Pacman's Arcade Party home arcade machine, played one?

[atarilovesyou]

After many years, I'm thinking that I'm going to pick up one of these. I've been waiting a while to pick up a Galaga/Ms Pacman, but at the current prices I'd say this is a much better deal as it's loaded with all the Namco games I love.

 

Has anybody actually played one? How were the joysticks, and are there any issues with the eight way vs four way directional sticks like in some home video game systems? I'm talking about the four direction games like Ms Pacman...getting hung up on corners when a diagonal is pressed on the stick (with games like Xevious using 8 way controls).

 

Also, the home unit has Ms Pacman but the coin slot version does not. I was kinda looking forward to having an operating coin slot, as I feel that free play kinda changes the whole vibe (wanna play? Find a quarter! lol!)...but no Ms Pacman would really take away from the machine.

 

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[akator]

I've never seen one in person, but they look interesting. I especially like the cocktail version.

 

I'm talking about the four direction games like Ms Pacman...getting hung up on corners when a diagonal is pressed on

the stick (with games like Xevious using 8 way controls).

 

Personally, I don't have problems with my 8-way sticks when playing 4-way games.

 

Then again, there are tons of people who do. I don't think anyone is going to be able to answer that for you, it's something you'll have to check on by actually playing the cabinet.

 

For the price I've seen these going for, I would definitely recommend trying one before you buy it.

 

Also, the home unit has Ms Pacman but the coin slot version does not. I was kinda looking forward to having an operating coin slot, as I feel that free play kinda changes the whole vibe (wanna play? Find a quarter! lol!)...but no Ms Pacman would really take away from the machine.

 

I noticed that as well. My immediate thought was to buy a working coin door from Suzo-Happ and install it

[atarilovesyou]

Hmmmm, looking at a few different sites and it seems these latest versions have LCD screens...the older ones have CRT. I'm not sure, but I do think I'd prefer the ol' CRT. Any thoughts?

[akator]

CRT is way, way better.

 

I have a 2003 HD CRT TV as the monitor I use for my MAME/emulation station. Even though it isn't an arcade monitor, it still looks awesome for emulation and works with light guns.

 

I understand why people would use an LCD for an arcade cabinet, but the CRTs are so much better. They have the glow, look, and feel of the arcade... even the HD CRT.

 

Of course, if I had no choice, I would take an LCD if the emulation allowed for "effects," to make the higher-res LCD look and act more like a CRT.

 

I don't know if that helps... but $3K is a lot to spend if the controllers and display aren't going to give you the exact experience you want.

[atarilovesyou]

I hear ya! Thanks for the tips, it's pretty much was I was going with as well. The Class of 81 cabinet might be my best bet, but dang...that machine ain't so cheap either. If they were 1500 USD, I'd buy one right away. But for only two games?...a bit steep.

[akator]

I understand... although I've never been in the market to spend $3K on a cabinet.

 

Instead I've made my own cabinets.

• I started with X-Arcade control panels, played games with emulators, and figured out what additional controls I wanted ($200 and time).
  
• Added an old PC or Mac, then graduated to a 22W nettop that plays all of the games I care about ($250, and it's also a media PC that does HDTV)
  
• I build various cabinets, but the only things I had room to keep were "bartops"
  
• I built 2 upright cabinets with LCDs, but had to move and they couldn't go with us, plus I liked CRT displays better
  

Basically, you can have anything you want, even if you don't want to do any major work. Find a design you like online, give the design to a CNC woodworking shop and get the design cut from the lumber, then simply assemble the parts, paint it, and put everything into it. You might have to go through the horrible experience of getting a custom sized sheet of glass or lexan cut for your display area (sarcasm, it's easy). Even if you don't want to deal with wiring the control panel, just buy an X-Arcade and install the parts from that (You can always upgrade or add other controls later if you want.). Put a cheap PC inside, then choose a CRT.

