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The author of this review asks, "What if you just want to convert an old (non-working, I hope) cabinet into a MAME arcade cabinet? Lots of information is out there, but where do you start?" Based on the review, the book seems to focus a lot on making your own replica cabinet from scratch.

If you want to build a cabinet from scratch, it sounds like this would be a fine book. If you want to convert an old cabinet, there are much easier solutions. Ultimarc, for example, produces several products that convert standard JAMMA interfaces to PC keyboard and video connections. JAMMA is the standard that arose to allow for easily changing games out in arcade cabinets.

I ultimately ended up with a HotRodSE connected to a home theater computer because I didn't have the space for a dedicated cabinet. Ultimarc's products, though, appear to allow for the joystick and buttons on a JAMMA cabinet to connect to a PS/2 interface and for the video connector to hook to VGA (refresh and resolutions on arcade machines are different from standard computer modes). They even sell an AGP or PCIe video card that appears to have a special RAMDAC so that you don't have to screw around with getting the weird video modes working.

I've never used Ultimarc's stuff, so I have no idea how well it would work. Assuming it's decent, the formula would be pretty simple: find an older Street Fighter cabinet in decent shape (functioning buttons and non-burned screen). They have six-button configs, which seems to be the most buttons used for the majority of games, thus saving you from having to cut holes for new buttons. Street Fighter was also ridiculously common but is old enough that you should be able to get the cabinet for a few hundred dollars if you're in/near a big city. Pull the board, plop in a computer, wire a couple of adapters, spend some time on a nice front end, and it shouldn't be too much work to have a functional MAME cabinet.

Memorizing certain patterns could also help a lot when playing Pac-Man.
For more information check out How to Win at Pac-Man.
Ah, those were the days...

Not that it's changed much - most "boss" encounters in games these days rely on finding the "pattern" of attack and repeating it until the big guy falls over.

The Ultimarc and BYOAC links in the parent were definitely needed.
If you're lazy, drop a $100 and get the Hotrod http://www.hanaho.com/products/HotRodJoystick/over view.html

StarROMs is not the only way to get legal ROMs for MAME, HanaHo distributes Capcom games with their products, and you can get some SNK games like the Metal Slug series at Play-Asia

(The site says they are ports, but I know for a fact that at least Metal Slug Collector's Edition includes the ROMs for the first three Metal Slug games)

If you want a trackball, check out the HotRod by Hanaho Games.

The pictures they have are of the older model, but you look at the Arcade PC, you can see the one with Track Ball.

I own both the X-Arcade controller and the Hot Rod and the Hot Rod is a better product overall than the X-Arcade.

Not only that, you get a lot of the original Capcom games with the controller.

If you want a trackball, check out the HotRod by Hanaho Games.

The pictures they have are of the older model, but you look at the Arcade PC, you can see the one with Track Ball.

I own both the X-Arcade controller and the Hot Rod and the Hot Rod is a better product overall than the X-Arcade.

Not only that, you get a lot of the original Capcom games with the controller.

Hanaho's Hotrod SE recently dropped in price from the well-nigh ludicrous $249 to the completely reasonable $100. The controller is a full-sized, double arcade joystick setup with seven buttons per player, plus a "coin insert" and "start" button for each player. It functions as nothing more than a standard PS/2 keyboard, and has a passthrough for your actual PS/2 keyboard. As such, it's driverless and keys are easily remapped/rebound without the need for any peculiar software. The whole thing is assembled using actual arcade components, enclosed in a laminated wood exterior (the same sort of stuff used in arcades). Bonus: it weighs like 15 lbs., so it doesn't go floppping every which way when you start wailing on the joystick.

While Lik-Sang's USB-> Playstation adapters definitely look cool, I would have to go with a hotrod for non-finnicky, functional use for MAME, as well as a fair range of console games. If you figure the $18 or so Lik-Sang charges, plus the cost of PS1 controllers (about $20 or so brand new), you're already at about $60, not counting shipping (for the lik-sang, I'd assume you'd buy a PS controller locally). Drop about $40 more into it and you've got a bad-ass controller that's natively mapped in Mame (use the -ctrlr HotrodSE flag to do so), and that will make anyone who sees it jealous. Unless you intend to use a peculiar controller (say, a DDR dance pad), I would say this thing is a must.

Disclaimer: I don't work for Hanaho, I just think that the Hotrod is a great value for the money.

