Arcade Machine... Have one???

LV-426RS

LV-426RS

CAGiversary!
I'm thinking of getting an arcade machine. Does anyone have any that could give me some advice?

Should I go old school and get a cheaper one or should I pay a bit more and get a newer one? I'm thinking old school but I'm afraid I may tire of it too soon. Or should I forget the arcade and go pinball?
 
Pinball's always great, and I never get bored of it.

I've always wanted an arcade machine, too, but I think it might be better to get the kind that can play ROMS or you can get one where you can swap out carts.

Hell, I guess it would be cool to get one where you can just hook up a console to it and play that way.
 
I've got a Robotron 2084 cabinet.

My advice - look for a less than popular Jamma compatable game. The reason I say this is if you get a Jamma based system you can swap out the board & get new game boards for it. Jamma is pretty much the standard, most arcade games are jamma, probably about 75% of the games from the mid 80's & up.

Or get a Neo-Geo MVS cabinet. Then it's just a matter of swapping out the cartidge inside. With an MVS you can even get them with multiple cartidge slots that will allow you to have more than one game set up at a time.


Whatever you do make sure you know of a repair service in your area, just in case.
 
You can buy the Cabinet shell at Fry's electronics and then put your Xbox and playstation in it. They come with the arcade sticks and buttons. Quite good especially if you are into fighters.

One thing I have to add: I saw the Cabinent at the San Jose Frys; Not the one in Contra Costa County (I suddenly forgot the name of the city).

I hope this helps.
 
I was originally wanting to get a pinball machine but they are a little more pricaey and require higher maintanence. Thanks for all the info so far.
 
[quote name='Supernothing']I was originally wanting to get a pinball machine but they are a little more pricaey and require higher maintanence. Thanks for all the info so far.[/quote]

I will second the higher maintanence. A frend of my owns the TMNT pinball machine. He's a HUGE tard for TMNT, he's also got the first arcade game. Anyway within the first month he had to replace the fuses for both flippers, and get a chunk of it re-wired. The service man just said that it's the nature of pinball machines due to the large amount of moving parts...
 
Definately a pinball machine. Plus it would be a great investment.. however, they're much more difficult to service.

I'm planning on building a MAME cabinet after more games are fully fuctional in MAME (namely Radiant Silvergun).
 
[quote name='Xevious']You can buy the Cabinet shell at Fry's electronics and then put your Xbox and playstation in it. They come with the arcade sticks and buttons. Quite good especially if you are into fighters.

One thing I have to add: I saw the Cabinent at the San Jose Frys; Not the one in Contra Costa County (I suddenly forgot the name of the city).

I hope this helps.[/quote]

Concord Fry's I imagine your talking about.

I myself don't have a cabinet, but my friend is thinking of getting one in his new house. I suggested Pinball because I thought it woujld never get old, but he was thinking more along the lines of a Jurrasic Park game. I say pick whatever you will enjoy the most.
 
I have a tempest and a galaga machine out in my garage that I have to work on to get running again. Got them free so it was worth it.
 
[quote name='goldengraham'][quote name='Xevious']You can buy the Cabinet shell at Fry's electronics and then put your Xbox and playstation in it. They come with the arcade sticks and buttons. Quite good especially if you are into fighters.

One thing I have to add: I saw the Cabinent at the San Jose Frys; Not the one in Contra Costa County (I suddenly forgot the name of the city).

I hope this helps.[/quote]

Concord Fry's I imagine your talking about.

I myself don't have a cabinet, but my friend is thinking of getting one in his new house. I suggested Pinball because I thought it woujld never get old, but he was thinking more along the lines of a Jurrasic Park game. I say pick whatever you will enjoy the most.[/quote]
That jurassic park lightgun one is pretty fun, but I would want the beachhead 2000 or w/e one with the full size turret
 
Definatly a MVS machine. Just make sure you take the time to check out the monitor, inside the cabinet, etc. Nothing better than getting a nifty machine home and finding out the inside looks like a family of mice moved out. My Ex- wife bought me one for Christmas one year. After I fixed the control panel, it was ok, but she could have done much better for 4 hundred bucks if she had just taken the time to look at it.

