behind a decade of the company's defining games. The CPS-1 gave the world Final Fight and Ghouls'n Ghosts; the CPS-2, Street Fighter II and its endless revisions.
The CPS-3 bowed out with Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, still argued to be the finest 2D fighter ever drawn.
What it cost
roughly 75% of a month's pay in 1988 · about $3,102 today
| CPS-1 arcade PCB launch price (¥150,000 / ~$1,200 USD) |
¥150,000 (1988)
Capcom arcade system board behind Street Fighter II and Final Fight. |
|---|---|
| Typical street price | — No verified mass-market street price recorded yet. |
| CPS Changer home system (¥39,800) | ¥39,800
Home edition playing genuine arcade boards. |
| Units sold | ≈10,000 estimate Ultra-rare collector system with an estimated 10,000 units produced. |
Why it mattered
These boards carried Capcom through its golden age and, with Street Fighter II, revived the arcade business worldwide and turned the fighting game into a competitive sport.
Emulating it today
| Emulators | FB Neo (FinalBurn Neo), MAME |
|---|---|
| Setup effort | Trivial to run (1 on this site's scale) |
| Controls | A standard modern controller covers the ordinary controls, though unusual accessories may need custom mapping. |
| Runs on a handheld | Yes |
The emulator names above are starting points, not a promise that every title or accessory behaves identically. Computer platforms usually add model selection, disk handling and keyboard setup even when CPU emulation itself is mature.
Arcade QSound / Motherboard BIOS (qsound.zip)
Capcom CPS-1, CPS-2, and CPS-3 arcade boards run in FinalBurn Neo and MAME. CPS-2 games require the QSound DSP audio ROM (qsound.zip / qsound_hle) to decode music and sound effects properly.
How many files you need: 1. One archive: qsound.zip in the ROMs directory for CPS-2 audio.
Where it stands legally: Copyrighted by Capcom Co., Ltd.; extracted from arcade board ROMs.
Firmware details checked 2026-08. Emulator requirements change — see Libretro — FinalBurn Neo documentation for the current list.
Where the software is
Preservation catalogues describe verified dumps; they do not grant permission to download commercial software. A curated, correctly matched set is easier to use than an undifferentiated archive.
Copyright: Commercial software remains copyrighted unless its owner explicitly released or relicensed it. Homebrew, public-domain programs and current reissues should be treated separately from abandoned commercial titles.
This site names preservation projects and explains what they are. It does not link to ROM downloads.
Where to start
- Street Fighter II: The World Warrior 1991 fighting
The board's reason to exist; it rebuilt the entire arcade business around it.
- Ghouls'n Ghosts 1988 run and gun
- Final Fight 1989 beat 'em up
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike 1999 fighting
The CPS-3 swan song, and to many the finest 2D fighter ever drawn.
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes 1998 fighting
- Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara 1996 beat 'em up
- Progear 2001 shoot 'em up
The verdict
Essential. Some of the best 2D games ever made, and they emulate near-perfectly in MAME or FinalBurn Neo.
The catalogue spans three boards and many revisions — a little research helps you find the definitive version of each game.
- Worth it if
- Players curious about the cd-rom false dawn and willing to learn how the original machine worked.
- Not for
- Anyone who wants a large, instantly accessible library and no model, firmware or control decisions.
Scored 3/5 for fun today and 3/5 for historical importance. Those two scores decide the label at the top — a machine can matter enormously and still be no fun.
Read more & watch
This page is 50% complete against the facts we try to record for every system. Gaps are shown as gaps.