Arcade machines have long been a staple of multiplayer gaming, offering seamless experiences even in fast-paced competitive or cooperative play. To prevent lag or desynchronization (desync), arcade cabinets employ several key techniques:

1. Localized Hardware Synchronization: Most arcade machines use a single system board to manage multiple players, ensuring all inputs and outputs are processed simultaneously. This eliminates network latency since players share the same hardware.

2. Frame-Locked Updates: Games run on a fixed frame rate, with all player inputs synchronized to the same frame. This prevents discrepancies between players' screens, maintaining consistency.

3. Deterministic Logic: Arcade games rely on deterministic algorithms, where identical inputs always produce the same outputs. This avoids desync issues common in networked games.

4. Minimal Input Delay: High-quality arcade hardware reduces input latency, ensuring immediate response times for all players.

5. Peer-to-Peer Emulation (for linked cabinets): In setups with multiple cabinets, peer-to-peer communication ensures minimal lag by directly syncing data between machines without a central server.

By combining these methods, arcade machines deliver lag-free multiplayer experiences, a key reason for their enduring popularity in competitive gaming.