Pinball machines are fun, having had both, I'd say it's a draw. Pinball definatly has it's replay value, but they are a bit bigger in most cases. Upright cabinets aren't as much of a space hog.
 
As much as I love pinball, they're very pricey to obtain and maintain. I had a friend back when I was younger who's dad actually repaired pinball machines so they had like 4 of them in their basement. I miss going over there to play pinball all night.....

Anyways, something I WOULD recommend looking into would be a Neo Geo MVS. My roommate has one in our living room and it only set him back around $400 with two games. Plus you could always buy new game cartridges for it so you'd neven really get sick of it.
 
mame is alot better if your dont mind that whole pirateing issue. and if its only for home use.

i got a mame cabinent, with trackball, 2 player 6 buttons. and all other arcade jibbajabba, for 300 bucks, and an old working computer for like 200. and other paint/marque for 100. so all together, it cost me 600 bucks.
 
I have been building my own cabinet from scratch for the last month or so. I should be done with it this week. I decided to go with the 27" screen and the Slickstik controllers. I will post some pics of it this week once it is done. if anyone is interested, I got the plans from www.mameroom.com. Dont worry, there is no illegal stuff on this site, just plans for cabinets and jukebox's as far as I can tell.
 
[quote name='flizmo007']I have been building my own cabinet from scratch for the last month or so. I should be done with it this week. I decided to go with the 27" screen and the Slickstik controllers. I will post some pics of it this week once it is done. if anyone is interested, I got the plans from www.mameroom.com. Dont worry, there is no illegal stuff on this site, just plans for cabinets and jukebox's as far as I can tell.[/quote]

What's the total cost for something like this? I love building things and I love video games even more - this seems like a perfect project for me - however, I don't know much about mame or computers or anything so hopefully I could get a detailed explanation on how to wire it up...
 
[quote name='javeryh'][quote name='flizmo007']I have been building my own cabinet from scratch for the last month or so. I should be done with it this week. I decided to go with the 27" screen and the Slickstik controllers. I will post some pics of it this week once it is done. if anyone is interested, I got the plans from www.mameroom.com. Dont worry, there is no illegal stuff on this site, just plans for cabinets and jukebox's as far as I can tell.[/quote]

What's the total cost for something like this? I love building things and I love video games even more - this seems like a perfect project for me - however, I don't know much about mame or computers or anything so hopefully I could get a detailed explanation on how to wire it up...[/quote]

It can get pretty expensive. Keep in mind that you must purchase the MDF, laminate, bezel, TV (if you dont already have one) computer, joysticks (if you decide to buy and not build), trim, coin door, just to name a few. I spent well over $700 total, and thats because I already had a PC that I used.

I did purchase the Slikstick control panel, which increased the price an extra $450. www.slikstik.com

Well woth it in the end though....
 
[quote name='flizmo007'][quote name='javeryh'][quote name='flizmo007']I have been building my own cabinet from scratch for the last month or so. I should be done with it this week. I decided to go with the 27" screen and the Slickstik controllers. I will post some pics of it this week once it is done. if anyone is interested, I got the plans from www.mameroom.com. Dont worry, there is no illegal stuff on this site, just plans for cabinets and jukebox's as far as I can tell.[/quote]

What's the total cost for something like this? I love building things and I love video games even more - this seems like a perfect project for me - however, I don't know much about mame or computers or anything so hopefully I could get a detailed explanation on how to wire it up...[/quote]

It can get pretty expensive. Keep in mind that you must purchase the MDF, laminate, bezel, TV (if you dont already have one) computer, joysticks (if you decide to buy and not build), trim, coin door, just to name a few. I spent well over $700 total, and thats because I already had a PC that I used.

I did purchase the Slikstick control panel, which increased the price an extra $450. www.slikstik.com

Well woth it in the end though....[/quote]

Cool. That's not too bad for something that took probably weeks of fun (and frustration, I'm sure) to put together. Plus the finished product looks great and is a lot of fun...
 
Your budget is going to decide whether you get a crappy old game, a classic, or something newer. If it is something that people will put quarters in then expect to pay in excess of $1000. That being said...the recomendation of buying a Jamma cabinet is a good one. Boards can be had on ebay pretty cheaply and you will get tired of playing whatever you have. Most of mine are more pieces of furniture at this point, but they always impress people.

