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All-In-One Arcade Console

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-isn't-that-special dept.

ArcadEd wrote in to plug his Arcade in a Box which is essentially a PC ready to play MAME, but built into a console with true arcade parts for the buttons and joystick for a more authentic arcade video game experience. It's not quite as realistic as, say building your own cabinet, but it definitely is a lot less time consuming ;)

2 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. much fun by ArsonSmith · · Score: 5, Informative

    I bult my own arcade about 6 months ago. In my quest I went through a lot of trouble and problems of all kinds. I had certian things that I had to have ( 4 player controller, 27" monitor ) and a few things I wanted to have (linux frontend)

    After some shopping around I bought a 27" tv an older desktop pc and visited HappControllers to get the arcade items I wanted. Home Depot for lumber. I wanted to use AdvanceMame on this arcade except the tv out support on linux really sux. not to mention the s-video support on AdvanceMame isn't that great. I ended up settling with windows98se running wine32.

    The stability isn't great but it does work alright. I haven't seen windows crash during a game yet but between games durring selection and such it hasn't been all that great (long term as this box stays on all the time)

    If anyone is looking to do this here is what I would suggest.

    hagstorm electronics has a great keyboard encoder ke72t

    buy a used arcade (look on ebay sort by stuff near you) make sure it has the size monitor you are looking for and a decent cabinet.

    lots of ram and 1.2+ghz if you want to play newer games

    64M and 233mhz if you are just in it for the clasiscs.

    have fun with it.

    --
    Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  2. Let me say a few things by ArcadEd · · Score: 5, Informative

    OK, first off I am a true fan of arcade and MAME and I would never do anything to violate that. I make these boxes for those that wish to have the arcade expercience at home, and don't have the time or knowledge to build their own cabinets or boxes.

    My website does not say the product is patented, it is pending, I am working with lawyers to see if it is legit. If you take the time to read my reasoning for patenting, maybe you will understand. I was torn between this for quite sometime. After posting messages at www.arcadecontrols.com and mameworld.com I came to the conclusion that I should try it. Everyone I chatted with agreed. This is not final, and I may not even go through with it considering how high the cost is.

    There is nothing illegal in the box, or any modified hardware. It is no different than buying up computer parts and piecing one together to sell to a user, like most computer stores do.

    My sales are not hi, and I don't expect them to be, I take great pride in each unit that I build for someone. Every piece of the unit is custom designed for the users.

    Trust me, I don't have the time to be making 1000's of these and I don't plan on that. I enjoy making people happy that want to relive their childhood.

    I built my first mame cabinet almost 4 years ago.

    If have questions, please feel free to email me at arcaded@arcadeinabox.com

    To set the record straight, in my dealings with BYOAC (www.arcadecontrols.com) and other custom built arcade cabinet sites, no one has ever created a box like this.