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Sbox Homemade Console

Posted by michael on from the santa-is-making-a-list dept.

Anonymous Coward sent in: "I just ran across a very cool homemade emulation console. It emulates multiple machines, plays movies, plays mp3s, and uses Intel's new wireless gamepads to control everything. It's also cased in plexiglass and uses its own menuing software. The best I've seen yet!" His remote has a docking station.

31 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Cartridges by michael.creasy · · Score: 2

    He doesn't have to, just download the ROMs from the thousands of warez sites out there.

  2. Arcade cabs by Bodero · · Score: 5, Informative
    For those of you who want to build your own arcade cabs, just like the Sbox, you may want to check the Arcade@Home site at http://www.arcadeathome.com.
    In addition to the MAME front-end of the same name, the site features a nice collection of pics and links to converted and custom-built cabinets. IIRC, the Plastic Cactus site linked from this page has a set of measured drawings that might be useful, and there are probably others too.

    There's also the very nice Build Your Own Arcade Machine site: http://plaza.powersurfr.com/kevin/arcade/

    Both of these sites are geared toward creating cabinets for use with emulation, but if that's not what you're after I'm sure they could be adapted for true arcade hardware. I've been thinking of building something like an Sbox myself, someday when I magically become competent with power tools. ;-)

    1. Re:Arcade cabs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
      For those of you who want to build your own arcade cabs, just like the Sbox, you may want to check the Arcade@Home site at http://www.arcadeathome.com.
      Or not. Arcade@Home is run by Tim Eckel, the same Tim Eckel (affectionately known as "Timmay" in emulation circles) who was previously covered (along with eFront) in a not-too-flattering light. He's also infamous for once abusing the MAME license (by offering his own version of MAME called MAME! that differed only in ways like removing the copyright notice at the beginning of MAME, which eventually led to the changing on the MAME license), childishly insulting people he doesn't agree with (like Gridle of the MAME team, or Penny Arcade's Gabe & Tycho) and for not only promising ROMs for download (or, as he puts it, a "link" to his "friend" who has them for download . . . funny, his "friend"'s server seems to have the same IP) but often (seemingly purposely) dedicating so little bandwidth to the downloads that all people get are the ads plastered on the download site. And once, a "hacker" (suuure) changed the search scripts on his site to DDoS Retrogames, an emulation site often critical of Eckel.

      Please, let's not give this guy the ad revenue.

  3. I've always wanted to do this.... by flewp · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Just the thought of an all in one type of machine has always been appealing. Granted, it wouldn't be my primary PC. Also, it might be nice to play mp3's with winamp and geiss running on it or something during parties. (Of course I would hook it up to my stereo if I had a nice one). A DVD drive would be nice to hook up too, but I wouldn't know how to get software to run the DVD software. A custom DVD player software would be sweet.

    --
    WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?
  4. Ideas by xfs · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Make an entertainment center that folds shut to look like one of the mame stations. That way, you can use it as a gaming station, or a cool place to watch movies. Think of all the things you could combine into one... Throw in a PS2 (has PS1 suppt) a DVD-Rom in the sbox, a NICE stereo system.. Wireless keyboard/mouse..

    Wow. I'm thinking about building one of these more and more each day.... :P~~~

  5. whoa, watch out for the law by OO7david · · Score: 5, Funny

    (satire)

    This is like the box for copyright infringement. First it has all those old NES, SNES, Genisis, or arcade games that no one buys anymore, nor can find anywhere. It'll play those damn MP3's which, as we all know, just mentioning MP3's is illegal. Let's not forget that it plays movies, which are already illegal to watch in any other manner than what is already told to be correct. Lastly, let us not forget that it runs Windows in the unlicensed way; only the XBOX can have windows in console form.

    Striker better quit while he's ahead.

    (/satire)

    1. Re:whoa, watch out for the law by warrior389 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Come on. When was the last time anybody used "Oldest First (Ignore Threads)"? You know what we really need is "Funniest First"!

      `lynx -dump | grep -A 10 -e "Funny"` just doesn't cut it... at least maybe slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=newest would make it easier... hey, I know I'm not the only one out there ;)

  6. This is also something else.... by AgentUmino · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That guy might seem a bit obsessed, but he's nothing. At least his setup can play multiple games. This guy built this custom setup just to play GT3, it's crazy. Check it out.

