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I dream of a cartridge MAME console


lucifershalo

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Being a fan and collector of 8 bit cartridge console I would love to have a MAME console with illustrated label cartridge of MAME roms to play 80s arcade games.....

I'm a little confused. You'd like a console-based MAME machine that takes carts with individual arcade games? Effectively, you want MAME on a chip, for instant boot, so you wouldn't have to wait for OS boot, I'm guessing.

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It would be nice if all these companies such as Atari, Namco, Sega, etc. would allow their classic games to be put on one system and sell them to people who want to buy them. I'm sure it can be done. These companies would have a chance to make a little money instead of having people download ROMS on their MAME cabinets. I know I would buy it. There's still an interest in classic arcade games.

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With suitable hardware and software you could make such a thing from an embedded PC104 motherboard. However I'm not sure what the minimum requirements are for MAME to make a suggestion. You'd plug your 2600 Galaga cart in or any other 2600 cart. "Power on" (which just tells the PC104 to ID the cart. Once the cart had been recognised the system would load up Galaga in MAME and away you go.

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You have 2600 Galaga cart????? :-o :-o :-o :-o

 

Nope! It was just an example.

 

your idea is interesting...

and going one step further, Groovybee, would it be possible to have carts of games that dont exist on home consoles

like a cart with a "code" telling the MAME program to lauch the approriate game?

 

You could use any old 2600 cart. Its just a "key" to load the game. You'd tell the console what key loads what game. That way you could have a Pacman cart loading up Street Fighter.

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ok, The "key" will be burned onto a new Eprom, right?

can you "program" those keys?

 

No. Like this ...

Or do you mean that for example

2600 Pac Man can load MAME Anteater

2600 Imagic Demon Attack can load MAME SPace Cruiser

etc

 

You would insert the cart and then tell the console what game it needs to load when that cart is inserted again.

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There are too many variables to cite a definitive "minimum PC requirement" for MAME.

 

For what it's worth, the first PC I used in my cabinet was an 8 year-old HP, sub 2GHz single-core AMD upgraded to 2 GB RAM, with onboard video and running XP. It was too underpowered to run Direct3D video mode, so I had to use DirectDraw, but I don't think that matters too much on CRT monitors (which I have in my cabinet).

 

It ran pretty much everything I wanted to play at full speed without a hitch, but I do prefer the older games for the most part. The one game it struggled with that I actually care about was Tekken 2, which is my favorite arcade fighter. It would play but it was choppy and slow due to the 3D. I later replaced that PC with an $80 used one I bought off some kid in the local classifieds, and Tekken 2 runs like a champ now. Honestly, I don't even remember what the specs are on the replacement PC but they're certainly nothing to write home about. I probably could have talked the guy down to $50-$60 if I really really wanted to.

Edited by Cynicaster
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I'd really love to see a commercial product like this, even though I've built my own MAME machine. As Lucifershalo suggested earlier, it would be great to be able to collect a library of legal classic arcade games, especially those never ported to the consoles, or made available in recent compilations. My ideal product would consist of multiple components:

 

1. A base console that accepts that carts and can use standard USB controllers.

2. Optional control panel with dual joysticks and arcade buttons.

3. Optional trackball, spinner and analog stick add-on's

4. Optional bartop sized cabinet with montior and marquee that attaches to the console and control panel components.

5. Optional base to set the bartop assembly on to create a near full-sized arcade game

 

This way, you could take it as far as you like (or as far as your budget will allow.) The initial investment should be pretty low for a basic console that can play all the 70's, 80's, and early 90's games. The real trick, of course, would be getting licensing from all the rights holders. It's safe to say you'd never get Nintendo to buy into this, but just about every other company has licensed their games out to one modern project or another. It would take a company with some means to get this off the ground and make it affordable. With most potential customers already being satisfied with the current options (classic console ports, modern console compilations, downloadable games, plug n plays, MAME cabinets) I doubt it will ever happen, But for me, it's the dream project that I would most like to see happen.

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I believe the OP was wanting some sort of console, whatever it may be made from. And the most important aspect of this, the cartridge.

 

You could get a shit laptop, and build a console around it. Output the video however you see fit. Wire up the controls via USB. Build a collection of cartridges on SD. Each game gets stored on an SD card. And you store all the SDs in a cigar box. Each SD gets a nice little postage stamp of a label. Or if SD isn't your style, just go and build them from old 2600 carts. or whatever.

 

Eitherway, this will need to be a homebrew project. whatever.

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