Mini Arcade Alert!

[Glen's Retro Show]

[Andromeda Stardust]

Thanks for the video.

 

I just wanted to comment about the sound on my Galaga unit. I am very familiar with the nes game and this plays identical to the game. Various noacs all have various issues in the audio department. Most notorious are those with swapped 25% and 50% duty cycles which affect everything. Super Mario Bros gives a whump sound when mario jumps instead of oieee. Others have correct duty cycles but may have errors in the noise channel, volume registers, or other artifacts affecting specific games. Galaga here is one of these targets, specifically the bullet effects. About 50% of the time, the bullet effects are totally wrong, whereas the rest of the time it's normal. Try to forgive the shooting sound effect, and most other sounds are correct. The noac processes audio instructions slightly differently than the nes, and this specific sound effect in this specific game is affected. Galaga may sound off on this specific noac but another noac sound fine. And that other noac may have it's own audio issues with other games. It is playing russian roulette with clone chips because they come from different vendors and device manufacturers will often change vendors without warning based on what's available or cheapest.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I planned on taking my Dig Dug apart this weekend so I'll let you now what I find out. I'll also check the Burgertime board out to see if it has the same solder connections.

 

This is a little off topic; my local Walmart has almost most of this stuff together in the electronic section except for the Bridge Direct mini's and two plug & plays (Atari 2600 and Pac-Man) which are in the board game section. They have those MSI NES single game plug & plays above the Dreamgear and Tiny Arcade machines. I noticed they had a UPC code for a MSI machine next to Mega Man 2 that was sold out and it was labeled "MSI Street Fighter", any idea what this is?

I'd love to hear back from you. It's unfortunate that you have to cosmetically damage the labels to access the inside of the unit. It's basically killed any desire I have to try and open my Pacman / Galaga units.

 

As well you'll need access to both buttons in order for all embedded games to be playable. Any game rom requiring A and B won't do with a cab that just utilizes A. Any game rom requiring one or more buttons won't work with the pacman cab.

 

My advice for adding dip switches: Buy something with both buttons that has the list of games you want if you're going to perform a dip switch mod on it.

[Tanooki]

Hey I wanted to point this out since Glen did a video on it too fairly recently and it has been an ongoing topic of discussion it's about hte 10" Data East cabinet.

Walmart (online deal only) is currently having it at a 1/3 off sale for $65 with free shipping. Far nicer than $100. Breaks down to $2.80 a game instead of $4.35 throwing some fun math at it.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mini-Collectible-Retro-Arcade-Machine-Player-dreamGEAR-My-Arcade-Retro-Gaming-845620032006/637794619

[Andromeda Stardust]

It looks like the new versions of Centipede and Qbert may be out in the wild. I just came across a YouTube video of a girl showing off the revamped Centipede. It's weird because just this past weekend I got a Centipede that still has the 7800/NES version of the game. Even though I hate the squatter and thinner build of these downgraded machines, I find myself really attracted in a nostalgic way to that glowing LCD style gameplay. I'm curious to see how they approach that Asteroids game they intend to release in the fall.

 

I picked up the AF1 NOAC Cenipede recently on eBay, now I have a desire to get this dumbed down port next time I see it. Possibly swing by bed Bath and Beyond if they're not at TRU and Wally World. I do like the colored VFD inspired displays. I did grow up with Tiger LCDs and Game N Watch and stuff. I seen it in stores but haven't picked it up yet.

 

The bonanza of cheap micro arcades with all sorts of variances in build quality and emulation makes these addicting to collect. It's like the wild wild west of arcade reproductions.

 

I still believe the My Arcades have the highest build quality though from what I've seen so far...

[Glen's Retro Show]

[Andromeda Stardust]

I think I have a problem...

 

LOOK WHAT YOU GUYS MADE ME DO!!!

[Glen's Retro Show]

[Skeeter]

These are my MyArcades. I won the Burger Time on a Twitter contest. Picked up the other three this past weekend at WallyWorld. I also have the four original Tiny Arcades and seven of the Basic Fun/Walmart brands. None of them are perfect and I wasn't expecting them to be. But I like them, and IMHO the MyArcades are the best of the lot.

 

[Tanooki]

It is so hard for me to not buy those little My Arcade NOACs since they dropped them $10 over the first run. Namco, solid(enough) NES emulators, and 2 of the 3 I really love (never liked Dig Dug much, love the sequel.) If I ever saw them on a discount or on a flea space or clearance or thrift rack probably irresistible. I think knowing they do those 10" models is what's stopping me.

 

I keep questioning the DE one with the walmart price drop currently. I know I like Joe & Mac, Bad Dudes, Breakthru, Burgertime, Heavy Barrel, and B-Wings. I'd assume sequels would be solid to those and probably bloody wolf too but the rest seem like gutter filler mostly, so I kind of question on the whole if I'd get my value which is annoying. I wouldn't flinch on a 30odd game list of Namco titles though.