With that as a preface - http://www.superauctions.com/

I highly recomend these auctions and this company. However READ the FAQ and go prepared. These auctions are generaly attended by professionals and collectors alike, so expect to pay what things are worth (but you would be surprised at what some things are worth). The first time i went to one of these was 10 years ago and it blew my mind, many high quality games can be had for under $100.

Do your research before hand, go to the preview, set a budget, and be prepared to move this hulking beast into your home that night
 
Does anyone know of something similar to the X-Arcade cabinet? I need something with all the parts pre-assembled already, and all I have to do is add a console or PC.
 
I've got a Hanaho Arcade PC Deluxe (thanks to some kind people over at Logitech), their units come with a package of licensed Capcom MAME roms, and more are available through STARROMS.

I also owned an Arch Rivals dedicated machine that I ended up selling.

My advice is that unless you're getting a unit that you would absolutely want, and know you won't tire of, you may be better off getting a multi cabinet (MAME-based or Neo-Geo MVS). I also can't reccomend getting one of the new Capcom system kits since many of the legit boards do have a self destruct built into them (believe it's 5 to 10 years).
 
I think its the battery that kills CAPCOM boards (they cost a ton to replace)

I had looked into getting an arcade, but held off, mainly because I could not find a cabinet close enough to where shipping was not really expensive.. For Christmas I want to get a Neo Geo MVS or AES. I figure with an MVS I can get a ton of great fighters and if I ever get bored, than I can take out the adaptor and fix it to play some CAPCOM games.

also check www.namcoarcade.com. They have some good deals from time to time.
 
[quote name='whitereflection']Anyone know if the book "Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine" by John St. Clair is good or not for novices?[/quote]

I'm currently reading it and so far it seems like the perfect book for novices - everything is diagramed and explained in detail (I'm only on chapter 4 though)... I can't wait to get started!
 
I've got a Vs. Super Mario Bros. machine in my garage that I bought off of eBay and picked up (Well, I was 13 so my dad drove). Be careful because arcade games are VERY heavy.
 
[quote name='javeryh'][quote name='whitereflection']Anyone know if the book "Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine" by John St. Clair is good or not for novices?[/quote]

I'm currently reading it and so far it seems like the perfect book for novices - everything is diagramed and explained in detail (I'm only on chapter 4 though)... I can't wait to get started![/quote]

Let us know how things go with the cabinet. If you have any questions or run into any issues, I may be able to help you out. I nearly finished my cabinet over the weekend and will be taking pics shortly. I just have to head over to Kinkos and pick up the marquee that I had printed and install it... Good luck
 
I was looking into that in ebay but shipping/ handling + packaging fees are too high.

Hey would any one in Chicago landarea have a arcade machine for sell or know of a place that sell them? :)
 
[quote name='flizmo007'][quote name='javeryh'][quote name='whitereflection']Anyone know if the book "Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine" by John St. Clair is good or not for novices?[/quote]

I'm currently reading it and so far it seems like the perfect book for novices - everything is diagramed and explained in detail (I'm only on chapter 4 though)... I can't wait to get started![/quote]

Let us know how things go with the cabinet. If you have any questions or run into any issues, I may be able to help you out. I nearly finished my cabinet over the weekend and will be taking pics shortly. I just have to head over to Kinkos and pick up the marquee that I had printed and install it... Good luck[/quote]

Congrats on finishing the cabinet! How long did it take? I will defintiely document my building process - I'll start a thread or something on CAG. I probably can't begin actual construction for a couple of months though for personal (time-consuming) reasons. In the mean time I am researching and designing what I want it to look like and what I want it to do. I used to be pretty skilled building models out of wood but I've never built something with electrical parts. I guess you never know until you try....
 
I would love to have an arcade machine, but I doubt my folks would be thrilled about me bringing one home. So that why I settled with one of these

http://www.jakkstvgames.com/

can you mod these things into a full on arcade cabinit. Because I'm thinking that would really drop the price to make one. Also how much to one of those Reto-Arcade machines with all the capcom games cost ? Those would be really cool to own.
 
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