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My home arcade


Andromeda Stardust

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My home 1up arcade. Left to right ms pacman cocktail, tmnt, star wars, atari legacy tempest.

 

That tempest legacy cab; She's a thing of beauty. Spinner and trackball respond well, and I upgraded the stock buttons. I wish they made the volcano style drop ins for p1/p2. I might even put in an X-arcade coin door like I did with ms pacman.

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Edited by Andromeda Stardust
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Barfcade??!! Ha! Sure they're cheap-o. But.. Agree or not. Like or dislike. They're how thousands of people will be playing arcade cab games at home.

 

Not everyone wants to go through the process of repair & restoration. Most people want multiple games in a smaller space. And the technology certainly permits that. For the adventurous among that crowd, controller upgrades are doable & rewarding.

 

A huge factor is cost and how well the smaller size multigame units integrate with modern decor schemes. I'd rather have 1 multigame cab that's easily accessible as opposed to 5 real arcade cabs that have to be positioned against a wall with no space in-between. Especially if one is a tabletop with 2 control sets. And these newer LCD displays are superior to CRT in terms of geometry, color gamut, and color consistency. No faded all-green screens.

 

Vintage arcade cabs are professional amusement devices, and they don't fit the home environment like a mini barcade, MiSTer setup, or deluxe i9 emulation PC can.

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7 hours ago, RJ said:

Here are some real ones (& a pinball machine) for future reference.

You got low self esteem or what? I've seen quite a few game rooms with A1ups/AtGames/iiRcades that look a hell of a lot cooler than your random beater cabinets positioned next to your kitchen stove.

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19 minutes ago, RJ said:

That's not my kitchen stove. That's where they stop for cleaning/light maintenance after I get them down these stairs.

I realize you're just here to troll, but it's sad seeing real cabs in the hands of people who can't properly restore or maintain them. Hopefully you're selling them on to people who can do them justice!

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On 9/14/2021 at 1:34 AM, RJ said:

Please.don't insult the arcade collecting hobby by calling those 1Up Barfcades "arcade games".

 

On 9/14/2021 at 7:45 AM, RJ said:

Little toys for little boys ?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️

 

On 9/14/2021 at 9:27 PM, RJ said:

So, go the cheap route & get the 15th next best substitution. I see how it is. ??

 

 

Jesus, at least get your hands on a 60 in 1. You can even find one with a horrible LCD screen!

 

Congratulations.  You're upholding the stereotype of the douchebag arcade game collector absolutely magnificently.

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4 hours ago, Keatah said:

Is that a standard rom that came with the cabinet? Or a hack?

Neither, if how I think it got there is how it got there.  The initials for the #1 entry on the high-score table are used for the buildings on level 1.

 

It's been quite a while since I've tried to leave naughty messages on Crystal Castles' high-score table, but I don't think it filters what it puts up there.

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And so it is. Never would have thought of looking for that. This also shows with level 10 I believe!

 

CrystalCastles was rather difficult and demanding for me. Ramped up too quickly. And the controls were unforgiving because of the precise positioning required. Totally opposite of shooters where you could lay down blanket fire to hit rather large targets. Front or sides was sufficient to take it out.

Edited by Keatah
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2 hours ago, Keatah said:

CrystalCastles was rather difficult and demanding for me. Ramped up too quickly. And the controls were unforgiving because of the precise positioning required.

The weird thing is that we had two locations where I'd play it: one had the standard upright cabinet, the other the cocktail table.  For some bizarre reason, I found the controls a lot easier to deal with on the cocktail.  No idea if there was a change in trak-ball size or similar à la Missile Command at play, but there was just something about how the cocktail was laid out that fit me better.

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The home environment permits one to have custom or semi-custom controls superior to what's on 40-year old ratbaggy cabinets.

 

Ergonomics and implementation have improved over the decades. Things like an X-Arcade stick (with or without mods), scissors keyboard & mouse, or a gamepad or basic 8-way stick, are more comfortable & responsive. They offer choice and perfect matches instead of one size fits all.

 

Couple all that with modern emulation or FPGA simulation for the best classic gaming experience possible.

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On 9/9/2021 at 2:03 PM, Andromeda Stardust said:

Oh, noes! Crystal Castles has a dirty word in it... How do I get this off?

 

What's my age again? ?

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17 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Neither, if how I think it got there is how it got there.  The initials for the #1 entry on the high-score table are used for the buildings on level 1.

 

It's been quite a while since I've tried to leave naughty messages on Crystal Castles' high-score table, but I don't think it filters what it puts up there.

This. P1 initials go in the blocks. There is no swear filter. And I've since replaced the top slot...

Edited by Andromeda Stardust
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On 9/14/2021 at 1:50 PM, Zoyous said:

I realize you're just here to troll, but it's sad seeing real cabs in the hands of people who can't properly restore or maintain them. Hopefully you're selling them on to people who can do them justice!

At least the cabinets all match the decor in the Kitchen. Original 80's cabinetry and appliances, for the win?

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19 minutes ago, John Stamos Mullet said:

At least the cabinets all match the decor in the Kitchen. Original 80's cabinetry and appliances, for the win?

This was literally his dream home, 3 decades ago! Hold yer quarters. "Look ma, i can goes to the arcade whenever I want!" ?

Edited by Andromeda Stardust
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To add some much needed positivity to the thread, here's mine:

 

 

IMG_7226.thumb.JPG.20de5b57f8f286e13aaea4c2306f426a.JPGIMG_7225.thumb.JPG.a417af72e7808f27e39a5135e0eea811.JPGIMG_7228.thumb.JPG.10180714f75a174482c255523cf9368b.JPG

 

RPi 3b+ modded, Lighted Marquees, Custom control panels from DIYRetroarcade.com, working X-Arcade coinslots.