Gaaa. Ordering one of those from Brazil will be real bitchy!

One hundred $ S&H!!! Not to mention local taxes! No way jose, gotta have connections.

Hanaho's HotRod joystick (an arcade joystick for the PC) ships with a CD "Capcom Coin-Op Classics", which apparently includes 14 Capcom ROMS. See their FAQ.

For the terminally lazy, the games are: 1941 - Block Block - Commando - Exed Exes - Ghouls'n Ghosts - Magic Sword - Mercs - Sections Z - Side Arms - Son Son - Street Fighter (Hyper Fighting) - Strider - U. N. Squadron - Varth

Has anybody made an effort to contact the original manufacturers and see if they'd make a deal to license the ROM code? All they'd need to do is set an arbitrary price and then the whole vintage gaming industry could likely experience a rennaissance as people start plopping MAME cabinets in various locations.

I know some manufacturers that make MAME peripherals such as Hanaho have managed to license some of the classic game roms and allow for redistribution. It would be great if a more aggressive, more complete effort was made to see to what degree the companies that own these rights would be willing to license them.

it's the HotRod Joystick which you can see on that page. Hanaho owns the rights to the following Capcom ROMs and you get a copy of "Capcom Arcade Classics" if you buy their joystick. i have heard good things about the joystick but have not used one myself.

the games included are: 1941 - Block Block - Commando - Exed Exes - Ghouls'n Ghosts - Magic Sword - Mercs - Sections Z - Side Arms - Son Son - Street Fighter (Hyper Fighting) - Strider - U. N. Squadron - Varth

i don't know if they will sell the Arcade Classics separately, but you could always ask. if you really wanted to get into this as a hobby you would probably want a joystick like the HotRod anyway, but the cost is out of "impulse purchase" range. i did search google and froogle for "Capcom Arcade Classics" and could not find anyone selling it, although the google search turned up this forum page announcing a review of the games released for PocketPC, and you also get the desktop versions included. the actual review link, however, is broken.

so, i think this exists somewhere, but other than with a HotRod joystick I haven't been able to find out where you can get it. the only other thing i could find were CD-based console rereleases, for PS2/PS/Dreamcast, etc. Namco makes one (perhaps a few), for example.

ah, OK, even further searching turned up this page on capcom's site where you can buy individual arcade games for PocketPC (which I think based on the forum linked above should also work on PCs) ... but each game is $15, so it's not a great deal. but, the link is here.

HTH.

Buy a digital joystick.

Sure, there are people who are interested in only piracy, and there are people who are only interested in free games, but in a hundred years, the reason why we will have copies of arcade games from 1975 on up will be because of emulations projects like MAME.

I don't condone piracy to avoid paying for the latest game or to avoid paying a theater for a movie. But there is a difference between downloading GTA3 and downloading a 25 year old ROM that is not available for commercial sale. Not legally, but ethically.

(Btw, support Capcom. They are one of the few companies that will sell [some] older rom images)

Hanaho also makes a similiar product called the Arcade PC. There are three models, all of them have a monitor and a PC built in, although the PC is not as powerful as the one mentioned in this article.Arcade PC.

If you already have a computer, get the HotRod arcade controllers for $200.

• Celeron 900, 40x cdrom, 19" case: $200
• Decent mobo: $120
• 40 gig 7200 rpm Maxtor: $140
• Liteon DVD drive: $100
• TNT2 w/ TV out: $40
• Realmagic Xcard for 5.1 DVD, DIVX, VCD and SVCD playback: $170
• S-video cable from radioshack: $12
• Creative Inspire 5.1 speakers/remotecontrol/receiver setup: $450
• Hotrod Se for mame Street Fighter: $200
• Two Thrustmaster USB gamepads for snes/nes/genesis emulation: $70
• SB Live 5.1 value: $45
• Sony Wega 27" TV (no hdtv): $900

Time spent putting it together and tweaking the hardware: 20 or so hours.

Am I happy/satisfied? Fuck yeah.

Those Hanaho cabinets are nice but they are a little pricey at $3000. You do get a PC included but it a PIII 600 Mhz but that could be had for $200 or so. Only a 17" monitor. That's a lot smaller than most real arcade machines. Hanaho's JAMMA cabinets start at 27". And the only games you get with this thing are a few Capcom Arcade Classics CPS1 games (older games like Street Fighter 2 and Final Fight.) All other games must be somehow "aquired". One would be much better off building a cabinet. I would build one but I don't have the skillz. Plus I live in an apartment and have no work area. And no tools. Taco's cabinet is pretty tight though.