 

You will have the exact monitor, controls, and cabinet you want -- and it will probably be 1/2 to 2/3 the price of the machine you are currently looking at. Best of all, it will be perfect for you and play every arcade game, console game, and handheld game possible.

 

The cabinets I've built won't be breaking for 50 years unless they've been left outside in the the rain and snow. The pre-made cabinets I've seen will last 10 years with kids (maybe 20 with only adults and never a beverage around), but then they're going to look ragged because they're made from particle board. Chips, moisture, everything screws up particle board.

 

...

 

 

There are so many options.... perhaps fewer than 10 years ago, but still many...

[atarilovesyou]

You make a great point! What type of wood do you prefer? Would a good plywood work just as well, or would it tend to warp over time? Also, I happen to have a 6 year old PC I rarely use and could turn into a platform for the games. My issue is the controls...X Arcade seemed like an option, but then I heard that there can be a small amount of delay in the inputs...you know, you press a button and there's a slight latency. I was considering it for my PS2 a few years back. Plus, I'm not sure I dig the design...directional microswitches, and the buttons I believe are also microswitched. I dig the old school feel of the leaf-switches. I'm sure there's something for everybody, but you make a great case!

 

For the games I really want, like the early 80's games, it seems a vertical monitor is the way to go...for Galaga especially (my fave game). But are there some monitors which work equally well for both styles of games? I'm thinking Double Dragon era games favour the wider, horizontal type CRTs but I could be wrong. What do you think?

[akator]

I prefer MDF when building things I'm going to paint. Many prefer cabinet grade plywood. It really comes down to personal preference, since both can make great arcade cabinets.

 

The only time I experienced responsiveness problems with an X-Arcade was because the keyboard auto-repeat was on. If you don't like the X-Arcade controls, you can easily assemble your own panel from Suzo Happ.

 

I've had no problems using a large horizontally-oriented CRT for MAME. Sure, it's not perfectionist, but I don't need something rotatable and I don't need 2 cabinets (one vertical and one horizontal displays).

[atarilovesyou]

Is that what some guys do, install some kind of monitor that you can rotate?...sounds like an idea, but could be difficult to implement.

[akator]

People have been building MAME cabinets for over a decade, so yes -- things like rotating monitors and swapable control panels have been done many times. If you're interested in pursuing a MAME cabinet, definitely check out the forums at BYOAC.

[DrThielegood]

Just found this thread and figured I'd give my 2 cents. When I started my MAME cab project I had aspirations of doing the swapable CP/rotating Monitor thing, but I found that once I had the 19 inch crt horizontally mounted, with 2 3-buttons setups with 8 ways I decided to leave it as-is. I play alot of vertical games on the cab but MAME simply shrinks it to fit. Sounds lousy, but I have found the screen size to be no smaller than a cabaret style monitor (13in) so its definitely playable. To each their own but I found that the time and cost savings in leaving it as-is allowed me more time and money to buy, and restore more dedicated URs and, of course, consoles.

 

Cheers

Bob

Edited January 8, 2012 by DrThielegood

[DrThielegood]

FYI,

 

Here's my cab playing DK. You can kinda make out the edges of the horizontal monitor if you look closely. See...definitely playable. This pic was taken shortly after I had finished the cab. I have since picked up and restored an actual DK (there's nothing like the real thing...for better or worse). Sorry for the "2 screen showing at once" ghosting...it must have been something with the camera.

 

Bob

[atarilovesyou]

You're right, that looks definitely playable and good! I dig the three button layout...I only wish that leaf-switch buttons and joysticks were still available, I'd definitely choose those over the microswitch variety. Lots to think about!

[akator]

You're right, that looks definitely playable and good! I dig the three button layout...I only wish that leaf-switch buttons and joysticks were still available, I'd definitely choose those over the microswitch variety. Lots to think about!

 

A Google search for "leaf-switch arcade buttons" provided 2 reputable suppilers in the top two hits.