Arcade Game Emulation... Anyone into it?

CheapXJ

CheapXJ

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My roommate and I have been considering purchasing some old arcade games (pac-man, frogger, pole position, zaxxon, etc.)

so I started googling for info about getting parts and building one...

then I stumbled on this:

http://my.ohio.voyager.net/~abartmes/arcade.htm

the thought of powering an arcade cabinet with a PC is really appealing to me. I've got stuff layin around that I can do this with, so the only expenses would be building materials, the controller parts and some kinda monitor.

anybody done anything like this? I just d/l'd MAME and a bunch of roms and I've been playing all my old favorites. just trying to figure out how to make a selectable frontend/menu for the machine to access all the games with the arcade controls. perhaps even make a rotating control board that would have the typical 2-stick/button setup on one face, the trackball/button setup on another face (and have a steering wheel that can be shoved in for pole position) and then a 101 key keyboard/trackball setup on the last face for just straight up computing.
 
I have a huge collection of NES games somewhere on here..... (too many files)

I was addicted to the OG mario's, zelda, contra, and castlevania.
 
Sounds interesting. Looks like a lot of time required to do it.... but could be fun.
Glenn

CheapXJ said:
My roommate and I have been considering purchasing some old arcade games (pac-man, frogger, pole position, zaxxon, etc.)

so I started googling for info about getting parts and building one...

then I stumbled on this:

http://my.ohio.voyager.net/~abartmes/arcade.htm

the thought of powering an arcade cabinet with a PC is really appealing to me. I've got stuff layin around that I can do this with, so the only expenses would be building materials, the controller parts and some kinda monitor.

anybody done anything like this? I just d/l'd MAME and a bunch of roms and I've been playing all my old favorites. just trying to figure out how to make a selectable frontend/menu for the machine to access all the games with the arcade controls. perhaps even make a rotating control board that would have the typical 2-stick/button setup on one face, the trackball/button setup on another face (and have a steering wheel that can be shoved in for pole position) and then a 101 key keyboard/trackball setup on the last face for just straight up computing.
Click to expand...
 
Glenn said:
Sounds interesting. Looks like a lot of time required to do it.... but could be fun.
Glenn
Click to expand...
beats spendin $5k + shipping on an ArcadePC (same thing, prebuilt)


been doing more searching and I've seen people build MP3 jukeboxes into them as well.

this thing's gonna be freeeeekin cool! :clap: :clap: :clap:
 
www.mameworld.net is a cool site.....lots of links

Im into MAME got bout 2,500 roms ....still need another 2,000 to complete..

Have you found the link to the MAME share program?

There are people located around the world who will burn you the complete collection for free..... to date there is over 4,500 roms. All they ask is you send them DVDR's or pay market price for the DVD roms...I think all 4500 will fit on 4-5 DVDRs and they wont ask for more than $25 if you dont want to send them roms.

Never pay for ROMS, you already know that im sure but i figured its worth repeating.

watch what you say and do regarding SNES and NES they are still in business and active in coming after those who have and transfer roms...

The reason MAME project was founded was to save the games. Most of the old arcade companies are gone...or have left the industry...so the best way to preserve those games is through MAME. If you like playing the games there are always groups who need $$$ to buy old boards to emulate them...send em some cash to help EMU these rare games before its too late.

Ill be building a cabinet real soon and stuffing my P3 in it and a 20" monitor..... just need to find the time

Regards
Chewy
 
I too, Have felt the effects of growing up in the 80's and playing Donkey Kong for HOURS AND HOURS...Full size arcade games are not as expensive as you would think....I am planning on ordering a DK/DK jr. machine in the next couple of months....try here.... www.quarterarcade.com


Good luck....


Joe
 
FlexyJOE said:
I too, Have felt the effects of growing up in the 80's and playing Donkey Kong for HOURS AND HOURS...Full size arcade games are not as expensive as you would think....I am planning on ordering a DK/DK jr. machine in the next couple of months....try here.... www.quarterarcade.com


Good luck....


Joe
Click to expand...
Dude... I dunno what your baseline is, but $1000-$2000 is VERY expensive to me. (I have $2400 total into my Jeep dude)

I can make this machine do whatever I want, fit wherever I want and look however I want, play whatever game I want it to and do it all for less than $300.

I'm poor dude, but I'll be damned if I ain't gonna make the best of what little I've got.
 
CheapXJ said:
Dude... I dunno what your baseline is, but $1000-$2000 is VERY expensive to me. (I have $2400 total into my Jeep dude)

I can make this machine do whatever I want, fit wherever I want and look however I want, play whatever game I want it to and do it all for less than $300.

I'm poor dude, but I'll be damned if I ain't gonna make the best of what little I've got.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I didnt mean to offend you, but The whole "feeling" to me of having the game is to have The machine as I remember it, you know the whole big, fullsize game console in my living room. Yes, I know there are "ways" to do the same thing for cheaper, but for me, at least I spend way to much damn time on a computer now, and to pull up a barstool, in my own living room, have a beer, and press the "1 player" button is the scene I am looking for..


Joe
 
you could always buy a Sega Dreamcast then go online and DL the emulator cd which contains EVERY game ever created on NES, it even includes some newly made up ones, as well as the euro and Japanese games, and best of all it is cheap. Go to a funco land and buy the system for a cool $50 and then just burn a cd. Thats all I did and now have my fix for all the original mario games, as well as the classics such as excitebike, and double dragon.
 
FlexyJOE said:
Sorry, I didnt mean to offend you, but The whole "feeling" to me of having the game is to have The machine as I remember it, you know the whole big, fullsize game console in my living room. Yes, I know there are "ways" to do the same thing for cheaper, but for me, at least I spend way to much damn time on a computer now, and to pull up a barstool, in my own living room, have a beer, and press the "1 player" button is the scene I am looking for..


Joe
Click to expand...
you can do that with emulation ;)

It's a matter of building a cabinet (or gutting a used one) and replacing the guts with a PC running emulation software. from there, it's a matter of building and wiring up a controller. The emulators aren't "replicas" of the games, they are rom dumps of the actual games, and when hooked up to the right monitor, using the right controls, you can't tell it's not the actual game, with the exception of one difference.

I'll be able to hit a button and load a different game!
 
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