Those Hanaho cabinets are nice but they are a little pricey at $3000. You do get a PC included but it a PIII 600 Mhz but that could be had for $200 or so. Only a 17" monitor. That's a lot smaller than most real arcade machines. Hanaho's JAMMA cabinets start at 27". And the only games you get with this thing are a few Capcom Arcade Classics CPS1 games (older games like Street Fighter 2 and Final Fight.) All other games must be somehow "aquired". One would be much better off building a cabinet. I would build one but I don't have the skillz. Plus I live in an apartment and have no work area. And no tools. Taco's cabinet is pretty tight though.

my bad, here's the link http://www.hanaho.com/products/ArcadePC/Ultra/inde x.html

Playing on the same machine is cool if you own one of these. I have one and along with my complete collection of roms it makes for a killer party (mabye add a keg or two).

Hmmm, I still think I want a HotRod SE. The price is a bit high (they can be found for ~$150) but what you get in return is a very nice rig, for fighting games especially. It would definitely make those Street Fighter battles on Kaillera more fun.

The only shipping product I know of is the ArcadePC from Hanaho, which has gotten rave reviews.

These guys have a great joystick setup for MAME, etc, that isn't a keyboard hack. Check it out. The cost is about $200, but it would make for a sweet MAME cabinet. I have been wanting to set up a dedicated linux box in an old arcade cabinet for sometime using this...

Arcade 2000 (Jeff Kemper) has been running into a number of problems fulfilling orders, staying in touch with his customers, returning money, etc. If you take a look at the Build Your Own Arcade Controls FAQ at http://www.arcadecontrols.com and ask around the forums you'll find a number of people who have been ripped off or screwed over by Arcade 2000. If you take a look around there are plenty of other reputable solutions such as Hanho Games, Inc. known for their excellant HotRod Joystick and their ArcadePC arcade game cabinet.

If you're more interested in building your own cabinet check out the BYOAC FAQ or my friend Sithspawn's page about his cabinet. We both built MAME cabinets over the summer. Took a few months, but it's worth it. There's nothing quite like scrolling through a menu of 2000-some arcade, NES, SNES, SMS, etc games and playing with nice classic-feeling controls.

Arcade 2000 (Jeff Kemper) has been running into a number of problems fulfilling orders, staying in touch with his customers, returning money, etc. If you take a look at the Build Your Own Arcade Controls FAQ at http://www.arcadecontrols.com and ask around the forums you'll find a number of people who have been ripped off or screwed over by Arcade 2000. If you take a look around there are plenty of other reputable solutions such as Hanho Games, Inc. known for their excellant HotRod Joystick and their ArcadePC arcade game cabinet.

If you're more interested in building your own cabinet check out the BYOAC FAQ or my friend Sithspawn's page about his cabinet. We both built MAME cabinets over the summer. Took a few months, but it's worth it. There's nothing quite like scrolling through a menu of 2000-some arcade, NES, SNES, SMS, etc games and playing with nice classic-feeling controls.

I followed it and it contained another link to this site for a company that's selling fully-configured arcade cabinets for installing computers in and running MAME. Check it out. Looks identical to an asteroids stand-up cabinet.

For yonks, Hanaho have bundled a CD with licensed Capcom ROM images (including one of the earlier Street Fighter IIs) and MAME with their Hotrod joystick - look on the FAQ page.

Take a look at them here
--
-Rich (OS/2, Linux, BeOS, Mac, NT, Win95, Solaris, FreeBSD, and OS2200 user in Bloomington MN)

cheaper than retail playstation @ $199 U.S. plus $19.95 (US) Allow 1-4 weeks delivery (Add $15.00 UPS 3 day shipping). Orders outside the US, shipping is $99US; but that entitles you to the fastest method of delivery possible (as in 1.5 days to Ottawa Canada, where I live)

I own one of these puppies. (I got my companie to spring for one too) Comes with 11 actual Capcom classic arcade games (emulated, not reproduced. you gotta "put in quarters") and its fully compatable with Mame, which lets you play any of the 2000+ Roms available to lawbiding citizens (Do you really own "Super BurgerTime (Japan)"? - type OK to continue)

Capcom has been very supportive of emulation. They allowed HanaHo Games to distribute a CD of roms for old Capcom games with their HotRod Joystick. I don't think Sega ever really did much to support emulation.