    --
    It's not "there's always someone better than you", it's "there's alway someone more HARDCORE than you."
  7. Re:that's the catch by malkavian · · Score: 2

    And there was me thinking he had to connect them with real aligators. :)

  8. Just an opinion... by pixel_bc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... but doesn't this kind of glorify the piracy of ROMs? I mean - I know SOME people get them legit, but most, for sure - don't. Putting stuff like this up just kind of makes everyone think how cool the "emu" scene is, and away they go, downloading....

    Just an opinion, though.

    1. Re:Just an opinion... by rneches · · Score: 3, Interesting
      As pointed out by prevoius posters, it is often impossible to obtain legitimate copies of many of those games. Also, there are many, many cool games that were never released in the US. I even have a few such Japan-only roms that someone with a hex editor and a death wish took the trouble to translate into English - there's no way you could get that "legitimatly".

      Personally, I wouldn't have any problem paying [a reasonable price] for ROMs, but the option simply isn't available. You see, owning a copyright on a non-confidential item gives the owner the right to require that I pay for my copy of the item. It does not give the owner the right to deny me access to the item if I want it. So, if Nintendo and Sega refuse to sell their old games, then they'll have to live with the fact that trading ROMs is protected by the first amendment. If they feel like dragging people into court for copyright infringement, all the accused have to say is "I would have paid for it, but I was denyed the opportunity to do so," and malicious intent becomes impossible to prove, and the case is moot. I know it's not quite that simple, but I don't see a rational counter argument.

      --
      In spite of the suggestions and all the tests that I have made, I have not cavato a spider from the hole.
    2. Re:Just an opinion... by nougatmachine · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Not to mention the fact that if something is not being sold any more, there is no signifigant loss being made to, as a random example, Nintendo, every time I "pirate" Donkey Kong Junior.

      This is my beef with anyone who knocks down emulating classic systems: getting the darn games is nearly impossible because companies hoard them until they release a re-hash or a bundled emulator (like Namco Museum). If I could get ahold of legal roms, if they were being sold, than at least this kind of argument would be revelent, in much the same way the file-sharing debate is relevant to labels and artists. But Spy Hunter?!

      IANAL, but I believe this kind of work can only become public domain after 75 years, if the original creator does not renew copyright. The problem is, that law was created before arcade and console games, which have a tendency to become obsolete much faster than, for example, The Fellowship Of The Ring. For printed literature this makes perfect sense, but surely there is a more reasonable way we can govern interactive gaming copyright issues.

    3. Re:Just an opinion... by Howie · · Score: 2

      But Spy Hunter?!

      That would be Spy Hunter, currently in development for the Playstation 2. Old titles never die, they just get re-licensed.

      Take a look at First Star, known for pretty much one game* - Boulderdash, written in 1983, which they are still re-licensing on new platforms, and still fairly vigorously 'protecting' from clone-writers.

      * OK, Spy vs Spy too.

      --
      "don't fall into the fallacy of believing that Perl can solve social problems. Maybe Perl 6 can, but that's a ways off"
    4. Re:Just an opinion... by dasunt · · Score: 2


      Yes, it does. I just passed up buying Final Fantasy II legit (the Japanese NES version fan translated into english), even though the local Walmart has plenty of older NES cartridges that have been magically translated into English.


      Don't whine and moan about the emulation scene. Its not taking away revenues from the gaming machine, these are the same people who would be playing their old consoles if there was no emu scene. Not everyone loves FPSs and MMORPGs. If it makes people happy, and it has yet to be proven that emulation has reduced sales of computer games, then what's the problem?


      Just my $.02

    5. Re:Just an opinion... by rneches · · Score: 2
      it depends on the interpretation. trading warez is a form of speech, it just runs the risk of violating someone's copyright. the copyright grants the owner the right to be paid for the work. they technically can't stop anyone from obtaining it, so long as the owner gets compensated. copyright does not grant the owner a right to censorship, but they can demand payment.

      a fine line, maybe, but otherwise free speech wouldn't mean much of anything.