[Andromeda Stardust]

These are my MyArcades. I won the Burger Time on a Twitter contest. Picked up the other three this past weekend at WallyWorld. I also have the four original Tiny Arcades and seven of the Basic Fun/Walmart brands. None of them are perfect and I wasn't expecting them to be. But I like them, and IMHO the MyArcades are the best of the lot.

 

Same ones I picked out. They are selling like gangbusters at Walmart. Currently Burgertime is the only Data East unit that interests me. Karate Champ and Bad Dudes, while not terrible games, seem like they would be better served on a traditional NES / TV than as wasted efforts with the minicade treatment.

 

Ditto for Caveman Ninja (Joe & Mac) and Heavy Barrel, though I haven't played those before. Despite they look like interesting games from an NES perspective, I really don't want to play long, complex games on these little things. And why did they change the name "Joe & Mac" to "Caveman Ninja?" Is it a regional thing (ie like how Teenage Mutant "Hero" Turtles came out in Europe because the term "Ninja" was considered too violent)? Though I do like the new name better, those not familiar with the original game might think it's some generic platformer filler and pass it up.

 

I would also like to see more games coming out. There was a Galaxian prototype at the Toy Fair, and though Centipede was never officially released on NES, there is the NOAC port of it as well as the original NES Millipede game. Personally, I find Centipede on the 7800 (Joystick or AA trackball hack) to be more engaging than NES Millipede port. Like Dig Dug and Galaxian were only released in Japan, there's also a little known Space Invaders port that would make for nice NOAC arcade fodder. And while I secretly wish for a "Donkey Kong Classics" cab, we all know that will never happen, it being a Nintendo IP...

 

I'm aware Millipede, Centipede, and Space Invaders aren't Namco or Data East properties, but both have been licensed recently to other manufacturers, so I'm assuming they are available if My Arcade Gaming ever decides to branch out beyond Namco and Data East licenses.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Regarding the Coleco Evolved kickstarter again.....

 

A parody made by a friend but honestly I think these might have been more interesting!

 

 

 

[Skeeter]

Back at CES a few months ago MyArcade showed a few more that aren't out yet, Mappy and Galaxian. They were also showing a black Pac-Man.

 

 

 

 

Like @Kosmic Stardust, I'm not interested in any of the Data East titles besides Burger Time. I may get them at some point but they're not high on my list.When they were doing the contest give-aways I never thought I'd win, much less get Burger Time if I did. Well I did and I did so that was pretty cool. Now with E3 fast approaching I suspect will be seeing more and hopefully getting a little more info.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I'd definitely get Mappy and Galaxian and basically eat up any Namco arcade IP they decide to throw at us. The more advanced Data East games from the late 80s to early 90s, IMO just belong on a console. I may be interested in the 10" arcade at some point but I need to do more research. So far I've adjusted to Pacmam with no major issues.

 

I also tried to play Burgertime last night with little success. Annoyingly about Burgertime is if you're more than one pixel above or below the platform you cannot move laterally making tight precision all the more critical. More often than not, I try to move but sit there and die.

 

The Dpad sticks definitely need to be "tightened" considerably for use with 4-way games (this can easily be performed by inserting tiny squares of tape under the dome to raise the Dpad slightly) but it's impossible to open the cabs without damage to the side marquee...

[Andromeda Stardust]

Back at CES a few months ago MyArcade showed a few more that aren't out yet, Mappy and Galaxian. They were also showing a black Pac-Man.

 

 

 

 

I'm almost wondering if Pacman would have looked better in black plastic. It seems Pacman is the only one that's not black, causing it to stand out. It would have been cool if other games came out in special colors though...

[Tanooki]

I can help out. I agree on the platformers not being the best fit as they're the NES releases in that cabinet but that's the only reason. Caveman Ninja was the real name of the arcade game, actually Joe & Mac Caveman Ninja was it in full so it's a variation of it. In the US it got on console the Joe & Mac name, in PAL it was Caveman Ninja. It's just messy. It would be exactly that because the cowardly thing over simple words that mutilated the TMNT into the Teenage Mutant HERO Turtles is why. It's also why Contra was banned until they were robots and called Probotector, more political cowardice and censorship.

 

The Galaxian game brought up, it's build into the board for Galaga and another, the MyArcades are like Bridge Direct, jumper based, you set the right bridge, and another game posts. Mappy is hiding too.

 

It's like the Bridge Direct JOUST that hides Defender on its jumper, and if you pull that board and put it in a Rampage (which has the needed buttons Joust lacks) you can make a working cabinet they failed to put out. Look at their numbers 1-8 (Joust), then NO 9, and 10 (Rampage.) Makes you wonder if that childish IP garbage over Pinball Arcade Williams/Bally stuff pulled the rug out on that game. I wish I could do the work, I'd make a Defender for sheer 50/50 enjoyment/spite.

[Daj]

I keep questioning the DE one with the walmart price drop currently. I know I like Joe & Mac, Bad Dudes, Breakthru, Burgertime, Heavy Barrel, and B-Wings. I'd assume sequels would be solid to those and probably bloody wolf too but the rest seem like gutter filler mostly, so I kind of question on the whole if I'd get my value which is annoying.