Capcom has been very supportive of emulation. They allowed HanaHo Games to distribute a CD of roms for old Capcom games with their HotRod Joystick. I don't think Sega ever really did much to support emulation.

Try Hanaho Games. Nice place, great service.

See ArcadePC , a Cabinet/PC/control system, all packaged and ready to purchase. Small & large versions available. I think they're working on a cocktail-type platform, too. Kinda pricey, though. The standard ArcadePC with a 19" monitor & a mini-cabinet is around $800, and the one with a 27" monitor & a full-size cabinet is around $2000.

If you just want the control panel, they're using the Hot Rod , available in 2 versions, that you can use with your current computer. The 'classic' is around $180, and the SE (with more buttons, same layout as many modern coin-op control panels), is around $200. They connect via a PS/2 port, but mention on their site that USB support is in the works (that's what I'm waiting for).

See ArcadePC , a Cabinet/PC/control system, all packaged and ready to purchase. Small & large versions available. I think they're working on a cocktail-type platform, too. Kinda pricey, though. The standard ArcadePC with a 19" monitor & a mini-cabinet is around $800, and the one with a 27" monitor & a full-size cabinet is around $2000.

If you just want the control panel, they're using the Hot Rod , available in 2 versions, that you can use with your current computer. The 'classic' is around $180, and the SE (with more buttons, same layout as many modern coin-op control panels), is around $200. They connect via a PS/2 port, but mention on their site that USB support is in the works (that's what I'm waiting for).

The point being, Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator is available for many platforms (such as *nix - get XMAME) unlike Shockcrap, and the Shockcrap-recreations aren't true emulation like in MAME. I admit that they are very well crafted, but the feel just isn't correct and for example the sound is far from original. Actually, MAME emulates these particular games perfectly!

It would have been much more useful for them to release the ROMs to free redistribution, so that all MAME users could use them in good conscience. Now they'll just have to download the roms illegally or simply not play those games.

There are even two free games available for use with MAME. In fact, another one of them was previously owned by Midway, being Robby Roto. However its coder had quite a good contract - it said that when the sales of the game dropped below a certain level, the copyright would revert back to him. Being a good guy, he then released the game for free redistribution. The other free romset is Poly-Play, the only arcade game ever made in ex-GDR (East Germany), and thus there does not seem to exist a copyright holder for that piece of software anymore.

Other choice to get legal games for MAME is to buy the Hot Rod Joystick control panel which comes with a compilation of 14 good old Capcom arcade classics (such as 1941, Block Block, Commando, Exed Exes, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Magic Sword, Mercs, Section Z, Side Arms, Son Son, Street Fighter 2 HF, Strider, U. N. Squadron and Varth), which not recreations but actual ROM files that you can use with MAME. I'd love to see more people buy this pack - it would show the copyright holders that there actually still is a market for stuff like this.

Take a look at Arcade At Home. On the left hand side is a link for "Cabinet Pics". It leads you to a page that shows at least fifty people doing just what you said -- building there own arcade machine all built around a PC and an emulator (usually MAME because of the huge number of games it supports). They all use real arcade buttons and joysticks (dials and trackballs even) that are mapped to keyboard commands. Playing a machine like this that is done right would be no different that sitting in an arcade pumping quarters. If you don't want to go all out, you can just use your PC and get a good controller (not a gravis pad or sidewinder that is) like the HotRod.

Unless you're planning to "go legit" (put your arcade machine in a public place and start charging people for real) don't waste your money on Ultracade.

ArcadePC is where it's at. Granted, after you add a sufficient computer to the ArcadePC it will probably cost nearly as much as Ultracade, but you won't be locked into buying stupid "game packs" since ArcadePC works with emulators. So the more games MAME supports, the more games your cabinet does.

An AudioRequest would be cool, though a PC preconfigured to do the same thing would be even cooler.

The ArcadePC MAME Cabinet is pretty sweet. So is the Arcade2000 cabinet.

Everybody loves BRAINS. And MORE BRAINS!!

For the audiophile in your life, perhaps you should consider an $80 steel brick or a $20 green pen.

Oh, I would also like someone to find me a missile silo home, but it has to be within ten miles of San Francisco (the Presidio or the Marin Headlands would be acceptable locations.)