 

Pac-Man is limited to 25 games, all dedicated 4-way stick/1 action button games.

 

Galaga has an 8-way Sanwa, GRS spinner, and LED trackball, and has 135 games that are a mix of the controls.

 

They are set up with coin-only play, and everyting in the cab, Pi, amp & speakers, Lighted marquee, etc.  are controlled by a smart power strip, so one power button turns on the whole she-bang. (lighted mini-button top center of Control Panel)

Edited by John Stamos Mullet
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20 hours ago, Keatah said:

The home environment permits one to have custom or semi-custom controls superior to what's on 40-year old ratbaggy cabinets.

 

Ergonomics and implementation have improved over the decades. Things like an X-Arcade stick (with or without mods), scissors keyboard & mouse, or a gamepad or basic 8-way stick, are more comfortable & responsive. They offer choice and perfect matches instead of one size fits all.

 

Couple all that with modern emulation or FPGA simulation for the best classic gaming experience possible.

There's still a lot of original 80's arcade games that are more accurately emulated in MAME/FBNeo than they are through MiST/FPGA. MiSTer has some 80s/90s consoles down pretty well, but Arcade games support are lacking in quality control/well written FPGA drivers.

 

Donkey Kong alone on MiSTer is abysmal.

Edited by John Stamos Mullet
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22 minutes ago, John Stamos Mullet said:

RPi 3b+ modded, Lighted Marquees, Custom control panels from DIYRetroarcade.com, working X-Arcade coinslots.

 

They are set up with coin-only play, and everyting in the cab, Pi, amp & speakers, Lighted marquee, etc.  are controlled by a smart power strip, so one power button turns on the whole she-bang. (lighted mini-button top center of Control Panel)

 

I'm seeing more and more of these cabs becoming the basis for modding projects. And I foresee the tiny industry that makes parts and upgrades for this style/class of hardware continuing. I expect to see more instructions and templates and brackets that allow pro-level stuff to be fitted. Ohh sure full-size professional amusement cabs have tons of replacement parts and materials available, but full size cab = full size resto job. And many people simply don't want to mess with it.

 

For example I'm not gonna be permitted to hose down a 40 year old CRT assembly in the bathtub. And I'm not gonna wanna wait till summer comes to do it outside. Nor will I have the patience to balance the colors and contrasts and geometries. LCDs and OLEDs inherently eliminate so many traditional CRT issues.

 

When I get going on an electronics project I don't want to have to do loads and loads of prep. Like applying side-art or building a frame for a new display assembly. Let alone filling in replacing rotted particle board and cutting grooves for side-molding.

 

The materials being new and clean is more appealing to the wifey anyways. And that means more involvement and that is generally a good thing.

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1 hour ago, John Stamos Mullet said:

There's still a lot of original 80's arcade games that are more accurately emulated in MAME/FBNeo than they are through MiST/FPGA. MiSTer has some 80s/90s consoles down pretty well, but Arcade games support are lacking in quality control/well written FPGA drivers.

Oh sure I don't doubt that for an instant. And I personally prefer SE X86 across the board with MiSTer and R-Pi in tow as supplemental ecospheres. In my discussions and evangelicalistic commentary I often mention FPGA setups in the same paragraph as Software Emulation. Partly out of FPGA's cult following. And partly to cover all bases. Though FPGA is usually 5 or 6 years behind SE, longer for some early arcade games as you well illustrated.

 

I could guess the problem is that each arcade PCB is different. And each board needs its own core. And it's usually one or two developers per core. Certainly less than MAME's potpourri box of parts and modules and everybody seemingly working on everything. In MAME an improvement in, let's say a Z-80 module, means an improvement across anything that uses that Z-80. Rising tide lifts all boats.

 

Maybe MiSTer's strength will remain "consoles". Seems early arcade games are lacking. And computer cores are limited in features. Compare AppleWin and Altirra and Stella against any FPGA offering, and you'll see a feature-rich environment in contrast to the bare minimum.

Edited by Keatah
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19 minutes ago, Keatah said:

 

I'm seeing more and more of these cabs becoming the basis for modding projects. And I foresee the tiny industry that makes parts and upgrades for this style/class of hardware continuing. I expect to see more instructions and templates and brackets that allow pro-level stuff to be fitted. Ohh sure full-size professional amusement cabs have tons of replacement parts and materials available, but full size cab = full size resto job. And many people simply don't want to mess with it.

 

For example I'm not gonna be permitted to hose down a 40 year old CRT assembly in the bathtub. And I'm not gonna wanna wait till summer comes to do it outside. Nor will I have the patience to balance the colors and contrasts and geometries. LCDs and OLEDs inherently eliminate so many traditional CRT issues.

 

When I get going on an electronics project I don't want to have to do loads and loads of prep. Like applying side-art or building a frame for a new display assembly. Let alone filling in replacing rotted particle board and cutting grooves for side-molding.

 

The materials being new and clean is more appealing to the wifey anyways. And that means more involvement and that is generally a good thing.

The only two types of Arcade games where CRT makes a functional difference over LCD are Vector and Light Gun Games.

 

Vector emulation on LCD is more than playable, just not as nice looking (variable beam intensity/brightness).

 

Sinden light guns already supplant conventional ones for those kinds of games on LCD.

 

The real problem with original arcade games is the size/weight/portability. When you add in the maintenance headaches of 40+ yeara old CRTS, system boards, and power supplies - it's just not worth it for the average classic gamer. then put on top of that most 40 year old cabinets are flat out disgusting to work on, and really need the exterior panels to be completely rebuilt due to wood rot/staining/mold/pests - yuck. no thanks.

 

Which is why the hardcore cabinet collector scene often trends towards the ultra-obsessive, snobby, exclusion-types.

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