 

Joe & Mac Returns is actually a Bubble Bobble-type single screen platformer, and pretty nice. Tumble Pop is a similar sort of game I think.

 

I just broke and ordered this, although the 16:9 ratio is a major minus for me. Also, lack of dial/analog controls for the games that use it means that I would never ever play them on this. This is the first mini arcade dealie I've dropped money on, mainly because it actually uses arcade roms, which is a whole world of difference for some of these games.

[mckafka99]

I also tried to play Burgertime last night with little success. Annoyingly about Burgertime is if you're more than one pixel above or below the platform you cannot move laterally making tight precision all the more critical. More often than not, I try to move but sit there and die.

 

My recollection is that this behavior is arcade accurate; frustrating in the arcade, still frustrating in miniature. I still like the game nonetheless.

[Andromeda Stardust]

My recollection is that this behavior is arcade accurate; frustrating in the arcade, still frustrating in miniature. I still like the game nonetheless.

With an extremely tight 4-way joystick, I can confirm Beef Drop (7800 port) is one helluva game to play. I was on easy mode, but still got to 250k+ where the action got ridiculously frantic.

 

Anyway, sometime soon, I'm gonna take a crack at opening up my Burgertime cab...

[Tanooki]

 

Joe & Mac Returns is actually a Bubble Bobble-type single screen platformer, and pretty nice. Tumble Pop is a similar sort of game I think.

 

I just broke and ordered this, although the 16:9 ratio is a major minus for me. Also, lack of dial/analog controls for the games that use it means that I would never ever play them on this. This is the first mini arcade dealie I've dropped money on, mainly because it actually uses arcade roms, which is a whole world of difference for some of these games.

Interesting, never did look into it so that's kind of nice.

 

Minus for you, a plus for me with 16.9. I'd hate to have a screen that's pillarboxed as the wasted space drives me up the wall. I know some people get all whiny about heresy but both my old Nintendo SNES FPGA systems I set the width to essentially 4-5x size so it fits the entire area.

 

I've backed off buying the minis. I originaly had all the NOACs that Bridge Direct put out, but with them being morons about Rampage and Joust for like 4mo I got pissed and sold them as I got entirely turned off. FInally found a Rampage and only bought it as it's the full arcade game restored in NES format, the other 3 I got were $5 style finds and gifts and they're LCD style wannabes (SI, B&W Pac, and Color Pac.) I do have Galaxian Tiny Arcade, and I've used it more than the BD systems when I had them since they attempt to simulate the arcade game, not an NES port. That's why I keep waffling on the DE 10" device, it's the arcade games and owning legitimately all those sets inside there is appealing as much as the actual arcade hard game values. I never did look, would be nice if it had dipswitch choices.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Secret locations of the hidden screwholes revealed through the magic of special skid resistant rubber coated neodymium magnets:

 

The arcade marquee appears to be bulletproof thick plastic laminate. I lifted up two corners and laid them back down with no signs of damage. The adhesive is tough enough to survive being pulled apart at least once or twice. Four of the five screwholes are on the edge so would be easy to access. The center screw will require some work though. Assuming the center screw doesn't hold together any critical components, I would remove it and leave it out during reassembly.

 

I gotta order some components from an electronic supplier for an unrelated Robotron/Spookotron controller build. While I'm there, I'll get some nice 4-pole DIP switches and magnet wrapping wire.

 

Gonna unlock some of those hidden games. Stay tuned...

[NE146]

See if you can unlock Deadly Towers and Total Recall

[Andromeda Stardust]

In other thoughts, I inspected the headphone jack on the back of the My Arcade last night to discover it is actually a 4-conductor TRRS plug. I attempted to connect a composite video / audio TRRS cable to see if it could output video. Audio came in loud and clear but no video. However, since there is an NOAC inside, I suspect there's a composite feed somewhere. I have no idea how accessible the composite video signal is or whether it needs a preamp, but it would be cool to see one of these modded for composite output. That said, the tiny screens are surprisingly sharp. The 256 pixel horizontal resolution of the NES games is stretched across a 240x320 screen so there are slight scaling artifacts but they aren't bothersome. The pixels are sharp enough it makes me wonder if it's really composite video coming off the noac. I don't know of any that output anything besides ntsc composite though.

[Tanooki]

So depending on the style of TRRS there your four sections that are ringed off could give, video, left audio, right audio, and the ground, right? That would be interesting probably for a few people, the same market who would take like an atgames handheld or any of those handheld famicom devices with the same jack just to run it to the TV with a feed for better or worse on the output quality.

[Azathoth]

Gonna unlock some of those hidden games. Stay tuned...

I wouldn't bother taking apart your Burgertime unit unless you're just wanting practice. I checked mine out and unless I just overlooked 'em there's no type of solder connections leading to the NOAC like the Namco ones.

 

If you're just wanting to take the back off you only have to remove 2 side screws. The laminate stickers on the side are pretty tough and will come off cleanly once you get them started.