      --
      In spite of the suggestions and all the tests that I have made, I have not cavato a spider from the hole.
  9. Bring out yer dead... by malkavian · · Score: 5, Funny

    It still amazes me that the big guys haven't cottoned on to the fact that if they did a VERY cheap 'pay to download' service on the ROMs, a lot of people wouldn't be that averse to paying a few dollars for a bunch of well outdated arcade games they loved, or old nintendo game, or whatever...
    That way, they'd have a small revenue stream from obsolete games that nobody would normally buy these days at all...
    And then a lot of people that are forced to use Warez ROMs 'cos they can't get hold of the game for love nor money anywhere other than warez sites can rest easy knowing they've done their bit for society and progress, and the company that produced the game in the first place doesn't have so much to gripe about.
    Despite all this blabbering on about the requirement for copy protect, I think most people just want to pay once for something they use, and don't mind paying a fair price for what they do use...
    I for one would love a nice easy, high bandwith site I could drop onto, pay a couple of dollars for a bundle of ancient games, and just enjoy.
    I do like the stuff this guy's done with the box tho.. :)

    Cheers,

    Malk

    1. Re:Bring out yer dead... by whatnotever · · Score: 2

      If I had a bit more time and money (read: if I weren't a student), I would try this myself. I suppose it might help to know a thing or two about business, also.

      Basically, one could set up a company to do this. Partner with companies to sell their old inventory that is currently earning them $0 and split the profits. If I were a game company (and this can be for PC games as well as ROMs), I would have nothing to lose by partnering with such a company and maybe a few bucks to gain.

      The basic idea is this: These companies have merchandise that they aren't selling. If it costs them nothing to sell it, why wouldn't they?

    2. Re:Bring out yer dead... by Jace+of+Fuse! · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If it costs them nothing to sell it, why wouldn't they?

      Costs aren't always monentary.

      Take for example Super Mario Brothers Advance. SMB Advance is essentially just SMB2 with some new stuff thrown in. It will now make for a really nice hand-held title, but do you honstly think Nintendo could resell the title as an N64 remake, or a Gamecube remake? It can sell as a handheld title, simply because at the moment not everybody has a handheld PDA that will effectively emulate the GBA.

      Do you honestly think Nintenod could sell SMB1, SMB2, and SMB3 all on one disc as a collection for the Gamecube? No, probably not. Most likely not, due to the fact that a large percent of the market that still loves those games already has them illegally on their PCs.

      If Nintendo COULD get away with doing it, it's only because there isn't a larger number of people pirating roms. The number of ROMZ pirates grows ever day. For the moment, it's still not nearly as mainstream as MP3 piracy. If we're lucky, it'll stay fairly obscure and won't draw any real legal attention.

      Also one must consider that games aren't like music. People consume them like food and move on. Someone can very easily justify buying a CD when they already have the MP3s, just to have the physical medium. Video games, for whatever reason, haven't felt like "physical medium" since the first ROM image got pulled off of a Cartrige and uploaded to the 'net.

      I still buy my video games. I still spend more money on video games than any other expense I have, and one could say that's almost obsessive. (I wonder sometimes myself). But I also know that not everybody buys their PC titles, fewer still buy old games, and even less go out looking for rare SNES, GENESIS, or N64 carts to add to their collections.

      As much as I enjoy going to Classic Gaming and snatching down a rom image or two, I fully understand why some companies such as Nintendo and Sega don't want their ROMS being distributed. I also understand why they make a good point in "some cases".

      And that's just the thing. "Some Cases". Some games have much higher replay/resell/remarketability value than others. Some of the publishers are gone, others strive on today. But it's those few gems that could resurface as modern products that set the argument for Copyright holders keeping a tight grip on their titles. Nintendo is about to show exactly what they "want to do" with those old titles" when they re-release them on the GBA.

      I was all over Super Mario All Stars when it came out on the SNES. Do you think such a thing is ever going to surface on the Gamecube with piracy all but having destroyed the marketability of older titles? Dream on.

      I think THAT alone should answer the question "why wouldn't they"?

      --

      "Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"

      Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
  10. The big question by El+Prebso · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does it play Doom?

    --
    I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame it on you.
    1. Re:The big question by TotallyUseless · · Score: 2, Informative

      yes, the version of doom for sega was for 32x. i bought a 32x addon just for doom. yes i was that lame. you may now shoot me

      --

      Time for some tasty Shiner Bock!
  11. Re:What's WRONG with those controllers. by Megahurts · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I disagree. It looks like the thumbs should be over the buttons and the wrists would go in a straight line from the hand to the elbow, with the four fingers wrapped around the back of the 'horns' and the bottom tie piece turning just below the pinky fingers. Of course, I'd have to hold one to say for sure. Couldn't be much worse than the n64, though. I can't use those more than about 20 minutes without my hands cramping up. the dreamcast was much better, but the angle on the handles was about 20-30 too narrow. If the madcatz controller had smooth plastic buttons, a stronger return spirng in the stick, and a square plus-directional pad, it would have been perfect. (incedientally, as it is, the d-pad and rubberized buttons make it unusable)

  12. TiVO by Aztech · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Add a capture card and it looks like a decent competitor to a multipurpose TiVO. Add Ethernet and you can stream the video where you want :)

  13. no. by garcia · · Score: 2

    better yet, let's keep it the way it is and download the god damn things for free.

  14. Avoid arcadeathome.com at all cost. by Augusto · · Score: 3, Informative

    For the reasons already explained in another post, plus the site is the worst offender when it comes to annoying popups and requirements for clicking on a million links before reaching anything meaningfull.

    For real info on building your own cabinet go to:

    http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm

    For the latest arcade ROMs go to :

    http://mame.dk - This is the site the arcadeathome guy tried to eliminate from the face of the earth.

    --

    - sigs are for wimps.
  15. But then again ... by Dlugar · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I understand your point, but my big beef is ... I own quite a few old NES cartridges. There's no way on earth I'd be able to actually rip the contents off the ROM onto my computer. But I can download them easily from these "warez" sites.

    If I want to play my old games on a new medium, basically, what other choice to I have? Even if NES did have some sort of "download service", I would have to pay again to download games that I already have paid for.

    I honestly can't figure any easy way around it.


    Dlugar
    --
    Computer Go: Writing Software to Play the Ancient Game of Go
  16. Re:windows? by SydBarrett · · Score: 2

    Um, if it was impossible, it wouldn't work. He seems to be having fun with his creation. As for VB/Windows, if it works, who cares how it was made? Would it make you happier if he switched over to a unixy system, maybe spending hours learning a new widget set and re-coded his menu in C++ or even Tcl/Tk for the same effect?

    Geez...

  17. ...Sega? by DaRiachu · · Score: 2, Informative

    Uhm, Sega Dreamcast runs off of Windows CE.

    And, a lot of the tools that people use, including the VCD player (at least the ones I've seen) were built to those specs off of VB.

    ::shrug:: Doesn't seem too impossible to me, considering the Xbox is supposed to run off of a modified NT kernel. I've also heard that the programming package for it is a modified PC game-creating engine that MS uses.

    But, of course, I could be wrong. Heh.

    1. Re:...Sega? by Howie · · Score: 2

      Uhm, Sega Dreamcast runs off of Windows CE

      Uhm, actually CE runs on the Dreamcast, would be more accurate, and even then only if you want it to. The plan was that with DirectX and the Windows API available, more developers would port their PC games. Most (very nearly all) developers used the Kamui/Ninja libraries written by Sega, Hitachi and VideoLogic instead.

      And, a lot of the tools that people use, including the VCD player (at least the ones I've seen) were built to those specs off of VB.

      More likely Visual C++, since I don't think there is a cross-platform VB (DC uses Hitachi SH4 and ARM) AFAIK. The tools I use with my DC are GNU tools for the most part, anyway.

      --
      "don't fall into the fallacy of believing that Perl can solve social problems. Maybe Perl 6 can, but that's a ways off"
  18. Re:SMB wouldn't sell for other reasons... by Jace+of+Fuse! · · Score: 2

    It's not nice, and it's not fair.

    I know many roms users. Almost none have the original games. Most don't have all of the games they have the roms for. Few I know have most of the games they have the roms for, and some of us still look for the carts for games we don't have (yet).

    Those are the facts. Almost nobody who downloads roms has all of the original games. It's not nice, and it's not fair, but it is true. I've seen it, you've seen it, and you're only denying it to justify you own guilt.

    If you are downloading roms, you are breaking the law. Note, I DID NOT SAY you were doing something "morally wrong". It's a fuzzy issue that I could take either side of.

    Am I telling people not to download roms? No. I've downloaded Roms and I admit it. But if a copyright holder wishes to protect their investment, they have that right and I do respect it.

    Emulation authors and users DO pirate. Some just have more justification for doing so than others. There are two types of emulation users. The first type is the punk who downloads 350 SNES games from a newsgroup flood just to say he has them all. Then there is the person who wants to relive the Adventures of Link, but his NES is packed away, broken, or he no longer owns a TV to plug it into. The first user certainly does not have the same justification for his actions as the second user.

    Unfortunately the FACT IS there are more of the first user type than there are the second. And that is a BOLD FACED FACT.

    --

    "Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"

    Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
  19. Re:SMB wouldn't sell for other reasons... by dasunt · · Score: 2


    Okay, I'm the first type, except I don't do it off a usenet feed. I like my collection to be complete. I know, I'm odd, I don't even play most of the games, other then to make sure they are working. I'm not a threat. Hell, its probably people like me that will be the reason why in 75 years (or forever, thanks Mr. Bono) that the roms will be in existance to be put in the public domain.


    Have you ever thought that the emulation scene is PRESERVING the art? If it wasn't for the emulation scene, many of these games would be lost forever, and I know, its just a video game, and a lot of them are crappy, but I still wouldn't want to see anything that took many hours of work, and can be considered a working example of the state of the arcade/console/computer industry at X time to be lost. In a way, the emulation scene is a less-glorified version of medievil monks copying by hand important manuscripts which would otherwise be unknown to us. (Greek philosophy, Datsun 280 Zzzap, it all has the same cultural standing, y'know. *grin*)


    The collector is beneficial. Unlike warez pirates, whose collectors only help spread a game that has legit copies easily available, the emulation scene (and the abandonware scene, by the same token), is spreading and preserving a product of our civilization that would otherwise be unavailable. Of all my games, I probably only play a half-dozen regularly. Before I got into emulation, as well as after, I bought a few games, and usually rented most from a cheap video store. (I am cheap though, if I buy, I'll wait until the price is reduced to $10-20, or else buy it used if I can't wait.)


    Also, the emulation scene can and will pay money to increase their enjoyment of the gaming experience. Although only one company seems nice enough to release a rom-set, the emulation scene will pay money for faster computers, better vid cards, and toys like TV out, or arcade parts to build their own arcade machine. I don't think "cheap" can be used to describe the serious emu players. They need to put more money into hardware to play an older game just to support the overhead of emulation.


    Just my $.02


    P.S. Copyprotection is getting really annoying. Every new game I buy, it seems like I spend a few hours trying to search for a hack to play it CD-less. Why do every game company out there decide that I want to always have their CD in my one CD drive? I have the hard drive space, I don't mind a "full" option on install. Just gimme back my cd drive!

  20. Re:SMB wouldn't sell for other reasons... by Jace+of+Fuse! · · Score: 2

    Copyprotection is getting really annoying.

    I tend to agree with that, too. If Copy Protection doesn't prevent the majority of the users from pirating games, and it just bothers the rest of us who buy the games.

    Some Copy Protection isn't so bad. Single disc games that require the disc to play tend to annoy me less, since I tend to play the same game for days at a time thus I just leave the disc in my gaming system's drive. Multi-disc games are the worst offenders, though. Swapping discs is so 1980's.

    I wish it weren't true, but it is. There are more pirates than there are legit owners. Nearly every user I know gets pissed when they ask if they can "burn a copy off of me" in reference to whatever newest game I just bought. Besides thinking they're all cheap bastards (they are), I find it annoying that they try to convince me that "those big companies" have "too much money".

    All I can say is maybe. But not all of the game devs are monoliths that deserve to be stolen from. :-( Just look at Loki.

    --

    "Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"

    Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.